Thus we reach the end 🙂
Part 14: What I learned…and The Future
It has been said that true wisdom comes from the realisation that you really know nothing. I suppose after all of this, the main lesson I have learned, is that I have an awful lot more to learn.
I had entered my course with Nao and MSN with a misguided sense that I was already well on my way to may goals, but I soon learned that there was a lot I still needed to understand in order to reach them. Being a true cartoonist involved something a little more than a desire to tell a story, and being a manga-artist has a lot more going on under the surface than just starry-eyed magical girls and bomb-basic mecha battles.
In the 15 odd years that I have practiced this style of cartooning, all that I had previously learned was that if I studied a style, and copied it, I could make a ‘manga-style’ comic. But it wasn’t really manga, not is it should be at very least.
Nao has taught me many things in my course with her. I had already learned from her before, and no doubt I will learn more from her in the future. But my main lesson has been learned, and I now know that to go forward and to reach the levels of manga abilities I dream of, I must be ready to begin again.
…and so the Future?
I’m sure you have been all itching for a return to the normal-continuity Bata Neart, with the Ashling, Aine and Aoife you all already know so well. I have been too, and I am pleased to tell you that Chapter 6 is on it’s way. But there is a small difference; I will be applying all of the new things I learned in the course into it.
The biggest difference that you will notice is that all chapters will follow a uniform 20-page format. What that means for you the reader (if I can manage it), is that you will get 2 whole Bata Neart chapters per year. This is important in keeping the story moving and preventing the likes of Chapter 5 from taking a whole year (or more) to complete.
But that’s not all. Back Office is about to finish it’s ‘Office Party’ story thread. When it returns for its next story, Back Office will reformat from its strip format, to long-form pages (like Bata Neart). I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and my training with manga paper has settled my mind for me. Back Office didn’t really make sense as a strip comic once I started into long-form stories, and the format has very often given me layout problems. Back Office will also follow the 20-page story format. More details to come when that relaunch is due.
Until then, I would like to push my luck once more, and advise of a break in this comic. This time, it’s a planned break.
Bata Neart is due to return on Friday 1 January 2016
A new year, a new method, and for the first time in over 5 years…a new chapter of Bata Neart. This isn’t a redraw folks, it brand spanking new. I would yet again like to thank you for joining me on this little experiment, and for your unending patience with me & my nonsense. Thank you.
The first page of the upcoming Chapter 6, now under development
The future is now unknown, mostly unwritten, and exciting as hell & I’m looking forward to it. Much like Aoife suggested back in chapter 5; Let’s run to tomorrow!
Oooo OOO! A bit of a PS.
One of the things I have been working on during the break has finally come out. Using the skills I learned in this course I collaborated with Nao and a group of international cartoonists to make a book.
You might recognize my drawing style in one or two of the characters on the back cover 😀 (Can you guess which?)
I produced an 8-page mini-manga for the book as well as helping out with the English proof-read of the entire book. In addition, Nao has used this as a 20th anniversary special to celebrate the release of the Wedding Peach anime (thus the Wedding Peach styling on the front cover). So the book might become a bit of a collectible for Wedding Peach fans.
Stocks are limited, but click on the image above it’s possible to order a copy directly from Nao herself! While stocks are available she also throws in an original piece of artwork as a ‘thank you’ gift.
I’ll also be getting a limited stock of the too, if you are interested in getting a copy from me.
Bravo, Rawr. I enjoyed the Alter-verse “Bata-Neart”. 😀
Also looking forward to Chapter 6 of “Bata Neart” Prime.
@Azreal: Thank you 😀
I am looking forward to sort of getting the old story of Bata Neart moving again. Ever since the web-comic relaunch of Bata Neart, the comic has had one massive re-draw pause button floating over it, which was extended this year by all manner of things.
Now that is gone and I’m genuinely excited to be bringing this manga to new uncharted waters.
Hmmmmm… Rawr, are you *sure* you aren’t trying to ship Aine and Ashling in this continuity? LOL I totally didn’t notice that the first time I read Hello Tomorrow, but now that I’m looking…. 😉
Awwww, we have to wait until January? (pout) Well, if I have to wait, at least it’s for something that I know will be worth it.. ^_^
@Kessy: I’m pretty sure I’m not shipping them. Ashling is fairly straight, much to Aoife’s frustration (although little things like that won’t discourage her efforts)
Sorry about the delay. To help tide you over, here’s a photo of what I’ve been doing this week.
Can you guess what is going on there? 😀
And Ashling gets the free shot. 😛
Ah, I see, Rawr, it must just be your irredeemably ecchi subconscious coming through. I’m totally teasing you. 😉
Personally, I’ve always been skeptical of the existence of perfect zero’s or six’s. But that’s just me – there are a lot of people who feel strongly otherwise.
