What I Did Today

Remember when MC Hammer was the Saturday morning superhero Hammerman? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass for more!

Today I finished flat fill coloring page eleven and shaded page ten. I’m enjoying seeing them finished but I need to work out better breaks. I’ve been trying to get into the zone lately and that makes everything feel like a marathon by the time I finish. I’m just worried I’ll get distracted. I’ve done it before where I pace myself, work a bit, watch some youtube or something, and keep going. I like the idea of reaching the end of the day and still having steam. Happily realizing the work day is over is always preferable to aching to get away. Regardless of all that, though, working on my own projects is wonderful. At least as long as I avoid the self doubt that creeps in. Usually that stuff only gets to me in the quiet of the night when I should already be in bed anyway. Sometimes it comes when I’m doing something that doesn’t engage the brain too much and it wanders. Usually it’s settled by the fact that I’m doing what I want to do and that’s such a rewarding feeling.

Remember when MC Hammer was the Saturday morning superhero Hammerman? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass for more!

Set my alarm for 5 this morning, woke up on my own around 3. I put together a link image for the homepage to point to Billy Badass.

If you get the reference, give yourself five points and a pat on the back. Then click it and check out my comic 😉

I spent the later half of the day editing a Let’s Play video. I started on another one but by then I was burnt out and it was time to grab dinner and go grocery shopping. I’m trying to get things done in order. I’ve had this footage for awhile and I need to get it edited, uploaded, and scheduled for release. Then I can write some more newsletters, configure the sign up form, and get things rolling on that.

You’ve probably noticed the ads are gone right now. I was getting error messages and pages were failing to load. I needed to retool the way I display ads anyway so I’ll take a day somewhere and deal with it.

Remember when MC Hammer was the Saturday morning superhero Hammerman? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass for more!

Today was a non-art day as I cleaned up and added stuff to the guide I’m giving away when people join my mailing list. I still need to type up some more of those newsletters and to configure the sign up form for the site. I’ve just been very distracted lately and need to get that out of the way. There always just seem to be so many things to do and I have trouble finding the time for just one or two. Then the site starts spurting water and I have to plug a hole somewhere. It’s just so very easy to look up and realize, “Where’d this six months go?”

I’ve been trying to focus on what’s important to me, what I need to get done. But then there’s all the tangental stuff, or the time you spend a week doing something that isn’t really related to the goal you’re trying to achieve. So much time can get sucked away by things with good intentions. The best advice I’ve seen is to build systems so you’re not thinking just doing. My problem is my systems either get screwed up by other people or by myself when I don’t want to follow them.

Remember when MC Hammer was the Saturday morning superhero Hammerman? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass for more!

Today’s been a slower, more relaxing day. Slept in, went for lunch with dad, flipped through art magazines at Barnes & Noble, and spent some time doodling gestures of my little pin up mascot. I like drawing her and I want to do some bigger pieces of her. For now my focus this week is to relax, doodle to play around and explore, and to just enjoy drawing and animating again. I like my work and every so often I need to remind myself how fun it is. Or maybe I just need to allow myself to remember how much fun it is. As long as I’m drawing, even if it’ll never become a finished piece, it’s productive on some level.

Did you know there was a Little Shop of Horrors cartoon? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass to find out more!

Spent the morning coloring a page. There were more little details than previous updates so it took awhile longer. I also discovered Manga Studio has a context menu for “copy all these layers and flatten them into one” though it added a white layer to the bottom. (or at least it did when I used it) I started on another page but after a phone call I was just in a bad mood the rest of the evening.

I think after I get these three pages I’ve got done I’ll take a break and work on another project for a bit. I miss animating and trying to work on comics and animate in the same day doesn’t really work unless I’m flying on all cylinders or something’s almost done already.

Did you know there was a Little Shop of Horrors cartoon? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass to find out more!

Today was not a productive day in the studio. Rather than beat myself up over it or even work on stuff now like I’d been planning to do I think the best option would be to go to bed so I can get up in the morning. There’s planning I need to be doing and it only makes sense to do it when I’m keeping a regular schedule. I’ve been frustrated/agitated lately and I think not being on a regular routine is adding to that.

Did you know there was a Little Shop of Horrors cartoon? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass to find out more!

Slept in today hoping to balance my system out. Went to lunch with my dad and then grocery shopping with my mom. Last night I flat-fill colored two pages and today I added shading to them. I’ve got two more inked pages to color and tone before I need to start drawing and inking again. The ideal is to finish two pages a day to keep on top of things and get ahead. Realistically I know there’ll be days where I can only get a stage or two of the pages done. These pages have a lot of panels, there’s research involved sometimes, and some days I won’t be starting until the evening.

I really hate saying it like that because of course I want to meet the ideal. But I think it’s an important realization to make. Sometimes life gets in the way. I love drawing, it’s what I want to do for a living. Yet somehow days happen where the sun sets and I haven’t started working yet. I’ll get swept up in something, I’ll wake up sick, or one of myriad of things prevents me from doing what I know I want to do. Sometimes it’s even myself. I’ll want to work on something else or be frustrated with the progress I’m making. Some days I’ll just want to not be productive at all and take a break. And really it’s healthier to acknowledge that. You can’t solve a problem if you fail to believe it exists. If I don’t want to be working maybe I should clear my head and do something else for awhile. If other things keep monopolizing my time maybe I should start saying no more often. Maybe instead of beating myself up that I’m not knocking out of the park every day in the studio I should accept it’s not a sign of weakness to fall short of perfection once in awhile.

Did you know there was a Little Shop of Horrors cartoon? Check out my webcomic Billy Badass to find out more!

Today was a slow start and an uphill climb for some reason. I went to bed about the same time last night as I did the night before yet I couldn’t get up in the morning. Then lunch with my dad dragged on as I helped him clean up his Facebook feed. I was getting frustrated trying to work so I took a TV break while I waited for it to cool and quiet down around here. The plan right now is to flat fill color two pages tonight. I’m going to listen to some podcasts while I work so hopefully I’ll relax before bed.

Check out my new webcomic Billy Badass, now in it’s second week on tumblr!

Morning was spent researching and collecting info. I still need to properly go through it and map out what I want to do based on everything but at least it’s gathered now. I want to regularly assess my goals and progress towards them so it’s worth it to take the time to think clearly. I try to save that time for weekends but sometimes I just need the sobering calm of a Monday.

I got two pages shaded this afternoon musing a sharp edge and some gradients. It’ll probably be the approach I’ll take going forward, save a few effects here and there. Flatting should go smoothly, just turn on some music and a podcast to keep me company. I’m not sure if I’ll try shading and flatting in the same day or divvy time up and work on another project. It depends on how out of it I’m starting to feel. Two pages at a time is a nice pace because they’re different enough from each other to keep it from feeling monotonous yet it’s not so many it feels overwhelming.

Check out my new webcomic Billy Badass on tumblr!

Slept in this morning because I was tired, woke up to a storm outside. I decided my shower could wait for the lightning to stop. (Never being naked while it’s lightning is always good life advice.) Then my dad called so I got ready and rode around with him until lunch. I come home and my mom wants to go grocery shopping.

After all that and some disagreements that have left me angry with a headache I’m in little mood to work. I corrected a character’s hairline, which meant redrawing on 3 layers, and I started shading. It’d be a frustrating slog and I’ll just make mistakes if I keep at it. I think we’ll just start the weekend now.