New pages are up this week after last week’s break on account of NDK. This week’s pages are once again just pencilled because I lost time to ink last week. Good news is that next pages will be inked and toned, and the pencilled pages will be replaced with the finished ones. I’ve been debating whether it made sense to put the half finished work up or not. But because you guys have just been so gosh darn patient with all the delays, it felt unfair to delay it anymore. The pencilled pages also give you guys a chance to see how I work and see what things look like before I do all my voodoo inking and digital magic. So I hope none of you have minded!
Hey everyone! After six months of almost no activity, Sorcerer’s Apprentice is back! Thanks to my patrons from Patreon I was able to get the money to restock my paper and found a place in the US that sells it for a reasonable price. So the series is continuing where we left off in chapter 14. I’ve missed working on the series and am glad to be back. If you want to help too, and get access to some cool stuff, become a patron for Bwillett Comics.
Also, next week is Nan Desu Kan and once again I’ll be doing the artist alley. I’ll have lots of cool products including Sorcerer’s Apprentice v.1 and 2. Volume 3 isn’t ready yet, but please come by and say hi anyway.
Bwillett Comics is finally on Patreon. I’ve been talking about it the past few weeks and now the campaign is live. In case you are wondering, Patreon is like a long-term Kickstarter account. Instead of supporting a single project (like just one book getting printed) you are supporting the project runner and *all* my projects. Just like Kickstarter, there is a reward tier for donating, where the more you support, the cooler stuff you get. But don’t freak out if you are broke, because my reward tiers start out at just a dollar a month. By donating, you make sure that Bwillett Comics continues and that I don’t have to worry about anything like lack of supplies (which is why Sorcerer’s Apprentice isn’t updating), or lack of internet service. You can cancel your subscriptions at any time, and change the amount you want to donate, but by donating ANYTHING, it means all my fans benefit.
I mentioned a little while ago why Sorcerer’s Apprentice has gone on on a much longer hiatus than I originally planned. And many of you know I finally have internet again. So you’re probably wondering why Sorcerer’s Apprentice isn’t bad while Midnight Menagerie is. This is large due to the fact that unlike Midnight Menagerie, about 70% of Sorcerer’s Apprentice is done traditionally. Each page is drawn on, inked by hand and then scanned into computer where only the text and tones are added with software. I did this in order to get a certain look to the pages and it’s something I’ll continue to do.
Unfortunately, to do those pages requires a few things. One is paper. Right before the hiatus I ran out. I only have a few sheets left, and as it stands I won’t even be able to finish the chapter. I get the paper special from Japan (I’m not pretentious, it actually just works out cheaper than buying American sold bristol board and cutting it to size) and I haven’t been able to contact my friend in Tokyo (Billy Garraghan, also the translator for Renard’s wonderful French tirades) to send me a few packs so I can get started up again. Another monkey in the machinery is that my work tables are currently blocked off which means I can’t ink. Also, a few things have come up that have eaten most of my time leaving me only able to work on the weekends. The rest of the time has been dealing with life stuff that cannot be avoided or put off. I’m not canceling the series, but even when I do get the paper I’m not sure I’ll be able to update again for a while. This means book three will be pushed back at least a year (I had hoped to have it available for NDK this year, that’s not gonna happen) and the hiatus is going to last the next three months at least. So my faithful fans, keep checking back and I’ll give you the latest news as it happens.
In the meantime, however, I will be contacting various bookstores and comic book places to start carrying Sorcerer’s Apprentice v.1. So even if there won’t be anything new for a while, there will at least be easier ways to get physical books.
As many of you have noticed, Sorcerer’s Apprentice hasn’t been updating and there haven’t been any news announcements as to why. I apologize for the lack of information. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have not had access to internet in over two months. I’m afraid I can’t get into specifics as to why, but I want everyone to know this hiatus was unplanned and that Sorcerer’s Apprentice isn’t canceled, at least for now.
So will Sorcerer’s Apprentice be updating again any time soon? Unfortunately, I have no idea. Without getting into specifics, what’s been going on with my life can pretty easily be summed up as a giant, overwhelming nightmare. Not only have I not been able to get to the internet, I have not been able to work on Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Unfortunately, this update is an exception and not a rule, and I have no idea if and when I will have access to internet again, and I cannot say at this time when Sorcerer’s Apprentice will be coming back. In addition to the junk that is now threatening to consume and dismantle what was my life, I have also run out materials to work on new pages, and money with which to purchase new materials. All I ask is that you don’t forget about the series and keep me in your well wishes, because with everything that’s going on, I need as much positive power as I can get. God bless.