Well, I’m on the tail end of my two-week break from making “Downward Spirals” comic strips. They’ll be back shortly after Christmas. I do everything I can to have them posted by Thursday of each week, so look for it around Dec. 29.
Looking ahead into 2012, I plan to keep doing “Downward Spirals” strips until the end of the regular National Hockey League season. That means I should have about 30-35 comics by the time I’m done. They have been a lot of fun to do so far, even if my punchlines need a little more work. It certainly takes practice and patience to get it done right.
When that “season” is complete, I hope to assemble them into a low-priced Downward Spirals booklet.
Beyond my work on the Downward Spirals and this blog in general, I also have just begun work on my second Redlighter comic. You can even see a sample sketch on the right there. Readers of “Redlighter: Light It Up” are sure to recognize the fox — Capt. Denny Amberjack — and they might remember the sheep too.
The second “Redlighter” book is going to be leaps-and-bounds better than the first (though you should still buy that one too!) because I’ve learned a lot since I completed that.
First off, simply getting that little book published was a learning experience in it own right. I now understand the need for a uniform size, hitting a certain page count and story pacing.
But the big change will be the direct result of my work on the Downward Spirals comics. They have really helped me. First off, I expect to have a lusher look to Redlighter No. 2. You’ll see lusher linework. I’ll actually employ some shading. I expect to do a better job at lettering it too.
The story should be a bit more complex too. The first script I banged out quickly — I just was so excited to get drawing — that it was just a bit too simple. This one promises to be better.
So keep watching this space. You’ll be seeing a lot more “Redlighter” and “Downward Spirals” in 2012!
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