CHARACTER MEME

What follows is a fun exercise I found in http://cot.keverynn.net/ The idea is to write the names of your characters before you answer the questions and then fill the questionnaire based on who your characters are.

My apologies if you have seen this before. It is not mine, I just thought is would be fun.

CHARACTER MEME

Choose twelve of your original characters, in no particular order. Then, answer the questions that follow, but don’t look at the questions before you pick the characters!
1. Erik
2. Javier
3. John
4. Mabel
5. Jennifer
6. New Guy
7. Charlie
8. Dr. Gray
9. Mario
10. Anita
11. Big Chris
12. Aileen (Mario’s sister)

1) Who would make a better college professor, 6 or 11?
Hands down, since Big Chris is just a High School Student, New Guy should be the answer. Of course, if the subject matter requires any physical activity, the answer would have to be questioned.

2) Do you think 2 is hot? How hot?
No, I don’t. Most definitely not. Javier is a young boy and I do not have the capacity to determine that. I’ve heard from some of my female readers (wow, that sounds like I have a lot) that he is “cute” but I have never heard the word “hot” regarding him.

3) 12 sends 6 on a mission. What is it, and does it succeed?
Aileen sending New Guy on a mission? I will have to really stretch my imagination to come up with something like that. If it doesn’t require common sense and street smarts, I guess it could succeed, but honestly I don’t know how Aileen could come up with such a mission idea or why she would need help with such an easy mission.

4) What is or would be 9’s favorite book?
Unless you count sports magazines and some other questionable literature, Mario doesn’t read. He waits for the movie to come out. The last book he read and by default his favorite was Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in The Hat.

5) Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 5, or vice versa?
Javier and Jennifer? Come on! Jennifer would never swear fealty to Javier, so I guess I’ll have to go with Javier searing fealty to Jennifer. It would be interesting to see if Javier hold true to his oath, though.

6) For whatever reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should 5 share a studio apartment with 9 or with 10?
This one is interesting. Since 9 and 10 are going out, perhaps it would not make much of a idference who Jennifer takes as a roommate. It would tend to make more sense that since both Mario and Anita are several years younger than Jennifer, that she would not date Mario and therefore choose Anita as her roommate, but there are some interesting plot developments coming in the future that may cast a shadow over that theory.

7) 2, 7, and 12 have dinner together. Where do they go, and what do they discuss?
Jennifer, Javier, Charlie and Aileen…First I would have to figure out why those four would gather for dinner. Perhaps Aileen went crazy and kidnapped the two boys and Jennifer caught up to them in a roadside diner and is discussing with Aileen the terms of her surrender. (or how to split the ransom, depending on the outcome of the discussion. Charlie is too afraid to talk and Javier doesn’t even realize they are in danger, but thinks he’s on a secret mission with Perry the Platypus. (NOTE: I realized too late that 5 was not even present, but since imagining the scenario above took so much effort and I can’t even come up with one for the other three, I am going to leave it at that. Consider it my mistake, for I was not trying to cheat.)

8) 3 challenges 10 to a duel. What happens?
John challenges Anita for a duel, a highly inappropriate action, since Anita is a girl, but assuming duels were still celebrated in Midtoon, perhaps other traditions would have persisted as well and Anita’s page haircut could have her confused with a guy. So assuming all this, I guess John would have a heart attack before the duels is over, resulting in a victory to Anita by default. (oooops! I revealed a future plot development)

9) If 4 stole 8’s most precious possession, how would 8 get it back?
Mabel would never steal something from Dr. Gray… Assuming that she did, for the sake of this exercise, is not only hard, but almost impossible, because I don’t even know what Dr. Gray’s most precious possession is. I guess he could send his son Charlie to go get it back, but I don’t know.

10) Suggest a title for a story in which 7 and 12 attain what they most desire.
Aileen and Charlie could star in Beauty and the Main Character.

11) What plot device(s) would you use if you wanted 4 and 1 to work together?
Mabel and Erik. Cool, they get along well and are related, so I would not need too much of an effort to have them work together. As a matter of fact, soon, they will.

12) If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would you get along?
Charlie would get along well with my kids (as long as he brings some of his newest video games)

13) If you could command 3 to perform any one task or service for you, what would it be?
John could provide me with free representation if I am ever sued for copyright infringement and to with legal advice to develop my Book Publishing Empire.

14) Does anyone write or draw anything regarding 11?
Some readers commented on Big Chris (I think) and I draw him, of course. Erik also mentioned him on his online journal.

