The first full chapter of 2020 is finally complete. Smoke and Mirrors is now available in full on the reader!
Click here to read Heroine Rises Chapter 11 : Smoke and Mirrors.
Commentary
I don't know what happened. I was cruising along with page production but then everything stalled. Despite having more time than ever to work on Heroine Rises, I found it difficult to stay on task and actually ink and tone the pages.
I started to reflect on my style and how I didn't like how my faces tend to look. I purchased a nib pen and started to ink using that halfway through. This transition is one of the reasons why I might have taken so long to finish this chapter. It took a while to get used to using the nib pen and then it took a while for me to iron out how to use it to elevate my line weights beyond my what my brush pens could do.
I really love it. However, it comes at a cost. The ink I use with the nib pen is NOT at all compatible with the Copic markers I use to tone Heroine Rises. This was disappointing as I really liked using the Copics. Alas, I had to choose the nib or the Copics. I ended up choosing the nib.
As a result, I had to tone pages that were done with the nib digitally and that proved a challenge in it's own as I had to learn the software and tools as I did it.
Nonetheless, it is finished and we can finally move on past Chapter 11! I'm excited to get to Chapter 12 and hope that it won't take anywhere near as long as this one did. I'll keep myself disciplined and focused.
What's Next?
Chapter 12 of Heroine Rises is titled The Issue with Mothers and is already in the works.
I've penciled in a few pages and have a script ready to go. If all goes well, expect to see an update on it in a month. This one is nowhere near as long as Smoke and Mirrors so it shouldn't take as long.
Once Chapter 12 is finished, new Heroine Rises will take a backseat to the long-promised Chapter 1 Remaster. I'll keep working on Heroine Rises 13 after Chapter 12 but it will be on the back-burner until Chapter 1 R is finished.
In the background I'm also on the cusp of releasing a new section of the website itself and a new archival project!
Longer term, I've reworked the scripts to SweetWater and decided that I will be making it completley digital. I might release SweetWater in a short format and have a running schedule of a page or so a week. However, we are still a ways away from that so stay tuned.