'M tired, and here's why: exercise and a Page from Hell.
Today I intended to spend a good 4 or 5 hours writing, but it just didn't happen. On Wednesday, I bumped up my running intensity again. Now I'm at 3 minutes run, 1 walk, for the entire 3.25 mile route. This being the third day, I am wiped out. Blargh.
I also lettered a Skip Page from Hell today, a pink one. With flashbacks.
Remember how the original digital pages of Skip 29 were so small they had to print the book without full bleed? Volume 30's pages came at a larger size. With this newest vol, 31, they're even bigger. I have a scan of the entire page, including margins, just like Natsume and Clay. This is a first for Skip, and makes me very happy.
However. The Page from Hell I tackled today had two flashback scenes, which are always a pain. Both flashbacks were from volume 30. Now, flashbacks are created by the mangaka the easy way: a copy or scan of the original page is glued/copypasta-ed into the appropriate position on the current page. Viola, instant flashback without need of redrawing. Now, as luck would have it, both the flashbacks on today's PfH contained artwork that *I* didn't get in the digital file, because vol 30's files weren't full pages with margins. While they were much fatter than vol 29's pages, I still didn't have the extreme edges of all the artwork. This left me with two choices:
1. Copypasta in the flashbacked panels and make them work without the missing edges.
2. Not use the relevant flashbacked panels and retouch like usual. Remember, Skip still comes with all the Japanese dialogue in place--including floating thoughts over artwork. Not only does any exposed Japanese after English lettering have to be covered, but I'd have to recreate the sound effects, too.
One of the flashback panels was a Purple page in vol 30. Purple being a Page from the Innermost Circle of Hell. AKA really really difficult. To be plain: I was NOT letting that again. OMG NO.
So...I went with option #1. The first flashback panel worked out neatly as they can. I needed more horizontal room for another one of those long vertical-type panels so prevalent in Skip anyway, so I moved the flashback to the side, rendering the missing artwork moot and giving me more room to squeeze in horizontal English. (The line of dialogue was much too long to run vertically.)
The second flashback panel was trickier. The missing artwork was more of the visible image, and the flashback panel was not a straight-up copypasta, even in the original version. The background had been replaced with a completely different tone--one that I didn't have. Simple background replacement was not an option.
I copied the relevant flashbacked panel and removed the background and all the little gaps in the character's tattered clothing. (Those of you up to date with Skip will know what clothing I'm talking about. *wince*) That alone took 30 minutes and left my eyes very tired. The tatters...the TATTERS! *splat* Then I had to figure out the best way to scale and position the character, what with the missing artwork due to page size, and the background tone retouch that would be required if I didn't overlay the English version precisely over the Japanese one. And because of said missing art, that wasn't going to work.
In the end, the character is larger in the English version of this page, thus again rendering the missing artwork moot, since it's outside the area of the panel. I had to touch up the background--where the smaller Japanese version of the character was still visible--the old-fashioned way. Copypasta of tone dots. But thankfully I did have a ganked swatch of this tone from a previous manga page that I could use in a couple places. (Curved radial dither liny clouds. FUN STUFF.)
The larger character doesn't cover up anything important, just white space, that tone, and some black fill, and only a side-by-side comparison will reveal English!character is larger than Japanese!character.
Oh yeah, and then I had to do a dither fade on the lower right portion of the flashback, to match the original version. That's always tricky to make look right, since I have yet to find the perfect tone or bush to reproduce it. :P I managed, in the end.
But the page wasn't done--one more bit of old-school floating caption touchup, and finally I was done. Whee!
Only the page sucked up all my mental and physical energy, and I've added maybe 10 words to the fic today. Now I'm watching an ep of Breaking Bad in the hopes it will perk me up again for a home-stretch writing binge before bed. Wish me luck!
(Wow, I AM tired. It took me four tries to type the end lj-cut code.)
Write-in #3 is tomorrow, in a new place. I am excited! Even though I can't figure out why Google Maps driving directions wants me to make a turn around the block to reach the place, when by all appearances and the Google Maps camera, I can just do a left turn right into the place. WTHIDGI. There's a left turn lane, and no no-left-turn sign on the stoplight, and the street isn't one-way. Whatever. I'll figure it out tomorrow.
Everyone, I hope you have more energy than me! And that my Page from Hell write-up wasn't too confusing. ^^
ETA: Someone on my DW flist who lived in that area explained. The left turn lane is for westbound only, but for whatever reason, the DoT hasn't made left turns from east-bound traffic officially illegal. Okay, then, I'll do Google Map's suggested block loop. No skin off my nose, and if it will keep me from being T-boned, I'm okay with it. C:
I also lettered a Skip Page from Hell today, a pink one. With flashbacks.
