Hello again fellows! Another addition to the ongoing saga of Chud and Trog and their trek to make the world's greatest comic book. In a weird way, this strip was really hard to get done, and I feel like I made a real effort to focus on it. There was a lot of "life" stuff that kept jumping in the way, which can get frustrating. It's weird, but along with learning how to illustrate and use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, I feel like working on this comic is also teaching me how to focus and be patient with a project. Not that I'm focused or patient... at all, but I think it is helping.
Anyways, in 22 Chud continues to tell Trog about his comic book idea (the twins have no idea this will someday become the world's greatest comic book), Atomic Moo! I think I mostly wanted this strip to lead into a trip to the Tree of Woe, which is an actual, real-life, place for Jason and I. Here in Carlsbad there's a gnarly old beach tree (I have no clue what type of tree) and just beyond it we often go to sit, smoke cigars, and relax. It's a good place to ponder and star gaze, and best of all, nobody ever goes there! I've always wanted to include the Tree of Woe in the comic, and if not the next strip (you'll see) the fellers are heading there to think about Chud's return and their future as comic book creators.
Some notes about this strip: Jason actually did the pencil work for the Atomic Moo scene in panel one, but I did the inks and colors for that panel. I think it turned out pretty good, and I'd like to see if I couldn't get Jas to draw up a four panel Atomic Moo comic. He won't, but I'll ask anyways. Though I really like the Buttery illustration in Panel 2, After looking at it, I'm not too happy with the Panel Four Buttery. He's kind of a tough character to lock down, and I'm going to try more Buttery practice in between the next strip. Buttery is a bigger mouse than Chud and Trog, but not really fatter. Which is kind of tough for me to pull off. Last note, I think I made Trog's head way to big in panel three. I don't know, I like the smirk (especially with a joke nobody but Jason and I'll get) but I gotta watch my proportions better in the future.
This strip actually taught me a bunch of new Photoshop functions like making blurs and lighting (check out the robots eyes and center piece), and also how to work with masking layers so I don't destroy my art. Way easier to paint these strips now!
So, next strip we journey (they... they journey) to the Tree of Woe! Enjoy the comic below, check out the archive to see past comics!
