nuclear waste aerobics

Ahhhhh… like asking the pizza chef if they could make a burger instead. I guess technically maybe... But do I want to? Isn't this what fanfic is for?

I've been influenced by dozens/hundreds of artists over the years so it all kinda blends together... I guess 90's anime in general had the biggest impact because I found it at a tender age and I'm still nerding about it to this day. It's all very grandiose, expressive and earnest... I gravitate towards drawings that tell stories efficiently since that's a useful skill to me as well

Huh...

Have a nice summer! 🌴

What fandom? Huh?

I initially interpreted this as anon confessing they're obsessed with my characters and wish to be a nasty lil shit towards the other handful fans over shipping. Which would be hilarious tbh

Aww thank you so much, that makes me happy!

My style of lineart may look like something that comes out naturally but I actually very consciously developed it for a while. You literally have to train your hand to behave a certain way, i.e. a relaxed hand makes relaxed lines and so on. Relaxed lines appear more lively than stiff lines

I place line weight (pressure adjusted thickness) into the corners because that's where shadows form usually; it reads more naturalistic to me

As for hatching, if you're drawing something organic I recommend you don't hatch with straight lines but rather match the contours of your figure to give it depth. They don't teach this in how-to-draw books but hatching and cross-hatching work with curved lines too (often even better I might add)

Before anyone asks about the brush it's some free CSP brush asset I found and modified but I guarantee you there's others like it out there. But again, a new brush won't magically fix your art if you haven't taught your hand to use it

Homestuck or something would've been more appropriate my friend

I guess every artist wants to make successful work but it's a double-edged sword since for every 99 fans you gain you also gain 1 hater who wants to ruin your life. IDK, I'd be quite happy enough if my comics scored me a cool house

Not that I think Phantomland would get big though. Most successful webcomics out there have a catchy premise and update often. Neither of which applies to mine lol

Thanks! It's on hiatus atm, I can't work too much so I focus on stuff that pays the bills. I hope I can resume updates later this year

Thank you so much!! I'm thrilled that people are still reading and enjoying it!

Well, I've never been diagnosed but I could be mildly autistic. I was a weird kid who got bullied a lot, even at home, but that's normal right? Everyone gets bullied over arbitrary shit right

Some time ago I noticed that many fans of my webcomic seemed neurodivergent. I kept wondering if that's just comic readers in general or if there's something about the comic itself. Then it finally clicked after a while: Maybe Phantomland was a story about fucking autism all along? That's why they're drawn to it? Because they can relate to it???

It's not even the first time I'd put a metaphor into my work without realizing. In Phantomland having the ghost virus would mirror that feeling that you're fundamentally defective inside. Where you think you're a regular nice person while other people will find you offputting within seconds of meeting you. For me it wasn't every interaction but common enough to notice a pattern. Kind of a depressing thing to navigate. That unfairness where people won't judge you based on what you say or do, but some nebulous third thing