#highhyde

I started drawing the comics February 2010 . I originally posted the first ones on the That ‘70s Show board at Fan Forum in March 2010.

I’d always drawn comic strips of one sort or another (original, not fandom, and not digital except for inking and coloring). But then I read iharthdarth, an hilarious comic strip about Star Wars, and I wanted to find a fandom I could be passionate enough about to do something similar for.

I fell back in love with That ‘70s Show in 2009. I joined the T7S message board early 2010, and I came up with the idea for this comic. It was silly enough, and I originally approached the comics a satire of the show, like iharthdarth is a loving satire of Star Wars.

But my writer brain took over, and the comics evolved into something more resembling a graphic novel that expands and deepens (and corrects) the show’s characterization and storylines as well as satirizing certain things (and adding in some surreal elements, like Hyde hiccuping rainbows whenever he’s Jackie-happy).

I wanted the process of drawing the comics to be as efficient as possible. Drawing them on paper with my usual cartoony style would take forever (including scanning, digital inking, etc.), so I decided to try my hand at pixel art. That way, the sets were, er, set. I could plunk the character down on them like Colorforms. 

In the seven years I’ve been drawing the comics, I’ve gotten better at it. I originally intended to make only 100 comics, so I didn’t bother to give most of the characters arms or profiles or to put them in the outfits they were in each episode. When the characters spoke to one another, they looked toward “the camera” instead at one another. The dialogue/text boxes were a total mess.

But now all the characters have arms and profiles (and some even have three-quarter views). I draw each outfit each character wears per ep (and that can be a lot). I continue to work on improving the art. The dialogue/text boxes are uniform. Some backgrounds take me two hours to draw.

And the writing … I originally drew one or two comics per episode. Some of the early eps didn’t get any comics. But now the upcoming episode “Who Are You” (6x15) has the most comics I’ve drawn for an episode: ninety-one.

We probably do, like you said, there aren’t that many active blogs that are stictly t70s. And, to be honest, I don’t follow blogs that aren’t (unless they are my friends, I follow 9 blogs that aren’t t70s, and it’s because they have been my friends for years, another one is of a friend who also has a t70s blog and one it’s my personal blog).

I also don’t follow ALL t70s blogs for personal reasons (mostly because I need certain things tagged, and most people don’t tag their stuff).

Dedicated blogs: @70sgifs @t70sgifs @zenmasterscentral (Hyde/Jackie) and @jackieonmymind (that’s HJ and about my poetry, but Hyde/Jackie all the way), @that70sshowgoldencouple (Rred/Kitty, I love this blog and the blogger), @cheerleader-and-the-burnout (Hyde/Jackie), @dailymilena (Mila Kunis), @misterkutcher (Ashton Kutcher).

Fandom projects: @those70scomics, @that70spodcast and @zenmastersanthology :)

Awesome people that post only t70s: @thestupidhelmet, @hydelovesloudgirl, @that70shyde, @jackieicons, @lesspissedoffromantic, @clydeandjanie.

Multi-fandom blogs with awesome bloggers that post some t70s: @icelovesfire, @inglourioushyde, @abbygrffns, @steven-jackie, @hydejackies, @jessmoriano, @jackieforman, @bidoctor, @natashasromanof, @nancyywheller, @m-perrys <3

Okay, this answer will also be kind of tip for you all new and not so new writers who may try something different to lessen the frustration/work while publishing.

I plot before hand. As big, long and detailed as I can. This is more like a personal preference, I don’t think it work for everyone but It does for me and has been working for me for long eleven years.

So there’s this notebook (I’ll publish pictures later) in which I plan every single chapter and scene. Bulletpoint lists and doodles are all over the place, and that’s the story that laters comes out.

But something to notice is that, sometimes, while I’m writing, things change from what I had planned. Because characters have life of their own and they should be free of do what they want with the story, move it with their actions and dialogues. The trick is in knowing how to respect that, that is your brain and muse talking to you, and balancing it with your own technique and the desired ending.

And as for how much I write before publishing, I have learned that is better to have all your chapters ready before start publishing. Because as you publish, you may find new things to add or to take away, and having the work already there to be work on, it’s better than having to write and stress yourself over deadlines and so.

I recomment to have the fics finished or at least on their last arc before publshing.

THANK YOU! I’m on chapter 3 of my story but was really wondering if it’d be best to start publishing now or wait till it was complete - or at least, I knew where it was headed.

You should totally keep working on it, just in case you may suffer a writer block and leave your readers hanging. It can happen, it has happened to me and that’s not cool, especially because when lots of time has passed, people loses interest and well-- It sucks.

My other advice is to serch for someone who may like to talk with you about your story. Having someone to share the ideas and excitment with always helps to find out were are you heading your story.

omg yas thank you for the screenshot examples i love it