HOME | DD
fallout161 — Forgot about Hal
Published: 2012-03-04 02:27:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 2818; Favourites: 60; Downloads: 36
Redirect to original
Description
So this is what happened after that last submission, [link] Same night, I think, too.Frustrated with myself about my lack of production, I made this over the course of a few drinks and a couple hours to cause catharsis. I was finally crying by the end. It was a little therapeutic, but with no lasting results as I went right back to avoiding art for days after drawing it. Man, I must be messed up if I draw a comic where my made-up character scolds me. But I also found that messed up quality interesting, so I wanted to see it through. (At least a little bit... obviously this comic is not polished, nor will it be.)
I doubt it will stay here in featured long, hopefully some DA people will move it to scraps where it belongs. Anyway, I thought I would share it since it's weird and there's a nice hug at the end.
Some history:
The blindfold is what the other main character, Foku, used to wear. The story was called Fallout, I started making it when it was around 15 and aside from a 22-page submission to Rising Stars of Manga, it never got anywhere. It was supposed to be a several-volume-long manga. I had quite a bit of story planning put into it. But it just overwhelmed me and after awhile it seemed impossible so I just gave up. I've done this 2 or 3 other times since Fallout, where I make a gigantic story and then never complete it.
Related content
Comments: 42
to be honest, i'd still love to read the story. been a fan of your work for a long time. i still find it very inspiring (hence why i'm here again :3 )
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
oh my god.
dude, i've been a fan of your work since you were drawing on team artail way back in the ancient days of the internet. your work is some of the most inspiring and genuinely moving I've ever been lucky enough to experience.
your story, from the bits and pieces you post, is one I think anyone who's ever seen your work would love to see someday come to light. And even if it never does, the work that it's inspired you to make is amazing.
The feeling of stories that scratch at the back of your head dying to get out it one i think we are all familiar with. the characters patiently waiting for their story to be told. the shadow conversation you have with them in your mind asking to just wait a little longer. surely soon you will be a good enough artist, a good enough person, not so much a failure, that you might be able to try.
Don't give up. even if you never tell this story, keep making.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
It's good to see that you're coming back man. You were my inspiration to start drawing and I was sad so see you go. I can't tell you how many characters I've based off of your art. It's weird to see Hal in this style, but she looks great anyway. Good luck to you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
..I miss Foku too :'<
have to say it was heavily those two which actually inspired me as a young n n00bie artist all those years ago~
I wouldn't say the time was wasted.. life plays out how it will, but it's never to late to re-visit old loves \:'>
..and anthro-rocks. :'> bring them back too
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Haha, good, I'm not the only one who draws out conversations between myself and the people in my head, in which they tell me to get my shit together. I've just never showed them to anyone. More power to you.
Nice hug.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
"...where I make a gigantic story and then never complete it."
I know...the feeling. I thing there's a platoon of un-utilized characters somewhere in my brain, plotting an intervention.
On the other hand, some of my stories have gotten better after a period of not doing anything with them. Maybe that could be the case here, if you choose to to have another go at it.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This needs a bit of sonic fanart in joke tucked away somewhere
But seriously, it's a marvolous creation you started with. I remember loving the first itteration you did for a comic and a script. Both had a vision that no-one else can quite capture. With many other films, games and books about angels and afterlife, it all seems very forced onto a rather dull story. I truely feel like your's grows from this world and delecatly weaves it's tight fingers around you until you are on the edge of your seat to find out the ending.
Also, I feel the pain about unfinished stories. I've got a few epics lying in the recesses of my mind.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Matt P., It's good to see a post from you! Two years away is not just stepping away for a moment.
This strip touched my heart . It almost made me cry. I know my own muses feel the same. I can't remember why you'd left, but I hope that you will continue your Halycon comic! Cheer up too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I love it! I even teared up a bit....
Does this mean were officially saying goodbye to Hal?
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I love this. I love how raw it is. And knowing that this happens to other people, too.
I adored your work years ago when you were actively getting this character out on paper and trying to flesh out the ideas behind her - that's what I first saw of your work, and what caught my eye - and I'm thrilled to see you are submitting more now. I've missed seeing submissions from you. I love the thought and effort you put into each piece.
Thank you for posting this. <3
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I can replace you and Hal in this with myself and Dragonira. My hiatus isn't as long as yours, but it's growing and needs to stop. >_>
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're on a hiatus? I thought you were more productive than ever, making comics and stuff?!?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I've managed to crank out the script for Blink, but I have others drawing that. I haven't touched my own story for almost two years now and I keep procrastinating on it. ^_^;
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
manly tears of joy...
>Frustrated with myself about my lack of production...
know that feel bro...
I remember reading that back when you posted it...
You should get more realistic goals, to 4 page stories about yous chars or anything and grow from that, will bring that sense of accomplishment...
