Clipart Has Come A LONG Way

 So, in an effort to storyboard my ideas for the comic I'm working on, I thought it would be a good idea to not only write the story but break it out into cells and actually see what it would look like as a comic as I go. Best to start as you mean to continue, right? (so I mostly got the quote right... see below for the actual quote.)

With that in mind, I started to think about how to approach this comic and was brutally honest with myself about some things that I might not want to admit to myself on a regular basis.

1. I am not likely to draw this comic twice, so when I put pen to paper (be it real paper or digital paper), it needs to be the version I plan to keep.
2. I am not likely to finish the comic if I write the storyline while also drawing it at the same time. I know I'll get frustrated with my drawing skills and knowing the story isn't done, will likely just give up on the whole endeavor. 
3. I like drawing, but hate drawing people and am not good at quick drawings or sketches. I get a bit too caught up in the details, so I am going to have to adapt a new style and give myself more leniency than normal to actually give this comic a chance.
4. I am really bad about finishing my stories (and keeping up with blog posts... as this blog clearly reflects), so I need to set myself up for success the best way I can.
5. None of these are guarantees I will finish this comic or really start on it in earnest, but they will hopefully give me the best foot forward as possible.

So, after that sobering truth session with myself, what did I decide to do? Give up? Not yet, haha. No, I decided to do a mix of drawing it out while also writing the story to completion. No, I am not actually drawing anything at this point, BUT I am using clipart to capture my thoughts and some of the general positions/attitudes/points across that I'm visualizing in my mind. And boy, clipart has improved a lot since the 90s when I was a kid trying to make reports with the most pathetic offering of images imaginable. Today I've go OPTIONS! And even if the image I find doesn't perfectly match the scene I'm imagining, it's close and I can add in some extras to hit on all the main points to help me out later when I come back to do my own sketches by hand. 

I think at this point I've sketched out most of the first episode, and the clipart I've found so far is gold! It clearly paints the story and is funny to look at. If I wasn't afraid of copyright issues and the like, I might just make the comic out of clipart. But while I think it would be really funny and fun, it sort of misses the boat in me making my own drawings for a comic I'm designing. But I will make sure to keep these clipart sketches for years to come. They're just too good.

Here's a glimpse just to show you what I'm talking about. 

Can you tell she's getting ready for a date and waiting for her man to show up? But said man is just vegging out at home making no effort? Didn't clipart do a good job visualizing that? I think so. And if it's not the perfect summation, I've always got the ability to add in descriptions and dialogue. The options are endless!

It's on that random note that I'll close out this post. Well, with that and the working title for the new comic. Hope you like it and are looking forward to the fun ahead!