5.11

Running low on bed real estate

This month should be fun, I’ve set a goal of 21 Shingworks comics updates to make up for last months’ impaction (you can read about it in the previous post). We’ll see how that goes! If you are a Patron of any level, you already have access to the sketch versions of the next 6 updates, but after that we’ll be back into shiny new territory.

On the off chance that you missed it, a giant tutorial also recently went up on Patreon. This month’s topic was about writing for webcomics. Had a lot to say on that particular subject, haha… next month’s topic is ready for public voting now at the same link. More bonus content will be up soon, probably going to do a little segment about Suda since he’s all up in this chapter.

Another one of the many things I was working hard on last month was my story for the Elements Anthology, which has finally launched. I’ll be plugging this for the remainder of the month… the editors on this project, the theme, the creators involved and the production values are all beyond reproach, definitely check out the campaign when you get a chance.

The other thing I continue to work on is our Meek Kickstarter X[_______] The Meek Volume 1 Kickstarter will be launching in August for the first ever printing of the first three chapters in book form. I’ve been going back and fixing old pages, making new art, gathering an insane list of artists to do art for reward tiers, and working on extra comics and content that will be only available for the KS… things are starting to get serious. As a matter of fact, I’m working with several members of the Beyond team running the above KS (many of who work professionally in comic book production) to ensure that the quality of this book is top of the line… Can’t wait to start previewing some of that as we get closer to launch.

Anyway I’ll shut up now, more content soon

45 Comments

  • Dylan

    THAT IS TOO MANY UPDATES. >:|

    • And yet… not enough…

    • David

      Applying my translator software, I see that “21” actually means “4”.

      I’ve never had an issue with the update schedule, but it annoys me when people make unrealistic promises. It locks you into a pattern of constantly having to apologize- “Well, I didn’t make my goal this month, but next month I’ll do 40 updates!” Overall, I think it increases the stress on the artist and eventually causes them to quit.

      Be fair to yourself about how much you can do, and then don’t promise more.

      • Lee

        shut up, david

      • David, you can check out my public posts on my Patreon page! I’ve been meeting or exceeding my monthly goals since I started my Patreon in late July 2015, and this year I started posting visual receipts to show that info visually as well. June was the first month I wasn’t able to deliver in a serious way, and also the first month I have taken time off for over 2 years, but my Patrons did get to read the full 12 pages owed this month. I took the time off because I have been unhealthy/ stressed/ overworked (I work from 7am-1am most days, and get about 1.5 days off a month), but honestly it’s less stressful to not take the time off and not have to deal with the backlash. 21 pages is not an unrealistic amount of work for me; I am doing about that volume every month, just not all of it is public facing.

        Anyways thanks for your concerns, I noted above that 21 pages is a “goal” and not a hard set delivery. I am also working on 3 other large work items this month, not public-facing. But as usual I will continue to post as much as I can because… why not, haha.

        Feel free to email or PM if you have further questions, and thanks for reading.

        • David

          Yeah, I probably came off sounding like a jerk (I *am* a jerk sometimes :-P), but there was some genuine concern for your well-being in there. Glad you’re doing okay, and I hope you continue to do so.

          • No I feel you! And you’re right to ask about these things! I love making comics but also would like to avoid pissing off my readers past the point of reason, haha.

      • I can totally agree with David on this. Getting free and high quality content in a slow pace is never an issue. Setting a goal and not being able to reach it might really cause a kind of anxiousness.

        Lovely sister-brother moment! :) And such lovely lights in the room.

        • Edit: by the time I sent the message, a wild shingmessage appeared!

          Glad to know that 21 pages are not as stressful as they sound, however, the unhealthy/ stressed/ overworked part still doesn’t sound well.

          • It’s all good! I’m spinning a ton of plates right now and am only one person, every once in a while I drop one XD It’s all towards a good end though. Thanks for sticking around~

  • Anonymous

    So, um…Hyla’s rabbit doll wouldn’t happen to be, uh, based on any stuffed animals you’ve seen recently, would it? Like, ones that are for sale? Right now?

