its 2am, and once again, i’m not going to have a comic done tonight. I am so fsking frustrated by this. i was doing so well earlier, i had half the drawings done in plenty of time, then i had one fucking frame, ONE FRAME, that took 2 and a half hours. And after all that work, it really doesn’t look that good. subsequent frames dont look that good either. I still have one frame to do! I have good days, and i have bad days, thats fine, but days where you are in a groove then suddenly fall out of it and go skidding across the gravel on your face just… sucks.
I can’t for the life of me figure out how I can go from doing really well for several hours, then for no reason whatsoever things stop working. I dont know if it’s subconscious, a sad reality of my total lack of professionalism and any real training… i don’t know. Even with everything else i did today, this comic should have been on time, but its not. There is no goddamn excuse, and i dont make any, it’s just not done and readers aren’t the only ones disappointed.
pardon my rant, but im tired, and i’m upset. This happens a lot, really. i always feel this way when i dont have a comic done by 1am, and you know how many comics i’ve finished by 1am in the past few months. Not many. Kinda sad that almost every comic i do is accompanied by some level of upsetment and stress because of my own incompetence. Maybe its better if people don’t know that. Might explain why im so sensitive to criticism. ^^;;
(i shoudn’t post this, but i will. blogs should be what they are. For the MT site i filter out this kind of stuff, because its been made very clear to me that people do not wanna hear it anymore. Lotta people dont want to hear what i’m really like, just some kinda filtered nirvana version that doesn’t make them want to smack me. The realities of what a person is can be less impressive than the reality, as we all know. No one reads this site so i should be fairly safe to post it here.)
Dude, Fred, it’s cool if you don’t have the comic up. Some might snap at you for it, but the true readers will know that you can have your off days, and comics will be missed. Get some sleep, man!
Your deadlune is just a goal, and if you miss it, it’s OK. Any postponement is worth the quality of the story and the comics you always turn out. Who’s checking it at one anyway, other than insomniacs and college students on break? I just wanted to say, don’t push yourself too hard, and GOOD JOB!
I
*hugs* chin up Fred, it’ll get better…Ignore the lamers that just don’t get it, and remember those of us that are here cheering you on…=)
Sometimes its just good to have someone to rant to — no solutions to be offered back. Guys in particular have a hard time not throwing solutions at unpleasantness rather than just listening.
Ramping along at light speed and then getting stuck on that last bit is probably one of the more frustrating devils of the creative process. In the big picture, (hard to see this late at night)… you’ve got your management down MUCH better than say… last year at this time. Making *art* on a schedule is nearly oxymoronic. You’re trying to do something different from what I see. Each expression or frame is custom built for the moment rather than ground out from templates or cutnpaste. The needs of the assembly line will always conflict with the needs of the art.
Have some good sleep.
Let me make this clear: You need to blow off some steam and I’ll be happy to listen We all have piss off moments.You’re not the only one at these wee hours of the night staring a picture and wondering how in the living hell it took so long.I do the same thing every night: After work and school, I draw and draw till 2 am in the morning. It may not be a good habit, but art is something that can’t be mass produced - for people like us Fred we spend the time to work on these ‘labors of love’, in a sense we also impart a part of ourselves into each work we do. Heh now I’m ranting. Deadlines are deadlines and they give us a framework to follow, but many times I’ve discovered that deadlines aren’t met to often and it leads to stress and anger. It’s a good thing you haven’t heard my 2 or 3 a.m. swear-a-thons when I can’t try a persons eyes correctly.
However, get the sleep and it’ll help out. Rest is one of the best remedies for anger and stress, and do me a big favor and understand that what we do for work or enjoyment always involves some pain and sacrifice, there will always be moments of dire problems and almost heavenly gratitude.
P.S. If I sound like an ass, let me know. Sometimes I go off the deep end.
These so called “professionals” that can operate consistantly and reliably at all times is not what you want, because when you become like that you loose something else.
OI!! *shakes finger at Fred scoldingly* None of this crap about ‘I am teh suck’ within my hearing, y’understand? For once and for all –
– YOU. DO. NOT. SUCK. Anyone who disagrees with me can argue with the business end of the broken shinai sitting in my bedroom corner.
Now that that’s been said, anyone who bitches about not getting a new strip to read as they please have never had to do such work for a living. Producing quality work to schedule, self-imposed deadline or not, is REALLY FRICKEN HARD, especially when it’s what’s putting food on your table and suddenly the creative wellspring dries up. A writer/artist can either crank out loads of junk at a rapid pace, or produce a few carefully-crafted pieces at a less rushed one. You, Fred, prefer not to make junk fit only for lining the litter box: your perfectionist tendencies would never allow you to. I, for one, am glad you take such pride and care in your work, and I don’t read crap.
‘Not professional’, he says. What’s involved in being professional? Well, lemme see: a large readership base? Megatokyo is international — check. Having printed, bound and distributed material? Volume 3 is due out sometime within the next few weeks — check. Custom merchandise? Megagear store — check. A booth at a large convention? I’m pretty sure SDCC counts as ‘large’, just to name one — check. Having formal training? *snort* Care to ask how many industry artists are self-taught? (I’ll give you one: Yoshitaka Amano, who had only *one year* of training, and that AFTER Tatsunoko Productions hired him. He was 16 then and quite self-taught.) I guarantee every last one of them was influenced by somebody else’s stuff. Besides, it doesn’t matter how many classes you take: a good eye and individual style can’t be taught, and having an arts degree doesn’t mean one can draw/paint/sketch/whatever to schedule consistently without ever burning out. Therefore, ‘having formal training’ becomes ‘having distinctive work’; Megatokyo may have Japanese accents, but it’s quite unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else — check. Not having bad days? Pht. Every artist is still human, and *everyone’s* had an unproductive session where the empty canvas/page/screen mocks them. Any so-called ‘professional’ who claims they’ve never suffered from artistic frustration is a phracking liar talking out their arse. What’s more, you keep in touch personally with your readers, which promotes a good relationship with them and makes them feel appreciated because you truly care what they think. To top it off, you’re your own boss; you’ll never be out of a job (unless you do something ridiculous to your hands again, that is).
Looks pretty professional to me.
So THERE. *thbbbptptptptptptpttttttt*
ah you suck y cant you do anything on time
just teasing…. i like your lack of timeliness and deadlines it makes you real, and not some stuffy jerk, your comics better for it…
oh and i almost prefer this site to the MT site… just so you know… your rants are heard, sometimes id like to beat you with a shoe but in general im sympathetic…
I fully agree with Nishiko, I view you as a proffessional no matter what you say!
I don’t think that anyone who reads these blog bits here is ever dissapointed with any of your work, I know I’m not…
I think I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; you are a big inspiration to me, and you are, infact, my favourite artist/mangaka out of all that I have seen!
So stop beating yourself up over stuff that is beond your control!
And any one who complains about your work clearly don’t apreciate what you do!
Dont worry bout it so much Piro…deadlines get missed…no biggy…besides the true fans dont care if a strip is a few hours late or not
Fred, don’t sweat it!!
We love you and what you do! Besides, do you have *ANY* idea how many extra site clicks you get when you’re delayed!? Imagine the numbers to show your sponsors!
*hugs*
sheesh, fred! although just about everything to be said has been said by your 13 other commenters, i have to say that you are doing amazingly well with what you do, seriously. you can’t bite your own head off if you miss a deadline…where have you ever seen someone finish something or do something or whatever on time ALL THE TIME? really, besides that, it’s really awesome that you get miffed about it–in the sense that it shows how much you want your work to meet your own standards and that you care about it’s quality, not in the sense that i (or anyone else here, for that matter) enjoys seeing you pissed off. ^^ cheer up! you’ve always done a stellar job, and no one can complain about your “whining” or whatever…you deserve to do that. i’d like to see anyone who really gets ticked off at your not having the next strip up at one o’clock in the morning do as well a job as you.
Why beat yourself for being human? I think as an artist, you should are aware of how imperfect we are, no matter how we strive to be…
We, the readers, should just be glad that you work so hard so we have a cool and awesome comic to read. Keep up the good work and don’t let the naysayers get to you!
Don’t worry about it! I’ve experienced the gravel scenario sometimes when I’m writing. The best thing to do is to step away from it and get some rest if possible. If some don’t understand that then they’re not living in reality-the opinions of psychotic people don’t count! Keep doin what you’re doin…we love ya for it! Your skillz are amazing, even more so because you’ve had no formal training. Give yourself props and ignore those who are too much of an ass not to.
Oh yeah, express yourself all you want…the asses who don’t like it don’t have to read this site. It’s all cool here!
Kiss Kiss
You go, Fred!
