Done. Done. Done.

[layla]

I just keep saying it to myself. Done. Done. Done. Done. I can't quite wrap my mind around it.

I'm done with Raven's Children.

Granted, there is still work to do. I have to scan, adjust, letter, gray-tone the last 14 pages. I have to paint a cover for the second TPB and typeset the pages, which is going to take a long time. But the last page is inked. I have drawn the last panel that I will draw for a very long time.

I've felt a weird sense of mourning over the last few days as I've inked the last pages. This panel here is the last time I'll draw Ronin. This panel here is the last time I'll do Jained's little white forelock. This is the last time Jemer will be snarky, the last time Coren will be broody.

And I also have a strong suspicion the series isn't really done. This story arc was originally conceived as the "prologue" to a much longer story. That was back when it was supposed to be 3 issues, instead of 13. And it was supposed to take much, much less than 5 years to draw.

As it stands, this is AN ending, but it leaves the door open for so much more. You'll see what I mean when I get the last pages online, which will be in the next week or so.

Expect BIG WHOMPIN' UPDATES. My plan in February was to finish the series by the end of April. And I'm still sticking to that. I'm going to try to have half of the remaining 14 pages online this weekend, and the next half next weekend. I may skimp on the gray tones and add more later, to meet my deadline, but I'm gonna try to do it.

And then it'll *really* be done.

Until the TPB.

Until the next story arc.

Until ... enough, already.

I'm done.

Off to add gray tones.

Comments

[jeepersjournal.livejournal.com]

Wow! Good to hear you reached an end of some sort, and that a 2nd TPB is coming out. When I get tired of drawing/writing something I find the best thing to do is concentrate on other projects for awhile, and if ideas are still percolating a few years later, that's the time to return.
I've yet to finish a real "ending" story for a longer work. Jeepers ending is reallllly a ways off, and even then, I have stories I want to do after it. My first regular comic just sort of ended in the middle of a messy seriess of plotlines, and I plan to redo it someday, but not for awhile.

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

That's actually kinda what happened with Raven's Children ... I struggled with the end of the story arc for about a year -- finally made the official announcement that I wasn't going to finish it -- and then a couple months later, woke up with the sudden burning desire to finish. Once I get the 2nd TPB done, I'm going to bid fond farewell to the series with the general idea in the back of my head that I may very well go back to it someday.

This morning, walking the dogs, I found myself writing the opening scenes of the next story arc in my head. It may actually not be all that long...