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Welcome! 03/05/2016
Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change. If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away. I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!
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Showing results for tags 'mags'.
Found 14 results
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2020 Fan Art Contest Winner: Ken Bailey (Plus runners up and one non-entry piece!)
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com For the second non-consecutive time, the winner is Ken Bailey! It was a tough competition this year, with pieces from lots of talented webcomic artists (whose work you should totally check out!). Many thanks to all our contestants: Ken Bailey, Anna Frohling, Michael VanSlyke, Ave Messer, Corey Kramer, Shaney, and David Fleming! Also, a special shout-out to MaroonDrops, who sent in fan art based on Enticia's backstory for my birthday, knowing full well that it wouldn't be a valid entry for the contest (since she won in this category last year, and the rules say you can't win in the same category two years in a row). Next week: the winner of the Generated Fan Art category! -
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Enticia connects her previous backstories. If you're not sure what's going on in panels 2, 3, and 4, you may want to reread the "Even a Rose Has Its Thorns" storyline for a refresher on Enticia's origin story, which also explains how Mick brought her family vacation to a jarring halt. It only occurred to me now that I gave both Lana and Violet (Rose's mom) a similar, uneven striped pattern on their clothes. This was totally unintentional; I'd forgotten about having created this top for Violet years ago. Maybe they both like the same designer (Rose?). Don't forget, folks, I've got my birthday fan art contest going on! Full rules are on the Heroes of C.R.A.S.H. website, but in short, you need to make fan art or a game avatar based on one of my characters before my birthday, and you get free art from me! Sweet!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Hmmm... Where have we seen that design before...? I wanted to address that Mags is plus-sized, but not make her into a fat joke or a stereotype. I do know that the fashion industry tends to ignore larger body types, and good-looking clothes are hard to come by in larger sizes. But if anyone could find them, it's Rose. I put that dialogue in the first panel to make it clear that Rose is aware of her own body size privileges, and took her friend's needs into consideration when choosing a store to try. That final panel was a LOT of fun to draw. I used to draw hands a lot back in high school art class, and I've honestly forgotten how much fun they can be to draw. It was also fun "reverse engineering" Enticia's Heartbreaker emblem into a bunch of other designs! I think that my favorite design out of all the rejects is the heart with the lightning-bolt-shaped crack. Or is that too "Harry Potter"?
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Mags gets a turn to try on clothes... no lederhosen this time. Either Rose is having a harder time finding a good outfit for Mags, or she has more fun messing with her than she does with Lana...! Either makes sense; for some reason, groups of friends like teasing the most gullible member of the group (I know this from experience...!). This is the first I've drawn Mags' full body. I found it a bit tricky; full bodies are always more difficult than torsos for me. I also did a lot of tweaks to make sure that she looked plus-size rather than pregnant, most notably giving her a muffin top and thick legs. Her "cute" look was originally going to look more ballerina-like, but I thought putting a kitty on her shirt would be even more nauseatingly cutesy, and the outfit evolved from there. It looks a bit like a frilly apron crossed with a toddler's overalls. Mags' hair clip was originally going to be a skull bow as a nod to Elmyra from Tiny Toons, but I already gave her a bow in the previous panel that seemed fitting, so I just made it a hair clip. I made her fishnets easily; I used a "parallel lines" brush diagonally. My Texan girlfriend might've inspired Mags' cowgirl look a little. Mags was originally going to wear flannel and long jeans, but I didn't want it to look too similar to her lumberjack look in the next panel, so I gave her a denim shirt and ripped her jeans. The lumberjack costume was initially inspired by Monty Python's lumberjack sketch, but I wound up taking a little inspiration from Gravity Falls' Wendy Corduroy, particularly with the shirt being green and worn sloppily. I used the "parallel lines" brush again for the flannel. I've seen treasure map corsets for women's pirate costumes, but I gave Mags a map on her skirt to be less risque (Making sure I didn't put the X anywhere inappropriate). I gave Mags the map skirt and striped headband for another reason; I wanted to make it clear that she was a pirate and not wearing a stereotypical Romany (better known by the less PC term, "g*psy") outfit. Like I said, I wanted to avoid any cultural insensitivity. The final panel with Enticia and Shadowy Sentinel was originally going to be at the end of Lana's montage, but as I was formulating the scripts for these two strips, I thought it made more sense to put it at the end of the second montage.
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Fashion's more fun with sight gags. Lana's less inhibited than Mags (not that that's a high bar to set), so it's no surprise she's willing to go first. She's even willing to look a little silly in an outfit or two. But will that help Mags feel more comfortable? Despite my mom having worked in the fashion industry, I've never been a fan of fashion, myself. I don't see why there needs to be a set of rules for what does and doesn't "look good". I wanna wear my Hawaiian shirts and Ninja Turtle tees more often, dangit! Unsurprisingly, this meant I needed a little outside help to figure out some good outfits for Lana to wear. I googled fashion for her body type, which helped me figure out the three nice outfits in the montage, but I also borrowed elements from outfits I've seen before. Lana's white dress is partly inspired by one of the dresses Tiana wears in The Princess and the Frog, specifically from the "Almost There" dream sequence and Facilier's illusion. In the swimwear panel, her wrap's pattern is inspired by the outfit worn by Lilo from Lilo and Stitch, while the hat may be subconsciously taken from Jessie from Between Failures (See my webcomic links) and/or Connie from the original Steven Universe opening. Her ugly dress was just me trying to do the opposite of her nice dress - there's lots of frills, lines, and colors to contrast with the simplicity of the dress in the previous panel. Lana's snow outfit was given a pink hue and poofball on top, because I wanted it to look like the kind of outfit you put on a five-year-old that makes them incapable of moving in the snow, and NOT like an insensitive caricature of Inuit people. I've used costumes (like sombreros and fruit hats) in much, MUCH earlier strips that would give me pause today, and I certainly don't want to mock a minority's culture in the form of a costume for the sake of a gag. That being said, I'm pretty sure lederhosen is fair game. I believe that I have some German ancestry and I KNOW I'm half-Jewish, so if anyone gets to make fun of German culture, it's me. Of course, fans of the strip would remember that the outfit in the next-to-last panel is that of Battle-Axe Beatrix, the rude, axe-wielding teacher at C.R.A.S.H. I had initially considered other characters' outfits for this gag, but Beatrix's outfit was DESIGNED to look ugly.
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Embarrassment is one of Mags' default emotions. I knew the girls would need their measurements taken, but thought that might be too risque to draw. Luckily, that lead me to the line of thinking that resulted in this gag. Most of the stores in the background are made up, like Shear Joy Salon and HAAAAAAAAAAATS! Two obscured names are actual businesses I knew that used to exist, but closed up or moved away years ago (But that I won't mention just in case there's some copyright law or something). I know that I'm announcing today's comic later than usual; I posted the update last night and put it on Twitter, but due to some computer updates I waited until this morning to post elsewhere on social media, and wound up sleeping in late (for a change).
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Comic 1/11/20 - She's Always Wanted to Shout "Onward!"
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Even Rose can be a dork and want to be a little dramatic. Not much to say about this strip, except that the story comics are finally back! I'm sure you're happy to get back to canonical comics, but I hope you enjoyed the fillers during the holidays. It honestly felt good taking a little break from the story; it's been taking turns that even I haven't expected when I first outlined it. It's a bit exhausting, but it's fun to see how these characters unfold and progress naturally. I've made a small website update; the Storyline Archive page has been updated with a link to the current story's comics. I'm surprised I didn't put that in earlier. Whoops! -
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com The last story comic of 2019 ends the year on what I consider a high note: a terrible pun. This trio is (for now) very tightly-knit, but that doesn't mean that they don't groan at or mess with each other now and then. I hope it comes across in the second panel, as Lana and Mags tilt their heads and look away, that they're speaking in that choral, sing-song manner that students do when a teacher is cuing them to say something. I've been seeing these new characters - especially Mags - getting some love in the comments, which I'm glad to hear. :-) I'd planned a lot of Enticia's backstory years ago, but Mags and Lana were created only in the last few months, and I was afraid they'd seem shoehorned in. But it looks like I've pulled them off, and I'm really grateful for the feedback!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com There are some names that only special people get to call you - usually family members and childhood friends. Lana, of course, is in that second category. I was originally going to have Lana make a slightly more suggestive joke about Rose and Mags having certain "attributes" that Lana was lacking. My rule of thumb is that my comic is never more explicit than a 90s TGIF show, and I'm sure that Step By Step has been more adult and less subtle than that joke, but it still didn't sit quite right with me. I'm glad I pushed myself to figure out some clever wordplay, instead. Still, the remnants of that joke remain in Lana's passing reference to "filling out a top" - which, despite being less subtle, also seems less crass when it's part of the setup instead of the punchline.
