Happy new year, everyone! It's still January so it's still valid to say that. And! I haven't updated since the end of summer 2024. I dug in deep on kickstarter fulfillment for IRON BARGE for the last few months. And with books finally shipped out, I'm able to raise my head and look around again.

It feels like I'm always 'finally making progress again' with this chapter. The momentum has been a lot harder to maintain. In spite of a crazy class schedule and two other comics last year, I was still able to keep on track with Chapter 1. But the stakes with a kickstarter felt higher, and it became 'TOP priority and needs to get out the door ASAP'. So, I was more comfortable taking breaks with witch.

It's always frustrating to lose momentum, but it happens! Especially with an independent project where the only person I have to answer to is myself. Even GODSLAVE, my webcomic; I might be the only person working on it, but there's an audience and Patreon with people who pay to see early updates who will voice concern if I miss the weekly deadlines. It took awhile to get there, so it's kind of interesting to be back in a space where all accountability lies with my own discipline.

Which is all the more reason I feel the need to finish it! It feels like a personal challenge.

It also helps that convention season is around the corner, and I've applied for both TCAF and MCAF! Nothing kicks up pressure like the main opportunity to make money on the project.

Anyways, last update I was in the middle of pencils! They've been completed since then, and here's some of those pages.

You can really see the drop off in quality of the pencils as we get to the end, haha. Such is just wanting to get a page done and move on. As I've started inking, I've already run into panels that need to be pencilled again before I can ink them.

The mansion here was based off this illustration I found on Pinterest! I wanted something big, luxurious and then satisfying to explode. I haven't drawn an explosion in probably, like, 10 years haha. But I do like this result!

This classroom scene will be the death of me. I know once it's done, coloured and in print I'll love it. But right now, drawing this over and over is killing me. It's based off this photo of a classroom in Paris, also found on Pinterest! I've got a bunch of boards for the witch book put together over there. It's just a matter of trying to find reference that isn't AI generated.

As of today, January 30th, I'm not sure when I'll be done with inks. I was following that google sheet schedule to the letter until the kickstarter hit. Finishing the kickstarter has freed up a bunch of time, and I don't have freelance starting until mid-to-late February. So, my hope is to get the bulk of it done before then. But it's a lottt of classroom scenes and then dense forest. Fingers crossed!