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A little burned out from drawing.
2 years ago
Hello everyone!
I just wanted to give you all a quick update on what's going on, since I haven't really been uploading too much over the last few weeks. Truth is, I am currently not finding all that much enjoyment in drawing anymore. Over the years, I've developed quite the routine process that allows me to make more drawings quickly and efficiently, which is a priority when making comics. However, that also makes the process pretty streamlined and samey, and combined with work, it's gotten to a point where I had to admit to myself that I simply need a bit of a break from it.
past experiences have shown me that the best way to break out of a rut (or for me it is at least) is to switch medium and try and expand your skillset with something fresh and new. So for the time being, I plan on switching scope temporarily and try myself at a few different creative ventures. One thing I have been trying for about a week now is making visual novels using Ren'Py. For those who aren't familiar with the term, a visual novel is basically a very rudimentary form of a video game that has been boiled down to only the dialogue scenes. Or coming at it from a different perspective, it's pretty much dialogue-writing with a few visuals and dialogue choices added in. It's been a lot of fun so far, though I am far away from having anything to show on that end yet. I'm not sure if this will be something that I'll be diving deeper on or not, but I would like to focus a bit more on writing in general for the near future.
Thematically, I am also considering expanding my scope for a little while. You might have seen some hints of it in Otherside, but both horror and character drama are themes I would like to experiment some more with. So perhaps I'll try doing something that's a bit more explicitly that rather than being a fetish comedy with a bit of it sprinkled in.
Also, please rest assured that I definitely still plan on returning to Otherside and finishing it. This is just me taking a bit of a break to recharge. I am however considering hiring someone to help out with work on the pages. Unfortunately, I simply don't have as much time to spend on drawing anymore as I used to, and if I could outsource some parts of the work (like inking in the lineart, colouring and maybe speech-bubbles), that could help a lot of keeping the pages coming out at a reasonable pace. That's still more of an idea at this point though.
So yeah, that's kind of what's been going through my head lately. Still doing really well all things considered. And I hope you are too!
I just wanted to give you all a quick update on what's going on, since I haven't really been uploading too much over the last few weeks. Truth is, I am currently not finding all that much enjoyment in drawing anymore. Over the years, I've developed quite the routine process that allows me to make more drawings quickly and efficiently, which is a priority when making comics. However, that also makes the process pretty streamlined and samey, and combined with work, it's gotten to a point where I had to admit to myself that I simply need a bit of a break from it.
past experiences have shown me that the best way to break out of a rut (or for me it is at least) is to switch medium and try and expand your skillset with something fresh and new. So for the time being, I plan on switching scope temporarily and try myself at a few different creative ventures. One thing I have been trying for about a week now is making visual novels using Ren'Py. For those who aren't familiar with the term, a visual novel is basically a very rudimentary form of a video game that has been boiled down to only the dialogue scenes. Or coming at it from a different perspective, it's pretty much dialogue-writing with a few visuals and dialogue choices added in. It's been a lot of fun so far, though I am far away from having anything to show on that end yet. I'm not sure if this will be something that I'll be diving deeper on or not, but I would like to focus a bit more on writing in general for the near future.
Thematically, I am also considering expanding my scope for a little while. You might have seen some hints of it in Otherside, but both horror and character drama are themes I would like to experiment some more with. So perhaps I'll try doing something that's a bit more explicitly that rather than being a fetish comedy with a bit of it sprinkled in.
Also, please rest assured that I definitely still plan on returning to Otherside and finishing it. This is just me taking a bit of a break to recharge. I am however considering hiring someone to help out with work on the pages. Unfortunately, I simply don't have as much time to spend on drawing anymore as I used to, and if I could outsource some parts of the work (like inking in the lineart, colouring and maybe speech-bubbles), that could help a lot of keeping the pages coming out at a reasonable pace. That's still more of an idea at this point though.
So yeah, that's kind of what's been going through my head lately. Still doing really well all things considered. And I hope you are too!
And you mentioning visual novels reminds me how long I procrastinate the Bun'n'Blob-Prototype...
Ha, I totally get that about procrastinating though, don't feel bad about it. I'd still love to see it if anything comes of it, but don't worry about it if you're not feeling it.
It's so much more important to address it now before it becomes a bigger problem.
I support this break! Go be a loaf and enjoy other mediums ^^
Yeah, better to take it slow for a while rather then try to push through. Gotta recharge in peace.
Thanks for the update, and here's hoping you have a ton of fun with any new projects. And that finishing up Otherside will at least be pleasant.
Visual Novels or game design in general is something I've been wanting to look into for a long time. It's gonna be a while before I have anything worth showing, but if and when I do, you'll be amongst the first to know.
They do seem like something that'd be really fun to create. I don't have the first clue on how to do the technical stuff, and zero artistic talent, but writing for them does sound great. Especially if they have multiple options and endings. It's really cool you've gotten into working on them!
If you're ever interested in giving it a shot, the program I use is called Ren'Py, and it's free. Comes with a pretty good tutorial too, and I can attest from experience that the coding for it is really simple and easy to learn. Just in case you ever feel like giving that a look as well.
Visual novels sound really fun. I've never really played any (if 'played' is the right term) but they sound great, and you are a really good writer. I'm sure that, with a bit of practice, you could really knock out some great stuff. And I'd love to see some straight horror from you sometime. I'm a huge horror fan, from the cheesy to the sublime, and with your talents and your wonderful creativity, I'm sure you could come up with something pretty amazing.
People aren't really in agreement on wether or not visual novels should count as video games or not. They kind of are right on the fence I suppose. I don't really have much of an opinion on that particular question, I just think they're a neat way to tell a story regardless of how you classify them. Funnily enough, I am not really that big of a horror-fan myself. I mostly just like the veneer of horror, like all the cartooney Halloween stuff or all the classic monsters that tend to go around. Guess I am just very squeemish about physical violence and I don't like jumpscares much. But I think there's some really nice aspects to horror too that I would like to explore some more. Just gotta find my own way of doing it.