Robyn has a wild side you know… and for $100, who wouldn’t get naked? Took less than that for me…
Back in color. I’ll do B&W when time crunches me, but for now I’m going to stick with color and my usual Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule.
Okay, not a mistake. I’m going Black and White. I’ve struggled with the whole color vs. B&W on the web ever since I started the comic. The logic in me says that color is free on the web, BUT is very expensive in print. So, the first comic collection came out in B&W and even though it looked great, it was still lacking the color. I hated that.
But the reality of it is all is that inking and coloring add easily 3 or so hours to each comic. I’m not good at inking and/or coloring and thus I’m a slower than the average bear. As the three year mark approaches for the comic, it is time to kick it up a notch. So, I will be going to at least four comics per week, and more than likely *five* a week. Doing it in this format is so much faster (for me) and I’d rather put out more comics than continue to eek out three color comics per week.
Also, when I do a color comic, probably a Sunday special, it will have more appeal and we’ll all appreciate it all the more. In the meantime, I’m gonna take the time to learn coloring and inking in a proper fashion, and once I have those skills sharpened up, I will do what it takes to bring color back full time to the comic.
If some of you say adios due to the lack of color, then so be it. But I think having more adventures is better than color, at this point in time. I want the stories to move along faster as I’ve got a lot of things to do with 1977 and I want to share them with you!
So, in the comic’s theme, “You Got That Right” I feel this time that quantity over quality is not an issue. I will also get better at the pencil versions and they’ll get more backgrounds and tighter lines. The comic, like Darwin, is evolving.
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Instead of regressing to B&W instead of color just do what ever other web cartoonist does.
Put it up for vote, vote being “pay my salary per year and I’ll gladly do the comic 5 times per week (if not 7) in color and such”
Then see what your readers do. If you don’t have the following np, if you want to keep your job np, if you don’t want to turn your hobby into a job np, if you wife would say ‘oh HELL no’ np again.
But. (there’s always a but)
People with talent, a good story and a good laugh can easily turn this into a well paying career (check out schlock, Ctrl-Alt-Del, etc etc) their all kicking ass.
Put it out to your readers, see what happens.
Good luck.
- A loyal reader.
I’ll briefly say that I have checked out the other webcomics that do this full time… and 1977 does not have the readership to support me full time.
I have offered many items… commissions, mugs, t-shirts, books, bookmarkers, and on and one, and the sales are not enough to make it worth my while. To be honest, most of the items have sold poorly.
So, outside of holding the comic ransom (which is what you’re truly saying … “Pay me or I go away.”) I have to do what’s right at the moment. The lines for Tuesday’s comic have already improved and I already have this week’s comic lined out, which if I were doing color, wouldn’t happen.
I’m a realist, 1977 will more than likely not support me full time, but other things in my art career will. I just have to get *that* up to speed then I will have the time in my freelance career to do the comic and support my family.
Thank you for your input and for being a loyal reader!
I can see the appeal of going B&W to get up to 5 a week. More practice on the lines is the most important thing. I’m already planning to start that way with my next webcomic. Whether I continue with it that way depends on how things go at the time. There’s a lot of magic that can happen when a B&W strip goes color, but as for the opposite, I don’t know.
It is a little cruel to start it out on a fanservice day, though.
B&W T&A doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the color variety, but of course that could mean that it could become more prevalent and, um, extensive.
Nick, practice is what I need. Doing more comics, even in B&W is better than struggling with color. My biggest issue is I feel I’m slow at the inking and coloring process, thus I must be doig something wrong. I am going to be learning new techniques for both coloring and inking. So by putting the comic in B&W mood, allows me the time to grow as an comic strip artist, which is the goal of any artist, to improve his craft.
Yes, some folks say a step back is not the best way to do accomplish something, but in this case, it will be a step back and about 5 steps forward once I improve my craft. Doing something wrong and struggling simply causes frustration, so I have a great deal of confidence in my penciling abilities, so I’ll so that for a bit and make improvements all around.
Well, I have to admit I am a bit envious, as my lineart could really use the work too, but my sketches are much more basic than yours, and I’m too invested in the way my stuff looks as finished art.
Best of luck to you, man!
I’m down with whatever you wish to do, Byron. If I could afford to hire you, I’d have already done it. As it stands, I happen to love B&W stuff, so I say go nuts with it.