    • adam

      I actually thought for a second that it was a real rabbit or some other animal.

      • Haha, when I was drawing it I decided the fur is probably real rabbit. Nice and soft.

  • Evilbob dA

    It’s a good thing it looks like that bed’s against a wall. Otherwise, all those stuffed animals will go tumblin’ down!

  • She is really afraid of stayng alone ; I’m kinda surprised she doesn’t trust her main nanny tho, seeing she goes run to her sister instead.

    • adam

      I’m wondering whether that is because
      a, she is the only one that noticed that his father has been possessed and is terrified of that happening to someone else. That is why she says her father is dead.
      b, she is worried that someone would come that she doesn’t want anyone to com.e

  • Moo

    Suda is a good big brother. Stuffed animals (WHAT A CUTE BUNNY), juice, and a nap should work on anyone who’s feeling bad even if they aren’t a kid.

    I like that there’s a stuffed animal that fell down. My bed is similarly covered in stuffed animals and they all end up in a pile on the floor overnight. Real bed-stuffed animal oversaturation dynamics, here!

    • Especially when the juice is spiked, haha~

      • Crazjtk

        Here Hyla, drink this special juice. It’s called Sangria.

  • Ceceoh

    Poor little thing. And Suda, you’ll make a good father, once you’re forced to marry for the good of the Empire.

  • adam

    I have to say, he is being a good brother.

  • I`m hesitant to write this since it’s really none of my business how you update, but would it maybe give you some more headspace if you kept a few of those pages as a little buffer? Just a suggestion, feel free to disregard if not helpful.

    Awww the stuffed animals are great! And I love how Suda is such a caring brother.

    • Thanks! I just don’t have time for buffers unfortunately :D Maybe in the future when my schedule slows down a bit.

      • Understandable, for the record I didn`t mean building a new buffer or anything, but keeping to your regular update schedule and keep the extra pages you made for this month as a tiny buffer. :)

  • KE

    Hmm. What’s the patrion cost for accessing this webcomics tutorial?

    • It’s $5 to access the monthly tutorials (including past tutorials), but if you wait 6 months past the date of original posting I’ll be making them free/ public on my social sites. So for the June tutorial that would be December.

      • skellagirl

        As I’ve said in the past I would love to support you (And absolutely plan on doing so, whenever I manage to grab a stable job), but thank you for releasing stuff to the public too. :) It’s very thoughtful

        • Yeah, there’s no point to keep learning materials locked down… just wanted to give paying supporters a bit of leadtime to enjoy them :]

  • DS

    I’m sorta shocked you didn’t smuggle a legschilla plush in there somewhere. I’m really digging Suda’s relationship with Hyla.

  • Sorry in advance if any of my replies seem defensive~ I am always open to being called out, I am just stressed as shit about this month XD Also excited! being stressed out makes me really productive and I like being productive. But it also makes me overexplain/ come off as defensive.

    Anyways you know I do as much as I can as much as I can; I know I also slip now and then, but I’m an honest person and I will complete the work I owe~ And aside from all of that I just really like this chapter and can’t wait until you see all the hooks I’ve been setting, lol.

  • Chloe

    Your comic is gorgeous and I’ve been reading since the beginning. If I had a dime to my name I’d send something your way. Also, you’re a damn hard worker and so kind to all us readers. And just for the record, I don’t think you sound defensive, but you’d have a right to be! : P

    Suda is such an awesome, sweet character. I also love that he looks so much like Phe. c:

  • Tulin

    Loving the updates, the story is very interesting and the art is always superb. Would love to support the kickstarter in the future. Please promise that you’ll have a lovely holiday soon to give your hands a break and put your feet up! When my income is healthier I’d love to support your patron.

