Production Update #14
almost 4 years ago
– Sat, May 16, 2020 at 12:49:25 PM
Hey everyone!
Quick update for you all. We're still pounding away our free time into The Patrons. Thank you for being patient with us. Gary is working his hardest to pump out and finish pages and I'm still working on supplementing his workflow with 3D assets to be used as reference. v v Finished page 1 below. v v
2020 has been rough (okay, the last couple of years have been rough), but we're still working, still trying to get this done, and still looking forward to future issues. The Patrons 2020, lets do this thing.
Production Update #13
about 4 years ago
– Sat, Mar 14, 2020 at 01:16:19 AM
Lucky #13.
Sorry for the delay, working in live television with large audiences... it's a strange time. Latex gloves, gallons of hand sanitizer, and no TP to be found... Anyway.
I have a small update for you all. Gary was able to make some decent progress, but I don't have anything to show you. Next month I will have some new art for you from the comic. I previously said that I was working on 3D to help Gary with some more of the menial tasks for the comic and I thought I would share some progress.
I started with things lying around the office.
Moved onto work based off concept art.
Started learning materials.
And got distracted by something not totally applicable.
And why do all this work? For little things that will be duplicated hundreds of times throughout the book.
Like the Reaper helmets.
Work smarter, not harder!
See you next month with some art from the book. Remember to wash your hands and be careful out there!
Thanks!
-Anthony
Production Update #12
over 4 years ago
– Thu, Jan 02, 2020 at 12:07:17 AM
Hello Friends, Backers, and Lurkers, and happy new year!
I have to start off, as I do much too often, and apologize as we will not be hitting our January shipment goal. Part One has been a complicated mess, but at the end of the day, we are still waiting on art. I’ve said it before, much of the issue is complete. But there are still parts that need polish and some parts that are still in the storyboarding phase. I can best summarize how the issue looks by showing you the first page.
This is how the entire issue looks. Gary is burning the candle at both ends. Working on both The Patrons and his full time job at a VFX studio (where full time means extra full time. My words, not his). Fun fact, he works on all types of secret projects that he doesn't tell me about, but you can see some of his handy work in the loading screens for Apex Legends.
His work for Apex Legends pumped up the leads at Respawn, and it pumps me up to know that The Patrons means so much more to Gary.
Because the three of us are horrible at giving estimates, I wont give one yet. There would be no point, we’ve been off for every single one thus far. Instead, I have to slap a generic 2020 release for The Patrons. To meet ensure this goal is met, I’ll be learning digital painting and 3D to help Gary with his workload. Gary and I have also discussed outside hires to take some of the load off as well. But at the end of the day, this is Gary’s opus, his cross to bear.
You have said that you appreciate my honesty, talking about our shortcomings, debt, and other issues with you, and I want to reciprocate that to you. Thank you for your honesty as backers. Even though some are snarky and some have ill intentions, your private messages and comments of encouragement keeps us going. Admittedly, even the snarky one fuel us - in a different way. You all know how tough this project has been on us, and we aren’t giving up. You are an essential part of our team, thank you for sticking by our side.
I am recommitting to monthly updates for you all. I’ll figure out some sort of metric that displays to you how much work was done over the month. I'll be sure to post other content relating to The Patrons as well.
I won't let the garbage of the previous decade keep me down. Here’s to 2020 and onward.
Cheers,
Anthony
Production Update #11
almost 5 years ago
– Thu, Jun 13, 2019 at 01:47:08 AM
Hey Team,
Three years ago, Gary, Will, and I tossed ideas around a table. Most of them were pretty bad, but one stood out. We spent the next year and a half trying to figure out what this world was and who these people were. We crafted a web of characters, intertwined with grit, espionage, neon, and backstabs. It was the birth of The Patrons.
