Pages 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, and 175

Here are pages 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, and 175 of Zheph Skyre. I have been very busy up until as of late, and I wish to update this blog as quickly as possible.

This may seem like an odd page to come to once finishing the flashback. Zheph is gathering metal and discovers that the giant metal token the dragon pulled off the wall was really made out of bronze that had aged. He decides to use some of this despite the fact that bronze is a weak metal. I wasn't originally going to have this page here, but I felt like it would help later down the road to put this page here.

Here we see Zheph melting the metal scraps for his invention. Jahovac has managed to get into his underground home again, but Zheph doesn't appear to care. It seems he is focused on getting his special weapon made. I think this conversation that Zheph and Jahovac start to have an interesting conversation in my opinion. They have very different ideals about fighting, killing, and life in general.

The two of them continue to talk, and now they discuss magic. This was where I wanted Zheph to come to a realization that magic exists in this world.

Jahovac reveals to Zheph that his father was Flamoxian. This explains a good amount of his features. Jahovac seems to have an alarmed expression when Zheph discribes his mother...

Jahovac leaves and Zheph begins to wonder if they are becoming friends. Perhaps they are, but Jahovac refuses to acknowledge it. And finally Zheph unveils what is under the sheet.

I really enjoyed making this steam punk robot armor! I had some sketches of what it would look like, but I decided to add some details here and there that would make it look more steam punk. And then we go to Vanessa's location.

Pages 155 & 156 are Complete! Also a Funny...

Here's page 155. We see the end of Zheph's flashback & we are back to Zheph and Jahovac chatting. Jahovac surprisingly sympathizes with Zheph's tramatic experience, but then he gives him some disturbing facts. Pretty much, Jahovac convinces him that he has no option other than to slay the dragon. Zheph tries to think of a way to defeat this beast, but he can't think of any ideas.

Here's a funny strip I decided to do. Instead of some sort of video to use or some random image, I decided to incorporate this short comic of the two characters from the previous page in a humorous explanation of how Zheph managed to get out of the dragon's stomach.

I was originally going to draw a serious page that went along with the flashback, but I did not have enough time, and I like this better because it is funny. I based it off of manga chapters from Genshiken and other series that had hilarious side stories drawn in a much more simple style.

Here's page 156. Zheph remembers a certain invention he has been working on that could help him in his current situation. He remembers that the invention requires more metal that he does not have. Luckily he has an idea of where he can get more metal. Despite such a horrible tragedy occurring in this city, Zheph manages to find something positive amazingly!

Page 152 is Up & Flora @ WAM is Coming

I have finished page 152 of my web comic Zheph Skyre. I do not know what it is about these past few pages, but I have gotten them done in time without a problem. Perhaps it is the fact that these pages have less details in them than other pages. I just hope I can keep this pace until I come to pages with much more details. By then I should have a computer tablet, and then perhaps the pages will come out sooner.

Zheph seems to be warming up to Jahovac, but it does not appear to be going the other way around. Zheph realizes Jacques is using Jahovac to get through to Zheph, specifically his blue prints. What sort of blue prints? We shall find out. Jacques and Jahovac seem to expect Zheph to help them with killing the dragon, but after the ordeal Zheph has gone through, I doubt anyone would want to face such a creature. Zheph is focused on getting the dragon the treasure. Jahovac is angered by that. Will Jahovac convince Zheph to help fight the dragon, or will Zheph fulfill the dragon's demands?

Flora is about to start at the Worcester Art Museum. Professional florists have already begun to bring in flowers and arrange them in very interesting ways. As usual, tomorrow the museum will be open until 8:00, but there will be a very expensive party beginning at 5:30. On Friday and Saturday the museum will be open until 8:00 as well, but on Sunday Flora will end at 5:00.

My Mom's Cousin Wayne Brink, Page 151, & Arisia 2015

I have uploaded page 151 of Zheph Skyre. It might have been a few minutes late the other night, but please excuse my tardiness. My mother's cousin, Wayne Brink, passed away last Friday January 16th, and I had attended his wake on Wednesday the 21st. Many friends and family had gone to Wayne's wake. He was a very active hiker/explorer of nature, a photographer, a Vietnam veteran, a professor at Quinsigamond college, a loving husband, an interesting father, and an eccentric friend. He lost his battle against multiple forms of cancer. My earliest memory of him was when he invited my family and I to his summer barbecue. He did not serve regular hamburgers, but served buffalo burgers. I ate a chewy, white meat from a shish kabob and was told afterwards that it was alligator meat. After that, my family was invited to his Swedish, Christmas Eve Parties he held at his house every year which had various, interesting Swedish dishes and ended with drinking glogg. I was a little skeptical of these things at first, but along with Wayne's friendly personality, it was always an awesome time. Christmas Eve will never be the same without him now. Here's to you Wayne, there are many people who love you and hope you are at peace now.

