New Digital Heaven

We're approaching the magical month of December - and you all know what that means...

Christmas!

No! Well, yes. But-

It's the 5-year anniversary of Volume 1's first printing! 8 D And there's a big, fun announcement to commemorate the occasion:

Graphicly. Dreamkeepers is on it.

If rainbows aren't currently shooting out of your eye sockets, then odds are you don't know what Graphicly is. Let's see... Does anyone remember my 2009 article, http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2009/04/article-6-action-road-to-new-market.html

where I was fantasizing about what the ultimate online comic venue might look like? Well, this appears to be it. It's basically taken our book downloads and put them on steroids. Steroids- take 'em, kids!

The Graphicly editions can be read on a dizzying array of devices - phones, tablets, desktops, you name it. They link in to facebook and twitter. They allow readers to rate their books, post reviews, and even leave panel-by-panel commentary for fellow readers to peruse. The reading format uses print-resolution graphics to facilitate panel-by-panel zooming. And perhaps best of all, the Graphicly format allows us to cram all kinds of special features into the digital books.

Liz and I recorded audio commentary tracks for the special-feature editions, included the original Volume 2 script, and I even dug deep and found some ANCIENT material back from before Volume 1 was published - deleted Volume 1 scenes. The deleted scenes had to be scanned in from some papers I dug up, the original files were lost a few years back. But they are finished, colored Dreamkeepers scenes.

We're really excited to have our books available in such a slick format - thanks again to everyone who has been reading & supporting us over the last 5 years. It's been very difficult, very fun, and I'm looking forward to presenting a lot more stuff over the next five!

...And speaking of new stuff, we are making headway on Volume 3- in fact, I graphed it. Check out some progress samples in our latest Sneak Peek: http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2011/11/sneak-peek-23-chapter-8-penciled.html

Also, we're selling hats now. Um... Hats. Thought you'd want to know. http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/storeShirts.htm

And for the last news tidbit: As people from July can attest, my reply lag in art accounts has been atrocious this year. I can kinda keep up with e-mails on roughly a monthly basis, but I'm really face-planting elsewhere. Because I'm beginning to grudgingly admit that I'm not all-powerful, and I can't accomplish everything everywhere at once, common sense is gradually seeping in to my decisions. So we've invited the Dreamkeepers staff to help us answer questions and reply to messages in the accounts. They know as much non-spoiler stuff about the series as me, so the only real difference will be questions getting answered faster for everyone.

Commission-wise, I'm currently working on Slot 3 for November. Last month's commission is finished and delivered, so watch for it to pop up in here as soon as I take some time out to post it.

Sneak Peek #23: Chapter 8 PENCILED

OH HAPPY DAY! The pencils for Chapter 8 are completely finished! Dance party commences in 3... 2... 1...

Hmm. That never seems to happen the way I imagine.

But anyways, we’ve passed a nice milestone on V3 production, and if you wade through all my yammering here, there are pretty pictures to prove it.

I imagine some may be wondering just how close we are to finishing not a chapter, but the damn book. After all, it’s not like you guys get to curl up with new material every time I slap myself on the back for hitting a milestone. Well, to give you a snapshot of our progress, I made… A GRAPH! …No, it’s not boring. This graph is extreme. Note the rad text and exclamation points, please.

So as you can see by the bro-tacularly intense graph, we’re not out of the woods yet.

…Though I will mention that the end of Chapter 8 is already 89 pages in to Volume 3 - and Chapter 9 has a good 43 pages in and of itself waiting for me to get rolling on. Volume 1 was 98 pages total - so a part of our production time is due to the fact that V3 is big. Just friggin big.

There’s still a stretch to go - but since the commercial was finished this spring, our production has been going at a great rate!

Speaking of the commercial… AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHBLOODCROWSHAMMERFINGERDOORSLAMFLOCKODUCKS!

…Mildly frustrated. Turns out the work of animating every frame was actually the easy part. Now that it’s done and ready to roll, hunting down a venue is proving bizarrely difficult. Sales reps and ad execs quail at my approach - e-mails go unanswered, phone calls vanish into an abyss, and… A 3rd item here would make for a nice rhythm to my complainy sentence, but I haven’t actually tried using a telegraph.

I never imagined it would be so hard to get people to take money and do their jobs. Perhaps those I previously contacted weren’t serious about hosting the commercial, and instead wound up losing an office bet when I actually came through with a finished piece to air. The world will never know.

