2014 redesign concepts

Today is Yorkshire Day. So, have but just a few new redesign concepts in honour of the robot yorkie...

 Sabrina, Caoimhe, Triggs

 

Important update and thoughts

    Sooo…. it's been quite a while. But that doesn't mean behind the scenes weren't any less busy.

    As I mentioned in a recent illustration that was featured on tumblr, Space Officer Triggs is undergoing a massive reconstruction and reboot as such. And, to be quiet honest, I’m not even sure if I can call it so, because during this time I've realised the dire amount of elements in my overall fiction that were not developed at all. As many notes and ideas that I had written down across various notebooks and word documents, it still lacked a considerable amount of weight and fullness to the universe itself.

    I began VERMILION on a whim - I wanted to try and write a serious and thrilling story involving Triggs. The year was 2011 and I was leaving school, embarking on the education I really wanted afterwards. I thought writing a webcomic and studying animation would be a breeze, but oh god how wrong I was.
The whole comic was very ill-prepared and it kept changing in many ways. I suppose that can be a good thing in a sense - especially the vast amount of style experimentation that I did during the course of it.

    Sadly, it came to a point where I began getting insanely jaded with the story, as I didn’t even know how to finish it, until I had made a final decision to end it in the most surreal way possible.

    However, will this ending be seen? Sadly, not now. Since quite some time, VERMILION is hence on a permanent hiatus.

    It was a pilot. And a pilots purpose is to test the waters of every aspect - characters, story, settings, presentation, etc. And as the updates of this comic were very infrequent, Triggs was evolving more and more in ideas during those update gaps. As a result, because of this evolution, the pilot became somewhat obsolete.

    I actually got to the point where I began saying ‘no one hates VERMILION as much as me’, just because I got so frustrated and lost while working on it on many occasions. And that’s not really fair. It’s not fair to the me in 2011 who had the aspiration to try and create something new and launch it out for the whole world to see. It’s not fair to the still existing dream that’s inside of me to make this comic series a reality. It’s not a perfect comic, and I know that. At the same time, the praise I had received from a large majority was so overwhelming and more than I could’ve expected. In the end then, I owe a lot to VERMILION. It gave me the courage to make something, try something new and show it to the world, while learning and discovering many new things along the way. Regardless whether it was 'good' or 'wtf is this i don't even', I was going out of my comfort zone and making a comic. Sharing it makes you fearless and vulnerable at the same time - and that's really the thrill of creating something. Create, share, learn and watch it grow.

    VERMILION may serve as inspiration to a future plot, becoming much more polished and a neater package. So don’t fret if you really were still interested in seeing what would happen!

    So where does that leave me now, and the future of Triggs? Actually, in a very positive and optimistic light! I have been working really hard this past year on the first, full-fledged legit story. My aim is to spend the next year or so dedicating the majority of my time where possible on it. I’m not setting a deadline for this, I’m taking it at my own pace. I’m gonna make this good. I’m gonna make the story I want to make and one I will have a lot of fun creating. Also, I know this blog has not been as active as it once was. Perhaps, a change of online scenery may be necessary in the near future, but not right now. Let’s see where things go for now, and I’ll get back to you.

     In closing, I want to say thank you all so very much for every ounce of support you’ve shown since I started VERMILION back in 2011, and even before since! It truly means so much to me.

5alive

This guy turns 5 today. Happy Birthday space spud.

safe journeys

Today marks one year since my l'il bro, Jack, embarked on his cosmic journey through the infinite.

It was a heartbreaking day, as the one thing I still very much regret is the fact that I never got to bid him a proper farewell - unaware of his unexpected voyage. That said however, I'm sure he knows just how much I, and his family, misses him, and that he's always in our hearts.

Sorry I couldn't get your comic finished in time. But it'll will be done soon. I very much promise you.

Hope you're having a wonderful adventure, Jack. I love you so much and miss you everyday. Thanks for everything~ ♥∞

zoinks

tis the season

generic title art no.3

So here's something that literately took a whole summer to finish.

