Join me for a ride (100 Days of Making Comics)

Ghost · Tue 05/01/2016 03:16:48

I did a lot more drawing all over 2015 and at some point came across this odd little thing where you do a 100 day "marathon": At least 30 minutes per day, you work on one single comic. No matter what. That doesn't mean the thing has to be completed within 100 days, it's just one of these "form a positive habit" challenges. I did small-scale "daily challenges"in 2015- "monthly themes" and stuff, but this is going to be a long haul.

I started my run with the 1st of January and, as per the norm, keep an online diary. Not that much to see there (yet) but I hope it'll become an entertaining little blog, so have a look if you like comics, stories, drawings, or whimsical fonts.

http://ghost100daycomic.blogspot.de/

[/shameless_plug]

Mandle · Tue 05/01/2016 03:44:29

Thanks for the news Ghost!!!

I'll be all over this like a hobo on a ham sandwich!

selmiak · Tue 05/01/2016 08:08:40

congrats on getting a calendar already. 9th of April! Mark it! Cross off the other days

this blog and posting here will surely keep you motivated. Though I'd have expected some more pictures for a blog about comics... nah, do what you need to do, keep to your schedule and do 30 mins at least a day.
And as you know how oblivious people on the internet are, please push this thread every now and then or just copy+paste your blog entries here.

Ghost · Tue 05/01/2016 08:16:51

mandle: Gee thanks! I've seen hobos doing remarkable feats with ham sandwiches. Bacon tends to get even better results, even backflips!

selmiak: 9th of April, marked. Is that when Half-Life 3 is hitting the shelves?

There will eventually be pictures, once I've started working on the actual sketches and inks. I could post a picture of my cat but the internet already has so many

And yes, getting motivation and steam is what this is all about. God knows I drop too many projects. I'll make sure to push at least the milestones here, as long as there's interest.
(If this belongs more to RumpusRoom, please move it, mods!)

Cassiebsg · Tue 05/01/2016 17:34:22

Really nice!

Wish you the best of luck!

LindaBelle · Wed 06/01/2016 13:43:04

Quote from: Ghost on Tue 05/01/2016 03:16:48
I did a lot more drawing all over 2015 and at some point came across this odd little thing where you do a 100 day "marathon": At least 30 minutes per day, you work on one single comic. No matter what. That doesn't mean the thing has to be completed within 100 days, it's just one of these "form a positive habit" challenges. I did small-scale "daily challenges"in 2015- "monthly themes" and stuff, but this is going to be a long haul.

I started my run with the 1st of January and, as per the norm, keep an online diary. Not that much to see there (yet) but I hope it'll become an entertaining little blog, so have a look if you like comics, stories, drawings, or whimsical fonts.

http://ghost100daycomic.blogspot.de/

[/shameless_plug]

Nice content part but I recommend you to add there more media files, I`m sure you have a ton of images on your computer, so why not to upload it on your blog?)

Ghost · Wed 06/01/2016 19:04:39

Quote from: LindaBelle on Wed 06/01/2016 13:43:04
recommend you to add there more media files, I`m sure you have a ton of images on your computer, so why not to upload it on your blog?)

Thanks for that post, Linda. It really got me thinking! I have watched/am watching a good dozen of people doing the challenge, and their diaries run the whole spectrum. Some just post a recording of their day's work, sans comment. Others keep their actual progress completely hidden to have the joy of a final big surprise. Personally, I prefer a mixed approach- I want to give a look behind the scenes but I also don't want to show everything.

I am sure the daily reports will become more "visual"in the future. I am looking forward to that- showing a page from sketch to inks et all. But I see little sense in posting every little doodle just for the sake of having pictures. Some posts will be nothing more than a quick update, others will be longer and have media, once it's there. And that's just it, right now there isn't a ton of images related to the 100DoMC, and just throwing in some random artwork to add a pic feels odd to me because it isn't a general "art blog".

Once there's stuff to show off though, I will

cat · Wed 06/01/2016 20:20:39

I love your new project and I regularly check the blog now. I think not showing every scribble is ok (I want to enjoy reading the final comic after all) but I demand a photo of this:

Quote
My cat is currently sleeping on my stack of scribbles.

Ghost · Wed 06/01/2016 21:38:26

Quote from: cat on Wed 06/01/2016 20:20:39
I love your new project and I regularly check the blog now. I think not showing every scribble is ok (I want to enjoy reading the final comic after all) but I demand a photo of this:
My cat is currently sleeping on my stack of scribbles.

He moved but will you accept him on the sofa, shot in Doom-o-Rama FPS Vision (tm) ?

Look! He's posing!

Mandle · Thu 07/01/2016 08:06:50

Awwwww....what a cutey-pie! What's his/her name? (Your arm is blocking the relative area so I can't tell, sorry)

cat · Thu 07/01/2016 12:31:58

So cute!

Ghost · Thu 07/01/2016 12:39:53

His name is Moritz. My folks got him and his brother from an animal shelter when they were kittens, and Mo was kind enough to choose me as his can opener when his brother went awol some time ago. I've got more time on my hands and he likes being around people (mostly on their laps)
He's a highly trained cat and looks cute in every position

Mandle · Thu 07/01/2016 14:42:25

Quote from: Ghost on Thu 07/01/2016 12:39:53
My folks got him and his brother from an animal shelter when they were kittens,

Love the ambiguity of the "they" in this sentence...Brings an amusing mental image to mind...

