*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse
Re: Pulse Returns
« Reply #180 on: July 12, 2014, 02:57:45 AM »
Like What?
I liked the simpler line style and slightly more comic book feel with deep shadows and character blocking - it seemed to go along with her recollections and Jungle Girl day dreams.

I did use a lot of black.  I'm not sure why I moved out of that.

many of the characters are smaller busted
I have no problem with the smaller busts and in fact I like the variation as it makes things a bit more realistic and puts Pulse in perspective. Nudity did seem a bit much the first time too. Just how many shower scenes does one have in a day?

With Peeved we wanted variation.  Honestly with Pulse I wanted Annie to stand out.  I wanted her to be the maximum size I thought I could portray her as a competent superheroine, and then almost everyone else to be fairly normal.  If I was making her physical change seem really dramatic in the story, I needed it to seem dramatic.  She went from the smallest busted to being much bigger busted than anyone else.

It's actually page 58
Regarding the comic numbering conventions - you will note that the PNG file is number 58, hence the actual ordinal number of that strip is rather obvious to anyone who notices details like that.

I was just mentioning it because it threw me off at first.  I was like "page 14, I don't remember her having her suit that early".

The only critique between the previous and current telling of the Pulse story is that I miss the greater sense of "discovery" and revelation from the first. Things occur a bit fast I think this time around and there are a few times that the unfamiliar might be caught saying "Why did that happen or who is that person?"

Really?  I've worried that in retrospect I've tried to be too clever a few times and indirectly said things.  Certain people who might not have read the first comic seemed confused about Grace.  Some people critique that the overarching story is moving slowly (the relevance between the present and the beginning).  I wonder if it's the story is moving fast short-term, but slowly long-term.

I kind of look at the first comic as having a lot of plot-points that go nowhere.  I originally planned it to be three comics.  That Sparrow/Tabitha would turn on them and Annie would have to defeat her.  When I decided that Sparrow/Tabitha would stick around and the comic would last longer, I had to start adding in new elements.  I added Connor's past, Nigel Robbins, Annie's dreams where she is Jungle Girl, Annie had to be in her suit to avoid growing when she was out of her room, and The Silver Dragon.  Then that ended and I for a while started embracing the idea of it being an adult comic.  I added in some more adult scenes, ignored Annie always having to wear her suit, Mira and Arim.  Then I changed my mind again and started adding in more complex story elements and toning down the adult elements like when I started going into the history.  I sort of kept changing my mind about what I wanted it to be.  I also because I was rotating between different comics, I kept skipping over planned events to make it seem like time had moved ahead.  I later regretted not keeping them as beginners for a longer time.

In the reboot I may have sped through some of the beginning because I was trying to keep old readers interested.  Kind of like how different Spider-Man movies focus more or less on the origin.  I tried to come up with a streamlined path while wasting as little as possible.  My attempt was to review what I saw as flaws of the original and try to solve them, although maybe this one just has different flaws.  People seemed to also be confused when Tabitha fought a double of herself.  Maybe I didn't pull that off in an ideal way.  Maybe I'm making it too complex.

Hopefully it isn't that it's hard for non-older readers to understand things.  I have however put in easter eggs for older readers, although one doesn't come to mind right now.

One thing that's true in both is that usually it's one action chapter and then one non-action chapter.

I mentioned that same thing about some of the later PeEVEd installments when those uninitiated into the world of those particular video games might not have the back story and subtle things like inside jokes and allusions would be lost.

Yeah, maybe in retrospect we should have used fake games that we could introduce and then use as examples.

*

Nimrod

  • KC Strip Artist
  • 2122
Re: Pulse Returns
« Reply #181 on: July 12, 2014, 12:10:14 PM »
I did use a lot of black.  I'm not sure why I moved out of that.
Ah, you ran out of ink?

With Peeved we wanted variation.  Honestly with Pulse I wanted Annie to stand out.  I wanted her to be the maximum size I thought I could portray her as a competent superheroine, and then almost everyone else to be fairly normal.
That just begs the question if you should have a superheroine who is slightly larger just to have the comparative chance - showing that any bigger and Annie would be more inhibited. Thus giving reasons to why Annie does the sort of size limiting actions she does while still liking her "new" size.

Some people critique that the overarching story is moving slowly (the relevance between the present and the beginning).  I wonder if it's the story is moving fast short-term, but slowly long-term.
Pace, can be a very tricky thing in comics. (says the robot and bunny girl that took 4 years to get out of their back yard party in their comic)

I kind of look at the first comic as having a lot of plot-points that go nowhere.  ...  I sort of kept changing my mind about what I wanted it to be.  ...  I later regretted not keeping them as beginners for a longer time.

In the reboot I may have sped through some of the beginning because I was trying to keep old readers interested.  ...  My attempt was to review what I saw as flaws of the original and try to solve them, although maybe this one just has different flaws.  People seemed to also be confused when Tabitha fought a double of herself.  Maybe I didn't pull that off in an ideal way.  Maybe I'm making it too complex.
The trick with complexity is to have layers of complexity. The page may be simple, the chapter moderately so and the story arc complex.