Seeing as the inks that were done for it was on A3 size paper, and scanned as such so this is in reality a massive sized poster. OTL

I would have loved to have completed it for Nom-Con, but there were other prints I needed to finish before hand, and I still hadn't gotten around to make some sort of background for this then.

So what I did in the wee hours of last night just was to take a concept comic page I completed back in January of the Triggs prologue and just did some ~fancy magic~ and meshed it with the figures.

I think the result turned out quite well. 

Perhaps a.... future comic cover?? :U

concept art: The Moon Arc + other news

There's been a lot of planning and preparation over the past few months, and still much more to do. It does explain the piece above however.

This concept art was done to envision or capsulise the overall feel or theme the first arc of the series will have once I begin writing it.

Unless I can think of a better name, it is known as The Moon Arc.

Remember that bow-wearing vigilante to the right? Well the comic which featured this character will still be continued in between work on VERMILION and other things I need to do, so don't worry if you think I've forgotten about it.

Speaking of VERMILION, I may be going in over my head here, but I have vowed to finish it within this year. Or at least, only have maybe 3 more pages to finish come 2014.

What a funny comic it has been to work on really, with nothing to go on but a whim and the sparkly eyed enthusiasm I had back in 2011. The unorthodox ways which I went about making this comic means that at its completion it is going to be some avant garde looking... um, something or other. I've had ups and downs with this comic but overall, I'm happy for what I've learned so far along the way whilst writing it. And lemme tell you, in the future, I'll have things better planned out. I swear.

I have also been pondering the possibility of creating a brand new website for uploading future comics, art, and news to, which would mean this blogspot site would become obsolete. It's been fine to use all this time, but I feel an expansion into a full customisable website would be so much better as now I feel the functions of this blogging platform has become limiting. However, that won't come for another good while yet, but I'll keep you posted on that in the future.

So keep an eye out for more VERMILION in the next few weeks!!

Chien de la lune

(open in new tab for full view)

inspired by this illustration

enter: Cinqo [part 1]

I've been super busy so of course it's the right time to write a one-off introducing a new character especially when my arm is aching, of course it is.

But I'm excited to introduce you... to Cinqo.

you

you say it like 'sinko'

To be continued...

---

~And Now A Public Service Announcement~

SUPPORT THE CHROMA ANTHOLOGY KICKSTARTER

What is Chroma? Chroma is the first anthology from Zenpop Indie Comics, which will feature 11 beautiful technicoloured stories from Zenpop artist (like me) and two guest artists!

I am writing the magenta hued comic titled Das My Bai, a comic in memory and to pay tribute to my Yorkie, Jack, who passed away last November.

Here's some sample work and concepts!

If you wanna see this, plus the 10 other sweet upcoming stories, we need your support to get this funded! For £10 you are guaranteed a copy of the book, and the gifts for donating get bigger and better!

You can even spare a few bob via PayPal too.

So check out the campaign and spread the word! Your support will be massively appreciated!

• Facebook
• Chroma Comic

Mars & Neptune

Two concept paintings of Mars and Neptune. 

Getting my left hand back into gear.

Also, next time on thing cos it's coming back soon.

so imagine if it was a show

a quick all ink sketch I did for my proposed bible for a Space Officer Triggs TV show

no no it's not legit, it's for a college project

but the aim is that it'll be made up so that it'll actually be possible to give this to a film or TV board or something and it could get funding to become a show gosh wouldn't that be dandy

the comic prologue has inks looking like this too

I wanna start getting more confident with inking directly onto paper and not always rely on pencils, there's a nice raw feel to it

Attack of the Mannobots!

Triggs is 4 years old, and things are getting bigger and more and more exciting by the day! I can't wait for the future!!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013 to you all! 2012 has come and gone, and I hope this year is bigger and better for everyone.