Pat Mo for Mandle. I love cats!!! (poster above included)

cat · Thu 07/01/2016 14:56:32

*purr*

Ghost · Fri 08/01/2016 18:17:40

Yesterday saw the "first week" milestone, and today's post (http://ghost100daycomic.blogspot.de/2016/01/day-8-of-100-laire-and-some-comic.html) has a quick look at the character art).

And a lot about BONE. If you like comics, you could pick up the BONE omnibus and read it in the 92 day I need to finish this

Ghost · Sun 24/01/2016 21:57:49

Tiny BUMP post: Almost a quarter in, and now there's actually some meaty post up, going into a bit more detail about the comic's world:
http://ghost100daycomic.blogspot.de/2016/01/day-24-of-100-meet-artisians.html

There's also a pictscha with many lines on it.

Stupot · Mon 25/01/2016 00:01:38

I just caught up on all the posts so far. Things are coming along nicely, mate. Keep up the good work!

Mandle · Wed 27/01/2016 11:08:54

Had a quick moment to check out the progress and:

DAMN I WISH THIS WAS A GAME!!!

Your world-building is amazing Ghost! I sooooo want to go into this one!

Ghost · Wed 27/01/2016 23:07:49

Quote from: Mandle on Wed 27/01/2016 11:08:54
DAMN I WISH THIS WAS A GAME!!!
Your world-building is amazing Ghost! I sooooo want to go into this one!

Gee, thanks a lot Mandle! I did have a related game idea once (witches using dreams to make a monster understanding the world) but... well. Games. Some get made, some don't.

The worldbuilding is a lot of fun. And I enjoy the challenge to make it as real as possible. I like the idea that there are actual creatures out there involved in the crafting of dreams; it's fun to play with that. There's also one definite reason such a realm *has* to exist.
Setting something in a literal dream realm is a double-edged sword; you can really go crazy with the chaos of a dream, but you also want rules, something that the readers can take as granted. That's really Storytelling 101 but it's the one thing I always have in mind. You establish a fact, and then it must be consistent. That's why I do such a lot of background info, I feel it makes it easier to add detail. Every detail roots in general facts, and thus you make things work. That's also how "real stuff" gets into the mix. The average Wiki Walk (tm) can get you a ton of cool ideas.

It's not *that* different from writing an adventure game

Ghost · Thu 04/02/2016 16:43:28

Bump!

Animated progress *.gif for the wins!

Ghost · Thu 25/02/2016 10:14:22

Reposted from blog:

O-kay... so, this did not exactly go as planned.

(For proper epicness, consider leaving this song running in the background.)

By the rules, I failed the 100 Days of Making Comics challenge. I started to run out of steam just a bit at around Day 48 or so and did not find both time and energy to put in the daily time just a bit later. I had hit an odd roadblock and could not crack it, and then stuf started piling up.
There's a bit more to it, but as far as catchy labels go, critical writer's block is probably the simplest explanation. I tried to get back into the swing but then another day went by with nothing much happening and then I lost it.

Of course, I could've just covered it up. I don't know exactly how many people are following this but none of you are very likely to come over and check what I really did at any given day (If you have plans to do so, bring some tuna, the cat loves it!)... but that would've been cheating and cheating is wrong (tm).

The bet was to work 30 minutes a day on a comic project. I have done this for 51 days, and then didn't, and thus the bet is off. I failed the challenge.

The End.

But... it doesn't really feel like losing, you know? It doesn't feel like failure. I went into this very unprepared, with very little background knowledge, and I came a good way. I wrote and designed and drew and broke a bit of new ground, and I had a good bit of fun, and a good bit of this good kind of frustration that doesn't get you down but fuels you up: You're facing a challenge and you know it'll be hard but you want to try and see if you can do it. I made it to the halfway mark at least, and given my track record of dropping projects, that's quite an achievement.

But the truth is that I need some time to sort out some stuff and that means that for now, I am closing the challenge. This is not a break, I'll stick to the rules and consider this first attempt at the 100 Days as over and done for, even if this might be a bit of false pride.

I have a folder full of scripts, notes, and scans. I have sketches and some nicely inked panels. There's LOOT here and I am proud of it. And it will come in handy. I've had this feeling that you need to enter such a challenge with a bit more of a plan, with a clearer outline, with a foundation that provides some extra fuel. This is what I take away from this challenge.

I'll attempt to run the gauntlet again, sometimes this year if possible, and then we shall see how far that run lasts. I'll leave this blog open and the next run will be chronicled here, too.

A great big thank you to everyone who checked in here, and I hope you found some entertainment. See you again, I hope

CaptainD · Thu 25/02/2016 10:40:03

Glad you got something good out of doing your challenge! I would see that really as the main reason for challenging yourself in such a way. Maybe we'll see something great come from you that had its origins in the 51 days you managed (and even on the other 49 days I'm sure you at least thought about the comic, so in a way you still succeeded, right?

)

Ghost · Thu 25/02/2016 12:57:35

Thank you, CaptainD!

And yes! I absolutely succeeded in *some* way

51 days is pretty good and I don't walk away empty-handed. I'm sure I can pick up the things I made and learned, and restart at some point. Just have to get rid of this RL stuff and, well, we always get an extra roll.

Cassiebsg · Thu 25/02/2016 15:21:17

RL has that problem, it keeps getting in the way of all the fun.