And now we introduce Mrs. Mina Afkhami’s student assistant: Ms. Jessie Flower.
Jessie's re-emergence requires a little bit of a retcon to her backstory; Wool Mart shoe clerk is now her job she works during summers and between classes while working towards her elementary education degree. When I created her way back when, I turned out to like her as a character more than I thought I would, and many readers grew attached to her very quickly. So I decided on "student teacher" as a means of giving her a more stable supporting cast position.
In lieu of Director Commentary, I thought I’d share the pencil sketch version of the final panel of today’s strip. I wanted a bigger shot of the classroom kids, but cramming so many kids in the panel made the desks[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Today's edition of the Secret Commentary is empty, because Dave failed to come up with something for it.
I may have to make a seating chart to keep track of all these background characters. O_o
The previous comic's reader comments brought up a lot of questions about what sort of teaching techniques Selkie's school uses that I must admit, I did not think about. :x After doing some reading, I decided that the classroom uses a whiteboard instead of a chalkboard (easier on potential asthma issues) and uses light colors on the walls and floors to encourage a "bright" atmosphere (the background shadows are also a little paler than the "outdoors" scenes because of this. I left the character's shadows regular so they stand out more), and has some potted plants at the front (not visible in this strip) for color and a sense of life. I read a few articles about computers and even iPads in modern classrooms, but decided that equipment that runs $300-$500 per unit would not be a good investment for excitable and inattentive elementary students, so the kids will use books and paperback journals. The desks have cubbyholes instead of flip tops to reduce accidental finger-slams. GAWD that is a lot of commentary. XD
I have a request for you guys. I have to submit samples of my work for a student gallery exhibition, and I would like to use a page or two from Selkie. But I can’t decide which ones1 I’d prefer[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I don't have anything special to say about this one, sorry.
Fan Art Time! Check out this Handcrafted Selkie Plushie on DeviantArt! I decided not to put a picture of this in the Fan Art page yet… because Green-Glowsticks has offered to mail it to me! So I will take a[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Panel 3 is my attempt at an "interesting" transition panel. Feels a little random to me, but hey now I can say I drew an extreme close up of a bumper.
My apologies to readers from Scotland or the United Kingdom, but with a soccer/football fan on the cast, this joke was inevitable. XD Heather’s shirt is also a shout out that some of my family members may recognize. Go Rockets![…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I have three separate story arcs intended for this chapter. Welcome to storyline #3.
There haven't been background kids in this strip or the last one because I was afraid background comedy would detract from the mood. I don't follow the Harold Zoid method of drama.
I have had this scene running in my head for months now, but now that it’s finally out, I feel a bit sad watching it unfold. So, I’d like to lighten the mood with some cute fan art sent to[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Sometimes drawing Selkie is a fine balance between "adorable" and "horrifying". Too much realism or detail and she becomes alien and, visually speaking, difficult to relate to. This is why I usually only draw her top row of teeth when speaking. I want her fangs to remain visible on a "day to day" basis so they don't become jarring or unnerving when they DO appear (in the visual language of comics and animation suddenly-appearing fangs tends to signify malicious intent, a trope I try to subvert with Selkie's design); but when both rows of teeth become visible it can create a "baring her fangs" look. I mention this because I personally find the close up of Selkie's mouth here a bit unnerving. She's a sweet stubborn and smart kid, but she also has a mouth filled with razor sharp fangs. She can't help it but it's unavoidable that, to a human perspective, her mouth is a bit scary if you look too closely.
To my fellow American readers, happy Labor Day! 😀 Sorry to make the holiday post one with kids being mean. I wanna share the latest fan art update while I am here! Courtesy of FlanFlanShazam, two Selkie inspired drawings: Thank[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I think "psychic devil orphan" sounds like something that might come out of Georges mouth.
