Working Day

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A 'Working' Day

Okay, I have to admit that I have been guilty of this in the past, but not anymore. At least not for the past several days. I feel that I have turned over a new leaf with my determination to get my work done rather than spend too much time on other things, this comic unfortunately being one of those things. Therefore, even though I have said it in the past, this might be the last comic for the next couple of weeks. I drew this particular one about four days ago, and as you can tell by the style, it is more of sketch than a finished product. I still like the comic from 7/29 better. It looks like, once I get more other work done first, I am going to do some new things with the comic process in my ever-continuing goal of experimentation. For example, I am going to sketch in the drawing first, write in the dialogue second, and then finalize the drawing third: just like one, two, three. Previously, I had been doing it: one, three, two. Another thing that I may want to try eventually is adding color by hand. I have a couple of ideas.

So until next time, I'll be seeing you. Of course, you could always leave a comment. I'll definitely be checking those even if there won't be a new comic for awhile.

Faux Paw

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Faux Paw

NOTE: If you are looking for FAUX PAW cat, McGruff's feline cartoon partner to safety on the Internet, then you need to go to http://www.ikeepsafe.org. Click this LINK to go directly to the site. We here at Angry Bear Comics fully support children's safety on the Internet. Remember: KEEP your information secret, DON'T MEET anyone from the Internet, TELL an adult if ever feel unsafe or unsure.

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Okay, this is the best one so far. I am improving each day. The lines are clean, the picture breaks away a bit from the usual four block format, and I also think the image is big enough to see. (I am worried about the different browsers though and how it might work for some and not for others.) For the time being, I think I am going to stick to drawing these comics all out by hand with a pencil, pen, and paper first, and then hammer out exactly how to tweak it in my (cheap) image editor. I think that the key is to touch up your image while it is still huge (20" by 20"), and then shrink it down to size when you're finally ready to post it (approx 6" by 6").

In this comic, we have a sense of what Zeb might do for a job, and we've also introduced a new (albeit minor) character, Tom. I'm still creating most of this by the seat of my pants, so maybe this will all work out, and maybe it won't; but so far, I have to say that I like it well enough. Searching the web, I've found some links to some interesting comic sites, especially a couple of "how-tos". It's funny to note how easy these other people make it seem. Anyhow, if you're are so inclined, leave a comment.

Cable Catastrophe

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Cable Catastrophe

Okay, well, I'm not sure what I did wrong with this one, but I think that one of the things that I really need to work on is how to make the writing legible. This is a tricky process, but most troubling is how the comic appears to be smaller than the others. I might have drawn it too small. Oh well, as I said, this is an experiment. You can click on the image for a larger version, and then click on the box in the lower right corner if you see for an even larger size. That should help.

Essentially, Zeb is frustrated to discover that his cable is not working, which I have to say is something that I am experiencing right now. Despite the cable company having sent a couple of guys out here several times during the last month already, our connection to the Internet has been hit or miss. Not a life or death tragedy, I admit, but something which has been frustrating. We'll see if the cable guys can fix it by the end of the week.

Flowers and Snacks

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Flowers and Snacks

Okay, this is the last comic for awhile, but I had an inspiration and thought that I would try to draw one on the computer. Well, how do you like it? Do you like the color and the design better than the others? Let me know in the comments if you have a moment. I have to say that this new color process has its advantages and disadvantages, just like the process I used for the first two comics. My favorite part of this one, comic number three, is how the frames are different sizes but the picture has some continuity. I am also pleased with how Zeb turned out. I think that I am beginning to get a hold on drawing him. Dana the dog is a bit harder; she's still rather nebulous when I start to draw her, and thus she is harder to capture like I want. I plan to introduce new characters in the future, but like I said, for the time being I am going to stop for awhile.

Shopping

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Dana Wants to Shop

One of things that I really hate to do is shop for things, but I know shopping is one of those absolutely necessary things that you've just got to do in life. After all, it is important to eat and that is hard to do without buying something first. Part of the issue is that I am a terrible shopper. I don't always look for the bargains, I don't remember the prices of what things "should cost," and I am beyond terrible at adding prices up in my head or doing any math, which completely rules out trying to figure if the discount for the can of peas I'm staring at is really worth it.

However, all of this is in direct contrast to my partner. She absolutely loves shopping and wants my input, which I have to admit is pretty worthless. It even makes her feel better just knowing that we have food in the house that we could eat if we wanted to. Therefore, while I could inhale half of the groceries when we get home from the store, I am really trying hard not to eat the things she wants to hang onto for awhile. But, I really admire her shopping capabilities, and I am learning from her. As everyone but me seemed to know, fifteen bucks on junk food won't go as far as the same amount of money on fruits and vegetables.

(By the way, this is Dana's first appearance in the comic. I am still working out the various characters, and I am also trying to figure out the best way to write, draw, and publish these things. So, the experiment continues! If you have any comments about this, just drop a note in the comment box. I'll be sure to try and respond.)

Telemarketers

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Zeb and the Telemarketers

Actually, I've come close to doing this myself (i.e. openly growling at these people), but I suppose it is my fault for not signing up on the "do not call" registry when I had the chance. I know there is no excuse to be rude to strangers on the telephone, but sheesh, these telemarketers can be pretty relentless Almost every third day I get a call from someone who wants to know if I want to refinance my mortgage, switch my telephone provider, or have my forehead tatooed with a rather large ad for their company. Of course, all it takes is for me to tell them that I live in an apartment, I ate my telephone, or that I'm from the planet Vulcan, and they usually hang up on me. The weirdest telemarketer call I ever got was from a woman who tried to flirt with me for a couple of minutes before telling me she was with such-and-such a company, and did I need to have my windshields repaired for my car. It wasn't odd that they were trying to sell me something, this was just my first experience with their open deception. Like Zeb would say: Grr!

Welcome

Welcome to my new project. Soon, I hope to establish a semi-weekly comic here on the web for your (okay, more likely my own) enjoyment. I hope you'll enjoy the exploits of Zeb, a bear who is less angry and more than grumpy. So why not call it "grumpy bear comics" then, you ask? Well, because Angry Bear sounds much, much cooler! By the way, all rights are hereby reserved forever in perpetuity. Heh, I always wanted to use that in a sentence, "perpetuity." So, with this "Grrr," considered yourself welcomed. We shall see where this takes us.