RiddlrComics
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Patreon Break & Patreon Change Announcement
🕑 Added 2023-10-26 02:18:14 +0000 UTCI've been thinking about how I was going to write this for a while now. But now that I'm face-to-face with having to write it, and can no longer put it off, I'm struggling to find the words. I’ve been drawing Universery for a bit over a year now, and while I love working on it, the way I’ve been working on it isn’t sustainable long-term.
And, while I hate feeling like I'm disappointing people, or failing to live up to their expectations of me, it's one of my strongest fears if I'm being honest. I also know that it's important that I look after myself, and obviously ensure that I'm giving you folks good content as well. But I'm worried that with my current trajectory, that I won't be able to do that.
So simply put, I'll be pausing the patreon for the next two months. I need to properly stop, and regroup if I’m going to be able to keep going with making comics, so I’ve come up with what is basically a three-pronged 'attack'.
1) I'm going to be taking a few weeks completely off of Universery and StarKnights comics, my plan is to then slowly write, and thumbnail it all out while I'm on 'vacation'. I'm hoping by getting it all sorted out on my time, that I'll feel less pressure and can spend more time making it the best that I can.
2) As you probably already know, I'm going to be breaking chapter two of Universery up with a short (around 23-28 paged) comic called "StarKnights" this is still the case. But instead of drawing it out one finished page at a time, I plan on sketching every page, then lining, then colouring, etc. So not only is it a consistent style/level of quality, I’ll also be able to make changes at any point without having to ‘retcon’ pages I’ve already posted, or mess around with heavy re-writes late into the project.
3) The final 'prong' of the way I'm planning to attack this is the most relevant to peeps who are currently patrons. When I come back from 'vacation' I'll be restructuring the patreon to be more 'behind-the-scenes' focused.
Since I'll be working on the comic rather differently, my plan is to let y'all peek into my work process, give you updates on progress, and see the whole thing come together step-by-step. What that's actually going to look like, I'm still ironing out if I'm honest, but I do plan on posting scripts, thumbnails, lined pages, sketches, and character designs. Basically anything that comes about in the process of bringing this thing to life!
I'm also thinking that it'll help with getting direct feedback from y'all as well ^^ What you do/don't like, what you think I should add, that kind of thing. You'll also get first dibs on cameos, and discount codes for any paid content I release.
Simply put, I’ve got loads of things I’ve been wanting to do, I’ve had plans for physical posters, stickers, and a bunch of other stuff I can’t even begin to get into here. But the day to day grind of getting the pages done the way I have has been burning me out, it’s been such an unwieldy process.
I sometimes forget that I’ve only really been a ‘professional’ for a few years, and a ‘proper’ comic artist for just about as long and since I’m self-taught I need to remind myself that I’m still learning. The last month or two was a real wake-up call, normally I love jumping into work every day but every time I had a Uni comic on the list for that day I dreaded it. And I don’t want this project that I love to turn into something that I hate, or don’t look forward to.
I can’t guarantee that this new way of doing things will work, I just hope you’re all patient with me as I figure this all out. Thank you so much for your support, it really does mean so much to me that I even get a chance to learn and grow as a comic creator, and I hope you’ll stick around for this next stage <3
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P.s. You’ll still be able to access the comics, and all my posts for the pause time. You just won't be charged ^^
Comments
Jenny Carter
Feel all the hugs. I am always happy to read that you not only see that you need a break but also actively decide to take it. I remember you doing it before and I saw it as a good and healthy decision of yours before. And I do so this time once again. I’ll be waiting and looking forward to you returning with new energy, ideas, motivation and most importantly you being able to enjoy what you do and being able to make (at least partially - I have no idea :)) a living from it. Enjoy your time off - just be careful once you return - there might be a meowing cat sitting at the door waiting to trip you over while you are trying to walk back in ;)
