It’s been a bit of a wait, but I’m back with a new update. The final big piece of art for my upcoming events is in the can. This coming week will be focused on preparing everything for printing. After that, It’ll be time to start working on revamping the website. Look for some changes here in a couple of weeks.
After the launch of the new website, work will commence on the next chapter of Astray3. I can’t say exactly when the new chapter will start posting. My current estimate is at the beginning of November. It’s a bit of a wait, however, I want the next chapter’s release to go as smoothly as possible. In the meantime, I’ll start posting page teasers and bonus art here until the official launch.
That’ll be it for now. Be back next week with an update on the new prints.
Cover for the print version of Astray3 chapter 3.Color flat.Finished inks.Pencils
Hello readers,
Work on the next print chapter of Astray3 is about to complete. I should have it ready for the printer by the end of the week. Soon after the book is complete, I’ll start work on revamping the website and creating a webstore. This may take some time. I might have to rebuild the entire comic archive for a new theme. Expect the site to be down for a bit. ( I’m woefully bad at the internets. ) Hopefully, this will only take a few weeks.
My three foot nerd prison for ten hours last Saturday.
A quick post Death Ray Expo update!
Hello readers,
My first live event has now faded into the past tense. So, it’s time for some reflection.
Above, and below, are pictures of my humble booth. I shared a table with my long time art pal Fernando on the left. You can visit his website at http://www.calakka.com/ On the right is, Gustav Carlson of www.touristunknown.com Needless to say, wedged in there between two other artist, my presence was diminutive.
However, I consider the show an overall success. The books were well received and I sold a lot of copies. Also, I was able to meet a lot of my peers from the local art community. ( Although, I really need business cards for the next show. ) Not bad for operating from a cramped three-foot space at a small show with a limited crowd. ( No insult to the event meant. I love you Chad! ) The event was very enlightening too. I picked up a bunch of tips to improve my booth’s presentation. As such, I have a ton of prep work to do before the next show. ( Arkansas Comic Con in Little Rock, AR. Followed by Spa-Con. )
In other news, I’m working on the cover for the print version of Astray3 chapter three this week. I should be dropping some sneak peeks in a couple of days. After that, I’ll start working on renovating the website. And in between, I’ll be working on some new prints and banners for the upcoming events. It’ll be a busy couple of months.
Astray3 chapter 3 is in the can and trundling it’s way to a print version. If some of you think it ended a bit prematurely, you would be correct. Originally, the combined chapters three and four were supposed to be the end of the first planned big book of Astray3. However, around 30 pages seem to be the best fit for the individual print version. So, I cut the big chapter in half. Chapter four will be the final for the collected big book and include an epilogue.
Speaking of chapter four, where is it? As the last several months have proven, updates have gotten erratic due to all the extracurricular work I’ve taken on. ( Like prepping for books and shows. ) Also, it’s time to update the website and build an online store to sell the aforementioned books. Thus, chapter four’s release will be delayed for a few months. This will give me time to improve the website and rebuild the buffer. As mentioned in the title, here is a roadmap…if recent video games have taught me anything, people LOVE roadmaps.
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Tasks in order:
• Finish up and prep chapter three for it’s print debut.
• Renovate the website to make it much easier to navigate and read.
• Create a web store. ( And maybe start offering commission work. Don’t hold your breath though. )
• Build a one to two-month comic buffer. This will merely forestall inconsistent updates given the increased production time. But hey, at least we can have regular updates for a few months.
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In the meantime, I’ll be dropping sneak previews of upcoming pages here and on the Patreon page as work progresses. Plus, if you live in the Northwest and Central Arkansas area I will be doing multiple comic conventions. ( Death Ray Expo, Arkansas Comic Con, and Spa-Con respectively. ) Depending on the success of these shows, I’ll look into expanding to neighboring states.
That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more updates as we head into the BIGGEST chapter of Astray3 yet!
Just a quick update to say the next and last update for the current chapter will land on Thursday. Inks are done, but it’s a big one with a lot of coloring. In the meantime, Enjoy some Procreate sketchums.
A quick update for your perusal. You probably just now noticed that Astray3 page 37 has arrived. Page 38, the final page of the current chapter, will post sometime this coming weekend. With the last page in the can, chapter three will be off to the printer in the coming months. This will require some time to organize and create the cover. And, this lapse will also mark the beginning of a larger break period for Astray3.
Chapter three marks the end of what I consider the prologue period of the new Astray3. Chapter four will see Astray3 moving into more “familiar” territory. It is shaping up to be a big one. So, to get the book back to a semi-regular update schedule, I need to rebuild the buffer. I currently predict that the comic will start posting again in August or the beginning of September. Also, during this break, I will be addressing the website’s abysmal layout and building a new web-store. Yeah, it’s annoying, but since I’m working solo it can’t be helped. I’ll keep posting new stuff and teasers in the meantime to wet yall’s whistle.
No comic today. Astray3 chapter 3 page 37 will post next Monday. ( Probably jinxed it now. ) However…I have some VERY good news this update.
The final push to prepare for my first convention show is virtually finished. YES, prints and books have been ordered. ( They should be arriving in the next few weeks. ) The booth set up is ready. And my last art obligation for the event is wrapping up today. At last, this proverbial creative kidney stone is going to pass. Hallelujah!
The new books and prints will debut at the upcoming Death Ray Expo. Afterward, I will set up an online store for everybody else to purchase copies. ( How I’m going to do that…I have no idea. Comixology versions are still in the works too. If that is more your jam. )
Death Ray will be the first of a series of local comic/illustration events I plan to attend this year. Depending on their success/failure, I’ll start branching out to further events. ( Today Hot Springs, AR. Tomorrow, THE WORLD! Speaking of which, I’ll be at Spa-Con in September! )
Naturally, with all this extracurricular work wrapping up, the focus will be returning to the comic. The current priority is to wrap up chapter three ASAP. Then I will spend some time prepping it for a print version. With chapter three in the can, work will then begin on chapter four. ( Working title for next chapter is “Enigma.” A clue for any WW2 history buffs. Easily google-able too. ) I’m still considering how to approach the preliminary work. I’ll make a formal announcement once I’ve worked it out.
As mentioned previously, there will be no comic update this week. But, it ain’t all grim news. The above illustration represents another big project knocked off my schedule. Only a few more to go and my focus will be back on the comic full time. So, return next monday for Astray3 chapter 3 page 35. After that, it’ll be about two more updates till the end of chapter 3.
About the above illustration, it will be the cover for an art booklet I’m creating for the upcoming Death Ray Expo. ( https://gocattywampus.com/ ) The event will be the debut of the book. However, if you can’t attend the show, the booklets will be sold online shortly afterward. And there will also be some other big surprises for sale around the same time. ( Shhh…it’s a secret. ) I’ll keep you posted here.
A quick update for this week. First the good news, I’m finally wrapping up some of my side projects. This will allow me to again focus on comic production. Bad news, there won’t be a comic update this week. With all the extra work I haven’t made any progress on page 34. I hope to have the next update ready by Monday.
And with some luck, there will be extra goodies to show too.
No, Astray3 update this week. I’m working on the second chapter cover this week and want to get us back on the Monday schedule. Thus, look for a new comic update coming on April 8th. We should be wrapping up chapter three this month. After that, there may be a short break due to the sheer amount of new designs needed for chapter four. Astray3 chapter four will be a doozy. A lot of threads will be coming together and old friendships will be renewed. Look forward to it.