Remember how the original digital pages of Skip 29 were so small they had to print the book without full bleed? Volume 30's pages came at a larger size. With this newest vol, 31, they're even bigger. I have a scan of the entire page, including margins, just like Natsume and Clay. This is a first for Skip, and makes me very happy.
However. The Page from Hell I tackled today had two flashback scenes, which are always a pain. Both flashbacks were from volume 30. Now, flashbacks are created by the mangaka the easy way: a copy or scan of the original page is glued/copypasta-ed into the appropriate position on the current page. Viola, instant flashback without need of redrawing. Now, as luck would have it, both the flashbacks on today's PfH contained artwork that *I* didn't get in the digital file, because vol 30's files weren't full pages with margins. While they were much fatter than vol 29's pages, I still didn't have the extreme edges of all the artwork. This left me with two choices:
1. Copypasta in the flashbacked panels and make them work without the missing edges.
2. Not use the relevant flashbacked panels and retouch like usual. Remember, Skip still comes with all the Japanese dialogue in place--including floating thoughts over artwork. Not only does any exposed Japanese after English lettering have to be covered, but I'd have to recreate the sound effects, too.
One of the flashback panels was a Purple page in vol 30. Purple being a Page from the Innermost Circle of Hell. AKA really really difficult. To be plain: I was NOT letting that again. OMG NO.
So...I went with option #1. The first flashback panel worked out neatly as they can. I needed more horizontal room for another one of those long vertical-type panels so prevalent in Skip anyway, so I moved the flashback to the side, rendering the missing artwork moot and giving me more room to squeeze in horizontal English. (The line of dialogue was much too long to run vertically.)
The second flashback panel was trickier. The missing artwork was more of the visible image, and the flashback panel was not a straight-up copypasta, even in the original version. The background had been replaced with a completely different tone--one that I didn't have. Simple background replacement was not an option.
I copied the relevant flashbacked panel and removed the background and all the little gaps in the character's tattered clothing. (Those of you up to date with Skip will know what clothing I'm talking about. *wince*) That alone took 30 minutes and left my eyes very tired. The tatters...the TATTERS! *splat* Then I had to figure out the best way to scale and position the character, what with the missing artwork due to page size, and the background tone retouch that would be required if I didn't overlay the English version precisely over the Japanese one. And because of said missing art, that wasn't going to work.
In the end, the character is larger in the English version of this page, thus again rendering the missing artwork moot, since it's outside the area of the panel. I had to touch up the background--where the smaller Japanese version of the character was still visible--the old-fashioned way. Copypasta of tone dots. But thankfully I did have a ganked swatch of this tone from a previous manga page that I could use in a couple places. (Curved radial dither liny clouds. FUN STUFF.)
The larger character doesn't cover up anything important, just white space, that tone, and some black fill, and only a side-by-side comparison will reveal English!character is larger than Japanese!character.
Oh yeah, and then I had to do a dither fade on the lower right portion of the flashback, to match the original version. That's always tricky to make look right, since I have yet to find the perfect tone or bush to reproduce it. :P I managed, in the end.
But the page wasn't done--one more bit of old-school floating caption touchup, and finally I was done. Whee!
Only the page sucked up all my mental and physical energy, and I've added maybe 10 words to the fic today. Now I'm watching an ep of Breaking Bad in the hopes it will perk me up again for a home-stretch writing binge before bed. Wish me luck!
(Wow, I AM tired. It took me four tries to type the end lj-cut code.)
Write-in #3 is tomorrow, in a new place. I am excited! Even though I can't figure out why Google Maps driving directions wants me to make a turn around the block to reach the place, when by all appearances and the Google Maps camera, I can just do a left turn right into the place. WTHIDGI. There's a left turn lane, and no no-left-turn sign on the stoplight, and the street isn't one-way. Whatever. I'll figure it out tomorrow.
Everyone, I hope you have more energy than me! And that my Page from Hell write-up wasn't too confusing. ^^
ETA: Someone on my DW flist who lived in that area explained. The left turn lane is for westbound only, but for whatever reason, the DoT hasn't made left turns from east-bound traffic officially illegal. Okay, then, I'll do Google Map's suggested block loop. No skin off my nose, and if it will keep me from being T-boned, I'm okay with it. C: