Draconis Wicked Delayed - Here's Why

(Originally posted August 1, 2011)

Sorry, folks. Draconis Wicked: Chapter One, Part Three is running behind schedule. Expect the third and final installment of the chapter to appear on Monday, August 8. Urban Underbrush will continue to run on schedule. I actually finished drawing all the pages weeks ago, but I haven’t found the time to color them. This is a pretty key moment in the story, so I’m not spoiling the effect by posting in plain black and white. Your patience will be rewarded. Why the delay? This month, I taught two weeks of computer art classes for middle school and high school students and helped set up their student gallery. After that, I had one week to finish getting ready for my sister’s wedding. I thought I could finish coloring my pages during that intermittent week, but weddings are a lot of work. On top of the normal amount of chores, we all kept thinking of little extra touches we could add, such as writing the wedding toast in the form of a poem or making the groom an exact replica of Homer Simpson’s pig cufflinks.

(He totally wore them to the ceremony.)

This is the first time I’ve ever missed an update, so bear with me while I get back up to speed. Thanks for understanding.

-The Management (Marj)

My Summer

(Originally posted July 14, 2011)

My summer’s been picking up speed lately. I’m teaching my annual summer art classes this week and next week. It’s where middle school and high school kids learn the joys of Photoshop and Flash animation. Also, I’m going on a camping trip this weekend, which will be a welcome break from all the computers. I’ve drawn a few comics ahead, so this won’t affect my website. Except that I’m writing shorter blogs, due to the time crunch.

The End.

-Marj

Make Way for Draconis

(Originally posted June 9, 2011)

So, there’s been some crazy stuff happening here at the old comic factory. If you dropped in on Monday, you probably noticed the first nine pages (!) of Draconis Wicked, my newest comic. If you missed it, catch up here.

As I mentioned last week, I want to update Draconis on a publisher schedule - a large update each month. My goal is to add to the story on the first Monday of each month. Well there are no new pages this week I have finished the new cover for chapter one:

I’m really pleased that I can finally start drawing Draconis Wicked. I’ve been playing with the story for years, but it has taken awhile for me to improve my drawing, digital painting, and web design skills enough to do justice to the story.

Meanwhile, the fans of Urban Underbrush don’t have to worry. Underbrush will still be appearing on the regular schedule. We’re getting close to the end of the current story. Then we’ll get back to the general nonsense we know and love.

In the weeks ahead, I’ll be adjusting the site to make sure it’s big enough for two comics.

-Marj

We're Changing the Schedule

(Originally posted Feb. 4, 2011)

The Short Version:

Starting next week, Urban Underbrush will update on Thursdays. Our next comic will be posted on February 10.

The Long Version:

Like most webcartoonists, I am on an eternal quest to find more readers. So I was reading some articles on webcomics.com and happened to stumble over an old forum discussion on the best days to post new work. The webcomics experts suggested that Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are usually the worst days to update because less people are surfing the web on weekends.

I took a quick survey on the Lepus Studios Facebook page to see what the fans thought about my update schedule. Most people didn’t think I needed to change the schedule, but they didn’t seem devoted to the current schedule either. Of course, the folks who commented on Facebook are already committed fans. Things that keep their attention might not be the best for capturing new readers' attention.

So how can I be more available to new readers while still being fair to the faithful followers? Switching to Thursdays seems like the best compromise. It’s only one day earlier, so Friday readers won’t miss anything, and it’s more accessible to the Monday through Thursday crowd.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the Facebook survey. Your feedback is important to me.

See you next week on our new day.

-Marj

P.S. Not only is today our last Friday update, it’s also my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Liz.