I don't have muuuuch of an update, but have these new character concepts:

Ila; Venusian; President of the Planetary Alliance

Makkal; Martian; Space Inspector

Oh.. the Space Officer Triggs prologue is also in the works... more on that soon.

moving on

Today, my worst nightmare came true.

Over the past week, not everything was right in my life.

It all began last weekend when after trying to climb up the stairs, my dog Jack collapsed and I screamed. I screamed because I had never seen lose energy like that before. A few days prior, we had known not all was well with him. We thought he had a cold.

The week went by, we noticed there wasn't much improvement. Yesterday was the perkiest I had seen him in a long time. He was barking and waging his tail and letting us know "I'm fine. Things are OK."

How wrong he was.

I went to sleep at about quarter to 4 last night.

I was woken up at about half 2 this afternoon.

Heart murmur, kidney and liver failure.

And that was it.

It was approximately half 1 when he was put into sleep.

He would've only had gotten worse otherwise. That wouldn't have been right. Why should he have to suffer like that?

But I am utterly heartbroken. I'm numb. Shocked. I haven't stopped crying since I woke up. My eyes are constantly filled with water. My head hurts. I haven't eaten. Nothing is the same right now. Nothing feels right at this point in time, and it won't for quite some time.

This dog was perhaps one of the most special things to have ever happened to me.

I was in 2nd year in secondary school when we adopted him. I like to mark that time we got him as a time when my life would get amazing, as prior to that I had not so good times.

And it did. It only got better and better.

I am so happy to have had you, Jack, in my life. I'll treasure every moment I had with you. And the great inspiration you gave me will never fade.

I always feared this day. Of course it was going to happen, but you never want it to.

I just... don't know what else to say...

I only wish I had given him one last hug...

One last kiss...

Jack, we love you so much.

Always.

vision

One thing I've been focusing on lately is my vision. I realised how premature a lot of things were and still are, and in the meantime I've been developing things like never before. Characters I have half planned, scenarios and locations that were just a blurred image in my head are starting to become more clear and concise.

It leaves me wondering... where and when is the best time to start Triggs' story properly? 

This question both excites and scares me. But I think... I think I'll know just when. I'll know when the moment is right. For now, the further development process is becoming more enjoyable the more I've progressed. Everything is a constant journey. Where's the fun at arriving to be honest? The fun is the journey itself...

Galaxy visualisation #1

I've been getting stuck into developing a lot of things recently - landscapes of planets, technology, races, and other things. And so more concept art like this will ensue over time.

The top one is a first glance of the Venus landscape. Heavily fictional, it's the home to the all-female, botanical Venusian race - hence the planet is overgrown with all unusual flora and fauna.

The second one is rough idea of the look of the Intergalactic Police Squad HQ, developed on a bit from the following sketch:

So this October! Right. VERMILION is a year old. 20 pages, wtf is happening. I'mma try do something for that sweet date of the 24th. I'mma try...

VERMILION reschedule

what are leg physics amirite

Okay, so I've had to rethink my game plan with VERMILION, now as I'm also writing a Spirou fan comic which is very close to my heart.

So it's gonna go down like this: I'm gonna write both comics in rotation. What's that mean exactly? Well, it means every 2-3 months, I'll give my attention to one comic and work on 5 pages of that and upload them once complete. Then, I'll do the exact same with the the other comic for the next few months, and upload them in bulk.

This was the fairest way I could think up of to produce both comics. Sure, the waiting time is gonna be a lot longer, but for each upload, you get more pages! 5 pages man! Now to me, that doesn't sound too bad.

Now of course with the summer holidays, time has been more generous to me. Of course, once college starts in September, it's gonna be a bit tricky. But that'll just mean I'll hafta plan my time carefully and keep some drawing energy reserved for these two ventures.

But luckily, I just finished the first 5 pages of my fan comic (which, you can check out here, if you'd like!), which means I'll be back to resuming VERMILION very shortly! And you'll get a nice big update within a month or 2.

