Monday, May 25, 2015

Convention Time/Timing (UPDATED! I DID IT!)



6/1 Update: SUCCESS! 

Despite missing nearly a full day of the con, everyone there was incredibly nice and no one screamed at me openly for being the Marketplace's "That Guy." This ended up being my highest-earning DC-area con yet, and I credit the positivity and proactive nature of the Fur The More staff for creating a strong and supportive environment. People were nice even though I stayed at my table to catch up and didn't socialize as much as I should have.

Also throwing huge praises to Mandy and Fox for letting me abuse their time for a late lunch. It was surreal and exhilarating to live inside their comic, Curtailed, for a couple hours. (Those two are so perfect they create comic-worthy moments every few seconds - and I TOTALLY STOLE SOME OF THEM FOR THIS SUMMER'S UPCOMING STORYLINE.)

I also got to draw for middle schoolers today, which is always a huge boost. The next generation is dangerously smart and talented and inspiring - and I was faced with the idea of destroying them out of fear, or encouraging them in hopes they won't turn me into Soylent Green when they get into power. Here's hoping those quick portraits and fox drawings keep me alive one day!

Four days of heavy talking and no sleep are having predictable results on my condition currently, as my facial muscles are super "hungover," but I got extreme enjoyment out of that time! (I get my treatment Thursday. It it helps, maybe I'll be slightly less drama for everyone next time around.) No Copper Road update is happening until I get back under control - so maybe next Monday? I have no Precocious buffer left, so that's my current comic priority.

I need to turn some items back on in the Precocious store, but my password expired and I can't remember which of the dozen or so options I was using. Maybe I'll find the post-it note with it around here later...


Friday, May 1, 2015

Copper Road + Bribed for Bonuses! (UPDATED)


As you'll learn more about below, I didn't realize it was the end of the month. Whoooops. I didn't have anything finished or timely in my Copper Road file, so I had to turn to my eyes to this dumb universe around us. Fortunately, I had a physical therapy appointment soon after. While that tweet didn't turn into full prophecy, I got a comic from the experience! (I did not handle adversity like Shii Ann, which is why we need Shii Ann. A comic of me NOT doing something stupid isn't very entertaining.) Vote here to see the new Copper Road! (Also, part of the first of the month update is that the previous month's Copper Roads are added to the online archive.)


Now, let's talk about color and illness and how those are tied together. The Ivy relapse story had to be initially posted with only background coloring, as my continuing health issues hit new heights in annoyance the past few weeks. I can draw comics, but computer stuff like coloring and lettering really hurts.

UPDATE: Jason of http://www.indeliblebluepen.com/ has stepped in to color some comics for us! He colored half of Sunday's update, and is saving my butt for at least a few updates next week. Yay!

ANOTHER UPDATE: All of Ivy's Relapse story is now colored and updated! Commenter DRB also stepped in to help pick up some slack, and I took care of the rest. Go back and reread it all to make sure I colored the right files and didn't lose a fixed typo or updated text or anything.

Back to the original post:

Anyway because of THAT headsplosion stuff, I've been focusing on drawing comics and not spending time at the computer. I thought I had my story finished, and then I found myself jotting down TWO silly bonus ending comic ideas. (Not canon - especially the first one - but fun as bonuses.) With my other option being painful coloring, I felt it a better use of my time to draw those bonuses. Hey, I can use one for a bonus inventive if I - WHEN DID IT BECOME MAY?!? I need a new Copper Road!

All of that combined is how I ended up with three bonus incentives for one day. SO LET'S HOLD THE BONUS ENDINGS HOSTAGE! If you can unlock the extras, I will edit them into Sunday's comic. If not, you won't see them until they appear in a book. (Can you unlock them before the page goes live?)

UPDATE: Yes, you can! I am super impressed! I'm leaving a;; the initial info in this post, because lord knows I always have more medical bills, but you have met your goals so yay you!

Once again, I will reward you with extras for donations and store sales that help me pay for my ever-growing pile of medical bills. You can donate via the PayPal donation button on this page, or you can buy stuff from the Precocious store! (Did you see that artist editions are available again?) Both PayPal and the store should have a section where you can write a note to me, so mention this is for the bonus comics.

I'll keep the goals low again:  $75 in donations/sales unlocks one. $150 unlocks both. $200 gets them both fully-colored. If you need context, I have medications (yes, plural) that cost more than $200. It may only be making a small dent financially, but it means a heck of a lot for peace of mind to know people out there are rooting for me. There's hope I'll get a procedure that will make things so much better, but it could be weeks or months away. I will need some audience love to push me forward until I can walk stable on my own again.