april 2008

apr.07.08

EBAY!

New fancy-pants eBay auctions are up! Check 'em out!

Good god that kitty is cute. Enjoy!

apr.10.08

Computer woes.

Hey, just wanted to make a quick note to let you know that my comuter has spontaneously shut off four times in the past hour, in spurts as short as 10 minutes. So I'm writing/posting this as quickly as possible before it does it again.

Please be patient with me - I want to get the comic out as usual, but I'm having a lot of trouble diagnosing the problem here. Most of you are warm, wonderful people who totally understand. To the one or two of you who's just dying to write me a nasty e-mail about how unprofessional I am, please do not do so until the new computer you've bought for me has arrived on my doorstep. For reference, my office colors are mainly blue and light grey, and I'd like to try a Mac.

apr.14.08

Kablooey.

Every time I start to work on a Photoshop file, my computer shuts off. This happens after just a few minutes of working on a strip - sometimes it even happens when I'm just surfing the web. The temperature gauge reads under 85 degrees at all times, I've replaced several elements, use a UPS, but nothing seems to work.

Thing is, it's really time for me to replace this dinosaur, so I feel perhaps this is just fate. The OTHER thing is, paying my taxes just wiped me out, in addition to a $1500 purchase of GWS books. I'm FLAT BROKE.

Fate coulda picked a better time to knock on my door!

As you may have noticed a few months ago, I stopped asking for a certain amount of donations in order to keep the strip going. That's because I'm ready to start offering merchandise (and wallpaper art such as the art above) in order to make my living. That way you guys are getting some handsome GWS swag (original art, tee shirts, books, shotglasses!) in return for your donation, and I can feel a little less like a beggar.

Unfortunately, because all of these items are currently in production, I don't have the funds to pay for a new computer. So I guess I'll be a beggar one last time.

The strip will continue the moment I can afford the new machine and load it with all of my software. Until then I'll be prepping for Pittsburgh (I'm doing a GWS puppet show!), fixing up my office, and working ahead on GWS.

As an added bonus for those of you who donate, the highest donation will receive the original art for the current wallpaper. Seeing as I can't rely on Photoshop to color right now, I made this one an original watercolor painting. Its dimensions are 17x13" on cold press watercolor paper and it's super-colorful. The resized JPG doesn't do it much justice:

If you donate (even $1), after the PayPal transaction goes through you will be redirected to a page with the wallpaper art, including detailed photos of the painting. If you like what you see, feel free to donate again to try to win it! Remember to wait 10 seconds after the transaction goes through to get your wallpaper gift!

Thanks SO much to everyone who has sent me advice about computers! I'm going to be consulting with my ever-present Tech Guy Allan to decide which computer will be best for me. It won't be top-of-the-line, but it will be better than what I have now and will hopefully last me longer! As soon as we get a price, I'll post a graph to let you know how close we are to getting GWS back.

apr.21.08

!!!

In case you missed it, GWS IS BACK!! Thanks so much to everyone who donated to help me purchase this completely BADASS new machine. With a little luck (and a 3-year warranty), this lapse shouldn't happen again for at least a few years.

So much money was sent that I had quite a bit left over after the computer purchase. Rather than blow it on booze (hello, impulse), I'd like to allow you guys to choose where the excess will go. My lovely assistant Wren has set up a survey over at tigersurvey.com. Plushes, mugs, tee shirts, a Mac... share your opinion and cast your vote, baby!!

In other news, I'll be at the Pittsburgh Comic Con this weekend with a very special, first-time-ever presentation: THE GWS PUPPET SHOW! That's right, guys, I said puppet. God only knows how I came up with this swell idea, but it's in the works and it will go on at specific times during the show. Details to come!

There's a lot of controversy around this year's show, and while I don't want to get too far into it, I know some people are trying to sway would-be attendees from going to Pittsburgh this year. I'd just like to point out that the hundreds of exhibitors who will be at this show had no idea what was going to happen when they bought their tables for 2008. So if the attendence is low due to aforementioned controversy, it will only hurt us exhibitors. Please come if you're in the area!

Besides, who wants to miss out on PUPPETS?

Also, to those who are familiar with Friends of Lulu might be interested in the new "modern Lulu" I designed for them. This is officially the Photoshop file that served the final blow to my computer. Enjoy!

apr.29.08

She speaks!

Boy, I've been quiet! Especially with all that's been going on. So here, let me speak at you a little.

First of all, we're having MAJOR problems with corrupted files. I realize that a good 25% (or more?) of you have been seeing corrupted GWS strips the past couple of days, and I apologize. Rest assured that my famed Tech Guy Allan is on it. I suppose I'll be reinstalling Photoshop (for the love... ), and also looking for a more reliable FTP client.

In the meantime, if you guys see another corrupted image, please e-mail me with the subject "CORRUPTION" in the subject, and just tell me the OS you're running (Vista, XP, Leopard, etc.) and which browser you're using to view the website on (latest version of Firefox, Safari, etc.). I'll get the hint. And I'll know better than to think that an e-mail titled "CORRUPTION" will be asking me if I'd like to enlarge my penis. So don't worry, I won't think you're spamming me.

Unless of course you include an offer to enlarge my penis.

Moving on, it was GREAT to see so many of you at Pittsburgh! The show went very well for me. For once I finished ALL of my commissions before the show was over. I even got a chance to walk around for a couple of hours and buy some art by Josh Johnson!

The puppet show was a SPECTACULAR mess! Thanks to everyone who came out to experience the first, last and ONLY GWS puppet show that will ever be produced (unless I can find someone ELSE to stick their hands up Jamie and Hazel's butts). I tried to write a script for this thing numerous times and just couldn't come up with anything, so we winged it, and I can't improv to save my life. Special thanks to James Hatton of In His Likeness for being the one entertaining feature of the afternoon. Oh yeah, and of course PUPPET RIOS!

I feel like there was more... oh yeah, as soon as I hear back from aforementioned Lovely Assistant Wren, I'll let you guys know how the survey went. Thanks to everyone who put in their bid!

'Til next time!