Don’t be afraid to express yourself here. Like the others said, this is what this blog is for.
I have never gotten why people get upset for not posting on time. They need patience and to be grateful that you’re still doing this after so long.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the only thing more predictable than Fred beating up on himself is the fan response to it. ^_^
Don’t beat yourself up too badly. There might be a few readers who would be dissappionted, but I think most of us are patient enough to wait. Besides, we understand that MT takes quite a bit of work. Heck, I couldn’t get everything done on time if I was trying to do a comic like this ^_^
And it’s a good idea to post stuff like this here. That way it’s not just sitting on your chest. *nodnod* You’re doing great ^_^
Gambatte!
(I just purchased book 1, by the way, and it’s awsome. I love all the comments and your scrap-book. Good stuff. ^_^)
*I ditto everyone above me…*
I don’t understand. You can scribble in 5 seconds something I cannot hope to duplicate no matter how many times I try (as I saw at the con in Atlanta earlier this fall). I understand that a perfectionist is not pleased with anything less than what they imagine as ideal…but I’m worried that you’re going to get so frustrated over your perceived ’shortcomings’ that you’re going to stop doing this. I’m willing to bet the worst of the stuff you draw is still miles beyond what I can achieve (despite how much I wish I had that ability). I’d say don’t worry so much, but I know it’ll have no effect.
Don’t burn yourself out. Please! You’ve done a wonderful job so far.
*snerk* It occurs to me that I might have given yon Fred the wrong impression — he writes ‘it should be safe for me to post this here’, only to have me blow up all over his blog. XD
Keep posting whatever you want, Fred. Just bear in mind I might cheerfully disagree with you from time to time.
As for the new strip: I like it, of course. I half-expected Piro to get a nosebleed at whatever mental image he was having.
You need a REAL vacation. No MT at all. People push you too hard,
I stumbled on this by accident. I found this page through an ‘Image’ google for your name, because I saw a pic of a pretty nerdy guy (it wasn’t you!) on the MegaTokyo site and thought ‘that can’t be him’. It’s not.
Here’s the point of my post. I’m am a complete noob when it comes to Manga. I know less than nothing. No wait, I’ve *seen* Dragonball Z comics around… somewhere…
Oh back to my post. Like you, I’m very tired. It’s 12:24PM, January 1st 2005. I did nothing productive last night except paint the finishing touches on some D&D minis (an assassin that looks quite nice with his little shuriken belt thingy).
Ok, the point of my post right now —-> Whatever incompetence you think you may have, get some sleep, then when you wake up, explain this to me: Why would a guy like me (29 years old, zero interest in manga, despite living in Japan) read through no less than 288 pages of your comic online with no breaks except to get tea in the biting cold of his apartment? That is some amazing incompetence. Give me somma that incompetence!
Fred, maybe you need some time off, you just finished book 3. Maybe just sit around and do nothing for a few days, snuggle with some manga or anime. Or maybe just spend time with Sarah. You might get ideas from this or maybe not. Just give your mind and hands some time off. So what if you missed your deadline, so what. It’s your story you give out the shots. And also it might take you two, three days who knows make it five days to make another comic, as long as it is good and also good in your mind.
hey, fred, don’t beat yourself up. somedays it just doesn’t work. i may just be a musician (not an artist. couldn’t draw to save my life), and 13 years old, but even i know anything that needs talent to perform has its bad days. so cheer up, take some time off, and gape in wonder how they keep all 3000-odd lightbulbs lit at once (new year’s, if you didn’t realize.)
ps. “lack of professionalism” you say. may i need to remind you dan brown says it takes years to write one novel?
Piro. I don’t care if you’re whiney. I understand if you post a comic late. It’s hard work, and nothing is ever garaunteed. Your true fans will recognize all the hard work you’ve done for us, and appreciate it. Heck, even be glad for you if you decide to take a break. You deserve it. You don’t let us down when you miss a deadline. As for the jerks who bitch at you… they don’t matter. I for one enjoy seeing the real you. Not the false, watered-down nirvana.
Forgive my cluttered rant… just writing things at random. If you like, have a stiff drink when you feel that you’re drawing bad - booze makes everything look good. Just make sure that Sara’s there to prevent you from posting anything stupid.
Good luck, Piro-san, in everything you do… shorah t’shem… happy new year and all that jazz.
Just think of optimistic crap. Either that or fragging those jerks like the n00bs they truly are.
