Snow Dragon Comic Archive

6-12-2003

This is where the project first began (publicly, anyway).  I had done several strips of a different concept that lacked the college band angle, but there were two problems with it.  1) Too many bloody characters (which Snow Dragon also fell victim to, despite me trimming it down over the years), and 2) Not having any direction.  Snow Dragon gave me the direction I needed, so I abandoned the earlier webcomic concept and ran with this for four more years (not counting the one-shots I did in 2009 and 2010, respectively).  Looking back on this three years since the last revisit, I am blown away at how far along I’ve come…much like how I was back in 2007…

I really doubt I’d write such a song today.  It’s not a bad song, but I’m no longer having to deal with the issues I had when I wrote it (wondering if someone felt the same about me as I did for them).  It’s amazing what having such a compassionate wife can do to one’s self-esteem.

Director’s Cut Notes (2007):

Well, despite the ancientness of this comic, I kept it mainly because it is the first one of the whole Snow Dragon project. Sort of brings a tear to my eye. :p At any rate, the comic has come a long, long, LONG way from this early strip. The art has improved immensely, and I think the songs and characterization are better later on, too.

I don’t really know if people hold guitars the way Chad is holding his. O_X I don’t think so. I suppose I was trying something to try to differentiate Chad and Janelle’s poses, but eh, it looks rather jilted.

I can also tell you that Janelle would probably not be wearing pants with pockets on the leg these days. I did forget I drew a skull on her guitar, though. Maybe I’ll work that back in. Jer’s wearing his old jeans here. He’s been wearing more casual cargo pants since this early work. Man, it’s pretty incredible seeing how far I’ve come…

Original Notes (2005):

The first comic!..and boy, does it look it! The two years following this have certainly improved my art style.

Anyway…this song is called Tomorrow, and it’s one of my favorites I’ve written. That is Jer singing it, and Chad and Janelle jamming in the background. The lyrics read from left to right.

6-26-03

I didn’t do Director’s Cut notes for every single comic, so I’ll have to ramble about them a bit more now to compensate, I suppose. :p

As I mention below, there originally was a comic that was in between the first comic and this one, but I’ll go into more detail now.  Once upon a time, I didn’t have Grace in my life, and I had not had any other woman in my life as a girlfriend, so I created one in my comics world…sort of a dream girl.  It bounced around earlier on from crush to crush, but after a terrible high school revelation about a particular crush, I decided not to relive that emotional tragedy (I’m over-dramatizing it on purpose, as anything that deals with high school must be wrought with drama XD ), and Claire ended up as that magical “perfect” girl.  She didn’t begin her life that way, but I adored her design and put in everything I thought I would want out of a girlfriend into her following that.  Ironic to look back and realize that what I thought was the ideal woman for me was nowhere near as incredible as Grace is.  That comic is lost into the void of the Recycle Bin emptying on my old PC, so I can not resurrect it.  But honestly, it didn’t really add much to the comic beyond establishing an awkward relationship that means so little to me now, so you’re not missing much. :p

It’s astounding to me how far my designs have come from 2003.  Seven years have rendered these characters so far beyond these earlier takes on them it’s almost mind-blowing to look at these again.

A little insight on the characters, now:

Janelle – Would I draw her with those “sneaky” eyes these days?  I doubt it.  She’s gotten more surly as she’s developed, so I don’t think she’d snark with such a gleeful expression these days.  I also have made her hair much longer, too – it is about halfway down her back today.

Jose – He hasn’t changed too much.  His personality is about the same.  Maybe I need to develop him some more.

Trent – Trent’s based on an old friend of mine in high school, so I tried to recapture his uniqueness in my comic, which I feel I’ve done.  He had his own style, and really helped motivate me to strike out on my own, too.

Claire – That’s her most common shirt design – it’s teal with coral sleeves originally, but I think that color combo may be a bit much now.

Mike – This may be the first time I drew Mike’s “LOUD” shirt – I can’t remember.

Original Notes:

Yes, devoted readers (hi to you, if you exist ^^ ) may notice a comic missing here. I decided to remove the Claire/Jer comics for personal reasons, but I noticed that the comic still flows pretty well without them. Original notes follow:

The first appearance of Jose, Trent and Mike in the comic. I think those three turned out great, and Janelle looks pretty nice, too. Claire could have been better…at any rate, this was the first “layered” comic I made. That means that Janelle, Jose and Trent were one piece of art, Claire was another and Mike was another. Mike is badass here, though…as he usually is. I love drawing him.

7-4-03

Bridget is one of my more recent characters – I knew a woman in college with the same name, and she was another unique person (much like Trent) that I wanted to implement into my designs.  I don’t remember if I ever asked her if I could, though. XD  She’s evolved into being much more her own character these days.

A DISCMAN OMG!  ACTUAL HEADPHONES BBQ?  Heh.  If you want to see how quickly technology rendered my comics obsolete, look at the music players everyone had in these days.  It’s insane how quickly iPods, music-capable cell phones and digital media in general sneaked into the college collective.

This is Chris’ older design, modeled after his high school appearance.  When he got out of being in the Army and I bumped back into him in college, I modified his design to be more appropriate to how he was then, which I thought made him stand out more.

Marie has a Foo Fighters insignia on her shirt – she was created to their music, so I used it as part of her design for quite some time.  It’s gone now, mainly to avoid copyright issues. :p  I love her armband, BTW.  I don’t remember if I drew her originally with it or not, but it’s been there on her left arm at least nearly as long as she’s been around.  I’m thinking Street Fighter’s Vega was the influence.

Original Notes:

Happy Independence Day…way back when in 03! This comic has a bunch of new people in it – Chris, Marie and Bridget made their first appearance here. The art is not too bad here either (Marie is looking great!). It’s a bit hard to read due to the lack of space on the top…it reads right to left, and then back to Marie. That reminds me, I need to do a series with Bridget…

7-31-03

Alexia’s shirt has a blood spatter next to a skateboard.  Hardcore, that she is.

