Following my last blog post, I have decided I am going to put this comic on official hiatus and working on my reboot of ‘Teague Fagan’. The story at the moment is coming together really nicely and definitely in the direction I want it to go down. There are funnily enough a lot of things I’m keeping but also a lot of things I’m removing and/or changing. It comes with a lot of time spent on this comic (7+ years) and a lot more thought put into the development and arcs of the characters.
I will be announcing the new website for the comic in the next blog post when I am ready as I do feel that needs a reboot too – it will probably take a couple of months as I want to make sure there are enough pages ready to present to get it going. Watch this space for updates around that time :]
It’s been a while since my last blog post, I didn’t realise how much time had passed. I have been working on the comic but funnily enough it was not the next scene but a potential future scene, or at least that’s how it started. I began exploring new ideas, new story lines and a way to simplify the story down to the basic parts I want to work with. At the moment, I feel the current ‘Teague Fagan’ storyline is growing too big. I’m sure I spoke about this before and I honestly didn’t mind where it was going – however I think that’s part of what has put me off creating new pages, I felt I was creating more connecting and transitioning scenes to set the plot up more than actually drawing something that sparked the creative juices.
So just for fun I opened up an AI chatbot and played around with ideas without the burden of keeping certain things in mind and it introduced a different way of telling Teague’s story that I’m leaning towards. Does this mean I’m giving up on the current comic? Possibly but I cannot say for sure yet. There are a lot of problems with the current comic that I’m struggling with purely because of certain characters and design choices that came from an earlier time when I didn’t think those kind of things through properly. For continuity purposes I was working with what I had to make it make sense. Starting afresh helped me solidify what was and was not working and made me think that maybe, just maybe, it needs to start again.
I haven’t really made that choice yet because there are a lot of things about the current comic that I do love – it’s the story I’ve committed the longest too (89 pages, wow!) and as such is a bit nostalgic. But for me, that’s not a good enough reason to stick with something when it has evolved so much since I started. For now please see what I have so far below 🙂
I’ve found out today that my art submission is going to be featured at the Centre of Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities of the University of Cambridge (UK) as part of their Fairy-Tale Trouble and the Art of Fluidity exhibition! I’m SO happy!!
My submission is called ‘The Lonely Selkie’ and features a very gloomy and moody pencil drawing of a coast with a little, white seal and threatening-looking house. I don’t think I can share the image here yet until the exhibition is over but I will share the link once it’s live.
It’s so amazing to see more of my latest artworks be accepted into something – the other being SpiderForest. For me, it’s a milestone as it took me years to find my style and niche so to see it be liked by others warms my heart <3
I managed to get TWO comic pages done this week due to Storm Darragh hitting Wales very harshly. My work had closed and the internet was down (other than my phone data which allowed me to upload) so it was a perfect time to get this month’s update done, plus another!
I had to switch networks to get my internet again due to the roll-out of the 3G network on a UK-wide basis (the UK is acting suspiciously in terms of its new legislations due to the recent election and I know the reason why) so here I am now.
It’s been quite a scarce Christmas this year but I am all the same looking forward to the food, drink and merriment. We’re due to break up for two weeks after this coming one so I’m very happy about that! In other news I have decided that I definitely want to pursue comic making as the medium for expressing my PhD research. I look forward to where it’s going to go. Teague Fagan has always been a result of the inspiration I’ve received from my research, especially this version after the first draft, so I am curious where it’s going to go from here.
Roll on the new year and the new experiences that await.
The possibility of using comics as a medium to express my research was brought up in my latest discussion with my supervisor last week. It did cross my mind that I could potentially do a series of images to tell a story and I have mentioned before that this webcomic is inspired by what I am researching (along with my personal interests like pirates, port towns, etc of course!) but I realised I never fully embraced the idea for my PhD research directly.
I am very excited at the idea, imagining all the things I could do! Especially with comic research and linking it to old forms of sequential storytelling from ancient civilisations, considering image making was the first form of written communication. So I will consider that over the winter period. I initially thought it a bit samey when I learned that another PhD student of my supervisor is using comics for their project but perhaps it’s actually a good thing, I can take full advantage of an expert then!
I am finishing up my Cambridge art this week so I will be back to making the next comic page soon!
I’m starting to realise how much shading makes a difference. Teague in the latest comic update looks so much better and more mature, exactly how I envisioned him to be. Comparing that to the others really highlights how boyish he looks in comparison (and trust me, he’s no teenager).
I’m taking that into account for future comic pages. Hopefully I’ll be able to fit that development in!
Ever made a decision and regretted it? Well, that’s how I feel with my latest post. After being away from my comic for a while, I realised how much I really don’t want to leave it alone. It seems the break definitely helped rekindle my passion for it so I will be working on the next page soon.
Thank you everyone for your patience with me, it certainly has been a journey so far. The next challenge is establishing how I am going to balance my personal work, PhD work and job. I believe it is doable if I keep to the once monthly update.
Fortunately this had coincided with the final share of the new SpiderForest comics so please see below!
New Member Spotlight – Broken Places
Politics, natural disaster, or the advances of technology can make the world a harsh place to navigate. Will these characters find treasures lost to a time before disaster struck their land? Or spiral deeper into chaos along with it?
Malatona When It Rains – Despite promises over the last twenty years, the Isahek river is flooding again. When a tax collector is shot by its banks, the provincial court must respond to the rising violence. The members of the court vie for control of their crumbling empire.
Pneuma Vita – After obtaining a mysterious book about plants, Lyka discovers a medicinal plant called “Pneuma Vita” that may be able to treat her father’s worsening asthma. But it grows in the farthest region outside of the city, far beyond everything Lyka knows…
Hollow Trail – A post apocalyptic adventure webcomic following Rosario as he explores a scary and mystifying world left behind many years ago, what type of friends will he make? And what lies along these hollow trails?
Ultraviolents – A near-future gay body horror comic about two men using underground blood sports and body modification as therapy.
LOSTLAND – A supernatural, post-apoc adventure story following the tales of four travelers and the little twists of fate that bind them both to each other, and to one man’s grand design for this new world.
I’ve come to a point where I need to have a break from my comic for 1-2 months. I’ve been working on it for the past 2-3 years (including the first draft that hasn’t been published here) and there has been a few recent developments in story and character that has made me re-consider a few things in design and plot. So I need time to reflect on them. Funnily enough, the story has been inspired by the same sources that inspired my PhD proposal – so it’s likely it will crossover onto my academic work. In the meantime, I am giving myself the space needed to develop these new ideas.
Plus I need time to settle into my new job.
To all those who returned to enjoy the story or recent fans, this message is for you <3
Oh it’s been a busy day getting this website all setup but there is still a way to go. It’s been brought to my attention that the comic pages may be taking too long a time to load due to their file size so I will work to compress them myself so it’s easier for you as the reader. Also Chapter 2 will be uploaded next.
Thank you everyone for your patience. I will get this all sorted within the next week or two – depends on how much time I can dedicate to the website before the weekend. But I will work to get it all done asap.
I cannot wait for this all to be sorted because I am eager to get back to working on the comic itself. Poor Lord Reginald keeps staring at me with sad eyes so I cannot let him down!
"A sea serpent in the form of a human hermit is exiled to an island somewhere in the Celtic Sea while mermaids mysteriously, yet ruthlessly, hunt him down.
Despite finding sanctuary within the wilds, a new ship's arrival brings a great threat from beyond the horizon and Teague may be forced to come out of hiding for the sake of protecting his new home."
