3572 – The Three Fingered Man
So I’m putting more thought and planning into a space YAFGC comic. This is the thing: I can’t -or rather, don’t enjoy- drawing spaceships and vehicles. So my plan is to photograph models for the hardware scenes. It’s a bit of a jarring style contrast, but it’s how I plan to cope. Maybe I’ll trace them and learn to draw them as I go.
I have already constructed a few ship models I can use, but I’ve got a hero-ship to design!
So you’ve got to picture this: Because of a major slump in the animation industry I’m not working at a studio, nor in my dark basement studio near all my precious art machines. I’m working as a cashier in a university bookstore. Which is pleasant enough, the people are lovely, the work is easy. BUT… I’m away from my art machines, I’m often surrounded by PEOPLE I have to interact with in a Mainstream Human sort of way, and I have to stand all day. I can’t listen to MY music, but have to play mainstream pop music on pa all day.
Fortunately they’re pretty understanding and have no problem with me setting up my sketchbook on the nearby ledge to doodle in (in fact, one of my immediate supers insists that I keep drawing when it’s quiet!). But there are often times when I’m pacing and going mad.
I guess I’m just saying… bear with me while I cope with an identity crisis. I am not currently a professional artist. I’m an unemployed artist working as a cashier. And things aren’t getting any better on the horizon.
Concept art for characters in a proposed Space YAFGC comic.
On the left is Cole -direct descendant of Glon- a fairly luckless mechanic/pilot/courier, and on the right, Sgt.Gen Seul, her frequent business partner/friend/pain in the ass who often gets the two of them in trouble by turning Cole’s innocent contracts into smuggling operations.
The robot is GLIDE, navigator, info storage, dangerous job-doer.
These are just concepts. Nothing’s yet set in stone. Just wanted to give you a feel for what’s going on inside my head.
Yep, Ossia's taken six bits of Loony.
Holding in a freak-out until witnesses leave is the second worst part of having a freak-out!
Offhandedly, I'm gonna say that he's ½ the man that Christopher Guest's character was in princess bride (razzum frazzum can't recall his name, 3xcept that it starts with an r? Count roughan? I could always rewatch the movie …)
Liking where this might be heading! Especially since he lioks so innocuous:)
Count Rugen. Which is actually an island off the coast of Denmark that used to be a duchy in the Holy Roman Empire.
Rügen is Germany's largest island, and hasn't been Danish for about 200 years now. It's on Germany's Baltic coast, near the Polish border. What you quote is but a tiny bit of Rügen's history of switching hands between the Danes, the Swedes and the Pomeranians (that is, Germans).
P!enapple sez: "Liking where this might be heading! Especially since he lioks so innocuous:)"
I'm pretty sure Blind Pew looked pretty innocuous to Jim Hawkins, as well. But Billy Bones knew what was up.
So he has a thumb and three fingers?
Or is he missing the index and the third finger?
It seems like the latter, from Panel 6.
I find it really compelling that he doesn't appear threatening.
t!
Yeah, he's got a thumb, a middle finger, and a pinky.
Intriguing how it's those 2 fingers, not 2 together. Ik, probably 2 separate incidents, but still… Just tying to finger these incidents out
Was kinda disappointed that it wasn't middle and ring missing (to form the i love you sign, for those who can't always picture things, like me) (mostly kidding)
If ya wanna gimme the finger for that, i understand.
He probably lost the ring finger because he had a nice ring somebody wanted. For the index finger, he likely used the main-gauche to try and parry and it didn't go so well.
Or they just got damaged and needed to be amputated because of the dearth of magic these days.
Or he lost them as punishment for giving the middle finger to the captain. He left that one on purpose, saying "I dare you to do it again." The poor man likely decided 3 fingers are better than 1, especially if with that one he would constantly give an unwanted message for everyone around him. Such thing could end up rather unhealthy…
I really like the subtle but clear change in the demeanour of the man between panels 4 and 6. Friendly to sinister in the blink of an eye. For someone who may not technically be a professional artist (for now, hopefully) your art is nothing less than professional. Regarding your personal update, needs must, and I can certainly sympathise after working as a librarian for several years when the freelance interior design work dried up in my area. I am sure things will get back on track before you know it and you will be able to look back on this as a brief stip on your journey.
*stop – fat fingers and small keyboard!
Hey Rich, was thinking…(Scary, huh lol) You may wanna repost your idea on a couple new strips, or explain that the idea is on Tall Tales and give a link. There ae still people stragging back, and may be confused as to why your talking spaceships. Or get the wrong idea totally.
