LOVEFEAST News.

Pulp Justice

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:04:02 -0700

This is an "I am alive!" update! This is also a plug update. You might as well entertain yourself with more things while we take this short break!

Have you ever wanted to be a radio supervillain? Or rather, did you have an idea for a villain you'd love to actually hear on a radiostyle podcast? Submit your idea for a radio supervillain and read about where you can get hundreds of hours of free audio drama done by the impression cast of Decoder Ring Theatre, over at topwebcomics.com! "Now in its fifth season, the series celebrates the Golden Ages of both radio and superheroes as it follows the masked protectors of 1930's Toronto through the dark days of the Depression and into the storm of WWII. Adventure and mystery are on the menu, and snappy dialogue, sassy sidekicks and two-fisted pulp justice are guaranteed!"

Having survived my first day of work, I've got a lot of acclimating to do schedule-wise. I'm excited, though. Meanwhile: comic planning! Always a sketchbook on hand! Look out!

Plug: FERA (and More News)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:04:02 -0700

Yo! I have news about the state of updates and such, but first, a plug, as part of the WebComic Planet Collective plug circle.

FERA
A tale of monsters. A tale of beasts.

On the lost planet of Mu, a group bands together to travel throughout their world... But there's more to what there seems; Feran cat people, dealings with the planet Earth, dabblings in magic and machinery, and, best (or worst, for the characters) of all, betrayal, lies, and intrigue. What will it all lead to? Something interesting, no doubt.

The art is sketchy but demonstrates quite an underlying personality. I hope to see it become more refined in the future. The characters quite amuse me, even the ones that make me angry with their false-sentencing and culture bias! I'm quite eager to see where the story goes -- I expect it will go far. (Besides, there will be a good amount of LGBT/gay themes, and a good dash of gay + innuendo always amuses me. 8D)

Look out for my guest sketch at FERA later this week!

Now for the OTHER news, only slightly copied from my other comic's news:

I finally got a job as a web developer at a quite wonderful company, which begins in less than a couple weeks. I will have to acclimate to this, but it shouldn't take longer than a week to. I'll be on a regular schedule! Yay! Focus!

Because of this, I'm finishing up every other project I have in queue within the next two weeks. This includes the anthology comic I have taken part in. Its original deadline was in December, which is why I was busy then, but its final deadline was pushed back to mid-March. I'm in the process of refining the sketches for those pages and finishing them, which will take almost all my time until then. It's exciting!

Besides that, there are some other illustration and design things I'm needing to wrap up. And it's fun! I've gotten re-accustomed to drawing in sketchbooks (all-tablet drawing had gotten me faster and slightly more consistent with drawing in general) and have been doing so regularly with my trusty new Col-Erase pencils. Several sketchbooks that I bought years ago for college are finally filling up. It's so cool.

It's an exciting time in life now, no doubt what I've been looking forward to. I'm completely happy about it! In the meantime, I'm thumbnailing the next couple of chapters of Lovefeast to make sure they come out well. Thumbnailing has become a big thing for me, as it cuts out the time needed to figure out whether or not a page layout is bad.

I've done this for another side comic project that I've put on hold for my job, and with the Wayward Fall crossover as well, which may be the only pages I update with for a while. (Of course webcomic pages will take kind of a backseat for a few weeks... But not too long! I'll work on them a little in-between things.) Look out for that! The next pages will be ACTION. PACKED.

Oh, and if you're bored, ask me things anonymously on Formspring. It's strangely fun. I can't even explain why.

V-Day 010

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:35:10 -0800

I never do anything for Valentines Day, but I do sometimes think to show my appreciation for people!

So here is how I appreciate you, my dear readers.

Oh...wait... I'm not really hitting on you. But I love you nonetheless. Here's a high resolution version. Give it to somebody whose rear end you appreciate. It'll be in Downloads if you need it later.

Also, it appears Chains has a small cameo in Fera today! Catboy Chains? Oh yes.

1/2 Crossover Completed!

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:58:45 -0800

Taversia has already completed her half of the Wayward Fall/LF crossover! Check it out -- pages 4 and 5 are especially my favorites. I also have the lineart for its cover up over there, a picture I like wholeheartedly.

I tell you, this collaboration has been great, outrageous fun so far, and the two comics' worlds cross quite well. Everything that happens in this crossover is 100% canon and will remain so -- nice, idn't it?

In addition to all this awesomeness, there is now a new placeholder image for the cover here, the very first page in the archives. It's a WIP of the cover, flat-colored. I finally got it to a point where I could begin completing it. I want the end result to be unmistakably good.

If you haven't seen it, Growly Beast of anticipated webcomic Inscribing Aardi interviewed me recently. I talk in a very long and drawn-out way about how I create both my comics and a few things I learned while doing it.

I've added two ever-so-slightly-spoilerish images to the development art gallery. Of course, you'll be "spoilered" on Chains's Year 4 appearance if you read the crossover, anyway. I've added new and updated information to the World page as well, and it now hosts a near encyclopedic amount of information about how things in this comic works, all of which to be gradually reveal in-comic over the course of time. It sure does help that I got all that stuff sorted out now!