Hopefully it isn't that it's hard for non-older readers to understand things.  I have however put in easter eggs for older readers, although one doesn't come to mind right now.
I swear if you have a lavender bunny girl in the background somewhere my circuits would just ping!

Yeah, maybe in retrospect we should have used fake games that we could introduce and then use as examples.
That probably would have given you more material to work with without the constrictions of preexisting cannon.
BE Together...

Images are (c) Nimrod unless noted otherwise

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse
Re: Pulse Returns
« Reply #182 on: July 14, 2014, 05:25:30 AM »
Ah, you ran out of ink?

That would be ironic.  Until 2010 I drew everything by hand, since then I draw everything digitally (in Sketchbook Pro usually).  I'm not sure when it changed, but I did use up a lot of Sharpie pens before.  Although I wouldn't fill in big black areas, I'd use draw around the edges and then fill it on the computer.

That just begs the question if you should have a superheroine who is slightly larger just to have the comparative chance - showing that any bigger and Annie would be more inhibited. Thus giving reasons to why Annie does the sort of size limiting actions she does while still liking her "new" size.

I'm not sure I'd want to introduce a character who might seem unhappy in that way.  That might be part of why I decreased Annie, I had trouble portraying her as an effective superheroine the first time.  I decided to change her enough to make her seem more effective.

Also, I can't guess if Annie will get bigger on her own by accident or intentionally.  She has a little room to grow if I ever wanted.  And some readers have said they thought she's gotten bigger as the comic has continued (or at least early on when it was still black and white), so if that's true, it can happen by accident as well.  (although it's likely just style and proportional changes, or maybe even that I was accidently drawing her too small at first).

There's also the motivation to make Annie seem somewhat unique in her change.  And also if I introduced someone larger it would make her seem more common.  She's more special if I didn't.

The trick with complexity is to have layers of complexity. The page may be simple, the chapter moderately so and the story arc complex.

I've always had wildly different opinions from people.  Some people seem to be able to litterally predict what's going to happen.  Some seem to follow it but are always surprised.  Some are always asking which character is currently appearing.

I swear if you have a lavender bunny girl in the background somewhere my circuits would just ping!

I haven't decided if I want to put any guest appearances in Pulse yet (it's only been 189 pages).  If I ever wanted to sell a collected print volume it would complicate things maybe.


*

Palomine

  • Moderator
  • 24033
  • Modern Male Mammal, Linux enthusiast.
Re: Pulse #190
« Reply #184 on: July 18, 2014, 04:21:57 PM »
Update today, page 190 "Death"
http://pulse.comicdish.com/

Please don't think less of me for it, but I just love the way you draw women's bodies Lightfoot. :) Thanks!

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse
Re: Pulse Returns
« Reply #185 on: July 19, 2014, 04:32:21 PM »
Please don't think less of me for it, but I just love the way you draw women's bodies Lightfoot. :) Thanks!

I'll have to fix that then, I want them to be repulsive. ;)

*

Nimrod

  • KC Strip Artist
  • 2122
Re: Pulse Returns
« Reply #186 on: July 23, 2014, 10:24:27 AM »
I'll have to fix that then, I want them to be repulsive. ;)
That is right, wait till Lightfoot gets them really repugnant then have the bunny cameo, I see how this is taking shape.  ;)

That way if there is any "problems" with a bound future set there is plausible denial...
"No, that is not a lavender bunny girl at all it is a periwinkle panda + fox girl hybrid! you silly critic!"  ;D

Really - you have had my specific permission to draw Kithara's character / avatar since the birthday tribute within the bounds that she is clothed and not shown performing crimes or overtly sexua| acts. Not like you have been burning to draw her J-walking with a vibrator! And if you have then that just puts you in a whole different light.  :o

There have been other bunny girls
BE Together...

Images are (c) Nimrod unless noted otherwise

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse
Re: Pulse #191
« Reply #187 on: July 24, 2014, 03:39:34 AM »
Update today, page 191 "Evolution"
http://pulse.comicdish.com/

If I add cameos, I'll put in Kithara.  Actually unlike the old comics, I've only even once hinted that this might share the same universe with any of the other comics I draw.  In one comic, Grace has a Nani from Peeved action figure in her room.  A lot of the cameos I've had instead are characters who will appear later in the comic.  You saw Grace way in advance several times, Charlotte, Zoe (the Shapeshifter), and maybe some others I've forgetting.

I'm probably taking a break for a week or two, then chapter 14.  I'll think about this.

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse
Re: Pulse Filler Week
« Reply #188 on: July 31, 2014, 03:45:44 AM »
Update today, Filler Week
http://pulse.comicdish.com/

Gift art today while I plan ahead and work on pledge reward pictures for the Peeved kickstarter.

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse
Re: Pulse #192
« Reply #189 on: August 07, 2014, 12:35:40 AM »
Update today, page 192 "The Day Before Tomorrow"
http://pulse.comicdish.com/

The start of chapter 14, "Damage"-

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse

*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse


*

Lightfoot

  • Wandering Artist
  • 1963
    • Pulse