Drawing Various Bittles

Progress

Hello!! Welcome to the progress report. As I explained in the most recent newsletter, I’m focusing on inking as many pages as I can before coloring and lettering (and posting) the comic. EXTREME SPOILERS. Comic 4.8 catches us up on Dex, Nursey, Ransom, Shitty, Holster, and Lardo. Comic 4.9 introduces a new thread of drama as Bitty attends a non-Haus party. Comic 4.10 is the aftermath of 4.9, with some input from Jack--and it ends with a surprise visit. And comics 4.11 and 4.12 (and 4.13) are all comics about family weekend at Samwell University.

WHEW.

caption: i love a call-back joke, and Coach noticing these curtains in a frat house is just what I WANTED TO DRAW

I’m currently inking comics 4.11 and 4.12. The pencils for these comics took me an entire week and I want to finish inking them this weekend. (That’s about 19 pages of comics drawn and penciled!)

Despite the slightly foreboding tweets I’ve been making, I’m excited about these pages. I’m not a glutton for angst or suffering at all, and I’m drawing a conflict that Bitty must experience to move  on in his story. It’s the end of Year Four’s fall semester--drama has to go down. And HONESTLY. Y’ALL. Any pain Bitty will experience will sooo justify the stupid, happy, dumb, storybook ending I’ve had planned for this boy since 2013. He’s just gonna have to march through this.

caption: I'm really pleased with how coach's character design worked out. He and Bitty have the same eyes, but I don't think his read as "ADORABLE AND CUTE". Or maybe they do. I dunno, he looks like a dude in his 40s-50s. 

#Ramblings

Coach. I’m looking forward to people commenting: “WOW. Bitty looks just like his DAD.” Y’all it’s the same lines!! omg this happens all the time with bad bob and I’m like…IT’S GENETICS…Y’ALL. Lol, I love it.

SFX. Shout out to Sara Goetter for teaching me how to do sound effects. XD We were all hanging out and I literally was like “HEY……HOW DO I DO THIS.” She and Natalie taught me knowledge.

Action. Speaking of knowledge. I was taking a gander at the incredible pages Carey Pietsch created for The Adventure Zone, and said to myself “I gotta push my page layouts more” So if you notice more diagonals, more overlapping panels, more dynamic anything--it’s because of her pages! Also, I’m finally internalizing all the action scenes I read in My Hero Academia by Hideo Horikoshi.

Bitty’s Face. This adorable mini-pie. It could be the last two comics talkin’ but wow, I’ve drawn a surplus of furrowed brows and teary eyes these last days. And seeing his expression break away from his typical smiling, placating default is fresh--definitely new. He’s a human with a ride range of emotions.

JERSEY NUMBERS. I was trying to decide if Whiskey’s jersey number should be 10 or 11.  Perhaps Whiskey *wanted* number 11 because of The Legend Robert Zimmermann, but had to wait until Ransom graduated to change his number? 

Jack and Bitty like each other. Yes, they love each other, and are dating, in love. Many of you liked that last paragraph I had about Jack and Bitty in the previous update, so: some random thoughts: One nugget of Bitty’s character that’s revealing itself is how much he craves validation from traditional male figures--guys who might embody some traditional concepts of masculine strength. (Which. Uh. You don’t need that Bitty, sorry, you don’t have to feel that way, who did this to you (answer: ngozi ukazu and richard bittle probably)) The acceptance of his bro-y friends is part of that validation, and in a way, so is Jack’s acceptance? Jack is a dude and Bitty values that Jack is a dude who is into him. That let’s Bitty be a dude in 1000% his own way. Perhaps Bitty’s appreciation isn’t even conscious, but it’s there.

…Listen, you wanted mushy stuff that made no sense I hope this is what you wanted they like each other a lot.

And finally, Jack in a turtle neck:

The holidays are right around the corner! 😐!