15) If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, which would it be?
Javier has to take sides between his stepmother Mabel and his neighbor Jennifer… I don’t think this even needs to be questioned. Javier loves Mabel and barely knows Jennifer. Javier sides with the good stepmom.

16) What might 10 shout while charging into battle?
“M-I-D-T-O-O-N Midtoon, Midtoon, RA RA RA!!!” Anita is a cheerleader.

17) If you chose a song to represent 8, which song would you choose?
White and Nerdy by Weird Al Jankovich…

18) 1, 6, and 12 are having dim sum at a Chinese restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets to eat it?
Erik, New Guy and Aileen having dim sum... I guess Aileen would get it. New Guy is not too big on social environs, so he’s not likely to try and Erik is too intimidated with Aileen to even fight for it.

19) What might be a good pick-up line for 4 to use on 10?
The only pick-up Mabel would offer Anita would be a ride on their pick-up truck. Mabel is not into girls…

20) What would 5 most likely be arrested for?
Jennifer would be arrested for operating a hair and nail salon without permits. Later in the story, and I am not going to reveal it here, she may get in trouble for something more serious.

21) What is 6’s secret?
New Guy does not have secrets. He is an open book. Now, that does not mean that there are surprises awaiting the reader. The fact that a character doesn’t have secrets doesn’t mean that the reader knows all about him…

22) If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?
Big Chris and Mario. If it was a straight short race, perhaps Big Chris would get there first. Mario would win in a marathon, or if Big Chris is after him for stealing his girlfriend.

23) If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, would you feel safer in the company of 7 or 8?
Dr Gray and Charlie? I would not feel safe with either, so perhaps I would want to go with both to get safety in numbers.

24) 1 and 9 reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4’s sinister secret organization. 11 volunteers to help them, but it is later discovered that he is actually a spy for 4. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of 5, they seek out 3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fic?
Wait, I have to rewrite this one to get it… Erik and Mario reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by Mabel’s sinister secret organization. Big Chris volunteers to help them, but it is later discovered that he is actually a spy for Mabel. Meanwhile, Mabel has kidnapped Aileen in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of Jennifer, they seek out John, who gives them what they need to complete their quest.The worse this about this is that it actually makes sense. If Mabel was bad, and Erik and Mario had to fight her, she would logically take Aileen as a hostage, because she is Mario’s sister and has dated Erik (regardless of the results) Big Chris could very well be a traitor, but he is Mario’s friend and therefore could easily be a spy. If someone had enough information to defeat Mabel, it would be john, but the boys may be too hesitant to ask him, so Jennifer, who knows Mabel well, tells them to go ask him. For goodness’ sake, I will have to write this story. It sounds like something Javier could imagine. How to call it, though? The Stepmother of all Wars.

I hope you have some fun with this. I surely did...

How to Draw Comic Strips Part 1: The Paper

Many people have asked me how to draw comic strips and I decided to post some information here at The Midtoon Thinker.

Today, I am going to be talking about the first thing you are going to need to create a comic strip: the paper. While it is true that some cartoonist do most if not all of their work on the computer, you don't really need that when you are starting out. A good old piece of paper will do, as you will see in the essay below.

NOTE: It is kind of daring to call this an essay, but I didn't know what else to call it.

How to Draw Comic Strips: THE PAPER

It may sound obvious to you, but the first thing you have to think about when you are about to create comic strips is the surface on which you are planning to do your work. There are many options available to you for this, but I have two pieces of advise when it comes to paper.

1. Do not pay any more than you absolutely have to to get practice paper.
2. Once ready to produce a permanent work, buy the best paper you can

Let's talk about that a little. When you are doodling, looking for ideas, practicing character poses, do not do it on expensive paper. Any piece of paper will do. I have doodled sketches for my comic strips on napkins, on the back of cash register receipts and on the agenda for a meeting at work. Since you don't know when your ideas will strike, it is not really necessary to have an expensive sketchbook for them.

That said, however, if you are anything like me (and I guess you are, since artists tend to be disorganized) you are going to end up looking all over the place (or places) for that one little sketch that you need to finish your masterpiece. That's where sketchbooks come in handy. Now, to be honest with you, I have never paid for a sketchbook in my life. Any notebook will do, since you only need it to keep your doodles together for reference. I have those little 6 x 9" Steno Books and sometimes I doodle on those. For the most part, though, I do my sketches on the unused side of regular copy paper. I have an almost unlimited supply of that from my day job. What I do is every time I have a document that I need to get rid of, I deposit it in one of two places. I have a little box labeled "THE DEATH ROW" for the things that have to be shredded, like important documents, or anything that contains sensitive or personal information. After the little box gets full, I walk about ten steps out of my office to the shredder and get rid of them. It saves time by not having to walk over to the shredder every single time, but that is a different story and does not have anything to do with today's discussion.

