Comic Book Update

Haven't heard back from any publishers yet that I have sent out packages to, but it is still early yet. Finished a rough pencil of a page last night, will put ink to it tonight. Must also pack for trip to NY. I am finding that the ARG I designed is a big job, because of the interface I chose, it requires a LOT of writing, and writing of predicting what the world will be in 6 years.

My web host SUCKS

Blue host is Down AGAIn, and won't be up for maybe 8 hours, I am totally livid. How can I ever trust these people again?

Comic Book Update

Was feeling sick last night, I kind of drifted off to sleep on the couch in front of the TV at 9:00, so I think I needed the rest, one of those weird, half-asleep kind of things, where you're still aware of everything around you. This am, started another subsite design for the ARG portion of the comic book. It's maybe too ambitious, but what the hell, I'm starting it so far ahead of the release date, maybe I can make it work. Subsite design I think I pretty good, I need to design a logo for the subsite, so I should put that on my to-do list. No responses yet from the first mailings, its only been a week, I'm checking traffic to the website and no increase, who knows if this is a good sign or not. I can't tell really. I really think I have a good story to tell, but I am biased.

Its OUT!

Xeric application mailed out today. It would be NICE if I didn't need it, but I think I should cover all my bases. Gathered some reference for the next page I'm penciling (maybe tonight). But like I've said, for the short-term, I have to switch to splitting my time in between comic, work, freelance, and family. I hope there's enough of me to go around.

Comic Book Update

Got all the materials for Xeric together. I think I have a pretty cool presentation in the folders I chose. I designed a fake label to look like a top secret file. it looks nice and keeps things organized.

Finished another page of Issue #2 (inked) Once I'm done designing the subsites, I think I'll start coloring during the day and penciling/inking during the night. I expect progress to slow a bit because I have a couple of freelance jobs to start now, but work is work, I enjoy being busy and stimulating my creative part of my brain. The more I take on, the more I can feel my mind opening to new possibilities and ideas.

Mailing out Xeric today, cross my fingers and say a wish for good luck.

Publishing Update

Scrambling to get all the bids in before the deadline, got one that was OK, strangely, the one I thought was a slam dunk seems to no be returning my emails, I have NO idea what that is about. Now do I dare try diamond when the time comes, I'd love to be in previews, but their new policy concerns me, can I move that much?

Got some more quotes in on printing and FINALLY some printers outside the US, which allegedly save you money. Including the big boy Quebecor.

Tomorrow, look into small business grants, who knows, maybe I'll snag one?

Xeric still looms big in my future, have to get it all together, not going to happen by Friday, so I have to set the deadline of Wednesday next week to mail out. So on monday I should get folders, bniders, whatever

Update

Designed a couple of logos. Tonight I'll try to get another page penciled and inked. I'll just keep on trucking on this, so by the time I get an answer yea or nay, I'll have hopefully another finished issue in the can, so I can start printing it (with a company hopefully) or do it myself, but either way, its good i'll have a buffer between the deadlines. Maybe I'll have another review tomorrow.

Comic Book Update

Well I'm reporting the ups and downs, warts and all. So I got two "no thank yous" from a couple of publishers. Its to be expected, slightly disappointed, dopes that mean I knew they would, probably. Most publishers are careful in the best o times, taking on new projects. I still think I have a good story and a new idea to present.

finished inking one page, penciled 1/2 of another.

Will design some logos this week for products that appear in the book.Then some t-shirt designs for some of the players.

Comic Book Update

Getting quotes from different printers so I can send out for Xeric grant. Need them by wed, thurs, to meet my goal of sending out by Friday. Good news, when I DO publish, if I go the self route, I at least have a distributor. Haven found my material worthy of distribution on a consignment basis. I'm nervous about this, I hope I can get someone to bite. I'll do it myself, but its a LOT of work. Penciled 1 page, almost finished inking page last night. Do more tonight.

Oy!

There is SO much to do when you're thinking of self-publishing. I just heard that Diamond is now upping their required amounts for inclusion in distribution, I found another distributor, but, who knows. I'll try. I have to. But I guess this is what makes this blog interesting to me. A LOT of legwork that I have to keep organized. I only hope I can make a blip that will get some notice.

Comic Book Update

Finished the web chart for Xeric, THEN illustrator crashed before I could save all the changes, SO, I had to redo them...ah well. Nothing lost though. I think It came out pretty well. Penciled and inked a page in issue#2. I think to streamline the process, I'm going to start to color them as I get them, I think if I go about it like an assembly line, it will make things go faster. I've found that inking right after I pencil is more satisfying than penciling a whole issue, then going back to ink. Will get more info and printouts for the Xeric today, should have everything but the budget done for it. GOAL: To have everything ready to go out by Friday for Xeric.

YES!

Went to the post office, sent out proposals! Good luck to me I hope. I'm feeling good about this. I want to get this out there and tell my story, get it going. I'm excited, but also nervous. I hope someone bites on it.

Worked on the flow chart for websites to include in Xeric application. This is as much for MY organization as it is for Xeric Foundation seeing what I'm thinking of. Its really crystalizing my vision of this world.

Comic Book Update

Today's the day. At lunch, I will go over to the post office and mail out the proposals. Having been through this before, I'm not expecting miracles, but it would be nice to get a nibble, or a bite. So now my attention turns to Xeric. I will write my statement of intent today and start mapping out the details of the web interactions. To do for early next week, finish up design for portal site. To use as an example of what I intend to do for Xeric.