Having never been in a dorm, I have no idea what to expect from them.  I think this isn’t too bad. XD

This may be the second or third time I drew Alexia without her beanie.  It’s a very rare occurrence.

I’ve never had something stolen from me at school that I can remember, which is pretty astounding to think about.  Lucky me, I suppose.

Original Notes:

Alexia’s first appearance, as well as the first of a character’s outside of the band Snow Dragon. I love this strip series…and Alexia’s shirt design (so simple, yet so effective). And Alexia, too, for that matter. God, I love so many of my designs…which is a good thing. As for the message…sometimes seeing one certain person makes up for everything bad that happens in a day…

8-7-03

…and this would be the third or fourth time I had Alexia beanie-less.

“I’m glad I wore my leotard under this this morning”…god, she ALWAYS has that leotard on (well, maybe not when she’s sleeping or using the bathroom :p ).  Looking back on that quote, it seems blatantly obvious that she would have that article of clothing on…it’s as much of her design as her beanie and eyebrow piercing.  I think I managed to explain that better now than back then. XD  Hope so, as this note is basically regurgitated from that. XD

Alexia remains one of my favorite characters I’ve made.  She’s one I look forward to exploring more with the next project…whatever it will be.

Way to shirk the backgrounds on the first two panels! XD

Original Notes:

It’s been so long since I’ve drawn Alexia wearing a bra. Back in her early design phases I did, but the leotard is such a defining part of her character that I don’t think since I started drawing her with it that I have not drawn her without it. Yeah. O_o I don’t like the first panel’s art, but the rest is pretty good. I just realized that the line I put here in the second panel makes little sense to my notes. O_o Well, I suppose she’s simply thankful.

8-15-03

Hadagi means underwear in Japanese, if my memory’s correct.  I’ll just come right out and say it – Yoshi-Li’s a pervy girl.  And then there’s Drew…who is such a hoot to write.  He embodies every single motherfucking perverted high school horndog I knew, and he is quite the slapstick victim.  Fun fun fun. ^_^

I like Dave the most in this sketch, with Drew a close second.  Alexia seems a little less polished than her bandmates.

Despite Alexia’s issues, I still consider this one of my favorites.

Director’s Cut Notes:

Hadagi’s first appearance…I get into the band’s name a bit more on Yoshi-Li’s cast page, but I think it’s perfect for it. I still enjoy its clever pun…

Anyway, the reason I kept this one is that the art here is really good for 2003. Dave and Drew in particular stand out as being well done, and I love both of their expressions here. I do see flaws, but all and all, this is the best work I have of SD in 2003.

I do think that I drew Alexia’s guitar strings with a ruler. O_O Rather odd of me to get so…precise. I also did the seams on her leotard…which looks kind of neat. Maybe I’ll return to that in the future.

…I don’t know what that is on Drew’s shirt. Usually I try to do some sort of peeping or girl reference, but I’m at a complete loss at what that strange thing is on his shirt. A band-aid, maybe? X_O

Original Notes:

This one is also older than it looks, but it fit in almost perfectly. I had to alter Alexia’s sleeves (the original had her in a long sleeve leotard). This marks Drew and Dave’s first appearance (I love both of their faces in this one). One of my SD favorites.

8-24-03

I’m not sure why I omitted this from my Director’s Cut notes before, as I think it’s one of the better strips I made.

Marie is so melancholy.  She never smiles…or offer any sort of emotion, to be honest.  She’s quick to snark, and has a quiet voice.  I’ve been writing with her in a different project, and she’s proving to be an intriguing character to create dialogue for.  She’s one of my favorites (favorite is a word I’ll be using a lot, sorry in advance).

I love the beach, so that’s why the city these characters reside in is by one.  If only Grace and I could afford it…I’d be there.  Now.  With bells on.

The bottom panel is fantastic beyond her short nose. XD

What is the name of this city?  In a completely unegotistical manner, I know I originally named it Wildcat (WTF creativeness?!), but by the time Snow Dragon was being made, I renamed it to something less vain.  But I can’t remember it at all.  Oh well. XD

Original Notes:

Marie’s first stand alone comic, this is read in a manga format (right to left.) It’s also a bit older than the date suggests, but the last panel is one of my favorites of the comic (although it does show its age to me now). I also love the text. As the future shows, Trent and Marie will be starting to like each other later…

1-11-04

Lindsay used to wield the magic of fire in another project of mine, which may be why she was using it here (that, and she’s just downright pissy).  I still feel that I’ve never quite drawn Lindsay as well as I did here.  This is the epitome of her design, I guess.  I know I say that in all of the prior notes, but it’s still true.

Trent does have other clothes. :p  That’s a jar of peanut butter on it, FYI.

Go Dreamcast swirl! ^_^

That’s a dog’s head with a bow on top on Lindsay’s shirt.  Her bellybutton is also awkwardly pierced incorrectly – for some odd and inexplicable reason, I drew navel rings the opposite direction they usually go.  Obviously I wasn’t paying enough attention. XD  That has been rectified, thanks to Grace.

Director’s Cut Notes:

I still think this is the funniest comic I did the first time around. I also don’t know if I’ve ever managed to draw Lindsay as awesomely as I did here (although I will comment that I drew her far more thin than she actually is). This is pretty much perfect with my vision of her.

I did an original version of this BEFORE this one for an earlier comic that was filled with the same SD characters (plus 20 or so more…which is why I rejected it in favor of doing SD)…but I don’t know if I still have that or not. It was pretty much the exact same idea, but I did color it (and it was done in 2002, so it was even older looking). Since I love this one so much, maybe I’ll redo it again, just for fun. ^_^

Heh, I love Trent’s expressions in this one. In fact, I’d go as far to say that this comic has some of the better facial expressions of all the SD comics, despite its age. All of them are pretty cool, in my eyes.

For some odd reason, I hear Jorge Garcia’s voice when I read Trent’s last line. Too much Lost, methinks.

