Hey Katabatic readers, a lil' heads-up that the comic pop-up shop I had announced previously is being delayed by a week (because hey, turns out shops are really complicated to set up)! Expect it instead to open on the 8th of September. :)
Hello, it's been a fair while. I still won't be doing anything with Not So Grim, but I do have a very short comic I'll be uploading on here in the meantime (and for the short-term).
It's called Katabatic, and it's about kites, flying, pretty clouds, and a nomad who can walk on them. For now it's 8 pages long, but I'm going to extend it by another 2 chapters and making it available as a PDF download later.
Stay tuned for the first upload~
Not So Grim will go on yet another, undefined length hiatus.
It pains me to say this especially since it already went on a huge hiatus in 2016, but it turns out I have more to deal with than just making comics and finding a new platform and all that jazz. Despite my best efforts to rearrange my time and energy to be less stressful, I continued to neglect certain aspects of my health.
The tldr is: I became so overwhelmed and severely displeased with myself and my work, I lost sight of what I was trying to achieve with it, I lost my enjoyment in it, and was tempted to drop everything I worked for until now.
Thankfully, I didn't do anything rash like that yet. However, it means I have to shift priorities around, in order to mend.
I will say it again: I appreciate so much all of you who have supported me thus far! Not So Grim is not so much in the bin yet, I just need to learn, for the umpteenth time, to enjoy the creation process. And take care of myself a little better, obviously.
I will let you know if or when things get rolling again. For now, best place to reach me and keep up with what I'm doing is on my Twitter: @jarodragon.
Hey readers! I had the intention to send something through for a while but now I have more reason to do so.
Firstly: I think the 'hiatus' to work on Not So Grim will take longer than the expected 4 weeks. I am dealing with a few health issues right now and am just plain burned-out. I still have the bad habit of treating my passion projects like a job, which can turn into despising what I once enjoyed. I'm still learning the balance, so please bear with me.
Secondly, and this is probably something you've heard about 10 times already: Tapas was a bit iffy with their Terms of Service updates recently. They've removed the new addition to the ToS for the time being, but the fact that is was even considered is...really a worry. I won't explain it all so have a read of the summary: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/05/18/controversial-change-tapastaptastic-terms-service-claims-right-first-refusal-webcomics/
It's already exhausting for a comic artists to break into professional spheres, so having weird ToS updates like this only add to the stress.
For the time being, Not So Grim will remain on Tapas. I'll observe how the conversation develops. But, I will start considering other free platforms or even a website of my own. This is another reason why my break may take longer than 4 weeks because that can take effort to set up. I'm also a bit disheartened because I just recently hit 400 followers (gosh thank you!) and you readers have been nothing but nice and enthusiastic to me. I was hoping to move out of Tapas one day but it looks like it'll come quicker than expected.
I will keep you up to date before I make any jumps anywhere. Thanks so much for the support so far! I hope you'll follow the grouchy Grim Reaper and overtly enthusiastic Narrative Box to other places. Regards, Jen.
Heeyyy I just returned from my adventures in New Zealand! I had a great time catching up with family, and also meeting some online friends for the first time. It was a really needed break for me, and I feel much more refreshed.
But I also have some good news; you have something to look forward to next week. 8)
Chapter 3 will continue on Thursday, the 16th of March! No, really. Seriously. Definitely.
I happened to be staying on a small farm so the sky was really clear! Tons of stars heheh. Though I'd imagine in the cities it wouldn't be too different to regular light polution. :P
It's the 2nd of Feb and...!
-looks at hands-
Oh, I thought I had the pages already!
Alas, haven't gotten around to pages yet. I received surprise news that I will be traveling to New Zealand this month! Which is immensely exciting, but that means there's a bit of a set back. However, never fear, I did make script progress! Which I'll show screenshots of, at the very least. Nice and blurry so you can't read anything harharhar.
I might as well give info on how I plan to work with Not So Grim in the near future. Since I can't keep up a consistent run of pages all the time, I'll work on the comics in a chapter-by-chapter basis. What this means is: I'm hoping to bump to 2 pages each time I update, but then there will be longer breaks between chapters. As it's nearing the end of Chapter 3, I'll be aiming to work on the remaining pages and have them upload over my trip, and then I'll get back to working on Chapter 4 when I return. Hopefully this turns out to be realistic for me.
I'll keep you up to date, as usual! With my best efforts, I'll try to have something tangible ready in two or three weeks' time. :)
Helloooo readers, it is January! Happy New Year and I hope you all had good Christmas celebrations (or just a pleasant December, if that's not your thing)
I have officially started working on my projects again, and that includes Not So Grim. Just yesterday I got back to brainstorming. And oh boy, you guys better buckle up. 8D
I'm gonna call Thursday, the 2nd of February a TENTATIVE return date for the comic! In the meantime, here's the grouchy bag of bones reading something-or-other. Gotta stay educated, ye know.
It's been a month, and now it's December, so as promised, here's an update on what's up with Not So Grim updates:
I think I will need another month to get my act together. I don't want to divulge exactly was going on, but long-story-short I need to reorganize my daily schedule and how I go about my work. And above all, find enjoyment in it. It's been a bumpy road and there are still a lot of potholes. But bit by bit, it's getting easier.
You can be sure Not So Grim is still on my priority list! I don't have any specifics right now, but some changes to update schedule may occur. I will likely have breaks between chapters in the future and work on them in shorter bursts.
All of your likes and feedback have encouraged me thus far, so I am still driven to continue working on this series. As usual, thank you for your support and calm waiting!
And of course, you can keep up with my work and other updates on Twitter: @jarodragon. See you around! :D
Hey I put this info in the Halloween page upload (btw, late Happy Halloween!) but I'll put it here too, for good measure:
I am going to take a break from uploading pages for the rest of November. I need some time to relax, and maybe build up a buffer. I'll let you all know early December when pages will start updating again.
Cheers!