Seriously, you guys, look:

I finished penciling page 35 yesterday, but I wanted to do a wee bit of inking before I went to bed. So that’s where we are.

Last issue, I was basically sprinting toward the Emerald City ComiCon*; this time, I’m trying to be more leisurely, to experiment and perhaps lean on the perfect side of “Done is better than perfect” a little more.

I did notice differences in the way I work, while penciling. I’m having that feeling of, “Wow, walking up this hill is easier since I’ve been running on the treadmill so much!” Things that freaked me right out on issue one – backgrounds, some furniture, other non-human things that needed to be drawn – were easier, occasionally to the point that I didn’t give them any special thought at all beyond, “Wow, this used to be hard as hell.” It is extremely satisfying to see things getting better and easier, and to be able to shift my attention to other things I need to work on.

*Almost every time I write this, I start to write “Emerald Coast ComiCon,” and I have to correct myself. I’ve lived in two different places that label themselves the Emerald Something, which creates some weird confusion on my part. I do it when speaking too sometimes, earning me some very weird looks from people.