Chris is no longer going to be my prop for injury humor. Drew fits that mold quite nicely. Besides, the Chris of today doesn’t gel his hair anymore. :p

Original Notes:

This was the first comic of 2004, and on my birthday no less. This one is also…quite old. But I LOVE the art on it (it’s arguably one of the best sketches of Lindsay I’ve done) and it’s one of my favorite comics I’ve drawn. Oddly enough, I didn’t put my symbols on it, so I don’t know when it was drawn…^^;;; I’d gauge it to be around late 2003.

2-1-04

Yoshi-Li and Song-Li (who you’ll meet later) are two of my oldest designs.  Yoshi-Li was prone to violence back then (being a part of Lindsay’s posse), but she’s become much more than a minion of somebody else as she’s grown, and I think she’s a fascinating character to write for.  Song-Li is, too, for that matter.  I need to draw them more. I like both of their designs a lot.  I particularly like doing Yoshi-Li’s hair.

The two originally had a third sister, Miwa, at the beginning of Snow Dragon, who was a trendy snob of a girl, but I dumped her after a bit because I felt she was unnecessary.

Yoshi-Li may not be Lindsay’s underling anymore, but she’s not afraid of busting somebody’s skull in if she has to (which is often, considering the way Drew is).

This is Drew’s life 24/7.  Try to peek and then lose out on his prize.  You’d think he’d learn, but he’s a bit thick. :p

Original Notes:

I like this one, mainly because it’s how Drew ALWAYS is. Hee hee. It’s also Yoshi-Li’s first appearance (I love her character, I really do). This comic sat on the main page for a long time…nearly two and a half months! O_O I’ve realized that this one is very light, too. I’ll have to remaster some of these comics at some point.

4-11-04

Hm, I don’t know if Claire would wear such pants these days.  They look like yoga pants.  She may kickbox, but she wears bike shorts when she does that.  It could be a skirt, and I’ve just drawn it poorly, though – I can’t tell. XD  And a shirt that ties around the back?!  My, how Claire’s changed!

Yamaha made keyboards once upon a time (may still, don’t know), so I made a clever pun off of that for Trent’s keyboard.  And again, he does have more than that set of clothes.  I promise!

Combust was written about a girl who was very individualistic I knew in college, and was slowly becoming more trendy and cliched as she hung out with certain people.  I am a stalwart individualist (and I pride myself on it), so seeing someone I thought was really cool and awesome becoming more and more like everyone else instead of her unique self inspired this song.  Unfortunately, I am unable to quite recollect who exactly it was for. XD  But I do remember the origin of it, so I suppose that’s enough.

Original Notes:

This is Claire’s first solo singing in the comic. The song is called Combust. Trent also returns to do some keyboardin’. Claire turned out pretty well, but Trent could use some work…I do like the song, though.

6-9-04

Skate My Life Away is so not my type of song. XD  It was written specifically for Yoshi-Li for this comic.  It’s short, snappy and profane, which makes for an adequate punk song, I guess.

That mike stand is pretty solid, actually.  First thing that caught my eye.

Yoshi-Li likes to randomly tie her hair up in braids.  It was an effort to try to differentiate her from Alexia and Kristyn (beyond lacking a beanie :p ), who are the two other girl skaters I have in my universe…but I think they work really well with her personality.

Still can’t believe I screwed up what instrument Ben plays.  I meant for Hadagi to have two drummers – Dave and Ben, in order to give their sound a little diversity…but I think I forgot that when I was drawing him. XD

Drew’s got the perv eye.  I’ve sort of stopped doing quirky anime expressions, but I may pick them back up.  They add a lot, I think.

Original Notes:

This is Hadagi’s first Song comic, and the song is called Skate My Life Away. This also is a layered comic…and the most profanity I’ve put into any song. O_O It’s also Ben’s first appearance! (On the right) But I realized on 6-30-04 I totally put Ben on the wrong instrument. He’s a drummer! O_O;;; But now he’s a guitarist and a drummer. ^_^ And Drew is checkin’ out Yoshi-Li’s ass – he apparently didn’t learn his lesson a few comics back.

6-20-04

Grace and I had begun dating in April of this year, and I felt that it was time to completely strip away any sort of romantic connection to Claire in the comics at that point.  I had discovered how awesome and amazing Grace was after two months, and spent so much time on the phone with her, spending time with her at school or at work, and slowly realizing how much I loved her.  Still early on by this point, but I knew that I no longer needed a fictional girlfriend, so this comic was done as an emotional release.  It worked, too.  Ignore the original notes – I know what this was for, and hiding it with an altered reason is kind of lame.  Bad “old me”! XD

The Claire in the background kind of sucks, but I do really like the one in the foreground still.  She’s holding her heart pendants, which have been a part of her character for a long time.  They were originally gifts from Jer (aka me).  They remain a part of her design, but my character is no longer attached to them.

Speaking of that, at times, I wonder if I should remove myself from this world.  These characters are friends of mine in an obscure artistic way, however, so I don’t think I will.  I think I’ll just be an accessory more than a major player.

Heart’s not a bad song.

Original Notes:

This is arguably some of the best art I’ve done for the comic. Out of all of the Claire/Jer hoopla, I couldn’t quite dump this one, and it still works in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, Claire now wrote this song after losing a friend from her hometown. It’s called Heart, and it’s a pretty solid song.

7-6-04

Eh, I kind of wish I didn’t do this one or its sequel.  Lindsay’s a hard-knock character, who probably wouldn’t have emotional breakdowns like this.  I think I just needed a foil to express the point of existence, and plucked the wrong character from the basket.  Kristyn may have been a better choice…if I hadn’t hooked her up with Jay already.  Ah well.  What’s done is done.

There’s plenty of layering mistakes in this comic, too, which doesn’t help the “I kind of wish I didn’t do this one” argument. XD

Original Notes:

The basic story to this one is Lindsay’s going through a depressive state after being in a fight. The rough draft for this actually had Kristyn in this, but her being in a fight didn’t make too much sense (especially since in the comic’s story line, she’s going out with Jay already). The first panel is from the rough draft…the rest I redid. The main reason I did this is because most people wonder why they exist in the world…usually when something traumatic happens to them. I extended the storyline in 9-30-04.

