erysium

[erysium]

Hello, I hope you don't mind me asking (and I apologise if you have already answered this question and I missed it) what kind of brush do you use for your linework? :)

I switch it up pretty often! Usually some kind of brush from Kyle Webster's watercolor pack tweaked a little to work as a line brush per your tablet's pressure sensitivity. Shiyoon Kim's inkbrush set is also a great one! A lot of animation design projects have assigned brushes, so when I'm done with work I'll usually just keep drawing with whatever brush I was already warmed up with that day too.

#ask #process #brushes

[erysium]

happy spring equinox! 🌸

An extra illustration as thanks for the successful kickstarter <3 a larger wallpaper version has been sent out to KS backers this morning!

#art #artists on tumblr #kochab #ifrit

[erysium]

Do you have any tips for making gif comic pages? Whenever I make them the file is so huge and different than the other pages...

I was wondering bc I really like the Kochab pages and they maintain their quality!

yeah, it's just hard to make them without a huge file size :') some things I do to lessen it a little:

I make gifs in Photoshop and save them by going to File > Export > Save for web (legacy), lowering the amount of colors as far as possible without losing too much quality, same with dithering, and try to keep the image size under 1000px wide or tall at most, if possible. you can play around with the settings in those panels to see how they affect the file size, and make changes.

keep the animations to about 20-25ish frames. less frames = smaller files I think

after I'm done in PS, use https://compressor.io/ to lower the file size a bit more. I do that for big illustration jpgs, or illustration gifs, as well as comic page gifs ✨

#ask #if anyone has other tips please let us know #hope this helps at least a little!!

[erysium]

Are the Kochab books on your website different from the Kickstarter ones? I saw the previous ask about them potentially being available through Hiveworks later this year, but I figured it doesn't matter to me which store I get them from.

They're different! The two books in my store are the last few copies of chapters 0+1, and 2+3, that I self published when I first finished those pages. The kickstarter book is the complete story (7 chapters/250 pages!) fancier print quality, plus bonus art. Those are still being printed now, and I'm told will be available from HW around June, after the original kickstarter orders are shipped. :)

#ask

[erysium]

happy valentines everyone!! we’re getting our first book proofs in, and the colors and cover spot gloss are looking so good!! :’) 💞

#just a little book update #hope yall have a sweet day <3

[erysium]

I was wondering, why did you decide to name your comic Kochab...er, Kochab? Does it have any specific meaning?

Yeah! It's named after a star that used to help determine true north, in celestial navigation. After a few thousand years, earth's axis of rotation has shifted slightly, and now Polaris has replaced it as the cynosure that the rest of the northern hemisphere's night sky appears to revolve around. :)

A big theme of the story is about being lost & homesickness & trying to find your way / choosing to let go & move on from old things you used to orient your life around / allowing yourself to change. ✨💫

#another old Kochab-themes ask :) #this is my amateur astronomy 101 class understanding #also it's a title that's slightly less terrible for search analytics than 'north star' would have been #webcomic #comic #kochab #ifrit

[erysium]

I keep forgetting to ask(they say, literally months after the comic ended) but what is the symbolism of fireweed in Kochab?

aw thank you for keeping the comic in mind even though it’s been wrapped up for a few months now <3

it’s one of the first flowers that grows, and grows the best, after a fire/out of the ashes of something old. so in my mind it’s suiting the theme of letting yourself grow from your grief and losses, and choose to move forward with new life 🌸

#ask #webcomic #kochab

[erysium]

Kickstarter update - these just got sent out to backers, along with the desktop wallpaper and ebook! Hope yall enjoy!! ♡  (I'm still working on an extra drawing too!)

I’m making a new drawing for an extra phone wallpaper for all the ks backers!! but I got a little distracted today trying out old pages as wallpapers :’) 

#kickstarter news #a little more info on ks progress in the official update!

[erysium]

there’s a mouse living in the oven mitt on our porch :’) 💕

#yearly reblog of this one :) #happy holidays yall <3 #art #artists on tumblr #illustration #video

[erysium]

a little late, but happy winter solstice everyone!! thank you for making the comic ending & kickstarter both a success - one of the highlights of my year <3 happy holidays and new years, soon!