Here we see Zheph wake up from a deep sleep and recollection of years past, or at least up until a certain part... He awakens to find himself wrapped in bandages and taken care of by Jahovac. It is is a little  unexpected, but it makes sense in the end because Jacques hired Jahovac to capture Zheph to use him for his knowledge. Zheph is useless to Jacques dead. Jahovac doesn't seem to be too comfortable with this arrangement though.

Arisia 2015 was enjoyable. I did not sell nearly as much as I did previous years, but I got to eat a lot of free food and I went to my sister's condo, my friend's apartment, & the MFA while I was in the area.

Here's the business card of Theresa Mather. If you like fantasy art, you'll like hers. She does a lot of dragons, cats with wings, and other mystical creatures.

Another flyer for Nauticon 2015. I have signed up for the Artists' Colony at this convention, but I have no idea if I will get it or not. If I do, I will be sharing the space with Frankie Stevens, author of the book "Polarity Breach: The Divine Spark."

Here is a flyer for a Masquerade at the goth club, Haven, tomorrow night. It sounds interesting, but due to the incoming snow storm, it might be postponed. I do not believe I have a good enough costume for this nor much money to spend.

Another flyer for RavenCon, a sci-fi/fantasy convention in Richmond, Virginia. They are celebrating their 10th year!

Here's a flyer for Chessicon, a sci-fi/fantasy convention in Maryland. They did accept my artwork for this convention and I mailed it to them. I could not attend myself because it is a far drive for me, it was right after Thanksgiving, and I do not have much money to spend on a hotel.

Here is a pamphlet for artwork by Laurel Cunningham-Hill titled Capsulariums. It is artwork using tiny bones of rodents and displaying them in tiny frames or hollowed out chain watches. She makes some very interesting stuff! Don't worry, these are bones left from owls and are sterilized beforehand.

Here's a flyer for a new LARP called the Accord. It made me a little angry that their symbol looks way too much like the one I have on my portfolio site! I I'm trying not to let it get to me.

Page 126 of Zheph Skyre Finished, Page 127 is Uploaded, and Pat's Peak

I have uploaded page 126 and 127 of Zheph Skyre, but page 127 still requires a lot of work. I went to Pat's Peak in New Hampshire using a special card I have in order to get a good deal on an admission ticket.

Here's page 126. As you can see, everyone is surprised at Jahovac's capabilities. Jahovac himself seems disappointed that the magical properties of his sword have reactivated for some reason. It makes the fight easier for him, but that is not what he wants.

Anime Boston is coming up next week. I am not entirely sure if I will have a page for the week following.

Page 125 of Zheph Skyre Complete

I was able to upload page 125 of my web comic Zheph Skyre yesterday. Unfortunately page 126 is still being colored in. This week I will be taking a break from Zheph Skyre, but I will have something ready to post tomorrow. I guarantee people will love it!

Page 125 here has Jahovac showing off his speed and strength. As you can see, I had a transition from the normal background that I had with the main characters to the red background of the orcs. I want to show a transition from the normal everyday life to the violent era that is falling into the characters' lives. How will each character deal with such a transition? Will they be ready like Jahovac here, or will they be nervous like the wealthy sector of Corthon when the orcs poured in?

Zheph Skyre: Page 124 Complete & 125 Incomplete

I have uploaded pages 124 and 125 of my web comic Zheph Skyre. I finished coloring in page 124, but 125 is still in black and white for now. Page 125 does not have any text on it, but the most text it will have is for sound effects.

Page 124 here shows that Jacques's gang has an advantage over the invading orcs, they have a longer range with their arrows and can reload faster. However, this advantage can be dealt with by the orcs' shields and armor. This is basic warfare tactics. Jahovac seems intrigued by this new challenge. Let's see what he does.

Page 111 of Zheph Skyre, and 24 Hour Game Jam at Becker College

This past weekend I finished page 111 of my web comic Zheph Skyre. Also this past weekend I went to the 24 Hour Becker Jam. I recorded some footage of that and it will be up on WCCA TV13 shortly. I don't know if I will be allowed to post it on my Youtube channel or not.

