Commentary : Date Night (Patreon)

I started the One-Shots last week and let's take a moment to talk about them.

I've mentioned before with the comic strip a couple weeks ago that I was exploring different formats I could do for a shorter transformation. I tried a couple different layouts before landing on something more traditional. You can even see in the pencils that the page layout is different than in the final version.

The main challenge I was having with the page was fitting the story on one page. Even the finished version feels like there is too much intro. It was difficult to make this work and find room for the last panel. I was adjusting the layout over and over. It's kind of why there are no words in the bottom half of the pencil layouts. You can also see some of the sketches go WAY outside their boxes as well. I had changed the layout half way through. The main idea was to see if I could make this work, and story was a bit second.

Likewise, I wanted to look into doing more shading. Once again, a very time consuming process. But one that I'm not letting go of yet. You can see that I added shading to yesterday's Open Trade page. That is something I wouldn't have been able to do without being able to post these and push Open Trade back a week.

I wasn't really planning on doing the coda either. I happened to think of it and instead of working on the next page of Open Trade I made the 4 panel strip. It was very quick. I pretty much knew what I wanted, and it flowed out. Also fun to play with a bit of effects with Forest.

I don't know how often I'll do stuff like this, or if we'll see Forest again. But I did pick out a more unusual name like Forest to help it stand out and make him a little more memorable.

----------------------------------

EDIT: I wrote this about a week ago, I think before posting the second of the one shots. Since then, I completed two more about Forest, and wrote another 2, with probably an additional 2 to wrap up what people are after with Forest and Graham.

I have no idea when these are going up. They don't currently fit in the schedule.

I think there likely needs to be a rework of the schedule as I keep butting up against it. That may be tomorrow's poll. Not sure how to phrase it yet.

There is also an additional unrelated One-Shot scheduled for the end of the month.

----------------------------------

We'll see more about Forest on Thursday.