Crossover with Wayward Fall

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:58:22 -0800

I know you're achin' to get your Lovefeast fix as I work on a few other projects... So am I, actually. I'm DYING to draw the next scene, as it's a bit of a departure, and really neat besides. But in the meantime, you can get your weekly dose of Chains this week over at Wayward Fall!

Our first comic crossover, Blind Date, is set four years into the future of Lovefeast. You might say: "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?" Well, not really; right now I am editing volumes (years) 1 and 2 and writing volume 4, in which a lot of exciting things happen. It's the perfect time in which to set this crossover, and lines up well with Wayward Fall's timeline. :D Chains (who undergoes a few less-than-subtle changes between Freshman and Initiate years) sets out to take on an Oni, but will be he alone?

Pop on over there to begin reading! 3 of 10 pages are up so far, with the first 5 to be done by Taversia!

The next update here should come either Friday or next Tuesday.

Stars

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:05:16 -0800

Today there's not a new page (and page 19 is still untoned), but hark! A new episode of Ask Chains!

Don't forget to get all your random questions answered! Also, throw in a vote if you feel like it.

I added a couple of little things to the Development gallery, too. One thing is a sketch that was going to be a profile image, but the character is no longer a part of the major story of this comic.

History Questions

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:32:55 -0800

There's a day left in the Comic Creator's Alliance donation drive!

This page is obviously not done yet -- no BGs, and I've got to fix a couple of blobbish hands later. I was going to delay it again (as if it weren't delayed already; Friday was yesterday, and I meant to have this up at least 20 hours sooner), but I decided to tough through it and post the lineart as it is. Toning comes later. And by "later" I mean "I don't know how soon" because I have a few deadlines of important things coming up this next week. So enjoy this sneak peak at the lineart! I will probably finish its toning and other untoned pages soon and take a very short break from updating while I finish this other stuff.

Today another new character appears in the comic! You can actually see part of her on page 23, but just barely. I also added new and updated portraits to the Cast page, thus completing the portraits for all the main cast, and added one Teacher portrait. Soon to come: the rest! (The teachers are considered part of the main cast as well, but not quite as much.)

About the poll: I actually did not much enjoy history classes when I was in high school. For the most part, they were lame and largely uninformative; there's much more to American history, and the history of the world in general, that can be conveyed in much more efficient ways. My most enjoyable history classes were in college, Art History I and II; that was because learning about history through ART was amazingly effective, learning about periods and being able to place art in their original contexts. And then we actually DID things in that class, like go to art gardens and museums.

So, certain types of history and how they're presented are preferred for me, but I'm still far from a history buff. I'd rather learn more about the history of a culture by living in places and experiencing things first-hand, then delving back into books and other resources.

Pitching and Catching

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:48:54 -0800

Chains answers his first question! Gettin' kinda personal right off the bat, huh?

I learned things, drawing Chains eight times in a row like that (11 times with the last page). I actually don't like drawing characters repeatedly like that (part of why I FAILD one of the art jams I was a part of last year), which is why Eustace is in to mix it up a little. But, I'm pretty sure I'll never draw Chains's hair in any kind of consistent fashion while it's styled like this. Hey... ask about his hair, or something.

Anticipate a new regular page and a new vote incentive on Friday. I'll be removing the Ask Chains pages from the archives at that time as well. I might even add a few more character profile images, since we're soon to come upon a Character Introducing Spree.

Don't forget about the Comic Creator's Alliance! It's still going for most of this week. And it's awesome.

Ask Chains #0

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:03:05 -0800

Today I add the introductory page of Ask Chains. It won't stay in the archives, but it will always remain on the Ask Chains Page.

I decided not to rely on Nakie Chibis for this series and will probably learn how to draw more quickly and effectively by doing this... so ask things, folks! The first official episode will be posted sometime within the next few days, hopefully.

In other news, something very special is in the works, in collaboration with another comic... and you should see the fruits of this something special very soon... :D

Comic Artists Fight Against Human Trafficking

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:14:39 -0800

It's live! The Comic Creator's Alliance, into which I entered Hibiku from my comic Lovefeast, is now accepting donations.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead

Monday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. To participate, we formed the Comic Creator's Alliance--a group of over eighty comic book creators (both web and print) who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. So it won't end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.

So here's what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single wallpaper image. The wallpaper features characters from The Phoenix Requiem, Girls with Slingshots, Earthsong, Looking for Group, Shadowgirls, The Uniques and four IDW Publishing titles: Fallen Angel, The Dreamland Chronicles, Love & Capes, and The Dreamer, and lots, lots more! Donate today to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from January 11th - 24th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime.

To learn more about the Comic Creator's Alliance visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)

...

The wallpaper is seriously awesome, guys. Donate for it and know you're also helping a great cause.