Thing is, you can explore this a lot while getting more storyline out; you’ve really improved your style & ability over the past year. It might be a great move right now to stick with B&W and push those limits for a while. Look at, for example, what Brooke McEldowney does with 9 Chickweed and Pibgorn. His shading and B&W technique is virtually unrivaled, and you can see how he applies it to his color efforts.
You took the thoughts out of my head as I was reading: when you do have time for color, it will have greater impact and be much more appreciated. Reserve it for strips where it will really make a difference.
I’m not going anywhere guy. Pace yourself to what you can do & want to do. I’m a huge fan of black & white & sketchwork, so I’ll appreciate whatever you offer up.
My only complaint, today, is that Robyn is holding an unfairly large $100 bill. If only …. well, if only ….
(P.S. – plz check your comments held for moderation bin .. I put one up for Speak Like a Pirate Day & it got flagged for some reason; great Johnny Depp effort, BTW! What sorta Halloween crossover effort you got planned for the cast?)
Thanks for the support! I think B&W can be very effective and I need to learn those basics first, then take the step to inking and coloring. I have to improve my craft, and I’ve said already, doing something poorly and struggling accomplishes nothing.
I checked out that 9 Chickweed comic and his style is something I can accomplish without too much trouble. I have gone a tad too realistic with the characters lately too and need to sharpen them up as comic characters and nail down my own style, which as you stated has grown significantly in the past year (or more!).
I will shrink down the bill, or simply move it, as a commission request… and even do it in color! I know we’re all in tough times, but even $10 helps me stay focused on 1977. Give it a thought. I don’t want to come off with the wrong attitude here, we’re all in this together and I appreciate yours and every one elses support 100%.
My only wish is for 1977 to keep going for long enough that it gets syndicated – then you *will* have the option to do it in colour (or hire a colourist, heh).
And seconded re Expat’s Talk Like a Pirate Day comment – plz to retrieve it!
Well, in reality, traditional syndication is way out of the story due to the subject content. I can’t see Lorraine’s boobs up next to say “Peanuts” or “Doonesbury” which still occupy their spaces in newspapers for, what 80 years combined? So the odds of an idiot like me getting newspaper syndicated is right out. BUT… tying in say a Classic Rock series of FM statios or a record label that does rock bands would be great for 1977. Rock and Roll comics tend to normally be very “insider” funny and the average guy out there doesn’t get “Hey, you missed the F# minor chord!” (Insert cricket sounds here…). So my hope is to get the sockets rolling on some exclusive comic book stories too.
But doing B&W for now is not an issue for me. More is More in this case.
Two inspirational words:
Matt Groening.
I’ll take b/w five days a week over color for three.
hopefully well get 8 comics, 8 days a week!
Go B&W, play with the classic shading as such.
Now and then you will color one because it feel right.
I am keeping up with about 40 web comics. Color is not one of my criteria. Boobs, yes, but not color.
Maybe when you do one of your “one offs” non story related comics, you can throw some color your readers way.
Coloring and shading is a long process, longer than actually drawing, inking and texting the damn thing! Can’t say I balme you for looking at time saving measures!
I hear you! I toil over the inking process for hours it seems, and it drives me nuts. My pencils always look so much better so I have to work on my line work to get that free flow form I have in my pencils in my inks. Some proper studying will push me along as I’ve been doing it wrong…. and wrong is wrong, no matter the result.
I experimented with coloring the pencils and it looked off to me, so if I’m gonna color, I need to ink. So, it’s back to school for Mr. Wilkins.
What? Printing color costs more. Screw it…I am going back to B/W. Just kidding. But I know what you mean by it adding so much more time to the process. I’ll be here for the ride.
I’m a huge fan of color (as you probably can already tell from my psychedelic pallette, but I understand where you’re coming from. I feel like I could make twice as many comics if I didn’t have to color them, plus I agree that it would be cheaper to print books in b&w.
All I can say is do what makes it easier for you. I’ll take it in black and white just so I can get it and it will make the colored versions even more special. We just want you around, Byron. Give us what you got.
Hey Byron, You need to do what you feel is best. Personally, I like it both ways. I suck at drawing, so I am happy just to see you not drop off the web like so many have when they have to decide.
Also you might offer a coloring contest sometime if you want. Wouldn’t even need prizes, just bragging rights.
No worries here, man — the look may change, but the song remains the same…
Nothin wrong with B&W.. if it makes things easier on you, I say go for it
-Gonz