My apologies for not haven't updated in quite some time, but hopefully now, things will be updated more steadily. :D

Martians

Probably the species that's been bugging me for the longest time, I think I've finally envisioned what I want Martians to look like.

(the grey ones are from my hardcover sketchbook, unable to scan I'm afraid!)

Looks like we're going avian with this. And taken from that old quote, "men are from Mars, women are from Venus", this'll be an all male race too. I look forward to developing this race more.

Facebook, pomegranates and an omake arcade...

   Hey everyone! Summer's here! And I have finished my first year in college. I enjoyed it so much and it was a fantastic experience, but it went too fast. But anyways I have a summer of comicking ahead (and maybe potential employment, gotta wait and see...).


   First off, I'll like to share with you, this! The Triggs fan page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SpaceOfficerTriggs


   So if you would like to like, that would be incredibly appreciated. I need to sort out some of these networks I have, in regards to the content I release on each...
I post a lot of Triggs sketches on my personal tumblr, but I'm in the process of revamping the tumblr I made specifically for Triggs stuff.


   Perhaps I may release certain content on certain networks... perhaps things just for FB and things just for tumblr, I'll need to sort this out somewhat...


and fix up this blog a bit more. Oops.


   When I say I have a summer of comicking... I mean it. I may be going off on a tangent, but as I continue to write VERMILION, I'll be in the process of writing another comic...

Well goodness, what's this? Yep. It's-a Spirou.

   I've decided to take the leap and write a full out, unofficial fan album of Spirou et Fantasio. Non-profit of course. Just a labour of love.


   You can click on the cover above to read more about it. So I'll admit, this may slow down updates on VERMILION. But I can assure you, I'm gonna work my hardest to bring you both of these comics. I'm going to draw up the next few pages of VERMILION and build up another buffer for myself, so updates will continue over the summer.


In the meantime, I'll leave you with a little omake arcade, based off the Stargazing prose and illustration, with dialogue written by ~FlairCube on deviantART, and doodled by myself on drawr.

prose: Stargazing

“It’s way better up here than down below.” The pale-lilac armoured robot tilted her head up towards space, as she sat - lounged out against the rough, concave wall of the crater.

“What do you mean?” The darker blue armoured robot replied, standing near the centre of the crater - looking back at his female counterpart.  

“The stars, the hovercrafts… you can just see everything from here.”  

They both looked up unto the heavens, taking in a moment of pure silence that lingered on the moon’s surface. They were outside the colony’s barriers, roaming free on the un-inhabitant parts of the Earth’s moon. To humans, the silence outside a habitable atmosphere would be too surreal for their likings. To these robots, it was nothing short of another characteristic that made up the universe.  

Except for the hovercrafts which drifted left and right across the celestial chicane, everything felt oddly lifeless. Technically speaking, the fur-coated robots were lifeless too, if all for only their batteries, with energy surging through every wire and fibre optic vein in their artificial interiors. Yet, they could still appreciate the majesty of those twinkling dots of hydrogen and helium thousands upon thousands of light years ahead of them. And the neon dots that zipped right past them at blistering speeds, just a couple of hundred miles away.

 “You’re right, Leonie. You don’t get this view on Earth, that’s for sure.”  

“Not at all. Earth’s too illuminated… I wonder has space travel also lessened their appreciation of looking at the stars?”

If there was one thing that fascinated Triggs about Leonie, it was how she questioned things. She was all the more curious than he was, and it set his mind into deep thought. Not that he himself wasn’t curious; both of them were new to this world. Leonie asked herself things, and it wouldn’t matter to her if she found out now or never at all. Triggs, on the other hand, would become so engrossed with even the tiniest, trivial riddles that he would stop at nothing until he found out their meaning. 

 

Bearing in mind, with their line of duty, that was a good trait. But for everything else, it was a burden to be weighed down with unanswered inquiries.

(So, I tried writing for once. A refreshing change of pace I must say. But I'm no *insert name of great author here*. Yeah, I really don't read novels hardly.)