As for the hitch, I'm so sorry – that really sucks. I get it. I think it's something to be proud of, that you're still working at keeping food on the table. Lotta ppl wouldn't. Maybe you'll befriend a comp sci major, and s\he can 5ake wome of the site mech load off, as ik that's something you've wanted to get done. As for sketching … Maybe sketch the students and offer commissions? Obviously after work to do the business part, but you could have business cards to hand out. Might keep you from going barmy? Ik you probably couldn't focus on doing yafgc there. Wish i could help, hun. Big hugs!
Btw… I liked the p!e from last page. That's how I thought of the name, pie and apple, originally. Now i gotta try typing in my email… Without substituting my passwords for the word yahoo lololol
Sorry, that was meant to be a separate post … And i agree with Flibbert (love the name btw)
Btw, other comics do the combo of photos and other media, as do some books with illustration. It can really be impressive. So i wouldn't worry about that, and it'd leave more time for storytelling 🙂
A good point, P!e! I'll make a header for it next time.
Love your work and hope things turn around on the animation front for you.
Thank you, Ken! The studio remains cautiously optimistic, but at the same time aren't discouraging work in other fields and aren't holding breath.
Have you considered doing a Kickstarter for YAFGC?
A Kickstarter? But I'm already doing it.
Plenty of people use Kickstarter to fund print copies of their webcomics and you can swing some good promotion from it.
Well, there already is the Patreon.
Well… maybe a Kickstarter to print out the rest of the comics as well…
There's also a similar pprogram called drip that is used by some webcomic artists
‘Cole, my eyes are up here…’ 😜
Loving the new characters already.
Thanks! 😀
Is "Gen Seul" some wordplay on Han Solo?
That's one of its meanings, yup. Gen is a character of mine that goes back a LONG way and spans many genres and settings. t! knows her well!
Though this is the most mature I’ve drawn her. She’s a bit more angular with a new nose design.
I thought she was one of Those, even before I read her name afterward!
(it was the freckles, of course)
An absolute delight.
Did you create GLIDE for that one-off, or was [] around before?
t!
I created GLIDE for a Star Wars campaign Mark L was running shortly after I got back to Mtl. from Sheridan. He was inspired by a robot in a cartoon I was working on (a floating nerd-bot named SLIDE) and sort of combined R2-D2 with VINCent (from The Black Hole) in my mind. I think I may have played him in 1 or 2 sessions and that was it. But I always really liked the design so I figured I'd give him new life here.
If that was in Kitty's basement, I was there!
t!
(Thinking back) AH yes! It was, of course and yes you were! It was the campaign that I was supposed to alternate with when I started running Star Trek: USS Paladin/ Special Ops! My memory is decaying. We only played one or two sessions after I joined, though.
I thought from the image that GLIDE was a cybernetic beholder. Because what's more fun in space than an easily annoyed killing machine that innately handles zero G?
Heheh… Beholders in Space is fun, though. I know it's done in Spelljammer, but it could be fun to explore in an 80's SF setting, too.
Hope you can soon work better jobs that do use your skills, however with the current US regime tanking the world economy and especially the American one, that seems like something that might be a bit of time away.
About the SF comic, perhaps you can work with something that provides the ships, like if you would be permitted to set your story in the Star Citizen universe, they have a huge amount of ships in the game in detailed 3d models that would be easy to port to a background. It all depends on their permission, and to what degree you make money off your comics. They have over the past years moved most of their studio's to Europe, otherwise it might even have been a nice direction to look at for work. Wishing you the best man.
There should be plenty of royalty-free spaceships models on the Internet. Search engine queries like "open game art spaceship models" or "royalty-free spaceship models" should provide more than anyone needs. And this way, there's no tie-in with any specific external universe that wouldn't necessarily mesh with Rich's D&D-derived world.
Appreciate the input there. It's an interesting idea to import premade designs, but I'm a bit too much of a control freak. I've got to be sole creator (except where I invite in guests or outright and deliberately parody/homage my fandoms).
I like the old-school method I've concocted (and tested, it worked well enough with my old Star Trek comic I started) and it gives me an excuse to indulge kitbash/scratch building models.
In fact, I got an idea for Cole's ship already! Going to try to make it HO scale so I have a reference for size comparisons.
> I can’t listen to MY music, but have to play mainstream pop music on pa all day.
I worked a summer job at a gas station once. You better believe I put on all my own music! And Monty Python has some spicy ones! 😀
Of course, the place had a lot of dead time.
Hhaahah, that'd be awesome. No, the management here are pretty strict about what should or should-not be played here. It's got to suit a vibe they're going for and some of them will freak if there are bad words in it.
I got let off my leash for a while on Halloween, I got to play some horror movie soundtrack stuff which is REALLY my thing.