I think Jahovac's reaction to this fight quite amusing. He's this toughened warrior and a goth princess outshines him in combat. I decided not to have Jahovac just to have a problem with the fact that a girl has outshone him, but someone who has been raised in royalty and has never been allowed out of her castle.

Zheph and Vanessa are now having a conversation as they now appear to have the situation under their control now. They talk about how Zheph has been through a lot and required her assistance. They also agree that Vanessa's dreams could possibly be predictions. They both agree that the more dreadful part of her dream is outrageous and could never happen...

Page 109 of Zheph Skyre is Finished

I finally finished page 109 of Zheph Skyre. Unfortunately I couldn't finish page 110 because I am trying to finish this piece of artwork for the Anime Boston Contest in order to get an Artists' Alley Table. I just posted a link to my video of the past Anime Boston.

I am truly having a good time making this web comic right now! I really like how Vanessa is becoming an empowering female character, and this is where it truly comes forth. For a long time, I was trying to make this character more interesting in my concepts. I am glad I have been giving her much more depth, and making her much more capable!

Zheph Skyre: Page 108 Finished, Page 109 Uploaded in Black & White

I uploaded both pages 108 and 109 of my web comic Zheph Skyre. Page 109 still requires text and color, but page 108 is fully finished. I have been busier than I thought I would be these days.

Here is page 108 of Zheph Skyre. Our hero, Zheph, is now surrounded by the gang he has been dodging for quite some time. Unlike before, Zheph is now out of means of escaping without possibly killing someone, and as stated before, Zheph will not resort to that. Jacques makes his appearance, and the two of them share some banter back and forth. Then Luther makes the scene with his knights, but Jacques is hardly intimidated as his men carry better weapons and he has Jahovac though his eyesight is currently lost at the moment. Then another makes the scene...

Blog Post 400: Page 107 of Zheph Skyre in Color and 108 in Black and White

I have finished page 107 of Zheph Skyre in color. Page 108 has no color or text yet, but hopefully I can get that done soon.

On page 107, Zheph manages to spray Jahovac in the face with his own invented version of mace. Of coarse he has to use his tail, which manages to surprise and distract Jahovac. Zheph then uses this opportunity to trip Jahovac. Unfortunately, it seems the Scar have managed to find him. How will Zheph deal with this situation?

Zheph Skyre, Page 106 is Finished and 107 is in Black and White

I have uploaded both page 106 and 107 of Zheph Skyre. Page 106 is in color and page 107 is still in black and white.

Here on page 106, Zheph finds out how much of a better fighter Jahovac is. Jahovac can swing this lighter sword faster than Zheph can swing his weapon.

This is what I was talking about last time. Characters in Anime don't require humungous swords comparable to the size of the person wielding it. There have been large swords used where the wielder can grip a section of the blade past the cross guard. It allows the wielder the ability to swing the weapon faster and more easily at close range. With this type of sword, both the blade and the pommel can be used to inflict damage. The pommel may only be capable of inflicting bludgeoning damage, but it is still effective.

Zheph now faces a more capable foe, and he knew this by examining the sword and recalling the events with this foe in their previous encounter.

Page 105 of Zheph Skyre is Finished

I have finished coloring page 105 of my web comic Zheph Skyre. The next page seems to be a bit detailed, but it is still coming along. It helped that it was a rainy Labor Day today!

Here we see Jahovac's preferable sword. If you look closely, it is indeed a long sword, but there is a section on the blade where it is not as sharp. This was a common design among swords in years past as it allows the weapon to be swung for wide swings that would generally take down a rider's horse by the legs, yet it would also allow the weapon to have some closer combative uses as well. I just wanted to make that a clear point as to one of the reasons why a huge sword doesn't need to be really bulky! There are some practical designs, and you might see how on the next page, and Zheph scenes something bad even as he gets out his own weapon...

One of the down points of inventing a retractable, folding weapon that generates large amounts of heat to create burning blades is that it takes a while for the heat to build up, and Zheph knows that!

Page 104 in Color

I have finished coloring page 104 of Zheph Skyre. I am hoping to at least get a little of page 105 done in color tomorrow.

On this page Zheph speaks to his assailant. The ninja reveals himself to be Jahovac, but Zheph appears to have already figured that out. Zheph tries to talk Jahovac out of continuing this fight, but Jahovac is bent on payback for his humiliating defeat. What sort of sword does Jahovac wield now?

