Der-shing Helmer posts
Posts: 410
Files: 811
CCS Talk slideshow
I did a talk for students at the Center for Cartoon Studies last week, and thought I'd share the slides with you! The talk was on long-term comic projects, and was about an hour long-- some of the stuff on the slides came with verbal explanation and isn't written down, so if anyone wants some clarification on any points in particular I'm happy to answer if you leave a comment~Also I just got my first COVID shot yesterday! woo. Working on comics today, if the next page isn't today...
Meek Short pg 2
"right in front of my salad?"I spent a lot of time on that middle panel (started it in early March), I like it.This page should have been up Friday, oops. I1) wanted to see if I could push my bg further than I did in the last page and 2) am learning that maybe my 8+ year old Cintiq Companion 1 is perhaps not able to handle the software I've been using in the way I'm currently using it, lol. Am trying to find a workaround for the lag, both for drawing and posting~Next page is cert...
Meek Short pg 1
First page of a Meek short prologue comic I'll be posting exclusively on Patreon for now, about two BIG siblings who do not care for each other. This comic takes place about a year before Chapter 1 begins. It'll probably about 10 pages, next page up Friday; the rest of the short will be for Patreon members only. Prob won't be putting this comic on the site, so have fun.New tutorials and such on the way soon as well... have been working hard at making New Content after my absence. ---...
Shingworks @ C2E2 (AA table T3)!
Here at C2E2 sellin’ books and not making direct skin contact! Come say hi if you’re around :]
Chapter 3 recap
Chapter 6 is begun, and comic updats are back in general. Thought I'd draw up a little recap to summarize the arc so far. There is... some actual overarching plot (just a teensy little war) in addition to the character introductions, so wanted to make sure that context didn't get lost in all the general assholery.
WIP for a thingy
Working on an illo for one of several Thingys I have due this month, this one is for an upcoming volume of the Almost Real zine. I'm trying to mimic a Zoobooks spread, had to drag my old issues from the 90's out of the closet to take a look, that stuff ages real well.I haven't digitally painted something that wasn't comics in... maybe 3 years? so I'm pretty rusty, but I'm happy with the vibe so far. No text or actual creature content as per contract stipulations, but I am...
Mare Internum End page 3
My favorite page :']Pretty self-explanatory, I suppose. A horrid bluethrip and the true hero of our story, LEVi, start a new generation of Martians... these a promising shade of green?LEVi was designed to be gold because (in my head, not really laid out in the story) the Processor used parts of LEVi's original body to build his new one, especially since the original LEVi was not as complex/ more intuitive to build than an organic creature like Kalla. So he gets a little bit of gold from ...
Mare Internum End page 2
Mike... lol. He's fine now. He went back to Earth and is effectively retired, he does some grueling outdoorsy stuff like long-distance hiking as much as possible, and gives talks here and there out of boredom. He has a failed therapy dog named Levi II who was too excitable to pass training, but in a way that is a good fit. He isn't in terribly strong contact with Bex, but will send her annoying insect memes to get on her nerves when he has nothing better to do, which is often.You might n...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg41+42+43+44+45!!
previous pages:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31807338first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880DONEWas trying to finish before the end of November despite holiday hosting/ shenanigans... just made it, haha. Sorry the art is so [terrrible], at this point I'm kinda just posting it for you guys since the end in my head the big problems have been resolved past the point of needing to draw it explicitly.This version of the comic is very VERY rough. The next part of the process, which will...
Patron-only auction ends tomorrow~
Just a reminder that this double-pin auction ends tomorrow! I'll be putting up listings for 2 more pins (as 2 separate auctions) right after this one finishes, but those will be open to whims and fancies of the public-at-large, so who knows what the bidding on those will look like.Thank you for the bids so far, and for helping me test out eBay as a now-and-then kind of selling venue.
Mare Internum End page 1
I decided to end the book with 3 "what's next" illos because I knew there would be some readers who would be mad not having certain things spelled out explicitly (like, if so-and-so lived or not, etc). At least online I can get yelled at and be coy and play games and whatever, lol, but books are More Serious and I don't actually want to piss off my readers too hard, so that's what these pages are for XD---Bex returns to Earth and as expected, is beset by physical issues. Unli...
Secret auction
Trying something new! In addition to a holiday store sale, I'm doing a small auction for Patrons only. I have a few pins of each design left over and have been trying to find a way to get rid of them fairly, since I don't need like, 8 extras of these boys. They are really limited items though, and it would be unfair of me to list them at the original price since the original KS backers took a chance on me to fund them, so I figured an auction would be better for that.This auction starts ...