Meanwhile, I feel like a kid with a loaded shotgun in front of a pinata - EXCITED - but then the thing keeps inexplicably firing blanks. I just want to take my damn shot.

…I do think I’ll track down a venue for this thing pretty soon, but experience has taught me not to announce anything that relies on other people until after they‘ve actually delivered.

There - now that you’ve been forced to taste the bitter sting of my disappointment, it’s time you were rewarded! Here are some teaser images from Chapter 8 so far.

Though the pencils for Chapter 8 are done, they were completed in an obsessive haze at the expense of a lot of other tasks. As a result, I’ve got a run of miscellaneous things to sweep up before ripping into Chapter 9:

Getting caught up on e-mails and the poor, poor, utterly neglected art account comments, 3rd quarter records and taxes for Vivid, the Prelude que is dry and needs refilling, need to get rolling on Commission slot #3 for November, of course get started making the Halloween beads for the winners this year, and if I’m going to at least attempt a new forum, now’s the time to get that rolling as well, before I fall into the sweet oblivion of endless Chapter 9 sketches. Also - I should possibly think about doing the dishes.

I’ll need courage for that - everyone please wish me fortitude.

Contest Results!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The results are in! It has been nothing less than a spectacular year for the contest. Trying to judge between the entries has been absolute hell for me - there are simply too many deserving pieces to make any 'right' choices for the awards. But regardless, choices had to be made. Check out the winners featured in the site gallery: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/gallery_halloween.htm But by all means, check out the rest of the entries too! http://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantart.com/gallery/32472297 Everything from pumpkin carving to animation to illustration to CAKES are featured this year. While doubt over my capacity as a judge may well linger, there can be no doubt that Dreamkeepers sports some of the most creative and fantastic readers of any fandom.

Thank you again to everyone who sacrificed their time and creativity to help put together such a powerfully fun gallery!

More prizes are still to be distributed- keep an eye on the DA group's journal today to see who wins the reader-selected awards and huge stash of DA points!

Adding to the festivities is our annual Halloween Prelude special: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/PreludeHalloween11.htm Because this homage was inevitable.

Small confession to the winners, I've been so focused on pencils lately that I haven't yet made the award beads... (Or replied to art account messages in months... ARG) I'll be crafting them in the next week or two, so I'll have to ask for patience while I get the prize packages ready. ...And I will get to messages in here EVENTUALLY, I just have a lot of things on my plate at present. Must eat them.

But in the meanwhile, I expect everyone reading this to eat excess amounts of candy today, because Halloween only comes around once a year. Have a great one! 8 D

Sneak Peek #22: David Heaven - Blank Paper.

And, after months of procrastination, I FINALLY caught up with my e-mail inbox today! That question you asked in July has now been definitively answered.

…I’m still waiting for it to rain medals outside.

My reply rate would likely be better, save for my dark, all-encompassing obsession of the past few months:

No, not that one -Volume 3 penciling.

I don’t have much to say at present, but progress is going good! Over 3/4 of Chapter 8 is now completely penciled and in the early coloring stages. I plan to have the all drawing for Ch. 8 finished by Halloween.

A few of our Prelude sketch updates were requested in a non-vanishing form, so along with those here are some samples of what’s been cooking:

Since I’m at a good point for a brief intermission, I’m taking care of some side-errands: E-mails, the fabulous Sneak Peek update you’re currently enjoying, creating the annual Halloween art, designing this year’s mystery sticker, hosting the contest rules, knocking out a couple of commissions, a small run of Preludes, and that assassination I‘ve been putting off.

So for a couple of weeks I’ll be attending to my grab bag of ‘you-should-really-be-doing-more-than-just-Volume-3-drawing-David-and-when-is-the-last-time-you-shaved’ items.

But once those are done, it’ll be time to finish the pencils on Chapter 8, and jump at last into the final Chapter of the book.

…That would be Chapter 9, for anyone of the non-counting persuasion.

In the meanwhile, keep an eye on our blog for the upcoming Halloween announcements, and watch our art accounts to see the appearance of our first completed commission.

Commissions Opening!

If you’ve been waiting for Dreamkeepers commissions to open, hark: Sales go live on our website next Saturday, August 20th.

This is very probably the last time we will ever open commissions online to all.

Prices, options, and FAQs are at the bottom of this blog - but before getting too excited, be sure to read about your potential wait time.

