Geek Speaking on the Sexy Snikt and Kicking to Start

Geek Speak: The Sexy Snikt

As comic strips go this one isn't very high concept. The idea grabbed me as having some funny potential, so the problem became the execution. Initially I'd envisioned this as much more realistic with Wolverine looking rugged and manly in his leather jacket and jeans. He'd be standing in a hallway of the Xavier Institute when Psylocke walked by. Same idea, very different execution. I went this route because the tiny hero versions I've done are fun to draw...and it's a lot easier this way. 

Yup. Wolverine is drinking beer at lunch. That rogue. 

Starting the Kicks

I've been trying to think of some ways that I might be able to take what I'm doing with the blog and my cartoons to the next level. Some things are kind of self evident. Already I feel like I'm outgrowing the straight blog format. At the very least it's not a great way to showcase the comic strips, and anyone just getting started out reading the strips would have a hell of a time going back to the beginning. When I converted blog to a magazine layout it helped some, but in looking at other webcomics as a guide absolutely all of them make use of a viewer that allows the reader to go back and forth, view an archive, even jump to one at random. 

To be competitive I also need to bring up my game in my artwork. Drawmelt has been a part of that strategy, and getting the opportunity to draw a live model in a cool, totally chill setting has been of huge benefit to my artwork. The other part of bringing up my artistic game is learning to work in digital. Most of my education in drawing comes from my dad who was a tremendous artist, and an art teacher, but he had a classical education. By extension, I do too, plus a liberal dose of instruction from the incomparable book, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Before long that's not going to be enough. I'm going to need to learn to draw on a tablet using something like Photoshop. 

Both of those things take a tremendous toll on the dual resources of time and money. Neither of which I have in surplus, and shortly after my number two is born I'm going to have a lot less of each. I need a solution so I started looking into Kickstarter.

It's intriguing. My goal would be pretty modest. I'd need start up money to upgrade my computer, get a second monitor, purchase a tablet, subscribe to Adobe Photoshop, and have general expenses for at least six months. Compared to other projects out there, that's relatively humble. What's stopping me is all the unknowns. An even bigger blocker is the possibility of success and not only having to live up to my stretch goals, but to produce something; to live up to the expectations and faith of my supporters. 

People who come up short with the excuse that they're terrified of failure I don't think are being totally honest with themselves. More terrifying than failure is the prospect of success. Failure is not starting in the first place, that ship has sailed before someone can open their mouth to make the excuse. Success is scary because once you have it you have to work to keep it. 

So that's something I'm wrestling with. What's clear is I'm quickly reaching a point where I need to make a move into something bigger, or keep this going as a passion project, but not something that's ever going to buy groceries. 

Maybe someone reading this has a solution, some perspective, or an angle on this I haven't thought of yet. At this point I'm all ears.