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Writer's pictureMelissa McGaughey

Episode 4: Project Management

Updated: Aug 1, 2021


This week I discovered the true meaning of "getting lost in the weeds."

I watched this video, panicked, and went down a character design and art style rabbit hole.

Essentially, Ursula discusses how a artist's style should match or complement the tone of the work. For example, a style with very simple drawings, while effective for other types of storytelling, may not be suitable for a story with complex emotional depth. After watching it, I asked myself, does my style compliment my story? Is it intentional enough?

I also revisited this video AGAIN and began frantically scribbling notes about my characters' backstories and trying to figure out how it would affect their design and if I should change any of the existing elements of their design.

I wasn't making any of the progress I intended and needed to take a step back because the only thing I was succeeding in was tearing out my hair in frustration.

So, I took a deep breath and went down a different rabbit hole to give my brain a break. I took my soon-to-be brother-in-law's advice and jumped into WEBTOONS.

While there, I found the work William the Last by Brian Shearer and fell in love with it.

William the Last

It's beautiful. The characters, the story, the setting are all captivating. (I also subscribed to 909203485908 stories for reading later on. Heh.)

After getting lost in it for a while, I decided that I was just going to move forward as planned with Chapter 1 of my own story. I downloaded a time management app. Set my deadlines. Asked my wife for a second opinion as to whether she thought they were reasonable and got busy.

After I stopped worrying so much that I was doing everything wrong, I made a lot of progress! And, I ultimately decided that my style suits my story. The character design video helped me catch some small detail things that may have caused some confusion to readers later on.

All the while, behind the scenes, I was shuffling and moving furniture and stuff to get our new floors put in upstairs.

studio 1

studio 2

studio 3

So, in spite of getting lost in the weeds this week, I managed not only to meet my first deadline, but also get my studio room put about 80% back together (while also spending some quality time with my lab assistant)! (See what I did there? Heh.)

The takeaway this week is that tutorial videos are great learning resources, but sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves, jump in, and get working. And, if you do get lost in the weeds, a breather to do some research by looking at other people's work may help you get excited about your own again.

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