Sappy Birthday

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:34:07 -0800

Today's Tuesday! That means a new page! Today is also Lovefeast's second birthday. How convenient!

So here's a goofy birthday pic for you as well as the new page, which I also like how it came out. There's also a new vote incentive, with the vote link now conveniently located directly below the latest comic. Or you could still go to the Vote/Support page and click on everything in sight.

I did change the TWC incentive, so you could take a look. Happy New Year! I'm saying "twenty-ten"! This will be quite an excellent year for all of us, I'm certain.

I also updated some info sections in the World page, as well as the Cast page... for the most part however the Cast page edits were some more fine-tuning and the removal of several characters. I've been editing down and rewriting parts of volume 1 (3 volumes are complete and 7 planned right now), and I removed some characters completely, demoted the roles and influence of others, and replanned the introduction of some for later volumes. I have a much better idea of what to do with our "starter" characters now, and while there will be plenty more, I can really focus now.

About the update schedule: I plan to update every Tuesday and every other Friday. So if I don't update one Friday, I'll update the next. That's the plan, anyway. I'm going to do whatever I can to meet that aim this month.

EDIT: Changed the poll. It is about history classes in general.

Semi-Update

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:37:42 -0800

Hello! Something crazy occurred yesterday!

Besides coloring some things relating to both my comics, I got bitten by the OCD bug sometime Monday night and began retouching a whole bunch of older pages here...and some of the more recent pages even. Pages 9 and 14 of the first chapter are still untoned (but I'm working on it), but I fixed a bunch more errors that bugged me all over. At least 8 pages were altered, like the last time I did something like this. They were things so bad that I hadn't even -really- looked at the pages again since I first made them, thus causing me to forget about how bad they were until I looked again the other night. But now they're marginally better! Some have even improved significantly. Especially re: the Big Heads department. Something I try to catch from the onset now.

I'm also planning on redrawing a couple pages 'cause I feel like it.

I do plan on changing the poll soon, but do note that the prologue is by no means normal or straightforward (like the concept of this comic), so being confused is okay. Unless you like reading comics that don't start off with sudden action and other strange, supernatural, vignette-like scenes, in which case I recommend something simpler. I like the prologue, though. I changed some small things that hopefully clarify the first 7 pages a tad more, but there's only so much that can be done. If I had to do it again, I'd approach it differently (and make it shorter - I had no idea it'd be as long as it was), but as it is now, all will actually be tied into the 1st chapter, so you'll actually receive a canon explanation with little time actually wasted. Yay!

In other news: CCA picture completed! It's in the artwork gallery.

Christmas Post

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:04:42 -0800

It's an awesome customary crossover with my other comic! Fun fact: I was going to draw Ronou in the front, but then forgot and started doodling Chains instead. Derp.

I am in great anticipation of Christmas this year. I hope you get to have fun with the people you love. Also, gifts. Gifts are always awesome (especially giving 'em).

Hibiku Update

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:08:44 -0800

Hey! How are you? Good? Good. Enjoying that new layout? I thought so.

Since it's quiet around here on the comic front (I'm starting to really miss drawing it but at the same time I'm getting lots of other things out of the way), and because I luv u, I want to post a little update - a preview of the art I'm doing for the Comic Creator's Alliance.

Hibi rarely wears the same outfit twice. The More You Know.

Umbra

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:07:50 -0800

It's already almost December 12th! Can you believe it? I sure as hell can't.

If you're just visiting here for the first time, you're seeing a brand new layout! And if you've already set a layout from visiting before, click here or on the new icon on the left to check out the new layout. Like "Yu", this one has alternating headers. Fun fact: the headers for this layout are not finished yet. I just couldn't wait to put it up anymore. I'll be finishing them soon.
Originally the header image was just going to be heads, but that wasn't interesting or conducive to the composition. Then I added bodies, and suddenly it was something completely different...

I have a bunch of other new layouts in the works, too, each better than the last. You'll enjoy them.

And with the addition of this layout, I've retired the red-and-white "Blood" layout. It never did achieve just what I wanted it to, so into infamy I cast it!

Meanwhile, I added a larger-sized, non-textured version of the Hibiku picture from her layout to the gallery, since I realized I hadn't. It was colored by Nove, you know. Still awesome.

I also updated the Sountrack/Voices page. Removed some songs, added a bunch more. Wanted some more variety, plus I had heard some excellent music recently. Only a few of the songs on the Official Unofficial Sountrack are missing on Imeem, but you can listen to most of them on the playlists (with full songs on Imeem itself). I finally added vocal descriptions of Chains, Eustace, and Hibiku, too. I wonder sometimes how people imagine my characters sounding. Don't let those descriptions ruin your fun though.

Also, the site is now available at http://lovefeast.senshuu.com as well as lf.senshuu.com. You can update links/bookmarks if you like, but both URLs still work and go to the same thing. Though you'll notice the Wordpress-powered archives default to the new URL now.

I've been subtly making small changes to pages in the prologue to add clarity, too. Also correcting other small mistakes here and there that you probably didn't notice.