Hey, wish you luck. Let's hope things get better in the animation space and in general.
About drawing spaceships. I can recomend you to try using a 3d design app like blender. If you have a good reference sheet, is rather easy even if you add the points by coordinates at hand. Doesn't matter if you don't add detail, you can use the model to get references of it at any angle and then draw it way easier.
I just don't recomend to abuse tracing or copy pasting the screenshot. Yes, vehicles are rigid, but also are swords and we don't draw swords perfectly rigid. That's a common mistake.
I've been meaning to learn 3d modeling with blender. My son uses TinkerCad which doesn't sound like it suits my style. I might try this. Though nothing beats having a physical reference model that I can park on my computer tower or hang from the ceiling when it's not being photographed.
Oh! Having a real model is always cooler. For me it's harder to make and store, but it's also more encouraging
So I'm guessing that's someone from Ossia's crew.
At least he's kept the three most important fingers: the thumb, the pinky for pinky swears, and of course, the middle finger. I guess he doesn't need to point at things much. Then again, one can point with one's middle finger, too… or, well, with the other hand.
Yay for Glon's descendant!
Well… not drawing spaceships and vehicles is understandable, they are pretty difficult to draw.
I look forward to seeing some aliens and the stars and other sci-fi things! Though I admit I'm a little scared, since so far I've only enjoyed the Mass Effect trilogy out of all the sci-fi stuff… here's hoping I'll enjoy your new comic!
Ah. I think I remembered another thing from ME I loved: the concept of living on a spaceship. Rich, how are you with drawing insides of spaceships?
Oh I think the sets won't be so much of a problem. But I'll want to be more careful with references than I am with regular YAFGC.
Spaceships and vehicles are easier to draw than people, IMHO.
I wonder whose descendant Sgt.Gen Seul is.
Well, everyone has their strong and weak points, I guess. To me, people are pretty difficult too, but still easier than spaceships and vehicles. And the easiest? Animals.
> I wonder whose descendant Sgt.Gen Seul is.
Okay, now that I've gotten over the Gen appearance, I get the French joke.
Well played, Rich.
t!
Could you (or another person) please explain? French pronunciation \language baffles me, having taken Spanish and ASL.
>Could you (or another person) please explain? French pronunciation \language baffles me, having taken Spanish and ASL.
Seul (pronounced like…. um… s-eeehhhuuuuuullll…. but shorter…. is French for single/solitary/alone. Like Solo.
>Okay, now that I've gotten over the Gen appearance, I get the French joke.
Well played, Rich.
Gotten over? Was she a shock?
Thanks! 😀
Let us say it was more _excitement_.
t!
"Spaceships and vehicles are easier to draw than people, IMHO.
I wonder whose descendant Sgt.Gen Seul is."
I feel the opposite. Rigid lines and rules of perspective really drive me nuts. Give me a dynamic expressive face and body anytime!
As for whose descendant Gen is, she's not. They're not all direct lineage hero legacy, just some of them. Like Cole.
"Keep a weather eye open for a sea faring man with one leg, lad."
So i gotta ? about the space idea… Were they born in space, or launched like we do now?
I've no idea why I'm wondering that as opposed to anything else, but there it is
Oh, the planet of YAFGC proper still exists (In fact, I've got a globe of it hanging over my desk right now) and is still populated, the characters are combined. I'm thinking Gen Seul grew up planetside (Whether it's Our World or not I haven't decided) but Cole was born and raised in space.
Oh wow, that's incredible! Having that globe. Great to hear it's still populated 😁 and thanks for sharing your thoughts so soon! And ty for the explanation of the gen suel pun. I knew there was one in there, but was way off on what and how to get to it.
Well, so many of us i presumed you was worked in art industry when you are happy.
Sad to know this. It's good you are in a healty job's site but it isn't the same. It's good too to know, that i understand, is not damage your family's life. To make things because you have responsabilities is very hard and thing could go very bad.
The sketching is a wonderfull way to continue being you and it's good that people there understand.
Like others i recommend, if you allow me, you make some counts and make a kickstarter to put yafcg in physical out of your store. Kickstarster, and others pages like that, are a good window to show you and if the campaign go well you can obtain the ressources to make the impressions and to help maintain your work.
They have over patreon is a one thing and don't have a lot of variations. On the other hand is a one thing.
Talking about the new comic i love the idea. And Cole give me a lot of vibes of Urza, character i liked to see more but she has a very good roots.
Sad i don't have space photos to share but i think the heavy contrast could make a very sci fi style.
And we can wait for more long long long descendants to Sittica, Yapp, Bob, Grel, Cadugan and (dream is necesary) Arachne
I wouldn't expect any direct descendants of any of the characters you listed… at least, not by blood.
