I want to make comics.

In my last blog post, I mentioned that to get closer to finishing my first art piece, I had to cut back on some content I had planned. One of the defining things I wanted to do for The Classroom (now known as the Brampton Scary School) was create a comic.

This would have greatly contributed to the narrative of the environment. I would be able to explain more what the school was about, who the characters were, and how does everything progress and weld together.

But while doing that, it reminded me that it wasn't a recent idea. Making comics for me is something I've actually done a lot in the past. Since I was kid, I use to draw on paper a series of different panels with characters doing something. Whether it was some fight scene or a made up game.

But I actually considered making it a serious thing. Around Middle School, I did start to begin drawing more and eventually, I created my own cartoon universe. I called it "Donkeywagon", after a toy I got in a Kinder Surprise chocolate egg that contained a donkey pulling a wagon.

This cartoon didn't get far though when I somehow stopped pursuing it. But I was still interested in the nature of comics. I collected and searched for storyboards of cartoons I'd like to watch.

Even into High School, I still kept a strong love for the storyboard art. I would say my whole decision to pursue Environment Art comes from my years of drawing environments in all the storyboards I could come up with.

But on a more relevant note, I'm not giving up trying to get in games. That's not what I'm here for. But as something I would pursue on a sidelines, I want to reestablish my fictional universes I have been writing over the years, and even use them to get adapted into games.

There's a beauty I see in being able to do this. Creating a comic usually means having strong artistic control and say over the material. All the stories, characters, ideas can be sourced straight from the person writing them. It would be hard for someone else to tamper with it or steer clear from the vision that is planted.

But if I do comics, it wouldn't actually be like Marvel or DC comics kind of thing. I would actually like to have it be a webcomic. The content wouldn't be restricted to physical print, so anyone with internet connection could read it for free. It would also take place episodically. Super Effective by VGcatz is something close to how I vision it. Not the actual Pokemon story but like "I'll show you this character and you can read how the story unfolds in every new web post".

Taking my own advice.

Building my first environment has come with many challenges. By this, I don't mean the actual 3D modeling phase but rather, the whole idea behind it all.

Ever since revamping my entire portfolio, I've begun treating my environments as more than just "art pieces to get a job". I see something much bigger than that. I want everything that I make to be extremely memorable. Something that could actually be treated like a real video game, with all its development entails.

For example, while coming up with The Classroom, I began writing a short story for it. I wanted to explain everything about the setting and why I chose it. To better get this point across, I also started drawing some simple concept art. Eventually, I became so overwhelmed with ideas that it wasn't just a classroom anymore. No, it had to be an entire school!

So you are wondering "what does this all mean? What are you saying?". I've realized something about myself, and how it relates to my work. When I'm given a project, I want to turn it on its head. Nothing is "too simple" to me. I will and can try to make something much more bigger and interesting.

This type of interactive story telling has been both a pro and a con to me. The con is, I kinda take longer to get something done. Because I always aim for having a good first impression, it means I wont show something off till I think it's ready. Now, the pro means I'm giving myself more time to make my work better. I'm inspired to go research, or practice, or refine a subject.

As of today, my portfolio is still bare bones. I'm aware of this. I don't consider this as laziness, because I really am working hard right now. I personally want to fill my portfolio up with good work.

But as I stated in the above, I'm sort of moving at my own pace. It's not a matter of laziness but time. I put in a lot of time into everything I do just building my first environment.

However, I also realize I can't spend forever on certain assets or concepts. It's why I'm writing this blog post. With The Classroom, I had a lot more ambitious stuff planned. But I'm now cutting them until I can at least have some environments up. It's a shame, because I really think the stuff I cut would go a long way to leaving an impression on people.

But just like in the game industry, there are real restrictions that come with development when you are short on time. In a way, I'm teaching myself to get use that.