LOVEFEAST News.

Just News

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:16:11 -0700

So, that last set of crossover pages (that should have been done earlier this year) really took it out of me. It's not the usual "I'm still reeling", though -- I just haven't prepared the next update yet. I actually need to get some supplies first, but I will be drawing the next segment of updates in batch, along with the SURPRISE I have in store.

So, no update today, and probably none Friday, but next Tuesday, probably!

In writing news, I actually think I'm done trimming the fat from volume 1, finally. Now I just need to trim volume 2, which, as the in-between volume to the introduction year and a year that's much more hectic, is kind of messy. There are a lot of things I wrote in Year 1 and 2 that don't really fit anywhere and complicate the overall story. I didn't have it sorted out when I started the comic, which is why things are slow now... Sorry!! But it's getting better, and I'm learning a lot.

A lot of comic authors who do this kind of thing end up inevitably drawing stuff that they don't want for the sake of exposition, establishment, or something. I'm ruling all that stuff out. I'm making everything I draw as part of this comic, whether it's a "have to draw" or "want to draw" thing, fun to draw. No pointless dialog dragging on for days, no diverging substories with no overall purpose. Everything will go together, and I will love it, and hopefully as a result, you will love it, too.

Blind Date 10

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:16:11 -0700

Heyyy! The link in this image was broken for most of today, but it works now!

Pow! It's the last page of the crossover! This was a very good crossover, really fun, really crazy -- and from what I hear from Taversia, the pamphlets did very well at GenCon, too. (So if you're coming here from GenCon, welcome~ Some exciting stuff's gonna happen with the main comic very soon. No lie!)

For the record, I added the crossover pages to the archive now, but they don't show up in the listing pages for some reason. But you could still begin reading start-to-finish here now, and also here where the pages are much larger. (Full-size pages are still linked in Artwork, but I may move them somewhere else later.)

Thanks for the readin'. :D

Blind Date 09 - It's Almost Over!

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:04:47 -0700

Now that the heat has died down, a conversation between Chains and Vigana. Mm, awkward small talk among deadly people.

In case you're wondering why Chains has a tail in the cover but not in the crossover itself, uh... he tucked it in his pants. Yeah. Habit of his. I'm not kidding!

Also, spoilers: by Year 4 Chains grows a tail. And apparently two pairs of horns. His star tats start slowly disappearing, too.

Blind Date 08

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:29:25 -0700

This is my favorite of pages I drew for this crossover. Chains gets a little stabby, and Vigana exploits the demon's weak spot... by kicking his head clean off. (Psst... begin reading the comic crossover over here. For the record, I'm adding my pages in the art gallery for now.)

On another note, remember when I was on TGT Webcomics? Well, now the second TGT Tournament is going on, and you can vote for me (Bracket 5) in it! I'd be honored if you did. I'm up against Liliy of Wiglaf and Mordred, so I probably have no chance, but I can try! (Also, listen to my interview if you haven't already!) Voting ends tomorrow, so head on over there, my hidden legion of readers!

In other news, California's Prop 8 got overturned, and it made me happy. I was taking in news of this last night when my power went out, which is why I didn't update ~10 hours ago.

Blind Date 07

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:27:31 -0700

Doesn't look like our guys have the advantage now, does it?

If these pages are indicative of anything, it's that I love torturing my own characters (and other people's, when given the opportunity). There's a lot going on in all of them...an exercise of executing a big battle in a mere 3 pages. It killed me, but I made it through! Now I just hope it makes any semblance of sense.

I think these pages are still more saturated than intended...whoops. Oh well.

The next page comes this Friday! Don't forget!

Wayward Fall Crossover 6!

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:23:08 -0700

Suddenly, page six of the crossover with Wayward Fall, BLIND DATE, appeared! I know it's been a while, so if you need to get up to speed, reread the first five pages at Wayward Fall's website. This update was meant for yesterday, but things sort of fell behind as I crashed in need of sleep. A few details on the page are still missing, too, but may have to be cut to make a certain deadline in time...

I think I overdid it with the color. But I've been working on these for a straight week, so I can't even tell what's good or bad anymore. :x Color style's not my strong suit and I'd like to have done something different than cel shading and texture, but Taversia is printing little copies of the crossover for GenCon, which, as you may already know, is in a few days. So yeah... familiarity go! I'd rather it be in all B&W myself, but you've got to do things to the better end sometimes! By the way, if you're going to GenCon, you should look for her there. She'll also be handing out free copies of the crossover with Swiftriver.

ANYWAY I'm so excited to have almost all the crossover pages finished. The rest have a bit more linework to go before coloring, which I'm going to wrap up...let's say within the next 36 hours. I hope. <:D So you can expect at least two weeks of updates after this. Yay! For the record, yeah, the crossover is 100% canon...and occurs in what would be volume 4 in LF-time. However, most of the things that don't make sense n this little crossover will be clarified in LF much sooner than that!

