I worked late because I was so close to completing the next to last page that I just HAD to continue until page 74 was done. I didn't think I was going to complete this so quickly, considering it was another detailed page. There is only 1 more page to issue! Whoot! Of course, I also have to create the cover for issue 5 (since it appears as a sneak preview at the end of issue 4). But were are nearly there! After the last page is done, as well as the next cover, I have a little non-art work to due — such as proofreading, setting up the store, work on the HTML of the store website, etc.
OK, as I claw my way back to the living, I can announce that I just finished page 73, leaving just 2 pages to go to the end of issue 4. What was I clawing my way back from? A real, nasty flu and fever that knocked me out for a good 6 days. Ugh! And I even had gotten my flu shot at the beginning of the season! Good thing I did, too, or else it would have been even worse. I think today was the first time I felt like myself in a week (and still only at about 90% capacity). It felt good to be back in the saddle again, though five days of laying about and watching TV gave me some much needed rest — mentally and my arm/wrist which was getting fatigued from all the work I've been doing lately.
Hang in there! We are getting closer to the end!
Whew! Another heavily detailed page, I think page 72 may be in my top 5 best pages in all of the grOw series. This is a good thing, as I tried certain textures and lighting that I've haven't attempted yet. I also used a lot of the "Dan's" Photoshop brushes from Daz3d — dirt & grit, smoke, and slime — which I would definitely recommend to those needing these such effects. The preview for this page only shows a small bit of the amount of details/effects on this page — most of which are not shown, so as to not give too much away, since we are so close to the end of the issue. Only 3 more pages to go (and the cover of issue 5)! Chip, chip, chip!
Finally! A week since my last update, I was finally able to finish page 71. This page is very detailed — textures, smoke, shadows. Plus, I had to "build" a new set of backgrounds for this page in my 3D program, which took added time. "Real life" work also called upon me to finish an on-going project. The good thing, is with this project complete, I should have more time to now devote to this issue! :) Hang in there! We are 80% finished with only 4 pages to go (and the sneak preview of cover #5).
We have reached the 75% mark with the completion of page 70. Fifteen pages down, five more to go. The detail is very heavy on these pages, so progress has been a bit slower than usual. In addition, I had to create new 3D backgrounds for these pages that haven't appeared in the series as of yet. The same will happen on page 71, so hang in there.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was able to make great progress on page 69 after I finished page 68. This allowed me to complete page 69 today, even though it was full of detail and effects (as you can see). The next page or 2 will require setting up new backgrounds, which will take more time. Due to this (and some "RL" work that is bugging me), you won't see a third day in a row update, unfortunately. But as we slowly get closer to a release, there are only 6 more pages to go!
Just a little too much detail to have finished it by this past Friday, I was able to complete page 68 earlier today. This page contained lots of little bits and pieces of details, textures, and effects that it took extra time to work on. But, the results were worth it. The panel that this preview is from came out great! More detail like this will be on a few of the next couple of pages, so these may also take a bit of extra time. Good news is, as I am posting this, I've already made huge progress on the next page. 13 pages down, 7 to go — we are at about the two-third's mark!
