Gobo Gazette

As mentioned in today’s comic, we are starting the final chapter of Gobo Gazette’s first year. It is also a great opportunity for a behind the scene spotlight. I’ll set up a section on the website if this becomes a (semi-)regular thing. The topic of this post will be the winding river that Hob and Nob see for the first time at the beginning of chapter 5.

First, let me define what tools I use to create the webcomic. Every artist uses what is the most comfortable for them and, for me, I have been using these for a very long time. After doing a pencil draft on 9″ x 12″, 50 lb recycled sketch paper, I ink with Picma pens. I use a Graphic 1 for the primary outlines and Microns of varying sizes for details. This is the first time I experimented with the Picma Brush pen on the comic. I found it worked well with the foreground branch and leaves. When it came to the crow overlooking the gobos and the winding river, I stopped after a few strokes. I felt more confident to ink the bird with the Graphic because of the details.

I actually create the standard four-panel strips in a two-by-two layout, which I rearrange, edit and color in Photoshop. Usually this is not an issue, however it did pose a problem with the 3 x 4 layout of the winding river. I actually taped the four pages together, and then taped it to a wall to ink. I normally use and highly recommend a pencil board so that pencil marks or ink doesn’t transfer to the next page. To avoid issues with the wall texture, I used it here for a smooth surface to ink on. This tape method will likely be employed for all future large-scale images. Why not get an easel? My little boy! Right now he is a wrecking machine!

I have done 100% digital artwork and used larger sheets of paper in the past. It might be a bit of a hassle, but going analog and small does allow me to work on the comic anywhere I go.

Happy Labor Day everybody! Almost everyone imagines barbecues and sun when they think about today, and why wouldn’t you! Summer is coming to close. School is about to begin (if it hasn’t already). You want to enjoy the last few days of this wonderful season while it lasts! But there is so much more about this holiday that people tend to forget.

Tik, Tok and Wak gets it (well, mostly Tik and Tok). This day celebrates the worker and how they helped build this nation. They persevere and put in the hard effort necessary to make those great works that we value so dearly. So while you are enjoying that grilled treat and before you wash it down with your favorite beverage, give a little toast to the worker! Odds are, you are standing right next to one!

I have been reading web comics for a very long time. I want to say that I started reading them when they first became a thing on the world wide web. Web comic directories have been around for almost as long, but I’ve never really utilized them. Sure, I’ve visited one on occasion whenever I was looking for something new. However I usually just clicked the comic links on the sites I followed. As a reader, I just didn’t see any value in it.

As the creator of a web comic, that has changed. This wasn’t a big deal with my first endeavor, Your Comic’s Weak, but that was geared to a select crowd. Leaving the pond and diving into the deep waters demands promotion for this small gobo, leaving the cave for the first time. So, I’ve spent some time and set up accounts on the following web comic directories: Comic Rocket, The WebComics List, Top Web Comics, and WebcomicsHub. If you happen to utilize one of these sites as a source of your web entertainment, you may now find Gobo Gazette there!

Please note that the links provided should take you directly to the comic’s page on those sites. This is intentional in a number of ways. First, it will allow you to quickly add Gobo Gazette to your reading list or mark it as a favorite. Second, it should allow you to vote for the comic. I specifically mean Top Web Comics, although the method is still arcane to me. Lastly, and most importantly, there are web comics out there that are NSFW. I know, right? Well, some of their banners are a bit risque, and I would prefer to protect any younger readers. If you happen to be one, talk to a responsible adult before going anywhere else on the directories.

Don’t forget that there is also the Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram page, and RSS feed. If you have not yet followed, liked, and/or rated Gobo Gazette on these, please do! By doing so, you can expose the web comic to so many more viewers.

Thank you!