We’ve had commissions closed for years, and many people have been waiting for a chance to have artwork created by us. After they’ve waited so patiently, I just don’t have the heart to turn anyone away and tell them they’re excluded. For this reason, I’m not using a slot system, or auctioning a handful of spaces, or using any mechanism that would omit people. Instead, before our audience gets any larger, we’re opening the floodgates.

I’ll be selling commissions to any and all who want to have one. And then, because I don’t have infinite capacity, I’ll close them - probably forever. Future readers will simply have to miss out, this is for our current readership only, those who’ve found and supported us as we’re starting out.

But here’s the catch:

I still intend to spend most of my time finishing Volume 3 - and, after that, finishing Volume 4. I’m planning on doing perhaps one commission a month - which, if you do the math, means very, very long wait times, measured in years.

Purchasing a commission will be the equivalent of buying space in a long, exclusive waiting list. So be aware of this element before making any purchase, and don’t buy a commission if a long wait is unacceptable.

That’s the major downfall - everyone who wants a commission gets to buy one, but the wait time on the actual art will be undoubtedly long. (As a side bonus, the longer you wait, the better an artist I’ll be by the time I create your illustration.)

The upside of this plan is that it gives hordes of people a good motive to keep me from dying - something I’ve always wanted.

Though I do enjoy commissions, I love creating books even more - Dreamkeepers is what I want my focus in life to be. So, as mentioned above, this is very likely the last time I will ever open commissions like this. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

The wait list will be organized first come, first served. We will announce to the e-mail list earliest and then twitter the exact timing when commissions open on the site. After we get purchases organized, we will e-mail everyone a number, so they know where they are on the list. If you don’t get a number e-mailed to you within a week, be sure to contact us and make sure we got your order logged.

Here are the general commission categories:

Doodle - $5.

Example: http://dreamkeepers.deviantart.com/gallery/24562434#/d345ybb

The Doodle is just that - a very quick, rough pencil sketch signed by David. This is good for people that are on a tight budget, but still want to get some custom artwork and a signature.

Character illustration

Character illustrations include up to two characters in the initial price - more characters can be added for $10 each. The illustration has no background, or very simple background elements.

Rough sketch - $15

Example: http://dreamkeepers.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2zcw1u

Finished pencil lineart - $30

Example: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Commissionviewer.php?pic=Sci-Fi%20Sniper

Finished colors - $50

Example: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Commissionviewer.php?pic=Windblown%20Couple

Full Background, Anything goes

These are the illustrations we’re most well known for - pulling out all the stops, and making a show-stopper. Anything you can imagine fitting into an 81/2 by 11 sheet, we can do.

Rough sketch - $35

Example: Imagine the finished lineart example below, but sketchier and with less formed details.

Finished pencil lineart - $50

Example: http://dreamkeepers.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d345yk1

Finished colors - $85

Example: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Commissionviewer.php?pic=Coyote%20Cantina

Finishing Previous Work- - $25

If we’ve created line art for you in the past, whether at a convention or from previous commissions, we will add finished colors to the illustration for $25.

Now for the FAQ’s - please read through these before e-mailing questions:

FAQ:

But I don‘t have enough money for a commission right now! I‘ll miss out forever, this is terrible!-

If you’re running low on money, don’t worry too much - we’re giving you guys plenty of time. We’re not going to close the door until after Christmas, sometime in January. So there’s plenty of time to earn some cash, or even use some Christmas money or something. And if you still can’t come up with enough, at least buy a $5 slot. Then when we get to your spot in line, odds are good that enough time will go by that you can afford to upgrade your commission to something better before we get started.

But I don‘t know what I want for my commission yet!-

That’s fine - in fact, we’re going to request that nobody tell us their commission ideas until we’re at their number, and actually ready to start their art - if we’re juggling 50 different ideas in our heads at once, that would be a lot to keep track of. So you don’t even need to have your idea for a commission finalized yet - just buy your spot in line, and we’ll see if you’re ready when we get to your number - and if you need a bit more time to decide, we’ll just do the next person on the waiting list and then come back to you.

Isn't there a way I can get a commission sooner? -

Actually, yes. We make exceptions when we're present at conventions. Conventions are the magical bubble outside of our limitation rules.

Convention commissions are drawn at conventions only, so they're limited to black and white pencil drawings, no color. We are also limited by time - we can't do take-homes, so it's first come first serve. Conventions are also exempt from waiting lists - while we’re at conventions, we ignore any waiting lists we adhere to at home.