8-2-04

Chad and Alexia have been a romantic item of sorts for quite some time.  This was an attempt to convey that awkward moment you say or do something that probably wasn’t noticed or taken that badly, but because of the stakes involved, it becomes the be-all or the end-all of your life.  I think it worked out here.

I like Chad and Alexia as a couple possibility, yet have never made them so.  Wonder why?

Sorry, Chris.  You’re no longer the fall guy.

Dreamcast swirl and a Mario quote?  Gamer heaven!

11′s my lucky number, btw.  It’s my birthday date, for those wondering.

Original Notes:

Hm, the top panel may have the best background in the comic so far. Anywho, Chad is angry at himself for messing up his chances with Alexia…or so he thinks. I’m sure many of you have thought at least once in your lives that you said something wrong and just screwed things over with that person…well, that’s what I was trying to create here. Poor Chris…he’s become my crash test dummy…heh. I’ll have to get him a better role in the near future. Anyway, I got the idea while on my Oregon vacation, and thought it would make a decent comic. That, and I get to throw in a Nintendo line. ^_^ It also refers to Chad’s job as janitor…which I just remembered. ^^;

8-9-04

In the early days in the comic, when the site anniversary rolled around, I made much more of an effort to do the comics for a whole week in celebration (that’s why I did one-shot 2009 and 2010 comics marking the anniversary of LVLs.).  These ended up becoming convenient ways to sneak in characters I rarely used. XD

I don’t know if Jay’s going to remain in my character list.  He’s merely a design rip from Jamiroquai’s Jason K, and I don’t think he’s all that neat to write for.  But then I think of Kristyn, and I think the two make a good coupling, so perhaps I merely need to put more effort into making him his own man.  We’ll see what happens.

I like Kristyn’s shirt.  I’ll have to keep that one.

Kristyn’s hair has gotten shorter while Alexia’s has gotten longer over the years.  It’s odd, because I reversed it way back when to make them more of their own characters in appearance, and I’ve completely undone that effort. XD

Original Notes:

Ah, the 6 day in a row Snow Dragon updating. Still quite a feat for me…

Anyway, I really like the art on this one. This is Jay and Kristyn’s introduction to the comic (at last), and they are in a bind since most of the other people who play instruments at the campus are involved in other bands. That’s pretty much it. Note that the italics equal Jay’s thoughts.

8-10-04

Drew’s such a pigheaded jerk.  He’s so fun to write and draw.

Clearly my poses needed work, as Alexia and Dave are mimicking each other perfectly. XD

I also used a ruler to do the building, which is blatantly obvious.  Heh, not my best work, it would seem.  Still, though, I think all of the comics that I still have need to be featured here, even the ones I’m not proud of anymore.

Original Notes:

The beginning of the three part saga known as…Hadagi rehearsal #2! Hee hee. Dave, Alexia and Drew are skating to rehearsal…Drew however, being a pighead as well as a pervert, is treating it as a race. I’m pretty content with the art on this one…especially Drew’s hands.

8-11-04

Drew’s pose is great, but that window is terrible.  He sort of has a Shaggy-like look here.

I’m not quite sure what disaster rendered Alexia’s bangs so poorly, but she looks a little awkward here.  One eye is lower than the other too, I see. XD

Original Notes:

Poor Drew. He is more of my damaged goods guy than Chris is (who I need to get out of that role…he deserves better). I’m really pleased with this strip on the whole (besides the lame ass shutter Drew ran into, but that’s besides the point :p ). Drew’s pose looks natural to me, and that says a lot to my efforts to make the bodies look more realistic. Alexia as well looks pretty good in her panel…her face needed a bit more work in making it correct, but it’s all good. Drew’s face is great, too. One of my favorites so far.

8-12-04

I like Yoshi-Li’s face here.  She seemed to be one character I took to during this comic series to develop.

I still love the punchline.

She’s still bitter about the incident with Drew earlier, I’d guess.

Ah, Director’s Cut notes!  How novel! XD

Director’s Cut Notes:

I [Admin - originally, but not any more!] cut out the earlier two comics of the Hadagi crew going to rehearsal, but I love the dialogue I did here. I really do. The art is not that great, but sometimes a good line makes up for it, and I think that’s the case here.

Yoshi-Li’s guitar is rather unique…I should try to keep up that Spade-like idea for the redesign.

Ben with longer hair looked WAY too much like a few other characters in the comic (Dave and Drew in particular), which caused me to think of how confusing that might be for my readers (I know you’re out there). This comic helped spur his future revising, which I like a lot more than the original SD design. It’s more true to the original Ben I based him on.

I guess I was trying to fiddle around with perspective with Yoshi-Li’s arm and leg…and failed rather miserably at it. O_X As my old notes state, this was the weakest of the art I did for my first week-long update. Despite that, though, I still like it. :p

Original Notes:

The last of the Hadagi storyline, focusing on Ben and Yoshi-Li. I’m very happy with the dialogue here – I think it’s funny. (I don’t know if you do…I can hope so, anyway) I’m pleased with this one too, but out of all of the comics done for the week, I felt this had the weakest art. But ah well, it’s still better than some others, and it’s not too bad. This also marks the second skate shop brand I’ve come up with. Thank was the first (Think was pretty big at my high school…back when I was in it), but somehow I came up with Blowfish for the second. Ben is the only one who sports Blowfish so far…

8-13-04

This three-part with Jose and Janelle got me the most buzz at the Lounge forums (wow, now I feel old) back in the day.  I suppose panties were enough for them, I guess. :p  I kid, truly guys and gals who used to frequent there.

Best set-up in the whole damn comic history, though.

I don’t know if I can expand much more than this, but I still consider these three to be the finest strips I did.

