The Plan: Webcomic (Patreon)

Hello friends!

Today I want to discuss with you all a little bit about what I'm working on right now, and my future steps forward in my creating and building my own studio. Also, sorry in advance for the mini essay lol

I want to start by emphasising that Orion's story is my magnum opus, my end goal.

As you all may know, I've floated the idea of starting a webcomic for a few years now but I've been really bringing it up more lately.

For some backstory, I've had a sort of troubling start of things after college. I didn't seek any job in the industry because I knew that creating my own works was what I wanted to do. my plan was to involve making short films and eventually longer films...

Unfortunately, nothing really worked out the way I had hoped and the plan that was made to get me there was no longer an option. I struggled aimlessly for a year after that, which is why I was gone from social media for so long. I almost gave up until I realized there was still a way forward, the way I always wanted to go: webcomic.

With the fall of so many animation studios in America (rip CN) the rise of indie animation is finally here. I want to be apart of that movement.

Orion's story is something I created in my first semester of college in 2018, and have been developing since. Over time it has become a behemoth of a story! I love long form stories with big casts and immense world building, so that's what I made Orion's story. I have the beginning, at least 8 arcs in between, but most importantly, I know how it ends.

But even after all of this, I have a lot of anxiety in starting to tell the story, because I'm afraid I won't be able to do it justice, yet.

I have never made a webcomic. It's a daunting task, and there is still so much I don't know about it, things I still need to learn hands on from experience.

So, I came up with a new game plan. I decided I should start small, then work my way up to the big. That way, I can learn all of my mistakes and refine my process in order to find the most streamlined method.

In comes: The Curse of Curses. This is a story I came up with in 2020 for a class that I didn't really have any intention of doing much with. But recently the past few years I revisited the story, worked my worldbuilding and character designing powers and created a story I really love.

But I created this story with the sole intention of being short-- movie length was my goal. Just one full arc, beginning middle and end. And it is perfect for my plan.

This is the plan:

I make a wecomic for The Curse of Curses, I'm planning it only takes me two years to complete. I make all the mistakes and learning experiences from it and most of all prove to myself I am capable.

Then I can start Orion's story with full enough confidence that I can make something that will do justice to the almost decade of love poured into it.

There is one more issue that was holding me back that I believe I found a solution for. I went to school for animation, I LOVE animation. Animating is what I want to be known for, it's how many of you found me in the first place. I don't know how to make comics as well as I know how to animate. Until I had this idea: making the webcomic into a webseries.

Instead of a webcomic only published on webcomic websites, I thought, "why not put my storyboarding/animation directing schooling to good use and make my webcomic into animatic episodes for youtube?" That way I can also do special things like fully animating certain scenes each episode and adding special thanks credits to my patrons at the end.

I will probably still reformat the drawings for webcomic version as well, but that just wouldn't be the main focus for the way I'm telling the story. And this way might also help with my third problem.

Finances. I wish I could just create freely, spend every day all day making art and not having to worry about anything else but unfortunately like everyone else, I have to pay money to exist lol I don't come from a wealthy family and I still have student loans to pay. When I see comments begging me to make a webcomic it's so bittersweet. I work a minimum wage job, like I'm sure a lot of you do, and it takes a lot of my time.

I started my Patreon and Youtube in part to start opening new streams of income but of course it isn't much (yet, hopefully). My hope is once I have an actual story you all can follow and invest in, I will inevitably find more support. I know webcomic platforms don't typically provide much monetary support, so that's why Youtube also feels like my best bet.

My goal is to do this all full time. I can't imagine staying at my current job for much longer, or working at a big soulless animation studio. I believe this work is my first and best destiny.

As a queer, Mexican artist, my dream is to make stories that resonate with those who have yet to feel seen, and in today's times, being actively erased. I know you are here because in some way, I have made something that resonated with you.

I know I also says it so much it might seem like its perfunctory, but your support really does matter and all of you here push me forward. If you're here for a long time or even a short time, thank you. This is for you.

I'll be posting more about The Curse of Curses in the coming months, as I am actively working on the script and pre production work. Orion content will still be coming, as will more lore drops and a lore video in the works.

I hope you all stay safe in these scary times, I am doing what I can in the wake of world events to help others, and I hope things get better for all of us.

Love and gratitude,

Mr Oddestball