Er... What kind of content do you allow in commissions - what if I wanted something possibly naughty? -

If you're tentative about an idea you're interested in, odds are very good that it’s perfectly fine. Just go ahead and buy your spot in line. We've been around the internet a few times, and nothing is going to shock us or weird us out. We can be open to some adult content assuming the customer is of legal age. And if, for whatever reason, we do in fact decline to undertake your commission, we’ll be sure to get you a full refund. We *might* decline, but we won't ever judge.

What if I get tired of waiting and want a refund?-

Once we get payment, that money could go towards book printing, marketing, or any number of things. So we’re going with a no-refund policy, unless of course we for some reason decline to do your commission. But that means definitely make sure you’re willing to wait before you make the purchase.

Sneak Peek #21: Swatches Galore

Volume 3 is back in action!

It seems as though trivial matters have delayed us at every turn this year - finishing a commercial here, a few jaunts to the hospital there. At one point I had to chase down a squirrel. (He was too lazy - he needed a lesson in survival! Liz and I cornered the hapless creature on a doorstep, thus proving humanity’s superiority to squirrel-kind. Feel free to share in my pride.)

But with all of that behind us, production on Volume 3 is now proceeding at a healthy clip. I’ve been knocking out pencils for the last few weeks, and I’m approaching the halfway point of Chapter 8‘s linework. But you know what’s more fun than hearing me prattle on?

Pictures.

Here are some warm up sketches I did when getting into the latest scene, getting a feel for some poses, props, and cameo characters.

The preliminary blue-sketches for one of the panels on the page.

We asked Namah if she wanted to be in Volume 3 or not, and she had this to say.

This is probably smashed down in size here in our blog - we’ve got a larger version up in our DeviantArt, FurAffinity, and Inkbunny accounts.

Some of the background characters will be recurring in future scenes and even future books, so it was necessary to do a lineup of swatches. We’re considering having these characters acting the part of a community charity outreach staff. I think they look the part.

As you can tell by the panel above, there’s a lot of work involved in this book - though production is in full swing, it still isn’t going to be done soon. But ratcheting Prelude down to half-speed is really helping, I must admit I’m noticing a big difference in how much book work I’m able to fit into a week now. So keep an eye on our blog or twitter for the occasional sneak peek, and you’ll have a front row seat as we get ever closer to a release date.

15-Second Commercial!

First, the best news I could hope to share - Liz has recovered and is back home from the hospital! Thank you again to everyone for the support and goodwill we've received - words are inadequate to encapsulate my gratitude.

I asked the doctors to cast a charm on us warding off evil and guaranteeing eternal vitality, but it turns out that's not specifically covered in medical school. They couldn't even give us any health potions. So though adversity may not be eternally banished, we've generally got the hang of working around it and getting things done regardless.

And speaking of getting things done, slightly-less-but-still-exciting-and-skippy-good-news: Our 15-second commercial animation is finished!

For a brief blast of animation, click thus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SXkC4vyTao

It's a relief to have it completed. Especially in light of my old articles http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2009/04/article-6-action-road-to-new-market.html

exhorting the importance of effective marketing, I now feel less like a hypocritical loud-mouth. I'm just your every-day average loudmouth.

Admittedly this commercial took way longer to produce than I originally estimated... Partially due to 'Fun-Tyme With Life Events!' but also largely because I was too optimistic in calculating the workload.

I have to offer profuse thanks to the Association of Seven for their help on the production - without them, I'd still be coloring frame after frame, thinking to myself, "I wish I had a bunch of badass art ninjas to do my dirty work for me." But instead, I'm back to something that really puts a gleam in my eye -

- penciling Volume 3.

I just finished the second scene of Chapter 8, and with no more distracting commercials or commissions, we're rolling on the rest of the book non-stop until it's done. Though we had originally planned to open Pre-Orders this summer, we have decided to hold off until more of the book is completed - we’ll be sure to announce when that time approaches!

Not that it will be terribly soon - we've still got the rest of Ch. 8 to pencil, all of it to color & shade, and all of Chapter 9 to tackle, which is over 40 pages in and of itself. But production will at least proceed unfettered from here on out. Keep an eye on our twitter, we'll announce the next Sneak Peek of production progress there.

Meanwhile, it's time to plaster this commercial all over creation.