Page 65 & 66 of Zheph Skyre

I have completed both page 65 and 66 of Zheph Skyre. Luckily there was a snow storm that allowed me to go home early and finish posting these page.

Here we see Zheph and Vanessa sharing a very nice moment, until Vanessa playfully jokes with Zheph. I wanted to covey on this page that people shouldn't allow others to get them down about their appearances, and that people shouldn't judge others on their appearances. I know that is an old lesson that has been taught numerous times, but I think it is worth telling again.

Here we see Zheph getting dressed after being bathed and having his bruises tended to. Zheph appears to be curious about Vanessa's dream even though he doesn't believe these dreams are predictions of the future. I wanted to show that Zheph was still interested in Vanessa's life even though they doesn't share the same opinions. Vanessa seems to feel uneasy about talking about it. She claims that Jahovac was all she saw in her dream, but her reaction doesn't convincing.

Page 39 is Uploaded & Wreck It Ralph

I finally got page 39 of my Zheph Skyre web comic uploaded. I'm sorry for the delay, but I was working as fast as I could. I had a much more busy weekend than I thought I would have. Perhaps I should change the schedule to Tuesdays and Fridays instead. It appears I'd have more time to spend on Monday and Tuesday than I would for Saturdays and Sundays, so I would get the pages done on time with color.

On this page, Zheph is now driving away (I forgot to put the sound effect of the engine, I'll have to go back into it), and Jahovac is left standing defeated. Jacques goes up to Jahovac to try to convince him to go along with a different plan. Will this plan actually work?

(This image is from imdb.com.)

I went to see Wreck it Ralph last Friday since I was in the Dartmouth area, and the Power Up main events didn't start until the next day. I didn't read everything on the Facebook event page too clearly it seems. So I went to see this movie in 3D since that was the earliest time and I did not want to wait another two hours to see it. It was an enjoyable movie.

There are quite a few famous guest appearances by some famous video game characters, but they were all very small since the movie had to focus on the story. I thought the movie was actually going to be funnier, but maybe my sense of humor has developed since I was a child and the humor here is just more appealing to a younger audience. The visual gags and the animation were really good though. A lot of thought and effort went into this movie and it shows. There were a few small problems here and there like the pop music choices they had, and how much time was spent in one specific video game world. I still enjoyed it though.

Tomorrow I will discuss Power Up.

Zheph Skyre Page 37 Finished

Here is page 37 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. There maybe some minor spots that I should touch up here and there, but for now I consider this finished. Again, I had to stay up late past midnight to finish this. I had work until later than usual today. I believe the flames are very time consuming to draw. I decided to change what Jahovac says at the end of this panel because I think this is funnier.

As a warrior, Jahovac believes Zheph should finish him off as he has won the fight. Zheph however does not want to. Why does this bother Jahovac this much? And what is Zheph going to do about that fire?

I added a number counter to my web comic in order to keep track of how many people visit it. Please pass the word out about my web comic. The more people find out about it, the better chance I might actually get to actually make money from this. I could really use the money right now!

Page 34 of Zheph Skyre & That's Entertainment Halloween Monster Mash

Here is page 34 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. There maybe some things I want to change in this, but that can wait until I print out this webcomic into books to sell.

Jahovac is not fazed at all by having his cloak burned. So why would Zheph set it on fire, and what is glowing in his staff?

That's Entertainment was supposed to have a Halloween party last Monday, but due to Hurricane Sandy it was postponed for this Monday November 5th at 6:00. It will be at Elm Draught House in Millbury, MA. There will be a free theatrical showing of Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice, raffles, candy, and more. Tickets are availible at the Park Ave. Worcester store, and are limited. I am going, and I bet it will be a good time like the Godzilla Double Feature.

Page 32 of Zheph Skyre

Here is page 32 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. As you can see, Zheph is nonchalantly dodging all of Jahovac's swings.

Do not worry, you will get to see what Zheph's weapon does soon enough...

Page 30 of Zheph Skyre

 Here is page 30 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. Zheph continues to talk as he puts away his retractable shield and gets out a new gadget. You might have an idea of what it will do from the title page of this web comic series, but that is only one small function it has.

It might seem a little weird that Zheph was trying to negotiate with Jahovac out of fighting, and now he is getting prepared to duke it out with this mercenary. However, Zheph doesn't have many options right now as Jahovac has clearly made. Zheph can either fight his way out of this, get captured, or possibly killed. Everyone has a breaking point.