Director’s Cut Notes:

I don’t know if I can really add much more to this one compared to what I already did. The idea came in Ashland, Oregon when I went up there with my parents. I believe I did this on the drive up there. My original had Janelle in it for sure, but I don’t quite recall if Jose was in it too (I believe he was…I think I threw out the rough). At any rate, I wanted to expand Jose from his rather…boring and well, nonexistent role he was having in the comic so far, and I think this series succeeded in that. It’s helped define him (and Janelle) quite a bit.

I love the line in the second panel. It really is a good cliffhanger…heh.

Original Notes:

This comic (and 8-14-04 and 8-22-04′s) were born from an RD I had (done on the way to Ashland, OR, oddly enough) that was only the two panels in 8-14′s…but I wanted to create a dramatic mood that would quickly alter in the last panel of 8-14′s. At any rate…I’m really pleased with the art here, and am glad to have Jose get a starring role for once. His character is one I want to develop, but I just haven’t done it…this is a nice beginning, though.

8-14-04

Janelle’s become a little chunky and much more curvy since this comic – seeing her this thin is very weird.  Like, who the hell is this cosplaying Janelle-weird.

Most popular comic of my career.  I’d like to try to top this somehow – a panty shot shouldn’t be the most popular comic of my career. XD

That door in the first panel looks pretty good, actually.  Odd to point that out, but I suck at backgrounds, and take compliments when I can get them. XD

That’s Skullfire on her chonies and shirt – it’s a boss from a game design of mine.  I mention it in the next comic’s notes, but that’s it on her underwear, as well.  It’s become a regular part of Janelle and Shi’s attire.

Janelle was born to the Deftones, so that’s why she had the symbol on her pants.  I liked popping those kinds of things back then.

Director’s Cut Notes:

Ah yes. The famous “OMG Janelle’s panties O_O !!!11″ comic. Certainly the one I got the most comments about (back when I was a poster on the old Lounge board). The original rough I did was different. I actually had the camera right next to Janelle, but considering my uncomfortableness with drawing bodies that close at that point (I’m doing a little better with that these days), I understand why I went with this view.

Janelle’s cleavage is rather…weak. :p If one were to really study it, it fails to match up correctly. *shrugs* I don’t think that was my focus here. Heh.

Anyone catch the Deftones logo on Janelle’s pants?

This may be the first time I drew Janelle with a dog collar. Lindsay had one earlier, but Janelle’s stolen that idea and ran with it. Shi may have one from time to time, but it’s Janelle’s feature prop these days.

God, I can do this comic so much better now. Janelle looks so stiff. :p Maybe I’ll add this to my remake list. ^_^

It’s hard to see, but Jose is suffering the standard anime “OMG fan service” bloody nose. I still think FLCL’s take on it is the best one I’ve seen. It’s disturbing. *ahem* I also think I should have done his WHOA! bigger. Maybe have someone behind him stop too. :p

Original Notes:

Heh, I love this one. Continuing from the day before, Jose walks in at the wrong time. I did get some comments on this one, which is comforting. I got some good laughs out of some of the people. Anyway, this is one of my favorites. The art here is also really good.

8-22-04

This was revolutionary.  Janelle’s surprising development took center stage with this comic, one that I was preparing lines and suddenly that slip about others seeing more of Janelle’s skin was displayed, and it was a brilliant flash of realization, one I’ve wanted to have happen with all of my characters.  She grew so much from this one comic that it’s remarkable to me to think back on it.  I’d still hail it the best comic of the bunch, no question.

The dialogue just drifts along here like it’s natural.  How lovely!

Art’s not bad, either.  Still odd seeing Janelle skinny, though. XD

Director’s Cut Notes:

You know, this may still be my absolute favorite SD comic. I’ve grown a lot with my art through doing all these comics, and this is one of the ones I really pushed myself to grow with. Outside of Janelle’s somewhat uncurvy belly, this is still some great looking stuff.

Notice the Deftones logo on Janelle’s belt buckle? Noticing a trend? :p

This comic is the one that developed their personalities the most. I was wanted to let Jose mature into his character more, but I think Janelle stole his thunder with her comments about “others have seen more skin”. I didn’t script that at all, it just rolled out of my mind when I was working on the text for the comic, which I loved. Spontaneous moments are always pretty amazing. It added some more depth to Janelle, and now I’m excited about expanding that in the redesign.

Original Notes:

The conclusion to the Jose/Janelle saga. The art in this comic is some of my best ever, in my opinion, so I love it from a visual front. I get a bit of a chuckle from the dialogue, as well. Jose’s character developed nicely over this saga, which was a goal. Janelle did a bit as well (the revealing of her “shown more skin than this to others” line was an interesting turn of her character I haven’t plotted out before…). Funny when that happens. Anyway, I love this one from all aspects; in my opinion, it’s one of the best Snow Dragon comics I’ve done. I don’t know if others agree with me…most probably think 8-14′s is the best because of Janelle’s panty shot…^^;;;

Fun, Mostly Pointless Side-Note – Janelle’s sporting a shirt that says “Skullfire”. That refers to a character of mine from a game design (same as the one that has Lindsay as “Fire”).

9-30-04

Again, I sort of regret this series.  It feels so damn forced to me now.  Too late, it’s done!

Liz’s hair used to be much shorter, but I like her with a long ponytail, so it’s staying.  Lindsay’s hair has gotten shorter since this.

Original Notes:

The comic is a continuation of the one that I did on 7-6-04. It introduces Liz into the comic (finally…one day they’ll all be in here) as Lindsay’s best friend…and probably her sanity as well. I like the art here – I must say, Lindsay’s butt here is probably the best one I’ve drawn. Hee hee. The note is a bit hard to read – the top says “Who gives a”…the rest ought to be okay. Why suicide, do you ask? It’s a controversial subject, one I disbelieve in doing, personally. But, sometimes people are pushed too far in life, and make an irrational decision on the spur of a moment that will alter other people’s lives, not just their own. I did this to show that sometimes you need someone close to you to save you from making mistakes…including killing yourself. As far as we know, we only have one life – we should try to make the best of it. ^^

1-21-05

Claire is unhealthy skinny here.  Like anorexic-level.  She’s not.  Just an error in body structure.