I would like to explain how we found ourselves in a series of delays, and what we've done to stop them. The first mistake was over promising on stretch goals. We thought that since we raised twice as much capital, we could afford to offer twice as much book. It works on paper, but the larger your project, the more problems come up - and they will come up. Without any wrenches in our workflow, we turned four months of production into eight months of production.
The second mistake was miscalculating shipping. I missed that the total funds raised includes shipping. I thought it was hidden from the total. I spent weeks researching before we launched. I even had two projects under my belt already. Unfortunately, shipping was a small part of those projects and I missed this detail. I found out my mistake early, but creators cannot edit certain details after launch. The only solution was to cancel and relaunch the project. I thought this would be hurtful to the project and elected to roll with the punches.
These mistakes on their own would have been tolerable because we raised over 200% of our goal. But by doubling our work and omitting shipping, we ended up with half the funds that we needed. Which leads into our third mistake. We decided the best course of action was to stretch the funds. Pay ourselves half salary and work longer hours. We thought we could beat the clock. The quality of the book and the quality of our lives suffered from this decision. It ended up being the single most detrimental blow to the project. To make matters worse, we lost anyway - we managed to not finish the book and drive ourselves into debt at the same time.
Previously, I told you that we've returned to the workforce, that's where we are now. I was able to finish all of the lettering and layouts, but we're still working full time so we can get back on our feet and finish this issue. Once clear of debt, we'll finish the artwork for the remaining panels, and to go back and rework panels that aren't up to the quality that we've set for ourselves. We are seeing this project through. There are 10 issues in The Patron's story and the only way to tell it is to finish the first issue. There is a lot of pressure to get this right, we owe this to you and we owe this to ourselves. Our confidence is unwavered. Gary, Will, and I have developed a final timeline for release. The Patrons Issue One will ship in January of 2020. A year and a half after its funding.
For some of you this timeline is unacceptable. Refunds are available to those who send me a private message and ask for one. But if you are on the fence, I ask you to wait a little longer with us. We aren't a big corporation with millions to blow, we're three dudes in a garage. We're trying our best, we've worked hard, sacrificed a lot, and have always tried to do right by our backers. Let us make this right.
"After failing to find a new home, humanity is forced back to their home planet that they abandoned generations prior". I wrote that in my notebook three years ago in our first meeting. The Patrons has evolved far beyond that first line. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of this world, trying to make it as good as I can. This project has become the most rewarding and difficult challenge in our lives. Thank you for staying by our side for this long, and keep faith. It will all be worth it.
Production Update #10
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Mar 20, 2019 at 01:42:02 AM
Hello Backers!
Lettering is done! I've never drawn so many straight lines in my life. Special thanks to my Ames guide.
Since letters aren't done by hand anymore, it's a little difficult to find a workflow that compliments the digital tools available today. So I made up one for myself. Here's a breakdown of the process I used.
Not Pictured: Script
Before art is finished and any letters are written, it's important to find out where the balloon placements will be. So we start with script in hand and a blank slate.
Trying to avoid covering the art, I plot the balloons in the general size I think they'll take up.
After the balloons are placed, I sketch few variations in text formatting. This can be especially tough for big balloons, reaching in the 10s of variations.
Once the formatting is figured out, I'll do a couple of balloons with a technical pen. These are scanned and cleaned up significantly.
Double checking to see how the placement will look. In this case, my initial balloons were too small compared to the dialogue, and some of Niera's arm will have to be covered up.
Once scanned, the text is turned into a vector to give it crisp edges. I throw away the balloon outlines and create new ones. I also do a bit of cleanup and mixing of the text versions I did to get the most aesthetically pleasing combo I can find. The Noir Edition will have much less cleanup on the text to give it that old school comic look.
That's all there is to it, I averaged two pages a day... and that's why the big guys do it all digitally!
I mentioned previously that Gary is still occupied with handling personal affairs, and that still holds true. You can read more about that in previous updates if you missed it. We're still here and still working as best we can. Thanks for being patient with us.