I expect plenty of descendants of Cadugan's half-siblings, though!..
……………….space satyrs would be something new, wouldn't it?
Why? Sittica and Yapp y Bob & Grel are a comon mixture to have kids in the traditional stories.
If you say for Cadugan, Lucas or Arachne, Turg said it "there is magic in this world" (so now a very short)
And some daughter or grandson of Charles is a direct descendant of Lucas and Cadugan (and family to Gronn and all his clan)
The magic mostly went away. I'm afraid cross-species babies are no longer possible.
I did specify "not by blood". Lucas and Cadugan adopted Charles on paper so that he became their heir, but he's not biologically their son.
And Arachne's dead with no children even in YAFGC time.
Sorry.
And by the way: Gren, not Grel.
Yeah, Grell is a different character. One who would fit pretty well in space, once I think about it.
Oh I dunno… I think I can come up with some way to come up with hybrids. I'm not going to overscience the whole thing anyway. They're all so many generations down from the old characters that being 'direct descendant' doesn't mean much anyway. But I'll definitely harken back to familiar characters.
Alan, I might try a kickstarter at some point. You make some good points. I'll consider it. For the moment I'm just playing with the concepts, so we'll see how that goes.
Oh, I get it. Ossia. That's clever and fun.
😀 Thanks!
She must have some negative history with him before & no offence but I don't think a futuristic version of YAFGC is a great idea
Why not, though?
t!
I trust Rich to make fun stories, regardless of setting.
This.
It's certainly been proven often enough in his comics pages.
t!
Indeed. Why do you think it's a bad idea?
Depending on how concept will be finalized though?
Either future of YAFGC or its sci-fi alternate universe, maybe latter for experimenting with worldbuilding ideas (like I kinda had idea of "like our Earth but divergent" to allow leeway with cultures or Titan-AE situation with a new homeworld being recently established).
Nah this is future YAFGC.
Space YAFGC…I know you aren’t doing too much tabletop adaptation, but any idea what system you would use?
Like any idea for Starfrontiers (pretty obscure even compared to Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World) or even Starfinder since it has Dwarves and Elves. Like former would have Alien-esque “cassette tape future” vibe at least.
It's not a TTRPG. I'm not using a 'system' to write YAFGC at all. I'm just writing it.
I see.
So any theme for sci-fi you might be going? Like Star Trek/Space 1999 retro, or Star Wars/Aliens "cassette tape IBM future, or a bit of both.
Also part of me now imagine Gen Seul as part-Asian based on her name.
Well, I grew up on 60's-90's Sci-fi series. I'm staying away from most Star Trek influence mostly because it's all over the place right now. I LOVE Space:1999, Alien, Battlestar Galactica (1978), and a bunch of really bad pulpy movies and shows of that era. But also, it'll be my own aesthetic that I'm still exploring. I'm also influenced by the story setup of Firefly and my take on it I'm told closely resembles Cowboy Be-Bop -which I've never watched.
You're welcome to imagine Gen as having Asian blood, but her name comes from Generica -a white, red-haired character I created back in the early 1990's, and Seul is French (I grew up in Montreal, Quebec).
Nice to hear about the theme you are planning. I might share some sketches and references I had since I had plenty of those (mostly anime, but also had 60’s-90’s with anime inspired on and also drawing from this like Galaxy Railways and Yamato/Starblazers).
((On Seul note, I might have made poor judgement from google since Korean names included included Seul. Gen being similar except I wasn’t sure if it was short for Genevieve or Japanese name Gen…plus my tendency to include mixed race character in sci fi OC making didn’t help.))
Cool, I'd love to see them!
In re spaceships: I remember reading something Mort Walker said about starting Beetle Bailey (Backstage at the Strips, maybe?). He found all these references for military vehicles (and maybe weapons) because he thought it would be proper for an Army strip. His drawings based on real life examples did not look right and were out of place, so he ended up drawing them his way. They fit the feel of the strip much better but still looked like tanks, etc. I would think you could "just" draw spaceships the way you think they should be, so long as you have notes to keep individual ones distinct. We seem to be a pretty forgiving bunch as long as we can tell, say, the Invincible and the Rumrunner apart.
Thanks! The issue, however, isn't so much that I can't draw them 'realistically' enough, but that I don't enjoy drawing them at all. I like LOOKING at them, and I like building them. But I don't like drawing them. So, I figure I just won't. 🙂
That all being said…. I don't have time or resources to build a million ships, so… I may have to draw some anyway.
I would make the vehicles organic and flowing – Chris Foss might inspire