Love Chad’s shirt and this song.  I still draw the Sun’s Spawn.  The song is a much better stab at the message I was trying to convey in Combust above.

My own musical project…that I have yet to do.  Procrastination is the bane of this existence of mine. XD

Director’s Cut Notes:

I used the Chad here for the old SD banner that was sitting on the main page until recently.

The art here is well done (although Claire is far too skinny here). The song is also one of my favorites. I’m using it for my own musical project.

I commented about this in the old notes, but I absolutely love Chad’s shirt designs. This freakish thing I like to call the Sun’s Spawn :p is something I just doodled as I was drawing the comic…which is usually how they work. I try to come up with something weird…and it usually pans out.

The song Guillotine came from listening to some of my friends talking about old friends of theirs who tried to change the way they were. Sometimes people unknowingly morph into clones of their friends, not realizing that it’s happening at all. I’m a big believer of individualism, so naturally I don’t think people should change just because someone wants them to. They should do it all by themselves for themselves.

Original Notes:

I have to say that I really do love this one. I love the song (it’s called Guillotine), I love the way Claire and Chad turned out, and it encompasses everything I want SD to be. Heh. Chad and Claire were separate layers, too. It’s also the first 2005 comic. Chad’s shirts are fun to do, because I can let loose and come up with some freaky things…like this sun/eye thing with teeth.

2-26-05

I love the ocean, as I said before, and like to plop my characters into oceanside locales to ponder their lives.  I tend to do that (or just stare out at the beauty of the ocean’s waves without a thought in my head), so I wanted to carry that over to my comics.

Claire’s skinny, here, too.  Maybe she had a bad design phase.  She’s more toned and muscular now.  This just doesn’t look right to me (like Janelle above).

I do like her shirt, though – I’ll have to remember that.  Ah, I see why – Grace designed it. ^_^

Original Notes:

Claire’s wandering on a cliffside by the ocean, reflecting on herself and on being alone. Of course, this was meant a little different before, but now that she’s been solo for quite some time, she’s pondering if she’s going to ever find anyone. The thought of solitude is one I have felt before, as have many of my friends. However, I do not think I will truly feel lonely ever again, due to my lovely fiancé who I love ever so deeply. However, some of my friends have not had the chance that I have to find the right boy or girl for them, so this is in honor of them. Don’t give up hope on finding your love…

Claire’s shirt is from my Grace’s gift art of her (see the Gifts link above for the pic), which fits Claire pretty well, I think. It’s always interesting to see other people’s takes on your characters, and Grace opened my eyes a bit to Claire, so I felt I should give her some props here. Thanks, baby. ^^ I’m pleased with the art, too…very much so. I also like the lines quite a bit. One of my favorites, for sure.

3-4-05

See?!?  Trent does have different clothes!

Kristyn turned out the best here.  She can be a bit skinny as far as I’m concerned, so the look suits her.  This is a bit much, though.

Four months of this comic headlining the Snow Dragon page is embarrassing in retrospect. XD

Original Notes:

A continuation of 8-9-04, Mike and Trent hook Jay and Kristyn up with a chance to make their musical dreams happen. Mike and Kristyn turned out REALLY well, while Trent and Jay are decent I suppose. The gifts of friendship can be pretty amazing. Sadly, this strip has some erasing mistakes (or should I say, unerased mistakes ^^;;;)…but hey, it’s still pretty good. This was a strip pulled from 3 layers – Mike and Trent were originally by each other when I drew it, but that just wouldn’t work when I pulled Kristyn and Jay into it, so I placed them apart.

BTW, this comic sat on the SD main page the second longest…from 3-4-05 to 7-12-05….oy. Bad artist! O_O

8-26-05

One of my favorite comics.  This developed a nice explanation of the relationship between Song-Li and Yoshi-Li, and built up Ben and Song-Li’s potential to be a couple.  Excellent!  And the thespian joke never gets old.  I miss my drama buddies.

Song-Li still wears that shirt.  I love the “Woot Japan” slogan.  It makes so much sense to me for some inexplicable reason.

Yoshi-Li in the first panel looks great!  She’d look a lot like that today, I’d wager…but drawn better.  I hope. XD

Director’s Cut Notes:

One of the few comics I used a lot of background details. It worked out well for it…sometimes it’s easy to forget that these guys and gals are in school. :p

Yoshi-Li’s comatose math reaction came from Grace.  She had trouble staying awake in her math classes. Later on, I had trouble staying awake in my math classes. :p

I am a drama major, so I get a kick out of being able to incorporate my love of theater into my other projects. Song-Li’s comment is perfect for those out of the loop with drama terminology. For those who may not know, a thespian is an actor. :p We almost put that slogan on some drama club T-shirts, but our instructor was against the idea (and for good reason…I can see the baffled reactions of some of the more…faithful, heh).

The art is really light on this one…not too sure why. Maybe it was the PSP9 upgrade and not knowing how to fix things quite yet. Yoshi-Li had a pattern on her shirt, but I can’t really make it out here.

In a fun side-note, I think Yoshi-Li is a little too busty here. Song-Li is the bigger of the two (lol), but Asian women aren’t commonly well endowed. So I think I’ll tone her down a tad. Sorry Drew. :p

Original Notes:

I like Yoshi-Li’s art a lot on this comic, and I’m pleased with the background in her panel. Song-Li and Jenna finally show up, and I like the joke I came up with.

BTW, “hot thespian action” was a term coined by Jerry Chappell, a good friend of mine and fellow actor who has moved on to L.A. Good luck down there my friend. ^^

BTWp.2, this is the first reference to Ben and Song-Li liking each other (something I had put in the cast notes and now finally implement in the comic…gah…), which will continue in the future. My final note is this is the first comic put together with Paint Shop Pro 9. Woo! ^^ I had been using PSP7, but it was time for an upgrade!

9-25-05

Mike is my favorite original male character, so I thought he’d make a nice pairing with Claire.  They are still an item, so I guess that worked out!

