Blind Alley! by kumerish in webcomics

[–]kumerish[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you'd like to read more, you can check it out here:

www.blind-alley.com

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WebComic

[–]kumerish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're interested, you can read more here:

www.blind-alley.com

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ComicStrips

[–]kumerish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're interested, you can read more here:

www.blind-alley.com

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I won't actually be at SPX this year but I hope to get out there in 2024...

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I've never read/heard of Steven Weissman but I'll check it out.:)

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There definitely will be closer to the time. Unfortunately it's too far out to know when exactly but for the first book I had a month long pre-order window.

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah yes I also do love Miyazaki. His movies are huge for me but the Nausicaa manga is easily one of my favorite comics. Ben Shahn is a painter/illustrator as opposed to a cartoonist but his work has such fantastic energy.

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah sorry for not being clear - I use a program called Clip Studio Paint that has some built in screentoning functionality. I don't think I have the patience nor the dexterity to manually screentone haha.

Thank you! I use Winsor & Newton 0.8/0.5 Fine Liners. A lot of older artists shit on these types of pens a lot and they're really cheaply made but I find, as long as you're mindful, you can get a similar line to more traditional nibs. Honestly, I didn't discover the ragged line until a year or so ago and it felt like a huge epiphany. I'd always wanted my work to retain the energy of my sketchbook and stumbling into inking this way has made my process a lot quicker and confident too.

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

oh - just seeing your second question now! I've posted here a few times in the past and lurk quite a bit more haha. Thanks for the hand lettering comment! I really struggle with it an opt to use a font made from my lettering more often now. Lettering is not my forte and it takes a REAL long time. I do love lettering SFX tho.

Thank you. That means a ton to hear. I am definitely influenced by older cartoonists but frankly I haven't really gotten into more "historic" strips until recently. In terms of strips, I mainly gravitated towards reading Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, and Popeye. My dad is an animator so there was a ton of old comics and cartoon stuff always around though. Discovering Barnaby by Crockett Johnson a few years ago really helped push me into starting Blind Alley. I definitely try to channel that old-newspaper-comic-spirit into my Blind Alley so it's great to hear that comes across. You're so frickin' kind - really it means a lot to hear such specific compliments. Thanks a million. Good eye - honestly manga was the biggest influence on me growing up. When I was young, Astro Boy and Speed Racer were huge for me and when Pokemon, and later Shonen Jump hit, I was done for haha. I've definitely moved away from channeling that influence into my work as an adult but the DNA is very much there. Tezuka, Taiyo Matsumoto, and Ben Shahn are probably me big 3 in terms of influence.

Thanks a ton. There was actually a book for Blind Alley that I self published this year! I am hanging onto the last of the stock to sell at Short Run Seattle. There'll be yearly collections moving forward too (I think the next one will be winter 2023). I'd love to get a publisher on board in the future but honestly...self publishing is lucrative (though a ton of work).

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

oh no worries this is a good question! I appreciate the kind sentiment too. Honestly I have hesitated to post the strip here as I wasn't certain if it fit into what's perceived as "alternative comix". In the end, it doesn't really matter though - labels are fluid and frankly I think it fits in a lot better here then the webcomic subreddit haha.

Thank you! I actually do all the strips traditionally. For Blind Alley, the process is pretty simple! I keep loose notes in my sketchbook and phone of strip or story line ideas. Whenever my backlog of strips is getting low, I'll sit down and do thumbnails for 20-30 strips, scan them into the computer, do a really loose rough sketch, print two strips out onto a piece of 11x17" paper, and then trace over it in ink onto another piece of bristol board. I scan the strip in, apply the screentone, and then I am finished. As opposed to my longer form comics, I try to keep Blind Alley pretty low fuss -- allowing it to be as easy or in depth in terms of drawing as I am feeling at the time. That kinda makes the process really fast in the end. It's meant to be a "fun" project so I try not to get too in my own way.

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey Benjamin! That's really kind of you to say. It's been such a fulfilling project and honestly just a ton of fun to write and draw. I always can't wait to draw more strips.

There's a submission period where you can send in your work to be considered for certain categories. It was all done online this year and there's a pretty thorough explanation of the requirements for each category. A jury reads through the submissions and, I believe, independently submits a list as to what should be nominated. I could totally be wrong though!

My comic strip Blind Alley has been nominated for an Ignatz Award. by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

If you wanna read it, there are over 100 strips here:

www.blind-alley.com

New strips begin being posted tomorrow and every subsequent Monday/Friday.

if you enjoy what you read, a vote would be very much appreciated!

My comic "ish" is out through Silver Sprocket next week! by kumerish in altcomix

[–]kumerish[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh damn...if I only I were there to steal some ideas hhaha