>Man, I must be messed up if I draw a comic where my made-up character scolds me.
know... how.. that.. feels.. too... -.-
and I take it you can see from the other comments that you really really should make more stories in your deliciously scribbly style
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I read this at my Grandmas and thought it was really touching, I once did the same thing with Acheron. aw man Matttttt, I'm sorry, and if I was there I'd give you a Hal hug, too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Bring it back!! I loved the one drawn chapter, but even written, I think you wrote about 10 chapters, right? I was loving it!! it held up fantastically! Even if you're too busy to draw t all, maybe work toward some kind of closure, set a small(ish) limited number, go "I'll write a brief 26 chapter story arc" and get that done. The story and the random illustrations like the family photograph or wingspan more than hold up and rule. (I say this, but I hope you get all worked up and inspired and create forever, it should never have stopped and gone away)
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
With or without the angst, internal scolding, and angry imaginary friends, It's nice to see you posting
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Aww, this is quite touching..! I need to get back in touch with my main character(s) too.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I don't think this belongs in scraps at all. Its not uncommon for artists to have relationships with their characters....
It's actually a relief for me to see someone posting something like this, as I just got through a massive struggle with a character that I've adored for over a decade now.
I agree with *sintuary that this is indeed beautiful. A lot of people outside of the art community don't fully understand what it is to have your own characters, and the fact that the conversation sounds like a mending of an almost break-up is perfect.
Please don't scrap this.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Aw nonono. What a beautiful conversation... It touched me so much.
I can completely relate to that... I hope you can make up with your art soon. I love seeing it... I'm glad to see you're still amongst the living. Don't give up..!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I understand how you feel, Matt.
Take care of Hal, ok?
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
heh, if i sat down with every one of my characters whose story i abandoned, i don't think i would be able to face the amount of anger and hurt they'd throw back at me. i remember being full of ideas and plans to follow up and make something of every last one. pretty naive of me, i see now. The best i can do is remember them in my head, and maybe draw them from time to time, if they'll still let me.
I guess in a way, your characters aren't completely lost. Many people here still remember and love them (I, myself, still have several pieces of your Fallout art work saved on my hard-drive, including the mini comic you produced which helped inspire and entire story and several characters of my own. you were one of my greatest inspirations as a developing artist...still are. 
and maybe its not realistic or feasible to produce Fallout as it was originally intended. but its a definite part of your history, and its nice to pay homage to it once in a while.
Ah, the hopes and ambitions of our younger days.
Ha. I am still way too young to be thinking like that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Years ago, I flamed your pictures. Now I look at this comic and shudder at the degree to which I understand this exact set of feelings. I hope you can reclaim your relationship with your art; if it speaks to you and you care about it enough for it to scold you, it must be valuable quite beyond price.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I have missed you older characters <3
foku and Hal. I can't remember how long I've been watching you, but it was on another website. always enjoyed seeing your awesome characters c;
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Speaking from similar personal experience, I tell you: Don't let your projects own you.
If your mind works anything like mine, you feel compelled to build a universe around the characters you draw. That's a good thing, as it makes your works more believable and easy to relate to. In my opinion, it's the mark of a great artist. But fleshing out whole universes and presenting them in a story takes heaps of time and effort. It's why Marvel assigns 3 to 10 people to produce an issue of X-Men, and why Dreamworks Pictures assigns hundreds of staff to work on How to Train Your Dragon. You're essentially absorbing the work of multiple artists all by yourself. And the moment that becomes a chore, you get burnt out. The project ends up owning you, and you lose motivation. Trying to brute-force your way through that feeling just makes you resent it even more. I've seen it steal all the fire out of good illustrators, people who got so burnt out that they never picked up a pencil again, and lost their edge.
Don't let it happen to you. If you feel like stepping away from the paper for a while, do it. Or find something fresh and different to work on. Pick a diversion and give yourself a break. Or, consider dropping the project completely and starting with something totally new. There's nothing wrong with having a whole library of incomplete stories; what matters is that the lessons you learned from developing them all lead to that one, amazing, finished story.
Best of luck to you, bro.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
This was very beautiful. I'm glad I stumbled upon this comment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Awesome, awesome comment. Thanks.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
aww. This is nice. I like it when an artist's art makes them feel so strongly.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
It's been a while since I've seen something from you, it's good to see you are still drawing, a big project might be what you need to set your head straight? something you can bury yourself in for a while...
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I miss Foku and Hal. I really loved the characters and I thought they were so cool. I would like to see Fallout make a big comeback in the future.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Hopefully Foku and Hal will be coming back soon
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I don't know you personally, but I can relate to the multiple abandoned projects. And the kicking yourself in the ass over it. Just keep pushing yourself, and you'll get there. Really.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is absolutely beautiful, I've felt this so many times. I don't know why, but it seems impossible to think of a story that isn't long and epic, yet at the same time it seems impossible to actually make something like that as well.
I wish the best of luck to you, I really do feel you speak volumes in these few frames.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
There's a bittersweetness tho this that I can't help but admire the execution of. I hope that Hal can be your muse again. You had some awesome work with her at your side. And it's good to see you popping up in my inbox again. ♥
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
You really need to hop back in the saddle bro.
Me and amanda were like "we need to go on a visit matty trip."
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Honestly? The comic and AC both - it's a lot I can relate to. Even if it was not met with lasting results, it is good to know it did help you. Who knows, maybe you'll find you'll garner things later versus a more immediate result, hm?
After all, changes are not always immediate.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0