Hmmm, a bedsheet escape rope hanging out a window – I wonder who’s work that could possibly be? LOL I love Ashling’s expression – I think it pretty much says it all. “What have you gotten us into this time, Aoife?”
@Kessy: I never really considered myself having an Ecchi side in my subconscious. Although that might all be down to a certain little brunette maniac who has been squatting in there for the past few years with her friends 🙂 (I really aught to charge rent)
Do you not remember Aoife’s exit from the dorms in the beginning of the last chapter? That’s the same bed-sheet rope that she used 😀 (Thus, this is her window…still open)
Glad you enjoyed Ashling’s expression. When you see the final page, I’ll hope you enjoy it more.
Ooo…just a another update I wanted to share. I’m updating Fiona’s design:
This is what I’m planning to use to give her a more distinctive look. What do you folks think? 🙂
All I’m getting is a little “X”, Rawr.
My bad! That Google+ link must have been faulty (G+ has been a bit off this week).
I’ve replaced it with a Facebook source. Hope you can see it now.
Well, the sketch is still a bit rough – I’m not sure what the thing on her forehead is. Some sort of hair braid or maybe a headband? Either way, that and the flair you gave her hair below eye level definitely give her a much less average look. My initial impression is it has a sort of close to nature sort of feel, depending on how you fill it out maybe a bit hippie-ish or even a Tolkein-esque elf kind of look. Maybe even a bit druid like. (Although I’m not entirely sure that means the same thing in the US as in Ireland.)
I get the impression that Fiona has been developing a lot as a character in your head since the last time we saw her.
I think they are something akin to Katara’s hair loopies.
@Kessy: Fiona now has 2 hair-braids coming out of her forehead and joining behind her head (where I’ll probably draw a bow or something similar. This will be interchangeable, much like Aoife’s bandeux). The design itself come forward when I was doing a hair-study with Nao, which featured a braid like this. As soon as I saw the results I knew that this would be Fiona’s upgraded look.
Fiona was a bit of a problem design-wise up until now. The only thing separating her from my Ashling draw model was her slightly curled hair, which really wasn’t enough. Similar changes will happen to other minor cast members, but Fiona was more critical to fix since she’s fairly key to a lot of the plot.
I find your take on her redesign a bit intersting. I never really considered if Fiona was close to nature,but the Tolken Elf reference kind of fits in with her nicely. She is supposed to be wise and very ‘zen’ most of the time, much like most Elves you’d encounter in Middle Earth. By ‘druid’ I’m going to guess you mean a sort of ‘new-age pagan’ practitioner. This can be considered a meaning for that word in Ireland too. Fiona would likely show interest in such things, but probably mostly academically.
Fiona (much like everyone else in this bizarre little universe I dreampt up) has been in constant development since I created her character. One of the maddening things about being a part-time webcartoonist is the fact I already know the entire story, but I can’t draw fast enough to show you what has been playing in my mind for years. Fiona is a fully fleshed out character now after many years of drawing her, and hopefully as I slowly improve my drawing, more of that character comes through. I guess what I’m trying to say is: she’s a finished character, but as times passes my abilities get me closer to showing you what she is like in my head (if that makes any sense).
@Azreal: Pretty much exactly the same idea and same hair structure. (Except Fiona’s hair is supposed to be blonde)
Also kind of like Relina Peacecraft from Gundam Wing. (Although I don’t like comparing Fiona to her; that character regularly pissed me off 😀 ).
Actually, I meant druid as in a cultural image or archetype, something along the lines of this:
http://beniaminobradi.deviantart.com/art/Druidess-393813534
An image search for druidess or druid priestess should give you a good idea of what I mean. I honestly have no idea if that archetype has anything at all to do with historical druids.
I think the word you’re looking for is neo-pagan; new age is something different. (Although it’s not uncommon for the two to overlap.) And for the most part neo-pagans look pretty much like everyone else. Druids are a subset of neo-pagans, although since we tend to be a pretty eclectic lot it’s hard to draw sharp distinctions between different flavors of pagan.
I definitely like the look, and it’s a big improvement over her old look. She and the Smoking Girl and the third one really had a feel of “Ashling and Aoife’s generic friends” before. I think that will really help fix that.
I know exactly how you feel about your drawing not being able to keep up with the story in your head. The first page of my doujin that I really fleshed out and visualized – and that made me decide to actually start drawing – will be the very last page of the story. Eventually. I *will* get there. LOL
mmmmm a new one to add to the horde I have going meheheheheheeheheheheheheheehehehehe
Oooo horde building are we?
Glad to help build it up 😀