There’s been a change in the APNF camp over the past few weeks. Some have noticed and commented that the webcomic seems “punchier” and “more vibrant” than before. The episodes seem to leap off the screen and I’m especially in love with the new Outkast-inspired header. I attribute the positive shift to one thing: my new Wacom Bamboo Connect tablet.
Since the beginning, I’ve used analog tools like Bristol paper, drawing pencils and Manga pens to create the sketches/inkwork that I eventually scan to my computer for digital coloring and lettering. I delved into webcomic forums and watched YouTube clips about the benefits of using a Wacom tablet to ink my drawings, but I wasn’t convinced.
The thought of learning something new (and potentially sucking at it) wasn’t worth the trade-off of doing it my way and KNOWING it will come out satisfactory.
Unfortunately, “my way” took a long time. While I could sketch up an APNF episode in a matter of minutes with my pencil, it would take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to complete a single episode – which is not a good workflow when you’ve committed yourself to two (2) episodes a week and you’re already time starved.
I spent a weekend with the Wacom tablet – trying out new techniques, adjusting to the texture of the pad, setting up custom brushes in Photoshop and readjusting my hand-eye coordination. After hours of self-lead instruction, I inked and colored my first APNF episode with a Wacom tablet in about 45 minutes. This was big.
Cutting my production time by 70-80% means more episodes being created efficiently without taking a huge chunk out of my life. This discovery also means digitally re-mastering approximately 60% of my upcoming print book, PUG PLEASE! – which has been in intermittent production for almost a year. Thanks to this equipment upgrade, I can better prep for the APNF animated web-series being developed by Todd Kelley and myself.
In other words, it’s about to be on.
Until next time.
Fender comes from the Fender Rhodes electric piano, which is a dominant instrument in soul music compositions dating back to the late 60s. I own a 