  • Lilian

    Poor Hyla. Losing a parent is so hard, especially when you’re little and your mom was not supposed to die yet. It’s a complete rocking of her world.

    Your portrayal of a child’s response to grief – the anxiety over people leaving – seems true to life.

  • Android 21 3/7

    Okay, Shing? You already suffered due to health and overwork. I think we would much prefer low-quantity, high-quality updates, and a healthy Shing vs the alternative. And I think you would prefer putting out high-quality updates too, for the sake of the pride you take in your work. Because seriously, you work so big when it gets sized down for the web anyway, you put so much detail in just world building, and then there’s all that science you keep up with… Just take care of yourself, all right? I think we can all agree we’d prefer these comics to end complete rather than as a result of the creator quitting due to mental breakdown or worse.

    • It’s fine! I only explain this stuff because I feel like readers would rather have an explanation than me just popping in and out of existence like an asshole. The reality is that I (and I assume most professional artists) regularly work at these speeds; now I mostly do it for myself instead of in a work-for-hire capacity. I will never put out a low-quality or rushed page, but really do prefer to update as much as possible when I can. Just needed to clear my plate of my other commitments in June, that’s all.

  • Crestlinger

    Where Hyla gets a walkie-talkie, or their equivalent.

  • Sir. Orc

    Perhaps you should consider putting the comic on hiatus until you can build the buffer up?
    Going with what I’ve seen work with other comics, Unsounded updates the most regularly, due to Ms. Cope’s very strict adherence to her buffer. She has a buffer of around 30 pages, when she wants to release more than one at a time, she usually pauses the updates until they are replaced (which winds up working out to being a day skipped for each page posted). After a chapter is finished, she puts the comic on a longer break so that the buffer has time to be replenished. Overall, it creates a very stable and surprisingly flexible schedule. Because she does this regularly too, it doesn’t come as a surprise when the pauses occur and it keep her on her deadlines. Hell, she’s even been able to keep updating when having to deal with emergencies.

    • Yep, I get it, I just do not have the time. Taking a month off is a disaster most of the time, not just for readers but on the business/ analytics end. And on a personal level I also find buffers very impersonal and dissatisfying, and have never liked using them. I’m happy for other artists if it works for them, but it’s just not the system for me.

      • DS

        That’s interesting you find buffers impersonal. As the artist I assume? I tried making a comic once years ago with no buffer and I was so slow it was a nightmare – I probably pissed so many people off lol. Granted I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at the time – I’ve learned a few things since then. I’ve been thinking of trying again but planning on having a buffer to hopefully compensate for my slower output. I figured if the story is set in stone and no input from the audience would affect the outcome, a buffer would work. I really hate it when a comic fails to update and the readers start getting passive-aggressive in the comments. I don’t have the temperament to gracefully be on the receiving end of such childish behavior and that was partly what killed my first attempt :(

        • Sir. Orc

          I didn’t mean any offense, but if there’s one bit of consolation I can offer it is this; your readers are a lot more patient than you realize, and so long as you stick to the project, however you do, you will find a good chunk of your base will wait out any delays to see how the story progresses. Don’t overwork yourself because you feel like you owe us, I still follow Ava’s demon for christssake. Whatever you do, you will still have fans so long as the story is good. And that is true for any author or artist.

        • Yeah, something about a queue just makes me feel gross, it’s like lining up bullets in a clip or something. The whole process is really organic for me, it’s the reason why I’m taking this giant risk making a comic on my own vs working for a big company or something… just to be able to do what feels right and kinda farm to table the process XD Idk, it’s just more fun to me this way, and if getting yelled at here and there is the price then ok fine I’ll pay it~

          • DS

            It’s really fascinating all the different approaches one can take in making comics and why people gravitate to one or the other. I’m certainly happy you’ve found what works for you!

  • wynne

    That poor child has some real abandonment/death issues. :[

  • Mime

    Is it me or is Hyla slightly glowing in the last panel?

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