The Patrons: Part One

Production Update #5
over 5 years ago – Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 02:17:11 AM

Hello Friends and welcome to shipping!

First things first. Half of our backers are domestic (USA) and half are international (mostly Europe). Domestic will ship via Media Mail from the USPS, but international is still up in the air. International is very expensive and we're trying to find the best option (even shipping to our neighbors in Canada is more expensive than we charged for international shipping). Our shipping estimate is just shy of $10,000 USD, so we're making sure to take the utmost care in packing our comic for safe passage. Which is to say, we won't be shipping your rewards in bubble mailers or "rugged" envelopes.

We used the TPB of Unworthy Thor as it is roughly the same weight and thickness as our final book.

We shipped our test to NYC where it was processed and shipped back to us. Coast to coast averaged 4 days travel time.

Our package arrived back from NYC in pristine condition. The contents inside didn't even move. We were very pleased with our success, but what if we got lucky?

Our method may not be exactly scientific, but we're pretty confident that most packages wont go through that sort of torture.

The artwork remained in the exact condition it was shipped in, and the comic suffered a small bend, but did not crease. Which means no permanent damage to the contents, so it gets a passing grade from us.

The package we tested was the same that we will use as the Noir Edition tier. Other tiers will increase and decrease in size depending on their contents, but for the most part, this is how your package will ship.

In the production front there isn't much to report on. We are still on track to finish in December.

Sorry this message is so late, I made the rookie mistake of dragging and dropping an image to the canvas instead of hitting the "upload image button". This reset my entire message and I had to start from scratch.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, tips, or just want to talk, send me a message on kickstarter or on twitter @tonyfiction.

-Anthony

Production Update #4
over 5 years ago – Fri, Sep 21, 2018 at 01:07:31 AM

Hello Friends,

This week’s update is a big on news, but short in length. It originally was going to have shipping info included, but we haven’t gotten the package back in the mail yet, so that will have to hold off until next time (when it arrives).

This week the team was dealt a rough hand. The money we have set aside for our payroll is draining faster than anticipated. This is due to unforeseen taxes and fees. This wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't also for delays to production. Sure, doubling the page count adds to the production quite a bit, but we’ve made mistakes along the way that have added to that delay as well. The responsibility is our own.

This news left us with two decisions, either rush the book and reduce the quality, or seek outside work via part time and freelance opportunities. We decided unanimously to take part time and freelance work. We believe that doing it right is more important that getting you books faster. We will not release a product to print that isn’t the very best.

To be clear, we will still be working on The Patrons full time and we have ample funds for printing and shipping books. So aside from ruining the romance of saying “shove it” to the man, the only thing this changes is our timeline as a third of the time we originally planned on working on The Patrons must now be spent elsewhere.

With this news considered, production will finish in early December. After art production is done, the books will go out for printing and in Q1 of 2019 (most likely February) we will ship to you.

This isn’t what any of us have hoped for. We are upset and disappointed that we have had to delay the book this far, but we know this is the right decision. Thank you for your continued support as we continue on this road and figure this out. We'll always try and do what's right by you. If you need to, I'm available via private message on kickstarter, or twitter @tonyfiction.

-The Patrons

TLDR; You’ll get your books in February.

Production Update #3
over 5 years ago – Sat, Sep 01, 2018 at 12:32:55 AM

Hello Team, 

I realized this morning that August marks the two year mark of working on The Patrons full time. TWO YEARS, FULL TIME. What kinda nut jobs take a risk like that? What kind of nut jobs think a risk like that will pay off? Us (you included). Now, I know I've said it before and it's starting to get in the range of spam... but we couldn't have gotten here without your help. Each and every one of you has played a vital role in the creation of this world, and you deserve the utmost thanks. Thank you.

Okay, okay, lets get down to brass tacks, welcome to Anatomy of a Page or: How We Do It.

STEP 1: The Script

After heavy amounts of brainstorming and world building you have to get your ideas on paper. If you don't, you are just a thinker because writers write and thinkers think and good ideas are dime a dozen. Basically, If you want to make something you have to get it down on paper first. Speaking of paper, I filled two notebooks, front and back, before I was comfortable writing the first version of Part One.

We wrote more than half a dozen versions of Part One before we were happy with it. Early versions were completely different than what exists today, featuring characters like Teddy, Brown, and The Gravedigger (you'll meet them eventually). The current version is 34 pages typed.