Shingworks Patron-only holiday coupon~
Hello hello,Just a little Gumroad coupon for Patrons this year!>>> The Shingworks store <<<Everything EXCEPT Mare Internum preorder books and MI PDFs are now 20% off for yalls. This includes all tutorial packs, pins, tapes, BOOKS and whatever else I got up there.ADDITIONALLY: You get a minicomic with every book purchase :D If you buy 2 books you'll get 2 minis, etc. Not bad!Just enter "cactus-hell2020" in the discount code area at checkout and you're gold. LMK if you have any iss...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg37+38+39+40
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31972736previous pages:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31723076first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880oh boy, Der-shing is uploading 4 pages on a Sat night like a person who does thatThis is generally the part of the thumbnail process where I begin to panic because I have 5 pages left to wrap up the chapterSorry for potato quality, my iPad is terrible at taking pics at night and is also my only camera. If it's too blurry/ you're having is...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg35+36
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31807338previous pages:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31696403first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880deep down, soli is a stupid bitch, and nothing will ever change that---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can check some of em out here: Chapter 1: pt1 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30685730 and pt 2 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30686788 Chapt...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg33+34
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31723076previous pages:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31696405first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can check some of em out here: Chapter 1: pt1 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30685730 and pt 2 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30686788 Chapter 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tm-ch2-original-5081753 Chapter ...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg31+32
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31696403/previous pages:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31595269first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880Did this scene batch-style so next 2 pages going up in a sec~---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can check some of em out here: Chapter 1: pt1 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30685730 and pt 2 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30686788 Chapter 2: ...
A wild Discord has appeared
Hi guys,I've set up a Discord! It is mostly just for things that pertain to [waves vaguely at this place]. Comics, comics biz logistics, crabs, memes, whatever, please feel free to hang out: https://discord.gg/6Dt3zmqThere will also be a channel dedicated to concrit. Concrit is constructive criticism, which is super scary but can also be a great way to learn. If I'm around I will be happy to concrit your stuff. Personally I love being ripped a new asshole from time to time, it keeps you ...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg29+30
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31696405previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31569148first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880HMMMM nobody is... behaving...Thanks for reading~ Another 10 pgs next week, and only 15 pgs left til the end, let's see if I can actually squeeze my scenes into there without going over lol---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can check some o...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg27+28
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31595269previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31552362first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880TBH I hate Alamand as a character, but he has a valid concern :\This entire week will be 2x a day to make up for last week's lapse~ And probably next week cuz I like doing it 2x a bit better I think---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can che...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg25+26
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31569148/previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31522420first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880buncha jackassesIDK how these pages are coming across on your guy's end, but they have been IMMENSELY helpful for me. Sorry if they're a bit scribbly or shitty at times, it helps me very much to have this version look rough as it allows my brain to "correct" the pages and story internally in preparation for the final.This entire w...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg23+24
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31552362previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31500138first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880This entire week will be 2x a day to make up for last week's lapse, I think it makes for slightly easier reading as well.---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can check some of em out here: Chapter 1: pt1 https://www.patreon.com/posts/3068573...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg21+22
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31522420previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145239first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880Um, yikesAlso: sorry for skimping with updates last week! This entire week will be 2x a day to make up for it, I think it makes for slightly easier reading as well.Also coming soon: a Discord. Probably going up this week too, whee---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters po...
PlantFacts™ and free seeds if you want some~ (US only please)
Hi guys,I had a fun trip this weekend to Joshua Tree National Park. Let's learn a bit about Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia)... Joshua Trees are cool (a fact) they live in the deserts of the southwestern US they are not really trees, they are a tree-like form of Yucca. When you cut them down they do not have rings the way a real tree would. Instead, age is estimated by height of the tree, since in the wild they only grow about 1-1.5 inches per year their seed pods were once spread by giant gr...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg20
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31500138previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145238/first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880Looking a little intense there Soli :\20/45 pages down! Next scene is rude, I'm excited!---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can check some of em out here: Chapter 1: pt1 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30685730 and pt 2 https://www.patreon.c...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg19
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145239previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145236/first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880SALLYIn case you don't remember Sally:And for US Patrons: Happy Halloween!---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to Patreon, you can check some of em out here: Chapter 1: pt1 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30685730 and pt 2 https://www.patreon.com/posts/30686...
PDF making! for people who hate doing this
I really don't like putting PDFs together, I've got so much chaos and having to order it is a little deflating, haha. Anyways I'm just going to share some tips on how I make the process a little easier, just some shoptalk for ya~STEP 1: Procrastinatewait no don't do thisSTEP 2: What are you going to do with this PDFObviously you're gonna put it somewhere online, that's the point of PDFs. But right now you should ask if your PDF is going anywhere else. I personally don'...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg18
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145238previous page:https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145234first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880Will be drawing that 2nd panel better later but, those are latrines. IDK why but I'm obsessed/ horrified by the idea of putting your ass on a piece of wood and pooping in a hole. Just like... a piece of wood... ok bye---From 2007-2009 I drew about 320 pages of The Meek as thumbnail sketches. I have a few of the full sketch chapters posted to P...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg17
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145236previous page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31120321first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880...is u thoThis person in the pic (an embroidery, which I didn't render enough for it to be obvious), is the old king Amakessar, the father of the queen. There are a lot of smaller factions inside of the main Carissi religion, but a fair number of them are people like Amen who don't necessarily recognize the religious right of the Queen t...
TM Ch6: Thumbs pg16
next page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31145234previous page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/31046033first page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30584880"-Spartacus"(no)I'm so smart and did all my comic pages ahead of time so I can schedule them instead of posting day by day >:D GENIUS, truly genius (the act of using tools specifically made for this purpose)It may not be 100% obvious but I've been writing this chapter completely cold, based on a few ideas I felt like keeping from ...
