My friend helped me to realize how much time I was wasting by coloring by hand, especially with no real benefit.  Subsequent strips are going to be a la bucket, I’ll just have to force the issue re: having enclosed spaces.  Another problem I’ll be avoiding is the wear of the nibs, as shown above.  While it would be nice to be able to defend myself if someone attacked me whilst drawing, I’d rather not have to keep replacing the nibs.

The good news is the shadowing process went much faster and easier than I thought it would go.  I created a new layer and checked the “make clipping mask based on previous layer” box which made it easier to stay in the lines (or at least not worry about it).  I also made the layer have the “darken” property which meant my brush would only make a mark if it would make the spot darker.

So the first strip is all colored.  I just need to add a few effects (which I practiced) and then the text/bubbles.  I think the rest will go pretty fast, and they better, considering I only have this weekend.  The strip’s going up on the 4th, though, no matter what.

Tonight’s work was brought to me by The Hunger Games, which was good (for the second time).  That’s what I get for stopping by Best Buy on the way home.