I’m not sure why this is so small.  Maybe to hide Mike’s atrocious grip of Claire’s waist. XD

Dreamcast Swirl Hat Trick!

Director’s Cut Notes:

This comic holds the most implications to the new ones. It sets up Mike and Claire to be together, which they are in the redesign.

Grace claims to never have heard Mike’s first line before. I’m pretty sure I have heard it somewhere…somehow…but I can’t recall my past right now, so that’ll have to wait. :p

Claire’s thought bubble of her confusion captures that sense of having no words to say…when the mind goes blank with emotions taking full hold of it. I’ve felt speechless before. I’m sure you have too.

Mike’s grasp of Claire is rather weak, I know. Locking hands together is one of my challenges. I have a hard time picturing it. I’ll be working on it as the new SD rolls along.

Mike’s shirt has a smashed up guitar on it, in case you didn’t know.

Claire’s first panel is the awesome. I love the way she looks there. Her design has tweaked some since these comics, but I’d say this is the best representation of her older look. Mike’s second panel also looks great.

Original Notes:

What is Claire trying to get over, you ask? More than likely, her sulkiness. Claire is wondering if anyone finds her attractive (which I’m sure many have felt at some point), but she knows she’s pretty, yet no one seems to notice…make any sense? Anyway, Mike has feelings for her, so he shows up, asks her on a date, etc. Does Claire like Mike? Let’s just say I’d like to get them together. ^^

Anyway, I’m really pleased with this one. The joke is there, the art is great, and the execution came out pretty much how I wanted it to. Which makes me happy. ^^ One of my favorites so far.

Since the site was inactive for quite some time, this one was up forever. 9-25-05 to 3-24-06…oy. >_< Nearly 6 months! O_O Thankfully, I do like this one a lot, so it doesn’t nag at me as much as some of the others. 2005 was the least I’ve updated SD in terms of a whole year since it opened, and I do feel a bit upset at that. I did lose about all those months due to being in a new home without the Internet, but still…I vow to update more regularly with the redesign.

4-20-06

Since my original notes were…um…lacking, I’ll do my best to delve into my skull and pull out bonus thoughts for this one.

Chad and Jose were helping Bridget out here.  She was a part of Snow Dragon, but I felt that Marie, Trent and Bridget would be better utilized in other bands, so I split them out in the short-lived reboot.

I realize that drummers tend to have more drums than what Jose has, but I believe I was lazy. XD

Chad’s shirts are so much fun.  I never tire of coming up with bizarre things to figure out and draw.

Bridget looks very generic here – I’ve done some more work with her to try to make her stand out more since this comic.

Original Notes:

Car Alarm….[Admin - That's all I have saved as a note.  I'm as baffled as you are.]

6-11-06

I still remember editing this comic.  Gah.

This one was excellent for establishing Jenna and Drew’s relationship, though.  Jenna is the one girl Drew is afraid of, and it’s likely because she’s his twin.  She’s vicious to him, too.

Jenna’s hand reaching into her purse is brilliant!  That’s very realistic (I think XD ) looking.  Not bad for ’06!

I so shirked Drew here, though.  I tended to draw him a little more crappy compared to others (as I noted below).  It was an in-joke, I guess.

Ah yes, Drew’s Journal.  For those who are out of that loop (which ought to be most of you), I hid a secret page on the Snow Dragon section of the website that had Drew revealing secret pieces of art, his devious plans, and occasional beatings from the girls in the comic.  It was oddly entertaining to do.  It also spurred Drew’s appearances in Shi Kurai’s comic.  I’ve sort of resurrected the concept in So…this webcomic whenever Drew’s jabbering to the audience…but who knows, I may hide a page on LVLs. somewhere for him to screw around with someday. :p

Director’s Cut Notes:

I think I spent the most time editing on any one comic in Snow Dragon right here. God, this was chaos. I learned an important lesson – draw the counter in just ONE drawing, not in both. O_X

That being said, the dialogue here again saves some somewhat weak art. Jenna’s barbs are delightfully fun to write. Her personality has also been one that’s developed thanks to the comic, so that makes me happy.

I also like Jenna’s art, but Drew is a bit sloppy. But then again, it’s Drew, so I can be sloppy. :p (Hears his journal flare up in envy) The Girls R Us logo on the register is also…pathetic. *shrugs* I think originally Drew was unpolished, but Jenna’s art was good, so I decided to go ahead and do it. It works out though. It’s Drew. :p

Speaking of Drew’s journal, that was pretty fun to write. Drew is very different than me (obviously), so I just kind of let it roll. Heh. It was a good sneaky way to reveal some things early. Will it come back? I don’t know. :p I don’t know how many people actually found it in the first place. :p

This may be the most times I’ve used “:p” in my whole life.

Original Notes:

Oy, this was a nightmare to edit. Sometimes doing two separate images proves to be a lot more work than drawing them together. Anyway, Jenna finally gets properly introduced (I’m pleased with her attitude too…she’s normally much nicer, but lets her hate for Drew just ooze out of her pores), and Drew is shown at his surprising job at Girls R Us (which is the girl’s clothes store in the comic’s mall, in case you were wondering). Jenna has an impressive debut, and I like her hair here. Drew…I’ll admit, was a bit of a lazy effort on my part. Still, the two work, and I like this one.

Where in the world are my symbols?!? Oy.

6-27-06

I have no notes for this at all, so hey, it’s modern me.

This is Claire and Takara talking.  Claire was in a depressive funk following her separation from Jer, and it took a while to get her a new boyfriend.  Mike is a good fit for her, so I’m excited about taking their relationship to the next level.

Takara is Claire’s best friend.  She was based on a friend I had in high school, but quickly became her own unique character.  I think she makes a fine foil for Claire.

Apparently I drew this in 2005, yet branded it as 2006…

This ties into the next comic.

8-1-06

Hey, hey, more comics without prior notes.

Rock – it does a body good.  Great slogan.