Hey Piro, Well I love your comic I could care less if its a week late. Well don’t beat youself up too much take care and don’t let the lame people who put you down get to you. Your great at what you do.
would’nt worry about a little lateness if i were you. you keep a up a hectic schedule as far as i can tell. take a breather and relax already, mt will still be there and so will all your readers, they seem a loyal and trustworthy lot.
Deep breath……. You need some rest, give yourself a break, and a little green tea….. Good luck and keep up the great work..
Happy New Year!!!!
P.S keep ranting, your real fans do care.
Maybe you and Sarah should take a weeks break. And i dont just mean from drawing. Once all the end of year crap is over, just stay indoors for a week.
Warn everyone first, so that its not just like, where-tf is fred and sarah?
When i hit a slump when im playing guitar or drawing, i take a break for a short while, then come back stronger. but you’re a pro. you know this.
Don’t worry man, if people start buggin you about not updating, fsk em. you’re true fans, the ones that matter, wont mind. we’d rather you come back stronger then stay in a slump where you’re not happy. if you’re not happy doing the comic, you wont get much better if you keep trying to push it out. all that will happen is after a while you’ll crack and say screw this then we wont have MT or Fred anymore.
Dont worry about the comic not being up, the true fans will be with you. screw the others that start complaining, they’re just there to try and annoy you.
(my rant over)
Also wanted to say, dont fret about not being professionally trained. You cannot be trained to be an artist. Art is something personal and is your own style. All you do with an art degree is copy other peoples work and blend it together to make something that tries to be original. Just keep doing what you love, thats what being an artist is all about
Damn. I’m not a webcomic artist or anything . . . But I do know how you feel. And yes, it freakin’ sucks. I’m an artist and a writer, and for the past couple months, I’ve really been in a rut. I’m slowly crawling out of it and it’s an overwhelming relief. But I still get that frustration. I try and try. My drawings don’t come out right and I feel a paragraph should be more detailed or something. But I can’t get it to work and sometimes it just makes me flat out cry. Not many really reads my stuff or takes a look at my art (which is depressing, but true), so there really isn’t pressure there. Though there is myself, and I think we all know that you can be your own worst enemy.
You have this huge webcomic and there are a lot of fans. But it truly IS okay to take some time. Quality is *always* much better than quantity. Those who keep bitchin’ about your whining and deadlines all need to burn in Hell. If they’re doing that in the first place. They truly don’t appreciate the meaning of art and a good story. And they’ve never been artists themselves.
I love Megatokyo and everything else attached with it. I myself would rather read a full, raw rant. Knowing more about the artist is better than what it seems those other bastards are asking for. I would rather see good, clean cut comics whenever they may be up. Whether it be on time or even a week’s delay. I want to see that ***AND*** a content creator. Because then I know the comic was done at its full potential. And THAT is true art. ^^
So take as much time as you need. Use a holiday when necissary. Don’t listen to those jerks. And have fun at what you’re doing, okay? That’s why you decided to take this all full time right? It was because it was something you love. Remember, there are people who just want to see you successful and happy at what you’re doing.
(First time poster so please forgive the awkwardness =^.^=’)
In my personal opinion you’ve been doing great with the deadlines. I can just about go to the MT site and enjoy myself to some good old authentic comics. I think people would understand if you missed one or two deadlines. You manage to keep up with the Megagear site, put up the almost daily MT comics, and work on the “hard copy” mangas of MT. Thats practically more than a lot of people I know can handle. So cheer up bub. Its not like the sky is falling.
Good luck on the designing the new MT site and with future deadlines. Just don’t overdo it.
Hey. I accidentally stumbled onto your site about a month ago, and i’m all caught up. I noticed a few links for MegoTokyo (like the story and characters and whatever) dont work because you never had time. But such is a webcomic artists life. Those who don’t understand that things cant be rushed do not deserve to be listened to. You don’t need to set deadlines or anything. Take a week off. Do whatever you need. I’ve seen a few webcomics burn out after a while because the creator started making deadlines and getting caught up in it. Sleep is essential, and if you’re up at 2, frustrated and doing something like drawing, you won’t rest well. I think you need to give yourself more time- maybe give us 2 in the time 3 would usually come out. You can’t push youself too hard or you’ll burn out. I really like MegaTokyo (even though its a tad confusing) and Largo is insanely cool, I dont mind one iota if it takes a bit longer to see the comics for better quality and a non-pissed author.