After each version, we sit down and do a table read of the script. We then discuss how the story and shots could be improved and start a new version. Once we are happy, we move onto blocking in pages (or storyboarding).

STEP 2: The Block In

After we've locked the script, Gary starts on blocking in his interpretation of what is on the page. This is a very important step where we fix 95 percent of the problems that will arise.

 After the block in, the book is locked and Gary moves onto drawing line work for each panel.

STEP 3: The Lines

Much of what Gary has drawn before was left to interpretation, your mind fills in the details. Even though the book is entirely readable, we can't leave it that way. Line art is where the details start to take shape and is by far the hardest stage of the artwork's production.

 After the line is added it is time to move onto lighting and color.

STEP 4: Rough Color and Light

This step is where much of the mood and feel of each scene takes form. The Patrons takes a lot of inspiration from films of olde, so we make sure to capture a stark, film noir feel to our scenes.

After light and color is blocked in and we've made sure it has a nice graphical read, it's time to move onto a final render.

STEP 5: Final Render

This is the cheddar. The final effects that make it pop. This is where all the 'oo's and 'ahh's come from. It includes adding texture, lighting effects, and fixing any last minute problems that might arise.

STEP 6: Final Presentation

Once Gary finishes the final render for a page, he passes it on and moves to a new page. Then I format and add all of the required lettering to finish the page.

Speaking of lettering it's lookin' good I'd say ;) I haven't quite perfected it yet, but it's getting much much better. The final letters will be added just before all of the artwork is done. Until then, I'm practicing and dissecting other's works.

In Conclusion

Where are we now? Gary has finished a majority of the line work for the issue. As stated earlier, this is the hardest and most time consuming stage of the art's production. Some panels can take an hour and some take all day. That being said, some of you haven't yet turned in your pictures for your likeness. If you haven't, please see this post here on instructions on how to do so. 

Okay, that's it for today! Next update will be about shipping, printing, finances, and have an updated timetable on when you can expect your copies.

P.S. Special shout-out to our boy Upton. We extended an invitation to our Twitch viewers to create a religion that exists in Shepherd's Rest and he came through. Solism is the worship of the sun. Photosynthesis is divine and plants are holy relics. Oh, and we've named their leader Upton in his honor. It's very cool and we've already run with the idea and created story elements that will appear in future issues.

Production Update #2
over 5 years ago – Thu, Aug 09, 2018 at 01:08:52 AM

Howdy!

Let's talk about lettering. Lettering is a unique beast. Many indie artists don’t think it’s important so they buy a $20 typeface that imitates old masters and call it a day (or worse, use comic sans), but good lettering goes much deeper than that. When done well, it’s invisible, but when it’s bad… it can hinder your experience (The Worlds Greatest Superheroes series from Alex Ross and Paul Dini are some of my favorite books, but the lettering leaves much to be desired).

Since the 90s, digital lettering has taken over the industry. It’s faster, cheaper, and easier to correct. It’s the standard, but I think it has one major downfall. It’s lifeless and robotic, and it’s why we’ve decided to letter The Patrons by hand.  

I have to admit, my fascination with lettering was born out of necessity. I had to letter the 11 page preview we provided with the kickstarter launch - man that was tough. After studying the masters (specifically Workman and Klein) I developed my own set of standards to adhere to. It’s not perfect, but I’m getting better.

So where are we now? I’m still figuring out the kinks, I think my hand lettering is a little too tight, but the entire issue is rough lettered. A quick and dirty digital lettering that helps Gary know what he does and doesn’t have to render. It also helps us read through the book and know if we need to make any changes. As Gary gets closer to finishing panels, I finish off the final pass of lettering for each one. Since Gary’s style takes longer to finish a panel than it takes me to hand letter one, the hand lettering process doesn’t add any time to our workflow.

Speaking of Gary. He’s working hard rendering the panels (about 190 of them).

I know an update about lettering is boring, so I promise to have more eye candy next time. I should also have an updated timeline for you all. If not then, definitely the update after. We don’t want to miss another deadline, so we’re being extra careful not to announce too early. Thank you for your continued support and kind words, we're pouring our hearts and souls into this book and your support is everything. Until next time!

-Anthony

PS: Thanks for the wedding congratulations!

New Update Policy
over 5 years ago – Tue, Aug 07, 2018 at 12:11:02 AM

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