The other location is one of my desk drawers. Papers that are not important, based on the criteria listed above, and that have no staples on them, end up face down in that drawer. When I need to sketch something, I just open the drawer and grab a paper. That way I am re-using resources and helping save the planet, right?

If you don't have an unlimited supply of paper like I do, there's no need to despair. You can buy the cheapest paper at your nearest office supply store and that will do.

Now, let's talk about some serious paper for your serious work.

If you go to the art section of your favorite supply store, you will undoubtedly be presented with many options as to what type of paper to use. I am not going to get into the advantages or disadvantages of them all, but will mention some requirements you should have in mind before you buy, and then I will tell you what type of paper I use.

For comic strips, you are likely to work on pencil, ink and perhaps color. I cannot offer you advise on color, because Midtoon is colored on the computer, but for the line work, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. The paper should be smooth, so the pencil lines and ink can be uniform. There are many types of paper that have textures. Those lend themselves to other types of art, but for your sharp lines and high contrast you can't beat smooth paper. It also helps with erasing, and believe me, you will be doing lots of erasing in this line of work.
2. The paper should be stiff enough to resist wear and tear. Since you are going to be erasing a lot, you need a paper that will stand up to that. Imagine working for hours on that delicately detailed panel for your comic strip only to rip it in two pieces with your eraser. Not pretty. You will end up chewing on your eraser and crying for a week. Not that that has ever happened to me, though. I don't like the taste of erasers.
3. The paper should absorb the ink and hold it in place, not disperse it. To better understand the concept of dispersion, think a paper towel. Try to use one of your liquid ink pens on a paper towel and you will see how it will be impossible to draw a thin line without having the ink "spidering" out and distorting your lines. Most papers will do that to a certain extent, but it will diminish the quality of your art.
4. The paper should be WHITE. Unless you are going for a particular effect, your paper should be as white as possible, to assure high contrast, especially if you plan to scan your line art, like I do.
5. The paper should be acid-free. Acid free paper will not deteriorate with time, will not change the colors of your inks (as long as the inks are permanent, but we will talk about inks some other time) and will not change color itself. You have probably seen a piece of old paper that looks like it has been burned on the edges. That is because of a process called oxidation. If you thought that it looked similar to burning, it is because it actually is. Combustion is a rapid form of oxidation, so it does the job faster, but the end result is the same, your work is reduced to ashes.

After all that, this is the paper I use for drawing: Smooth Bristol Board. I buy the series 300 from Strathmore. See an image here: http://image.orientaltrading.com/otcimg/73_64082-89.jpg. You can find this paper in many places. It is a little thicker than index cards, takes ink very well, is really white (for good line contrast) and resists rough handling. I really give it a lot of erasing and it works well. In addition to that it is acid-free, which means that it will not yellow with time, making your masterpiece last longer.

That's it. I hope it helped. If you read this, feel free to add your comments, and happy drawing.

NEXT TIME I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE MEDIA: PENCILS AND INKS

NOTE: To see a sample of my work with comic strips, feel free to visit my website at www.Midtoon.com, where you can see te Midtoon comic strip. If interested in subscribing to Midtoon to receive updates in your email, just drop me a note at Author@Midtoon.com

Why do I make Comic Strips

I answered this question in talkaboutcomics.com, and I thought I would share it those who have asked before.

Why do you make comic strips?

I make comics because I love to create. Anything that involves making something out of nothing inspires and motivates me. My favorite outlets for creation are writing and drawing. I have been dreaming of being able to support my family with a creative effort ever since I can remember.
There are a couple reasons why a chose comics over other forms.

1) It’s relatively easier.
I wrote a novel. Yes, I actually reached those two glorious words: “The End” on a fantasy novel called “Keeper’s Apprentice”. Writing it took me over a year, and even after all that time, it is not polished enough to be submitted to a publisher yet. It will still take some time before I finish the revisions. Making my comic strip has been a breeze compared to that mammoth effort.