Tonight, pencil 2 pages (hopefully)

LOST: "this Place is Death"

LOST continues its hot streak. Not surprised Charlotte was on the island, WAS surprised she remembered. When she said a "crazy man" told her to never come back, in my head, I thought "daniel" and it turns out I'm right. We knew another encounter with the Dharma Initiative was upcoming because of the first episode this season, so I guess Daniel finds young Charlotte. She says her mother left, leaving behind her father. Since LOST is rarely so vague about these things, I'm betting that the father will not be a nobody, but a named character...Wild theory, Sawyer. But who knows, maybe everything isn't so conveniant that EVERYONE is connected to everyone...wait, what am I saying, this IS LOST after all....Sigh on the Oceanic six being separated AGAIN, I knew ben would use the ring to get Sun back, to use it in the OPPOSITE of what Jin intended. I just want them back on the island, it just feels tedious now, I wonder how the actors feel about it?

Comic Book Update

Put together packages last night. Will review requirements and send out by Saturday at the latest! Friday, goal: get pencils done on two pages. Sketches on 2 for issue #2.

Comic Book Update

Got all the materials printed for packets. Will look at Xeric, for their requirements. For xeric, need one example website + flow chart for entire series.

Sent emails to literary agents, not going to get too hopeful on that front, most seem to want graphic novels, while this will make a nice Trade Paper back edition when I'm done ( especially with the added material from online...More to come on that), most seem not to want serialized. I'm still a sucker for it, especially with the interactive experience I have planned.

Note: must design unique t-shirt designs for characters in Comic. something cool and iconic. What's going to be hip in 6 years? What will the trend be, more 80's type symmetry, geometric maybe. That's where I'll probably go, but if all else fails, go back to the engravers look that seems so popular these days

Take one BIG step forward

And jump in. Sent first email submission today, more to follow. That feeling in the pit of your stomach is fear and excitement.

It's UP!

Website loaded to internet! Very cool, up and running, will probably change some text, but IT'S UP!

Worked on printing cover letters, will edit long version of story, print out versions to go in submissions. It looks more and more likely that this will be the weekend to send out packages. To do this week: Custom labels, get email letter ready for email submissions and a emailable PDF made of book. Spread or no spreads? probably no spreads I think.

Wiki Commons

Is my new best friend. Love it. Since I've now found some killer reference, I'll return the favor and release some photos to the common good!

Website Update

Nice! I think I'll be done with the flash site TODAY for the Big House part of the site. I need to tweak the loading movie from OddJobs, but that's just little moves. Will create pre-loader for main site today! Hendo helped me with figuring out some bad code that was tripping me up.

Afternoon update:

Dang! I thought I'd get the preloader done by 1:00, C'est la vie. I'm sooooo Close, I can taste it! Its almost ready to be put online. I'll take 20 tonight, finish the code, and (hopefully) upload.

With this step being done, I can finish my list of people to send samples to. Than, well who knows, cross my fingers, say a little prayer, and wait for good news?

Revised update:

Success! Preloader works, now I think tonight I'll upload to web, fix a couple of links. Maybe I can mail out proposals by THIS weekend!! That would be cool.

Website Update

Progressing nicely in flash, started timeline control actions now. I think I'll make the FYI section its own movie clip to make things cleaner. Assigned actions to buttons, which is cool. I think we'll be ready to upload by the end of the week, which means we'll be ready to start sending out proposals by next week at the latest.

Website update

Exciting, I got the animation finished (minus sound) for the flash site, wrote the code to load from outside. Nice. Will write preloader this afternoon.

On the comic book front, found a couple of online literary agents who are interested in graphic novels. Hopefully this will pan out, probably not since I would prefer to serialize it. But its worth a try and most prefer online submissions anyway.

Afternoon update.

Synced sounds to movie, came out pretty well, added sounds to buttons. Will add ambient sound to background on man page! Also will add preloader to small movie. I think I'm going to have to put the main SWF within another object to preload it, but that should be OK.

LOST

New LOST last night. as usual tightly plotted, nicely done work. I get a real sense of where the season is going, and I like it.

Website Update

Bought video clip and imported into its own FLA. Will have it load from outside flash to save on loading time. Started website layout for subdomain site. debating weather to subdomain it or buy urls for these sites....

Website Update

Finished logo for intro sub-domain website. Came out well...I WOULD post it here, but in the interest of keeping is somewhat secret, I can't really discuss it.

Logo!

Designed the Big House comics logo. Or rather re-designed the big house comics logo. The old one was hard to read at small sizes, nice concept, but a little impractical. The new one is all vector. I like it. Well, I would because I designed it, right? Anyway, while I'm here, I set up the letterhead for my submission cover letter, will be gathering names and submission information today.

Mid-day Update: built slideshow in flash. Input text for FYI. Added a couple of t-shirts to my cafe press site (for fun). I'll be the first to order one, I'm sure. Started culling names of potential suitors for publishing, crating a master database. Will send out with the appropriate guidelines. Most of them are the same, but some require waivers. In case they develop something similar I guess, to protect them, that's why I copyrighted my story with the US govt, to protect ME. Tomorrow...Email links to exterior web pages for email, blog, and store.

Update

Tuned up the cover letter this weekend, cut down the synopsis. Ready to roll once I get the website up and running. Worked on logo options this weekend, think I found a good one. It will go on the letterhead, website, and basically all correspondence. Will try to finish basic website by this weekend so I can start to prepare packages to send out. Today, work on slide show.

Oh yeah...there was a football game on Sunday, I don't know if anybody saw it. I really thought Arizona was going to do it. Another squeeker. Wow, the Super Bowl actually is turning out to be a good game...