Questions? Go ahead and ask me

[Sky]

From all the movies, it's either 9 or 12. 9 was one of the better sequels in my opinion and I like the last song so much. And of course Mo.  
12 because of Guido.   He's such an awesome character and my inspiration for the wingtails. :^.^:

[Caustizer]

In your comic, is Star going to be in it?  Glide?

[Sky]

Of course!   What made you think they might not show up?
Besides, you can clearly see Star's silhouette in my signature.  

[Pangaea]

Unless answering this question would be a spoiler to the story (in which case I wouldn’t want it answered), why is your LBT fancomic titled “Dawn of a Wingtail”?

[Sky]

^ Dawn doesn't always mean the sun rising, it's also a new beginning (at least it says "Beginn" in german in my dictionary )
So I thought "Begin of a new Journey" at first for a title but it sounded boring so I went with "Dawn of a Wingtail" instead. :^.^:

[Pangaea]

^ Hey, that just gave me an idea! Since you opened the comic with a scene of Sky watching the sun set (or at least trying to ), maybe at the end you could have a scene where he is watching the sun rise (assuming it doesn’t conflict with whatever plans you may have already had).

Do you draw (and color) the comic on paper or on the computer? Or both?

[Sky]

I think it's best not to talk about the ending.  

I work completely on the computer with a graphic tablet.  

[Pangaea]

I think it's best not to talk about the ending.

Agreed. Just a suggestion.

I work completely on the computer with a graphic tablet.

Wow. It looks so much like a paper-drawn comic.

I’m not familiar with graphic tablets. Is using one much harder than drawing on paper?

P.S. Just to warn you, I’m going to be asking a lot of art-related questions in the near future.

[Sky]

Is using one much harder than drawing on paper?

Well, it's more a 'getting used to' thing.   You work like on paper except you're looking at your screen instead.

P.S. Just to warn you, I’m going to be asking a lot of art-related questions in the near future.

Just keep 'em coming!  

[Kor]

Maybe a silly question but have you tried drawing on a touch screen type of thing?

[Sky]

If the Nintendo DS with it's touch screen counts, then yes.  

[Pangaea]

Is using one much harder than drawing on paper?

Well, it's more a 'getting used to' thing.   You work like on paper except you're looking at your screen instead.

Does the picture appear on the tablet as well while you are drawing it? Or is it just on the monitor, and the tablet is just the surface you move your pen over (like a mousepad to a mouse)? I ask because I'd really like to learn to draw using the computer, but I'm so used to drawing on paper and seeing my hand, my drawing implement, and the picture at the same time, that I fear I'll have trouble adjusting. :unsure:

[Sky]

^ The picture you are drawing can only be seen at your monitor and yeah, the tablet would be like a mousepad with the pen as a mouse.
But there is also the 'Cintiq' tablet from Wacom (something I always wanted but cannot afford...): Wacom Cinitq
With a Cintiq, you can see your drawing on the tablet screen just like you would draw on paper.  

[Pangaea]

^ Wow, thanks for sharing that.

That relates to the next thing I was going to ask you: what brand of tablet do you have, and what program(s) do you use to make your artwork?

[Sky]

I have a Wacom Bamboo Fun. Wacom's tablets are quite good in my opinion.

I use Photoshop 7.0 for coloring and Manga Studio EX4 for the lineart.
But I recently got into Paint Tool SAI to do the lineart. They look much smoother and dynamic that way. :^.^:

[Pangaea]

This is based on a topic Caustizer brought up in your Dawn of a Wingtail thread:

Do male wingtails have wing membranes like the females that are just hidden by their feathers, or are their wings comprised entirely of feathers like a bird's? I always assumed it was the latter, but thinking about it, it would be more scientifically believable if both male and female wingtails had membranes, and different feather distribution patterns, as opposed to having completely different wing structures.

[Sky]

Woah! How could I miss this question? :blink: Sorry to keep you waiting.  

I knew the problem with their wings will come up sooner or later... :unsure:
Well, male wingtail wings are completely feathered. No membranes at all.
Female have membraned wings, but with a secondary pattern of feathers attached.

Now I'm not a scientific guy, I just gave them different wings to differ who's male or female. I was young and thought the idea was cool (though, the way I draw female wings doesn't look as good as male wings).  

Aah... things like this regarding character designs makes me feel sad and unsafe about their current appearance.  
I would like to see them more realistic, but I have no idea how.

[Pangaea]

^ Well…you could us the idea I suggested that male wingtails DO have membranes, but unlike the females, which only have a single row of feathers close to the arm, they have feathers covering the entire membrane, thus obscuring it. Or you could say that males have smaller membranous wings than females, so they compensate by having more extensive wing feathers. Alternatively, you could go the opposite route and say that female wingtails have reduced wing feathers and larger membranes. I don’t know what you envisioned for wingtail nesting and parenting behavior, but one explanation you could use is that female wingtails evolved featherless membranous wings for nest brooding, the better for transferring heat to eggs and chicks. (Many modern birds shed the feathers from patches of their undersides during nesting season, exposing blood-vessel-rich skin for this exact purpose, as feathers are poor conductors of heat.)

I’d be happy to help you brainstorm further ideas for wingtail biology if you like.

New question: What are the dimensions of your Wacom tablet? I’m thinking of saving up for a drawing tablet (maybe even a Cintiq), but I’m not sure whether I should shoot for one with a big 17” x 12.75” screen, or a smaller 10.3 x 6.4”. I thought I’d ask the master what he recommends.

[Sky]

Hmm, never thought about the nest brooding... now it makes sense to me.  
I'm still unsure about the male's wings. Are you suggesting that their membranes are completely covered by feathers that you can't see them (like they were never there) or that you can see them only slightly?

As for the tablet, hmm... hard to say. If you buy a Cintiq, I suggest to test it out first and look at the system requirements.
Smaller tablets are less expensive and you can take them anywhere with you. Though, bigger tablets give you more 'freedom' (as in more space) to work with.
But I recommed to test drawing on a simple, not too expensive tablet first if you're not familiar with it so you have a much better impression. :^.^:

Oh yeah, my tablet is 8.4 x 7.6.  

[Pangaea]

Thank you very much for the advice.

I'm still unsure about the male's wings. Are you suggesting that their membranes are completely covered by feathers that you can't see them (like they were never there) or that you can see them only slightly?

Yeah, the first thing you said is exactly what I had in mind. My thought was that the feathers that fringe the wing (the primaries) are attached to the edge of the membrane, so the membrane is hidden even though there are spaces between the feathers. That way, you could say that male wingtails always had membranes without contradicting all of your previous artwork.

When you originally created the wingtails, what did you envision their diet to be? Did you come up with the idea that they loved fish, or was that Caustizer's invention?