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Comic 11/16/19 - Mags’ Mental Health > Everyone’s Dental Health
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
TheHeroesOfCRASH.com There are friends who would do anything to help you, and then there are friends who would fight anyone who wronged you. As much as I love big action-y scenes, they can be a pain in the butt to draw, and take a long while. I managed to complete this week’s strip in less time than expected, and it was a lot of fun drawing Mags’ expressive poses. Sometimes, a shrug or a wince is more fun to draw than a punch or a kick, specifically when it means I get to show off a character’s personality. I’m not a fan of body shaming; even in this comic, if someone shames someone else about their body, it’s usually framed as them being a jerk. I even framed Cannon’s comments on two villains’ weight as inappropriate WAY back in Comic #98. By the way, if you’re enjoying my comic, please share it around or leave me a friendly comment. I’d really appreciate either! -
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com "Stop this rhyming now, I mean it!" (If you finished that Princess Bride quote in your head, you deserve a peanut.) Enticia – or, at this point in history, Rose – seems to be a natural at modeling. She must take after her mom. Also, if rhyming turns into a “thing” Mags does, Belt Boy may have some competition for corniest C.R.A.S.H. character! Rose’s dress miiiiiiiiiiiight have been subconsciously influenced by Pauline from the Mario games, as I’ve been playing Mario Kart Tour quite a bit as of late. I discovered a fun trick to quickly draw her shadow on the wall; since I color the background and characters on different layers, I colored the background and got a Rose-shaped “hole” in the color. I filled it in black on a separate layer, then dragged it to the left. Voila; a perfect shadow! What's better than waking up on Saturday morning to see a new comic featuring your favorite Heroes of C.R.A.S.H. characters? How about waking up on Saturday morning to see TWO new comics featuring your favorite Heroes of C.R.A.S.H. characters? It seems that Nite Stick, a fellow hero from The Collective of Heroes, is on a dimension-hopping adventure, and today he's visiting the world of C.R.A.S.H.! Check out my guest comic in this crazy crossover event; visit my Links page or click on the Collective of Heroes banner for a link to the Nite Stick website! Oh, that reminds me; I've added both Nite Stick and The Adventures of Ms. Rocket to my Links as of today! If you like my comic, give them a read, as they both take inspiration from classic superhero comics and other media. And if you like them, perhaps you'll give the other Collective of Heroes comics a try...!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Enticia may not be using a "burning bridges" metaphor in the typical sense... If you're familiar with Enticia's backstory so far, then you probably know what fire she's talking about. How it impacted her friendships remains to be seen, of course. I do pride myself on making The Heroes of C.R.A.S.H. a funny comic, inspired by Saturday morning cartoons of my childhood. That being said, I'll occasionally take inspiration from newer cartoons, like the Teen Titans cartoon from the early 2000's or the Steven Universe (and upcoming Steven Universe Future) cartoons of today, and throw in a little drama. Today's strip highlights the fact that this current storyline is more somber than usual. But don't worry; just as gray clouds eventually roll away to make way for the sun, there will always be more than enough laughter in my strip to balance out the sadness (Heck, that first text box still contains a little mini-joke with that "Three Musketeers" bit). I will be honest; this week's simple-looking comic was inspired by the fact that I wanted to get it done early this week so I'd have more time to do other non-comic (and non-fun) work, as well as to relax and enjoy Halloween night with some movies. Sometimes, restrictions can inspire ingenuity, and I REALLY like how this strip turned out, visually. Even if you don't read the text, the visuals give you an idea of what is to come. Oh! Almost forgot one fun factoid on last week's Halloween filler: Outside of Titanium Maiden's two outfits, everyone else's costumes show someone who has been animated by someone from Studio Trigger, a well-known anime studio. Former Studio Trigger animator Takafumi Hori has been a guest animator on Steven Universe and OK K.O., while Studio Trigger animated the opening to the latest Shantae game and created the series Little Witch Academia. Cool, right?
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TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Given that her mom's a model, is it any wonder Enticia's into fashion? My initial concept behind these friends involved Mags designing the outfits and Enticia (or Rose, since this was before she became a superhero) just being a model like her mom, but I changed my mind. I think I like having all three girls being creative types working together. I also was going to make the Apple-parodying laptop have a pear as a logo, but Nickelodeon called dibs on that already, so we have a Melon computer. Works better in the flashback color scheme anyway.
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TheHeroesOfCRASH.com For someone so shy, Mags doesn't do anything halfway. I suspect that I'm channeling some aspects of myself in high school for Mags here - specifically my social awkwardness and my being easily embarrassed. Now that I'm an adult, I'm still socially awkward and easily embarrassed, but I'm better at hiding it. I wasn't going to draw the people in the background of the first two panels initially, but it makes more sense for a cafeteria to be crowded. It also make sense for everyone to laugh (or clap) mercilessly whenever someone drops or spills something. While I want to get better with anatomy and backgrounds, I like how these silhouettes add to the scene without taking too much attention away from the characters I want the reader to focus on.