Livestream
Over the course of 2013, we will be working on various parts of the second Nordguard graphic novel on LiveStream, including (non-spoiler) pages, concept/development art, and other side projects, such the occasional random illustrations.
We don’t have any set times for streams. The best way to catch a live session will be to follow us either on @screwbald or @nordguard on Twitter, or watch us on FaceBook.
You can also find various recorded sessions (which have been edited/sped-up) on our LiveStream page, such as the ones below:
LIVESTREAM F.A.Q.
Here’s a list of Frequently Asked Questions that come up during the chat. It keeps growing, but if you don’t find the answers you were looking for, you’re welcome to ask during the chat!
Jump To:
General Questions | Art Related | Artist Related
GENERAL QUESTIONS:
Who’s Screwbald?
That’s either Tess Garman or Teagan Gavet in the chat.
Tess Garman will always be the one painting.
Why are there two “screwbalds” in the chat?
Tess Garman is the one painting, and since she’s working, she doesn’t get the chance to chat or answer questions very often. On occasion, Teagan Gavet will be in the chat room to answer questions–so it will appear as though there are two people with the same name. One’s capitalized, and the other is all lower-case, so you can guess who’s who if we’re both there.
Wait–”Blotch” is Two People?!
Yep! Teagan writes, lays out, and sketches the comics/illustrations, and Tess cleans up the sketches, inks and paints everything. Here’s more information on the artists.
What happened to your old saved sessions?
I had to do a little spring cleaning, and we’re still in the process of re-uploading a few older sessions, which have been edited/sped-up.
You can find the saved sessions on our LiveStream page.
Is the webcam on your head? What kind is it? The kind that goes on your head?
No, but I’m amused how many times that’s been asked. It’s tied to a stick, that’s positioned between two tripods.
The web cam I have is a Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac.
Here’s a photo of the set-up:
ART RELATED QUESTIONS:
What materials do you use?
Winsor&Newton Watercolours and Golden brand liquid acrylics, on Arches 140 lbs hot press watercolour paper. For inking, Tess uses a small paintbrush and Speedball brand ink.
(Art-stuff.)
Why is the paper flat?
Tess stretches her watercolor paper, to keep it from buckling/wrinkling when she paints on it.
This is done by initially submerging the paper entirely in water for 3-5 min, then stapling and taping the sheet to a board. Once you let it dry, it is “stretched” and will not buckle.
What is “Masking Fluid?”/”That Yellow Goo?”
Masking fluid is liquid latex which is applied to various parts of a picture, to keep it clean while painting other elements (such as masking/covering the foreground, to paint the sky.)
What are you working on?
Usually we’ll be working on artwork for the next Nordguard book, though now and then, it’ll be non-comic related material.
We have a separate FAQ for the Nordguard graphic novels/universe, which has more specific information about the comic!
How Can I Get A Copy Of Your Comics?
We’re glad you asked! If you’re looking for Across Thin Ice, Book One of the Nordguard series, you have a few options for getting a copy.
As for our other comic from 2007, Dog’s Days of Summer, that’s available through Sofawolf Press, (as well as various other projects we have contributed art towards.)
ARTIST RELATED QUESTIONS:
How long have you been drawing/painting?
Tess has been painting since she was 14 years old, so about 14 years now, and drawing since she could hold a crayon. She’s painted in gouache, oil, ketchup, and coffee–but prefers watercolour and acrylics.
Teagan started drawing in kindergarten, but didn’t start to take it seriously until college, so about 7 years now.
Did you go to school for art? Is it your livelihood?
Yes, and yes. Tess Garman has a degree in Natural History and Scientific Illustration, and Teagan Gavet went to school to study animation. We’ve also both been interested in art since we were kids.
We’re both full-time freelance artists, and make a living on art and comics.
Do you two live together? How do your collaborations work?
We do live together in Colorado. For the comic, our collaboration process goes roughly like this:
Teagan writes a script (which is a process unto itself,) then thumbnails page layouts. Tess tells her if (when) something doesnt make sense, and Teagan fixes it. When everything looks good, Teagan sketches out the full-sized pages. Then Teagan has a beer, and Tess cleans up the sketches, adding details and background elements. When the sketched page is finished and everyone’s read to commit to the page, Tess stretches it on a board (to keep it from buckling.) She inks it, drinks a lot of coffee, and finally, paints the page. Teagan scans all of the finished pages, color corrects them, and adds the dialogue/text elements, while Ket drinks wine.
What Song Is That/What are you listening to?
I am usually listening to one of my playlists, or on occasion, an audiobook.
I usually don’t mind answering people’s song title questions, if I’m not in the middle of something critical. However, if I miss your question, I’m sorry! You can always search lyrics on Google.
When I’m listening to instrumental music and working on Nordguard related things, it’s probably on my “Cold List.” Here’s a list of most of the music on the playlist.
Why Is There *No* Sound/Music?
Recently, with Procaster (the Mac LiveStream program,) the sound driver has been finicky. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t. Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do, since I’ve tried reinstalling, updating, removing/changing drivers, etc!