[Chapter 0] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Website]

new readers can use the above links to read through on tumblr, or read on the comic's website for easier navigation.

thank you again to everyone who read during the comic's run, and everyone who supported making the kickstarter a success <3

if you want to keep up with my other art, you can find me at these links!

my main tumblr - erysium.tumblr.com

instagram - instagram.com/sarahwebbsite/

twitter - twitter.com/bearsarered

my portfolio - sarahwebb.site

#art #artistsontumblr #webcomic

[erysium]

I’m making a new drawing for an extra phone wallpaper for all the ks backers!! but I got a little distracted today trying out old pages as wallpapers :’) 

#just for fun #kochab #1 hour left to go! <3

[erysium]

Will physical Kochab comics be available after the campaign? It's a little tight with Christmas so soon :')

Thank for your interest in getting a copy! I think the kickstarter will probably be the quickest way to get a book, but there will also be a limited quantity available in the Hiveworks online store this next summer or fall (2024) or directly from me at the 1-2 comic/art cons I table at next year. (VanCaf this year!)

(Out of those options the kickstarter benefits me slightly more, so in general if it’s a tossup I'd appreciate the support! <3)

#ask #merry christmas!

[erysium]

Just a few hours left on the kickstarter now! thank you so much, everyone <3

happy new year! ✨👋

#I'll probably be a little quiet for the next month #catching up on work before a vacation !! #but we'll be starting on manufacturing as soon as we get the final numbers in from kickstarter #<3

[erysium]

5 hours left on the kickstarter now! I can't believe we've hit 60k - thank you so much yall :') <3

the kickstarter for the complete edition is up now!! please take a look, I'm really proud of what we put together for this book! 🥰❄️ (Link!)

#comic #webcomic #crowdfunding #a real book!!

[erysium]

I started reading Kochab a bit ago and while I'm no where near done I wanted to tell you how gorgeous it is

I keep stopping at every page to zoom in and study all the details, your artwork is absolutely stunning <3 I love the backgrounds, and how you play with the framing and composition, it looks so good !!

And the little animations! Agkkfsdlkf! They are so pretty! You make everything come to life! I want to live in this world!

Also love how you use colors, really makes me feel how warm/cold it is, esp when the warm vibrant oranges begin flooding in after a lot of darker purples n blues, feels so cozy

I'm still in the early phases and dont know Kye or Sonya very well yet, but I just know I'll fall in love (while they do the same w each other>:3)

I think there was more I wanted to talk about but I'm half asleep n can't remember so I'll leave it there. Thank you so much for sharing your work, you clearly put so much into it :]

Thank you so much! this comment is so lovely to receive. thank you for taking the time to appreciate all these little details, this all makes me so happy to hear <3

thank you! It was watercolor base + digital touching up (for the fine details and also broad color shifts) I really like that medium combo, it feels like I can get the best out of both :)

thank you so much!! I keep saying it but I've been really blown away by all the support for the comic ending and kickstarter - it's really much more than I'd hoped for. :') <3

<3 thank you so much for reading!

thank you!! :') ah that's a broad question! Color is part of how I think about contrast, values, composition, lighting, and mood. I look at a lot of photos and art for reference/inspiration, and try to make myself try new things! I do fall pretty easily into wanting every painting to just be blue/purple and yellow, and I try to avoid doing that too often, haha. I also have to try hard to not let things get muddy, and/or bogged down by realism when stylized or expressive color would work better. A lot of my art is based on lighting or color schemes I've seen in real life and want to try to capture. I've taken Kat Tsai's color class and Sam Nielsen's lighting class, and both really influenced me too! My asks tag might have some more thoughts/resources too.

#asks #comic #long post !! #a lot of these are a bit old #i've just been holding onto them happily for a while <3

[erysium]

24 hours left on the kickstarter! thank you so much again for all your support, everyone - I really didn't expect we'd do this well, and I'm still so amazed every time I check on the KS page :') <3

a little late, but happy new year 🌟💕

#artistsontumblr #art #kochab

[erysium]

Finally bought a rose for my watercolor set & I’m soo pleased with this color ✨

#one more older rb #<3 #watercolor #artistsontumblr