Atomic Tails #30

New Comic Online

Just a couple of notes about A.T. #30. I worked on this strip when I could, before and after the day job (yuck). I’ve been working extra hours (and days!), so I sort of “chipped away” at this one until finished. I feel like I still need to improve my characters, but I also feel like I got a better ratio between Chud and Buttery. In past strips I felt like I drew Buttery way too big. He’s a large mouse, but only a little bigger than Chud and Trog.

Since the last strip I have also been practicing and I feel some of it is shown in Butter and Chud here. I know some stuff looks wonky (very deep in the uncanny valley), but overall, I was happy with what I pulled off.

This strip is the first step in introducing a new character to Atomic Tails and hopefully Agent D-20 will make his appearance soon.

The next strip I’m gong back to Trog and Rio, and their day at work.

Cheers!

View fullsize

Atomic Tails #29

I think this was longest break that I’ve ever had between comics.

So… I’m back at it., This year (I hope) to produce a bunch of new comics. Since last August, I’ve spent a bunch of time practicing the characters and cartooning, but #29 is based on old sketches I did last summer, so I don’t think a lot of the new practice really shows up here. Though I do kind of dig Rio in panel 3. That was actually a tough pose to get and at one point I even sketched out the entire interior of a BMW, but I felt it was unnecessary.

It honestly feels really good getting another comic done. I know I’m not the best cartoonist, and probably pretty bad at it, but I really like working on Atomic Tails, and I think I forgot how good it feels to finish one.

Well, Chud and I are writing new stuff, and I hope it won’t take another six months for a new comic!

Cheers!

Atomic Tails #28

It has been way too long since I posted a comic, but here it is, Atomic Tails #28. I'm not really sure what to say about this one. Since #27, I've been working hard to pay down debt, and create a better situation for myself. Unfortunately, that means the comic has been suffering. I can't even say I'm really proud of this one. To me it's kind of "meh", and I don't think I got the humor right, but I was just so damn sick of (not) working on it. Though, I have been practicing my characters a lot, and I think some of that is reflected in this strip.  So, here it is, and I hope I can go back to putting more of an emphasis on Atomic Tails. 

I've already started on #29. Next comic we're going back to Trog and Rio, and more fun in the car. 

Check out #28 below. I hope you like it.

Cheers!

Atomic Tails 27!

I did it! I finally finished Atomic Tails 27! Although I think most everything I do for Atomic Tails is kind of "ramshackle", there's some elements in this strip I think came out pretty good. A lot of stuff (like Rio's blue transparent look, and the fuzzed out background) took some time to figure out, but this is also the first time where I relied heavily on the original sketches for the characters. Usually I have to tweak and rework things in Illustrator until the mice look right.  Or at least better. Also, the full Rio figure in panel one represents a new way of drawing the mice. Since the last strip I've been studying a lot of cartoon styles, and elements like laying the tails on the ground are new ways of drawing the cartoons for me. 

I will begin work on A.T. 28, but I won't promise when it will be done. The last month or so I've been working a lot of extra hours so as to get myself out of debt. Actually, life's gotten kind of depressing, but I am seeing results, and I'm hoping to establish a better foundation for myself in the years to come. So, I may not be positing a new comic as often, but I'll probably be posting a ton of daily sketches to this site. I have to do a lot of drawings from the car (I work as a chauffeur), and to be honest that's where the idea of Rio came from. I spend so much time on the road that over the years I started to imagine all the traffic jams, and poor decisions people make, were caused by a evil god of some kind. 

Well, that's all for now. Keep checking back for more Atomic Tails and there will be a new comic... someday. 

Cheers!

An Atomic Tails Update

Okay. I know it is very unlikely that anyone reads this blog, or my comic, but it has been a long while since I posted a comic and I just wanted to get on here and write an update for what's going on with Atomic Tails.

For this next year I probably won't be finishing too many Atomic Tails comics. I am still very interested in making more comics, but I've got a lot of personal problems right now and I am working very hard to fix them. This means I won't have as much time to draw Chud, Trog, and their lives. I will try and get a comic out as often as I can, but until probably December of this year, I just won't be able to focus on the comic anymore. And that sucks! I really love these guys and I got a bunch of cool stories I'm just starting to get into. It kind of feels like everything up until now has just been learning lessons.  However, I will still try an get a comic on as often as I can. That image up above is of Rio: Evil Goddess of the California Highways. Trog is a limo driver, and Rio (in spirit) rides along side him in his car, causing him all sorts of problems. So, it may take a week or two yet, but Rio's introduction strip is coming very soon. 

Also, I've pulled myself off of Facebook for a little while, so for any Atomic Tails art or doodles, follow my instagram. 

Okay, I have a little bit of spare time... so I'm gonna draw some mice! 

Cheers!

Atomic Tails #26!!!

New comic strip! This one only took me two weeks!!! Actually one week. I got hit with a really bad head cold, but now that I'm mostly back to normal, check out the latest Atomic Tails. To be honest, this one was really easy to put together since I was able to use so many of the assets from the last strip. I'm probably going to go back and re-draw the kitchen. I'm still not happy with that. 

Anyways, check out the new comic below or in the archive. I'm still leaking a lot of snot so I'm going to cut this short!

Enjoy!

Atomic Tails #22!

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!