that kinda week :)
Heheh, man, this week is just like some kinda run away train. it just keeps going and i feel like i just gotta hang on. ^^;;;
I had to get the lawn mowed this morning, and i barely got it done before it rained, but at least it looks ok now. It really sprouted up while we were gone over the weekend, and of course all the people around us had managed to trim thier lawns nicely - ours was really looking like, uh, like crap.
Sarah got me Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell audiobook on CD, and yay, it’s quite good. I tend to listen to audiobooks while drawing sometimes, and this is a nice one to add to the collection. I alwauys wonder how much, if any, of what i am listening to gets into my drawings… i dunno, you’d be suprised what i was listening to sometimes for some of the things i’ve drawn for Megatokyo.
I really have to start doing some promotional stuff for the store. My low-key approach to not pushing merchandise is nice, but it’s not very smart. Ahh, if only there was a way to keep things afloat without having to ever pimp stuff. I hate pushing merchandise, and goods, and getting people to buy stuff. It’s ok when it just happens, but i hate… pimping. I really do. But i guess i’ll need to - there’s some interesting products in the works and i better start building up some interest in them.
Speaking of prmotions, i wanted to link this ebay auction that Vaz from Underpower is running right now. He was casting about looking for ideas for something to draw to put up for bid, so i tossed him some ideas. I like vaz’s style, and i’ve seen him do a lot of very deep, sensitive peices, and i i wanted to see him take my Memai sketch and do something with it. This is what he did - not bad at all. I figured someone reading this might find it worth getting.
and on that note, i have GOT to get to work on fridays comic. Once i get that done, i think most of my wild ride this week is over. I think. Actually… no, i still have a lot to do tomorrow ^^;;;;
the only good thing about this week and the run away nature of it it is that it hasn’t thrown me off yet. I just need to ride this through till tomorrow 
This weekend, i’m very much looking forward to sitting down and devouring a little something i got in the mail yesterday - Flight, volume 2. That’s something to look forward to. (i’d link the main site itself, but it seems to be down. You can try it, maybe it’s up.)
- pirotunes: Solid Doctor - Lights On The Vibe -
May 19th, 2005 at 1:08 pm
I can see what you mean with the “pimping” dilemma - i hate it myself too (especially the part where i need a job and need to start pimping myself), but it does need doing. Good luck with it. Once you’ve started, it’s not too hard - in my experience at least ^^;
..And don’t forget to get some rest, every now and then
You deserve some time off. By the way, SGD’s can be pretty fun too. I think.
While i should probably be telling this to Vaz, the drawing he did is very nice.
May 19th, 2005 at 1:22 pm
Thank you for the sketch of Nanasawa in my Megatokyo book at ACen. I really enjoyed your panel . It was very entertaining and very informative. I hope to see you there again next year.
May 19th, 2005 at 1:25 pm
I was looking at Flight in a comic book store i go on - how badly i wanted it.. but with no money to spend. =(
May 19th, 2005 at 2:37 pm
Been reading your stuff for a long while now but never really commented or anything, but… so yeah.
Pimp your store by all means. Erik’s right, unfortunately it needs to be done. I mean some people will think you’re doing it for money and some people will be grateful for you doing so; who doesn’t (when able) want to buy their favourite stuff?
I just recently purchashed your MegaTokyo Bag and I love it! I’ll send pictures if that’s cool with you. So yeah, keep it up. ^^
May 19th, 2005 at 5:56 pm
I’m waiting for my Megatokyo Bag to get it, hopfully it’ll be tomorrow. =D
May 19th, 2005 at 7:55 pm
Fred -
came across an anime called Mahou Shoujo Tai Alice.
its a quirky little magical girl “witch” show… they do a lot of experimental stuff with the animation, the soundscape and music is amazing.
The plot is a bit “pokemon thin” but might be worth a couple of episodes of looking.
Me, I’m stuck in Ichigo (damn those IRCers) 100%…. the first few episodes were a bit lame but ep 4 takes off with a character named Satsuki.
The closing tune is just about as high energy mindmelting catchy as Tsukuyomi’s OP by a group called Team Hinoi. another CD to buy…
MT: The Force tells me the tenor of the comic is about to change dramatically here… please minimize exposure to deadly peril so we get to see what happens
May 19th, 2005 at 7:59 pm
don’t you have a week like this every week?
anyways, good job staying ontop of the comics.
—
still can’t wait to see calendar in megagear. ^^
May 19th, 2005 at 8:22 pm
Man, Flight has one sweet looking cover.
Also, boo for books on tape!It’s been my experience that having someone read a book to you takes a lot of the magic out of it. I’ve always felt that experiencing a creative work should be done in the most unfiltered way possible — that is, the audience of a work should strive to attain and understand the creator’s “original intent”. It’s the school of reasoning that makes me oppose (for the most part) anime dubs, cultural adjustments for content, book-to-movies, book on tape, movie novelizations, etc.
Well, I suppose I’m a bit of a fuddy duddy that way, and there are always execeptions… … but it’s my personal opinion that conversion to another medium is often a diservice to the original work.
Just my opinion. Take it as you will. : )
That aside, good luck with the promotional stuff! : )
May 20th, 2005 at 2:22 am
Just love that picture by Vaz has put on eBay… have put bid in on it (don’t care what postage to UK would be for it). Would be an amazing piece to own.
Now if I can just find some time (and money) to travel to the US, go to a con, and queue for a couple of hours to get a sketch off you…
May 20th, 2005 at 5:07 am
Fred? Your main advertising base is reading this blog right now, duh.
My suggestion for getting the word out: make a Megagear banner for people to use on their websites/discussion forum signatures/wherever and let the word spread from there. It’ll also help if you regularly hold sales on specific goods — hell, even the occasional contest would be great — and make sure that’s advertised visibly someplace on both the comic and webstore sites.
May 20th, 2005 at 8:49 am
A competition such as 1 Entry into it with every order? The prize could be an item from the store or something personalised. I never got around to getting a Broken Miho poster so would instantly find something to but if I had the chance to win a signed one of those…
Also, you tend to mention other peoples sites when they release new products (e.g. Gameskins). I know a lot of us don’t like doing this but you could be cheeky and ask if they could return the favour and give your store a mention.
May 20th, 2005 at 7:50 pm
Seriously, the banner for websites idea sounds good… I mean, I’ve gone to other comics based off of a banner I saw on someone’s website and loved it (most notably, Squidi and Star Cross’d Destiny).
On another note, I don’t suppose I could beg you or someone else into at least getting a table in the Dealer’s Room for Nekocon this year? I know it’s a long drive, but you seem to have a decent sized fanbase down here, and I’d love a chance to buy some of your stuff IRL (I’ve had problems with internet shipping in the past, so I’m typically a bit reluctant to… and the Kimiko Blanket is crying out for me to buy it… along with half the store…)
May 21st, 2005 at 7:53 pm
hey Fred. sent you that pic I drew of Piro, did you get it yet? I had to join the MT forums to get your email…atleast…I hope that was your email…anyways, I sent it. P: don’t poke too much fun at me!