A General Production Update – June 2021

FALL 2020 NEWS

• NOT FAST ENOUGH! In October I realized that while I had been improving my drawing speed, the process I was using wasn’t fast or consistent enough. So, I tested new methods and finally chose a slightly altered process and enlarged the scale of my paper (and by necessity some drawing tools) so that I could draw an entire book page on one large sheet.
• HALF DRAWINGS DONE! I kept drawing all fall and by years end I finished drawing half the book.

SPRING 2021 NEWS

• WARPING! The early drawings began warping. I was terrified I’d loose them. (This has to do with the process I use.) I researched and spoke with a paper archivist, learned how to de-warp the earlier drawings and prevent further warping. In addition, I have begun experimenting with drawing on thicker paper.
• PRO SCANNING UPGRADE! I was a scanning dunce, but only realized it in retrospect.  After a year and a half of scanning drawings and trying to color correct in photoshop to no avail, I realized I’d have to upgrade my technology to get consistent color, true blacks and whites.  During my research I was relieved to discover that a small investment in pro scanning software would do the trick.  A friend, colleague, and animator gave me a wonderful tutorial in the software he uses and I rescanned the first half of the book over a month. Scanning drawings is an art form of its own.
• WEBSITE DOWN! The RADIFY website was taken down for a month due to Malware. Ugg.  I had to spend a few weeks cleaning the site, updating themes, and with the help of a web developer get everything online again. It’s back up now.
• MOCKUPS! MOCKUPS! MOCKUPS! Before I draw each page, I create the entire page (sans text) in Photoshop, making an intricate collage of photos. This takes more time than the actual drawings.  I spent two months doing this on the computer until body aches and burn out forced me to take a break.
• Now I’m back to drawing.