2) It provides almost instant gratification.
Over the years, whenever I have felt the need to release stress by using humor, I have been able to make a quick doodle and write a caption on it. The process only took a minute and there are still people who remember doodles (because they cannot be called any other way) that I made years ago. Some of them are drawn on napkins or paper towels. Compared to the year it has taken me to work on my novel, and the lack of a final product to show for it, comics are instant winners.

3) It combines both of my creative favorites.
As mentioned before my favorite creative efforts are writing and drawing. I write and draw my comic strip, so there’s satisfaction to both sides of my creative self there. True, the writing side really wants to make a major work, hence the work on a novel, and the drawing side would love to be able to paint full-size landscapes in oil, like Thomas Kinkade, but both are being partially satisfied by the comic strip. This makes me want to emphasize point number 1.

4) I love comics.
I grew up reading them. I actually forced my mother to read and reread comic books to me day after day until she grew so tired of it that she decided that the effort of teaching me to read by myself would be less than the burden of having me tag along with a bunch of comic books for her to read. I read her journal recently and was astounded to discover that she taught me to read when I was just three years old! I knew I was reading before I went to school, but never thought I learned that early.

5) Comic strips serve as a relief from my daily stress.
I have a day job. Surprised? I know I am, because never before I have been able to keep a day job for as long as I have held to this one. My day job is stressful and demanding, for I am a Training Supervisor and have to deal with demands from above, demands from below and general incompetence all around (with the exception of whoever manages to see this comments, of course). The stress of my job was so great that it was taking a toll in my health. My doctor diagnosed my multiple symptoms as a form of anxiety. I remembered reading in one of Scott Adam’s books that he started Dilbert while he worked for a big telecom company and decided that it was time to stop dreaming and start my strip. I begun the www.Midtoon.com comic strip in January 2009, and my symptoms have basically disappeared.

Thanks for bringing this dialogue up. It has been enlightening to see the reasons others have to do what they love, and it gave me the opportunity to think about the reasons I do comic strips myself. As a matter of fact, I think I am going to post this reply on my own blog, because I have never addressed the question of why I make comic strips other than with a quick variation of “because I like to” or “because I can”.

Personal Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO MIDTOON

Greetings, I am Neftali Rivera, Executive Producer (and real life creator) of Midtoon, a comic strip that currently publishes online Monday, Wednesday and Friday on http://www.midtoon.com/. I also publish the blog http://www.midtoon.blogspot.com/, where the characters actually interact with the public and weekly polls help decide the future of the Comic Strip.

The Midtoon Comic strip is a cross between a reality show and a comic strip in the sense that the characters KNOW they are in a comic strip. They know their lives are being 'broadcasted' to a large audience and they are aware of the fact that the audience has means of expressing their opinions about them and the strip and that those opinions could influence their destiny.

This brings us to the other unique aspect of Midtoon. Throughout the website and the blog (and now here as well) Midtoon is being presented as "The first Democracy in the World of Comic Strips." This is because every week, the readers can participate in polls that will actually have bearing on the future developments of the strip. To vote in the polls, head to http://www.midtoon.blogspot.com/ and you will have the opportunity to be a part of history by expressing an opinion that actually could change the storyline. Since some decisions require a little more background information than others, you can go to http://midtoon.com/Election.htm to find that information. There, we will try to have as much information as we can to help you make an informed decision.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

You can subscribe to Midtoon for free. Midtoon Subscribers not only get each and every Midtoon Comic strip directly in their mailboxes completely free, but also get special reports with the results of the weekly polls and other fun facts about the world of Midtoon. The Special Report is always written by one of the characters (actors) of the strip. Coming, soon, subscribers will also be able to participate in contests and get prizes.

In order to subscribe, all you have to do is send an email to subscribe@midtoon.com. Yes, It is that easy. If you don't have email software running on your computer, your operating system will try to set up a new email account for you when you click on the email address. If you use a web-based email such as gmail, aol or yahoo mail, you can copy the address and paste in the addressee portion of the email composer to send it, or just write it as you would any other address.

To unsubscribe, please don't.

Just kidding, if you need to unsubscribe for any reason, drop a line to author@midtoon.com and put unsubscribe in the subject line. We will very sadly remove your name from our list server.

TALK TO THE AUTHOR

Midtoon is brand new. It is a new concept, not only for us, but for the entire industry. We need people to let us know how we are doing. We'd love to hear from you. Drop me a line at author@midtoon.com and let us know how we are doing.

This is it for now, folks. Until the next time the Midtoon Thinker comes around.

NOTE: Midtoon Subscribers will be notified whenever the Midtoon Thinker is updated.