Ferres; bonkers, updates and stuff

[STeve]

I sometimes lust after a Cintiq, but I have spent so many years using tablets, I'm really very comfortable sketching this way.

Don't get me wrong, the Cintiq looks like a lovely piece of kit and I have tried one or two out, in the store, but for the difference it seems to make to me, I personally cannot justify the expense.

As for speed. Ferres, as I remember, 3-5 days was the speed I worked at for full comic colour pages too. I once worked on a comic, a toy-licence magazine with stories of Marshall Bravestarr, He-man, Thundercats, etc. where I had to turn in one inked, black and white, page a day, six a week, for eighteen months, plus corrections, - licenser's can be finicky.

That completely exhausted me. I've had too many jobs like that, but I have trouble turning work down. Freelance paranoia...

[ROBERTS]

yes...very expensive, I agree. I bought the 24HD because I tried one another photo retouch artist had in his studio and I was instantly blown away. It changes everything. One thing everyone needs to know that Wacom doesn't exactly make clear....Cintiq only plays nice with newer computers and OS. It gets super happy with a MacPro or I-Mac and the very latest CS, flies like a jet. Older Macs? Mmm..not so happy..I haven't upgraded everything yet, still using G5 and CS2, which handicaps some of the cool hi speed stuff and shortcuts...but it's STILL twice as fast and easier to paint with than a Wacom tablet, and I get to sketch and ink direct input on screen. Which I think is just super big round 38DD firm tits in the sun COOL. Go try one, you'll be selling your furniture to buy one if you do.

[Ferres]

I can't say I haven't thought of the Cintiq 24. I'm just not sold on it's ability to really improve things for me now that the CS versions have the free rotate function.

If they had some rent to buy option. Have a week or a month to really test it out. How the issue with ergonomics would work? Wear and tear on the screen. Stuff to think through before getting such a big device.

There are a lot of really good digital artists out there and most of them don't use the Cintiq, but do use a tablet.

In a month of so, my current kit will get an upgrade. If I still can't squeeze anymore improvements from it, then the Cintiq will be my final option.

[ROBERTS]

It isn't for everyone I guess...
For me, the elimination of the entire paper phase of my drawings..pencil sketches, re drawing, then inking, then scanning, import the scan, clean up...well yeah, it's a lot of stuff. There's a 12 x 18 flat scanner on the work table I've had for almost 14 years (HP was bulletproof back then)..eliminating all this for most of my pages now streamlines things in a huge way. As for "improving" the artwork....it certainly changed it. I can't be the judge on "better" or worse. You'd have to look at the last 5 or 6 pages of "DragonSabre", or the beginning of "Taken", or all of "Indefinite Detention" and compare those to everything I've done before.
Sometime soon I'll have my one year anniversary with Cintiq. I have no visible wear on the screen. The unit functions perfectly in every way and has no issues. Recently my G5 had a glitch and was down for repairs..OMG I lost my mind! I had to go back to my old methods to make some magazine deadlines and without Cintiq I was a complete retard..it was awful! I'm a total addict. Maybe that's not so good..

[Ferres]

It isn't for everyone I guess...
For me, the elimination of the entire paper phase of my drawings..pencil sketches, re drawing, then inking, then scanning, import the scan, clean up...well yeah, it's a lot of stuff. There's a 12 x 18 flat scanner...

As it is now, I've done this as well thanks to the rotate function. No more pencils and scanning.

And yes, I've noticed the improvement in both color and detail in your current work. I simply assumed that you were more inspired.

Improvements in speed is what I'm most interested in. I have a bunch of stories in my head that are not bdsm material. It's only feasible to start if I can push them out rapidly in tandem with my 'traditional' stuff. I'll see if I can get some 'hands on' time with a Cintiq. If it can get me to my ideal production cycle, I will defintely take the hit.

[ROBERTS]

I could never get the sketching/inking together with a tablet. It doesn't work for me. I just can't draw like that I'm afraid...so Cintiq was a breakthrough. It also helps me with speed overall..
Just as you, I have several comics projects I want to produce independantly as graphic novels..non-sex..one big sci-fi epic, a war comics series, a monster from space story, a spy novel...all these ideas. Only possible if I double or triple my speed..

[Ferres]

Well, the other stories I want to work on still has a lot of nudity and sex. I'm not going off that boat just yet, I'm not that crazy. But there will be much less of the usual Dofantasy staples to detract form the story.

The previous Red Riding Hood is a good example of what I'm talking about.

[LOLord]

Well, the other stories I want to work on still has a lot of nudity and sex. I'm not going off that boat just yet, I'm not that crazy. But there will be much less of the usual Dofantasy staples to detract form the story.
The previous Red Riding Hood is a good example of what I'm talking about.

I 'd love to see more bdsm element from you than a complicated story line.
Honestly, alot of people just reading Marvel comic because of women in tight costume. And some comic like "Warlord of Mars" just become legal comic, but it's no where near a fansadox one. So it'll be the best if you stay classy when making a bdsm one, people love to see more of that.

[ROBERTS]

I'll never give up sex comics either..though I would like to do something more mainstream soon..we're out here on the very pointy tip of the spear with this genre' of material, and it limits our exposure, restricts the number of people who can even see our work, and quite frankly hurts us financially. the whole world has changed since 1999-2000...I'd draw an episode of "StarFuckers" with "Britney" and 1000 new customers would show up overnight. All at $15 each, you do the math on that one..
Before this material was restricted, before web filters and countries censoring content, when it was a free market and everyone could find us, this was the biggest niche' comics genre' online. That's over. People still want what we draw, but they don't know we're here. We've been put in a box.
I need to get out of that box.

[Ferres]

I 'd love to see more bdsm element from you than a complicated story line.
Honestly, alot of people just reading Marvel comic because of women in tight costume. And some comic like "Warlord of Mars" just become legal comic, but it's no where near a fansadox one. So it'll be the best if you stay classy when making a bdsm one, people love to see more of that.

Most of my work have complicated little stories. I don't have a single straight forward 'abduction' story if you recall. The problem is, when I feel like I need to shoehorn a bdsm scene just to satisfy an imaginary quota. 'Adrift' is one example of a story that suffered because of this.

I need to start these new, more mainstream materials soon because sooner or later someone else will think of them.

There will always be a bdsm story, just not every story.