Well… a store in the process of being built, anyhow! Actually, here’s the whole store right here.
Dipping Into ECommerce
So, I feel like it’s been almost three years since I rage-quit my job at the art gallery to pursue digital marketing instead. In that time, I’ve learned a lot about how to run ads, build SEO, and all that good stuff, but I’ve never done anything with ECommerce beyond playing around with Redbubble… setting up Woocommerce for the online store at said art gallery… and trying to get Etsy integrated with my website for a hot minute… okay! I did have some experience, but, when you look at job postings, everybody wants people with Shopify experience. So, that’s what I’m doing!
I’m also using this as an opportunity to get experience in Google Shopping Ads. Now, I’m really not expecting to sell anything, or even a substantial amount from doing this -if everything gets approved, that is, Google Ads can be kind of stupid when it comes to its policies- but that’s what happens when you let robots run everything. Literally had an ad on Facebook ad rejected because the bot thought I was using it to advertise weapons- it was a picture of Matthias holding a crossbow.
My plan here is to
Learn how to set up a Shopify Store (pretty much done with this step!), and anticipate questions and problems a client might have (I ran into SO MANY PROBLEMS getting this set up- lots of learning).
Invest a little bit into running ads, look at data, learn best practices
I realized I never made a blog post after Dragon Rider’s Dance Book 1 ended.
Why Is Dragon Rider’s Dance On Hiatus?
So, I decided to go on hiatus because it seems like burnout is a very common thing for Webcomic creators. I was not at that point myself, but I think fewer words are more dangerous than, “Oh, that’ll NEVER happen to me.”
I’ve decided to treat my comic like Seasons of a television series. You have an arch from beginning to end, then a break in between. Readers don’t feel like they’re on a cliffhanger forever wondering when (or if), the story will pick up again.
What I’ve Been Up To
Not gonna lie. I’ve been playing a lot of Stardew Valley. It’s basically consumed my life.
That being said. I have got in the habit of doing art every day in the morning. My original plan was to look more into Clip Studio Paint and explore their features to see if there were more shortcuts I wasn’t using before that would better streamline the comic-making process.
For example, I’ve been learning how to use various filters to turn photos I take (and stock photos) into backgrounds. I’m not good at drawing backgrounds, never have been, so this is something I’ve really wanted to learn.
But, I couldn’t resist. I’ve already gotten started on Book 2. Ah what the heck, here’s two pages I’ve been working on, because I like you that much!
30-Day Art Challenge And Accountability Buddy
My brother-in-law has been wanting to get in the habit of drawing, so I proposed doing a 30 Day Challenge and we share what we’ve been working on over Discord (to be honest, he’s probably the only reason I haven’t completely succumbed to Stardew Valley).
He definitely has a more set ‘theme’ than I do. He’s been trying to draw figures while I’m just like, “Here’s this random thing I’m doing. Here you go.”
Now, we both ‘failed’. We had a couple days here and there where we forgot, but part of the challenge is not feeling like losers and quitting just because we miss one day. It’s getting back up and doing it again!
Here’s a couple of my favorite pieces of his!
I’m also trying to take this opportunity to study artists I admire. I discovered Fran Garces Dibujante (looking at art books on Amazon for crying out loud). And I really love his art. His demons are a lot like how I imagine the UnNamed. So, I’m going to be studying him, H.R. Geiger, and the art of Beserk for inspiration.
“But Ashley, you’re making a comic about hot dragon babes, shouldn’t you be studying dragons instead of whatever eldritch horrors these are?”
Way ahead of you. Here’s a study I did of one of Garces’ dragons.
What Will Be In Book 2?
Dragon Rider’s Dance will be called Dragon Rider’s Dance Book 2: Dragon Bride. Matthias and Ari will have been married for a year having rescued some towns, killed some monsters, and most importantly: collected treasure (I mean, Ari’s a dragon. She can’t go on an adventure and NOT collect treasure, that’s like a crime or something).
Now, what’s a good romance without a love triangle? (Actually, don’t answer that).
That’s right. Matthias’ ex-girlfriend is back in the picture. Only the stakes are much worse. It’s bad enough that now she realizes he’s not dead, she wants him back, but she’s a deadly dragon slayer with an unwavering loyalty to the so-called Hero King of the Evil Empire.
And to make matters worse, Ari’s beset with a mysterious illness. One of the symptoms being that she normally hates fish, but now wants to fly to the nearest beach to eat all the octopus in the ocean.
Well… I guess it’s not THAT mysterious of an illness. If that sentence itself wasn’t a big enough giveaway then I refer you back to the Work In Progress pages I shared. XD
… so Book 2 will have a beach episode and I’m excited. ^_^
About This Site
Having escaped the tyrannical Vallan’Gangst Empire, Matthias travels south hoping to find and study dragons-creatures that once ruled his homeland but have been extinct for decades, Matthias gets a clue a live one might be in the small mining town of Lionsburg. While everyone’s preparing for the Emerald Stars Debutant Ball- no one seems interested in answering any of his questions- except a young woman named Ari- the eldest daughter of a mafia-esque family of elves with a few dark secrets.