In other news, Lovefeast itself has a lot in store. I've been hacking away at editing volume 1's script and editing away all my apprehensions, and I can say I'm genuinely excited about it now. I'll admit that LF wasn't fully thought-through regarding my intentions with it when I started it, but now those intentions are maturing...and manifesting! You'll see the fruits of that soon enough.

The last few months have been busy in many ways, and now I find myself with more free time again. A lot more! That means my plans for both my comics are coming into action, sooner than you think. So don't forget about us! Yay!

The vote incentive is a WIP colored version of the cover for this crossover. A lineart version is on Tavvy's site.

Gulf Auction

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:56:47 -0700

Hello pals! This is a news update to both my comics. I meant to give a little update much, much sooner, but I kind of didn't want to update without anything new to say. Suffice it to say, I'm still busy. But, while it may be far from a perfect model for webcomic updates, this adage has often proven true in my life: "slow and steady wins the race." Putting aside that I don't really like turtles (except sea turtles), I evidently can identify with them! All my goals have been slow in coming, but were very rewarding once achieved.

Anyway, speaking of sea turtles, undoubtedly you've heard of the gulf oil spill incident over the last two months, even if you're nowhere near it. Thinking of ways to contribute to it, this comes up: the Webcomics Auction for the Gulf of Mexico! If you'll recall the last webcomic-related auction I took part in, it also requires your response to be successful. So I'll be drawing two original pieces, one for each of my comics, Millennium and Lovefeast, to be auctioned off as part of this.

The proceeds will be donated to the Colbert Nation Gulf of America Fund, which is being managed by The Baton Rouge Area Foundation. That's something I can get behind! So look for things to get started in July.

On another note, I appreciate that you've still been checking in, and new people have been reading every day. Don't forget about this comic! It'll still be here! (Snag the RSS feeds!)

Peep

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:38:15 -0700

Whoa, it's a bit quiet. It's almost the end of April! Maybe it's about time I made a news post. For those of you curious, the Easter Egg was on chapter 1, page 14. Or is, rather. And it will remain there...forever!

Anyway, I think it was kind of silly for me to expect to be able to begin updating again a mere week after work began. My body took its sweet time rebelling on me for forsaking its late-night orientation, but I think now that it's finally warming up and I'm really getting in the swing of things that I'm gonna be in ship-shape. Yay! That means more energy, more motivation, more pages soon! But I still have to finish up my anthology comic (whose deadline was delayed a couple times between now and December, all much for the better), which is finally making progress. I also have to finish my half of the crossover with Wayward Fall...which I have been working on, slowly. You should go read Taversia's half this instant, if you haven't yet. Seriously. Just go.

Updates will resume sometime in May, after MTAC's storm of awesomeness subsides. You will be happy.

By the way, if you're going to MTAC, you should look for me. I like talking to people. I'll be traipsing around as Momohime from Muramasa: the Demon Blade. I'll also probably be bothering Scott Sava at his table.

Also, I'd like to thank my friend JGray for including my comics in the series of Webcomic trailer plugs he ran before his site relaunch. It was awesome. If you're a new reader here from that, do stick around. I'm a bit slow, but with hope not for much longer. Exciting things comin'! (And for Mysteries of the Arcana, too -- I enjoyed its first arc's ending, and the new site's slick, with a new arc beginning as well! Go look at that, too!)

Cagin' it Up

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:52:53 -0700

It's a new page! Finally! As you'll see, the page is slightly unfinished (no toning), but I am having another small crisis of direction. The comic just isn't interesting enough on its own anymore, so I've decided that the only way to make it more engaging is to add some Nicolas Cage's head.

I hope you enjoy.

(You should enjoy this, too.)

Also, two things: the host server was down all day yesterday due to issues! But now it's back up! So please continue reading. Continue reading, because the WebComic Planet Easter Egg hunt is on, and you're gonna have to find an egg hidden somewhere in the comments sections of the comic archives... You get a WCP prize if you find all the eggs on all the sites!

EDIT 4/2: Yay! That was a nice April Fool, wasn't it? Huh...? Well, I thought so, anyway. It'll always be in the Junk part of the gallery for all posterity to see. For those who missed it but want to see it RIGHT NAO, you can also just lookie here.

The REAL slightly-unfinished version of page 1-20 is up now, and I tell you...I kinda like how the lineart on this page turned out. I'm trying to loosen up so stuff won't take as long. I will probably tone all the untoned pages in the archive on Sunday, but don't hold me to that; I've got other art projects on priority this weekend. Just so you know, I'll probably be working on the next sequence of pages all at once when I begin so I can consistently post them. For flow's sake! Also, you should know that the Easter Egg thing is indeed real, and you should be looking for it, as it is adorable and you can win nice stuff.

I tell you, my work computers have me totally spoiled. I can work on enormous files without a bit of lag. I know what I'm saving up for now. (I should actually be acquiring a remarkably powerful PC for relatively cheap in the next couple weeks. EXCITING)

Pulp Justice

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:49:35 -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.