Some freelancers stick to a steady schedule. They start their morning with a cup of coffee and then get on to their emails for an hour, then they get started on a project, lunch (maybe), back to the project, and wrap up at a predetermined hour only to begin again the next day. Other freelancers like to start their day with a coffee, then check their emails, then update their social network, then tend to their blog, then realize they've been procrastinating long enough and finally get on to the days projects and eventually they may stop for dinner. Still others start the day with tea.
My routine isn't much different than anyone else's. I like to start my day with a coffee while I check emails to make sure that there are no pressing projects that have come in overnight (it happens more often than you'd think), then I get another coffee and head down to the studio to start working on a project. If there are no client projects then I work on personal projects until lunch when I take a short break and check emails again. Then back to work until I need to pick up my kids from school. It seems like a pretty easy day and sometimes it is, but other days get really hectic.
My client work has always taken priority and that's one of the reasons my clients keep sending me work. They appreciate the quick turnaround I can provide without all the distractions of a busy office. Without them I couldn't afford the time for personal projects, but when there are down times in my cycle (which also happens more often than I'd like) I get the option to decide between going out and getting new clients or working on pet projects. Lately, getting new clients has been taking priority, much to the chagrin of my good friend and graphic novel writer, Wayne Arthurson, who really wants to see the project move forward. To that end I've been allocating a few hours each day to getting that done.
Rather than bore you with a breakdown of just the third panel I've decided to post the progress on page two to highlight the third and fourth panel. In the previous post you could see our main character getting dressed in the pencil stages, but since this is a full color graphic novel it's about time I got that part done. So here it is in all its glory.
I managed to borrow a friends Wacom Intuous II Tablet and I've been playing a little bit with that as well as my usual mouse style. I'm not sure if the tablet will make things move quicker or not but it's worth a try. There are certain attributes that the mouse has that the stylus just doesn't seem to get, but the stylus has a more natural flow while drawing. So far I'm finding that anything technical, with a lot of straight edges and precise curves, is easier to draw with the mouse . . . while anything with a more flowing freestyle look can be accomplished with the stylus and tablet. Some of the shading in the fourth panel was created with the stylus and it seems to work well but I'll keep updating how I feel about that as the project progresses.