Quinn Platzer Capstone
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Teal Reef (accessible on school network)
. "Neuschwanstein Castle." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 19 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle>.
Because I’m not very good at designing architecture, my School of Magic required a reference for the exterior view. I looked at several different castles, and this was the one I settled on. Of course the interior is entirely my own, but the exterior is heavily referenced from the images of the Castle. I chose this castle, not only because I thought it looked pretty, but also because I could envision a fictional interior for it. It was similar to Hogwarts in a sense that there was a great dining hall/auditorium. Unlike Hogwarts, I could imagine the rest of the rooms being built around that one large, all-purpose room.
I love using this website. It’s a simple, easy to use webcomic host site, that enables me to have a set time that my comic will update. If I leave for a trip, I can upload multiple comics that will post themselves on time without fail. It also lets me track how many other users have added my comic to their favorites, as well as how many views my comic gets each day. It also allows for colorful, animated banners to be used, which helps attract readers like bees to honey. Whenever I update, people will see that banner on the section called “Most Recent” and will look into it.
. "Varanus indicus." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 16 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove_Monitor>.
In designing characters of less common creatures, I often browse the internet for animals that I like the appearance of. When researching the “best friend” character for my comic, I decided I wanted him to be a reptile of some kind. I’m fond of monitor lizards, and I settled on a Mangrove Monitor lizard because I liked their physical appearance. I later regretted choosing an animal with so many spots. Despite that one issue, I really like drawing him. The monitor lizard’s ability to pick up smells with their tongues makes for funny expressions, which helps amuse readers. That habit makes him appear rather adorable.
. "Spotted Hyena." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 27 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena>.
In many of the anthropomorphic comics I read, the main characters are often cats of some sort, or a wolf. In order to avoid this cliché, I selected a hyena. I haven’t regretted my choice, but I occasionally need to reference the markings. One of the other decisions I had to make when choosing a species for my main character, Aldwin, was his personality. I wanted him to be a generally nice guy, but no clique leader. When someone has an idea, he listens. Considering that my “hero team” will have multiple females, this trait suits a hyena, since hyena packs have a matriarch, not a patriarch.
. "Himalayan goral." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 10 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Goral>.
For my sidekick, I wanted to choose a very unusual animal. For that, I chose the Himalayan “Grey” Goral, which is related to mountain goats. It suits her headstrong nature and thrill-seeking personality. I also need to frequently research images, since I am still a little unfamiliar with drawing cleft-hoofed animals. I chose the Himalayan Goral specifically because I fell in love with the markings, which translate beautifully. Also because a goat face becomes funny when being expressive. Ulyssa is tough, and quick to anger, and often butts heads with people who want to do things a different way, traits that many associate with goats.
. "Northern Mockingbird." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 16 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mockingbird>.
While contemplating a more complex character who toes the line between right and wrong, I decided that I don’t see enough anthropomorphic birds in important roles. Even then, most of these characters would be birds of prey. In order to make someone who’s a little more unique, I chose a Northern Mockingbird. There is symbolism in my choice as well. My character starts out being a bad guy, pretending to be a good guy. Mockingbirds are able to mimic the songs of other birds. I still need a lot of reference for drawing her, even though she has yet to make an appearance.
"Giant sculpture of a scarab beetle." British Museum n.pag.British Museum. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/g/giant_sculpture_of_a_scarab.asp&xgt;.
This is one of the most important components I’ve researched for my comic. I needed a plot, a storyline, and a quest. In fact, the item which the entire comic is built around is based on this statue. The beetle relic with the potential to make the world destroy itself. In fact, I even named the comic “Ye Old Doom Relic” after it. Beetles symbolize creation, and transformation. I take this to new extremes, since that is what my statue was meant to do, allow anyone to shape-shift at will, though its powers became perverted and it uses those abilities to destroy.
"How to Make a Webcomic." WikiHow. n. page. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Webcomic>.
I needed to to a lot of research before posting my comic. I already knew what site I wanted to use, but I wanted to be ready for anything. The biggest problem I had was picking a plot/story. I didn’t know what I wanted it to be about. I searched all over the web, but I never found any help in that area. I did find some helpful tips though! One of the most common tips I found was to get my comic “out there”, and advertise. This I was able to do without too much trouble, but I’m not exactly reaching my target audience.
Fagin, Joel. "Webcomic Basics." Joel Fagin's Tutorial. Between Worlds, n. d. Web. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://www.between-worlds.com/tutorials/comic_webcomic_basics.shtml>.
I’m including this site as a reference because of the in-depth instructions they provide. They include tips about how to set your comic apart from others, such as tips on how to lay out the comic, or how to avoid clichés. The author collects a bunch of tips that he found off of webcomic forums that are meant to aid comic artists that are stuck and need a bit of help. He also brings up a point that I always try to emphasize. If you’re frustrated with other artists always being better, then keep drawing until you get there.
. "Elder Furthark." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 27 1 2013. Web. 31 Jan 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Futhark>.
Every fantasy comic about magic needs some way to cast spells. Often this includes a fancy magic language. Some people think of some sort of Elven, or latin. I think of runes. Runes are special in their own way, people generally don’t know how to pronounce them. This gives the words a mysterious vibe, and leaves the spells open to interpretation. I also like the shape of the letters. Only after I had used this set of runes in my comic, I discovered that the set of Elven letters that author J.R.R. Tolkien had used in his books was also available.
. "Life in a Medieval Town." Teachnet.ie. N.p.. Web. 1 Feb 2013. <http://resources.teachnet.ie/mmorrin/norman/town.htm>.
A simple description of the sort of things you would find if you jumped into medieval England. It also includes an old painting of a town’s general layout. This includes the position of the castle, how the shops and houses are placed, and even the sort of people you might find there. This is useful for my comic because of how many towns will need to design. One of the most important things I found in this site would be the detailed descriptions of what one of these buildings would look like, as well as what my characters would experience in the process of entering a city.
On Facebook, I have a decent number of people I know friended. People that I knew from school, family, or friends of family. Social networking sites are useful resources for people like me, even though most of the people I know there are not very into my things. However, sometime people will share my advertisements with their friends, who will potentially be more likely to read my comics than my own friends would. I can post when I update, and I can even share little images and panels from my comic. Though it’s not as effective then an ad on a popular comic’s page, it’s a handy feature.
Much like Facebook, Tumblr is a social networking site. Out of the 250+ followers, I only know a couple. Tumblr allows me to share my little clips and panels from my webcomic, but it allows gifs, so my animated banner will continue to cycle on Tumblr when all you see on Facebook is a still from the gif. Tumblr also allows for easy sharing of my comic, since it’s much easier for followers to spread the word then on Facebook. One of my friends, both online and off, had followers that are very into comics and art, and he’s willing to help me promote my comic.
When it comes to comic advertising, one of the best places, other than other webcomics, would be an art community website. Deviantart is a place where thousands of users upload tens of thousands of pieces of art all the time. With the amount of activity, it’s not hard to promote your comic. I myself follow, or “watch” users who post comics on Deviantart. It’s a good way to promote your art. I use it to store my character color reference sheets, so that while coloring the comic, I can easily find what I need. I can also find stock and reference images to help me when I need it.
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