This is Shawna, Mike’s sister.  Her hair is fun to draw.

Mike has some smoo on his head by his ear. XD  That is a horrific bang.  Gah.

8-2-06

I’m a little appalled by my lack of note-saving on these. XD

Janelle likes the gothy darkness, that she does.  Something I’m pondering is pairing her up with Shi in an antagonistic manner, since the two are exact opposites.  I think the two would make interesting companions who don’t get along all that well. ^_^

I wish I had a Triforce shirt like this.  I have one with the Wings like the Hylian shield, but I’d love to have a simple shirt with just the Triforce.

Liz’s pose isn’t all that bad.  Her hair is kind of sucky in hindsight.

Jer and Liz are cousins.  I don’t have a cousin named Elizabeth in real life, but for some reason I wanted to have one, so I do.  It’s been that way since 1995 or so.  Don’t ask me why. XD  (Weird, the song I’m listening to said “Don’t Ask Me Why” right when I typed it.  Creepy!)

8-3-06

Here’s an example of Drew’s sneaking into comics without making an physical appearance, a la Shi Kurai.

I still chuckle at the overwrought text for this.  It was too much of a joy to write. :p

My older notes hit the memories pretty well, so I’ll let them handle the rest of the work.

Director’s Cut Notes:

My original notes sum up a lot about this comic’s origin already, so I don’t know how much more I can say about it. I really loved writing it. I see flaws in the art, but it’s all right.

The last line of the dramatic babble was inspired by Much Ado About Nothing, the Shakespeare play. The Sheriff character played by Michael Keaton is brilliant in the Kenneth Branagh version, and his constant commenting about being called an ass inspired the line. :p

Drew’s bit at the bottom came from his tendency to do so in Shi Kurai. *sigh* I do regret axing the comic, but I think I was spreading myself too thin by doing both, and I was losing my excitement about it the more I worked on it.

Collin’s shirt design comes from my drama mask idea I did for the drama club shirts for my college. My shirt design was too detailed, so it got simplified a bit for the actual shirt…which for some odd reason miffed me. Maybe because I wasn’t told until AFTER the shirts were printed. X_O God, I don’t miss those days too much. Never be the president of a drama club. It’s more drama than it should be (pun ABSOLUTELY intended).

Original Notes:

During the summer one week while Grace and I were working we watched a lot of NICK GAS. (btw, my mom has a daycare, and at the time we both worked at it) Probably an unhealthy amount of it. O_o Hey, Legends of the Hidden Temple still rocks. It’s a shame Nick is more obsessed with cartoons that rip off each other and their past cartoons than having today’s kids run through temples filled with traps, puzzles and Mayan Temple guards. *sigh*

Anyway, while we were watching this, several funny “Heroes of the Game” commercials popped up. They use sports like Slaps, Pickle and Driveway Bowling as its stage, and uses the same guy (or one who sounds a lot like him) that does the NFL Classics on ESPN Classic (I don’t know the name of the program, but I think you’ll know what I mean) to narrate them. That inspired me to do a comic about it with the fine sport of hackysack.

Before you think I’m knocking it, I love hackysack. Back in high school, this is what I spent a fair amount of time doing. The real life Dave, Collin, Bryan and Desiree (occasionally), a few other people and I spent our lunches doing this, and I even managed to carry the art into my college fencing class for some time. Nowadays I’m playing by myself (Grace hasn’t quite mastered it yet, but she’s getting better). My personal best is 13, but I can’t wait to get higher!

*ahem* Back to the comic at hand. Dave was an experiment in perspective, which I think came out well enough. Collin also makes his debut here, and looks pretty solid. Drew even pops up to make a crack at the bottom. This was probably the funniest one to write out of the ones in this bunch. I like this one quite a bit, I must say.

8-5-06

And it’s all on my modern self to try to remember stuff.

Bryan’s on the right.  He’s a cool guy I still see periodically.  He’s a photographer.

Yoshi-Li’s face isn’t awesome.  I’m sort of sad by that, as I tend to draw her face pretty well.  *sigh*  At least the dialogue is okay.

8-6-06

Janelle was beginning to become more curvy here.  This may have been the comic that made me want to go that route with her (yes, it is, according to my earlier notes).  Her tummy looks pretty good!

Claire is having a spasm with her microphone.  I hope it doesn’t kill her. XD

This is a decent song about individualism and group mentality.  It’s a common theme I wrote about back in college.  Saw so many people floundering in trying to be somebody they’re not, and it pissed me off. :p

Director’s Cut Notes:

Was…was a mostly weak old song I wrote a long time ago that I reworked into the fairly strong SD tune Did We Manage here. It came from a need to express the importance of individualism (let me tell you, a community college is a great way to get inspiration to write songs about stereotypes, “cloning”, lack of individualism, trying too hard to look cute, wearing things that are unflattering…god, I can go on and on and on about this :p ). Basically, the song states that Snow Dragon here aren’t following the standards fashion has placed for them. I know I don’t. :p

I love the art on this one. Janelle in particular came out exceptionally well. I’ve also realized her hands consistently come out really well. I don’t know why, but they do. It looks like she stole Chad’s guitar from the beginning, though. See, I told you I forgot she had a skull on it. :p

Jose’s lost some weight. :p

This was one of the first comics I tried to give Janelle a bit more curve. She’s not thin. She’s intended to be a bit on the chunky side, but not overweight or anything. I think this comic captures that.

Something weird happened to Claire’s shirt. Her right shoulder arm seam disappeared. Call the clothes police! O_O

I am not sure why Jose has a full on goatee here. It is Jose, not Jay, just to help ease confusion. :p Oy.

Original Notes:

“Did We Manage” used to be known as “Was”. I wanted a song with more of an edge this time around, and I can hear Jose and Janelle wailing on their respective instruments with this. Claire also gets another chance to sing her lungs out. :p The “We don’t want to be like you!” and on were made up for this comic. I yanked the chorus from my older work and made a few modifications to it. All and all, I’m happy with the song. I’m far happier with the art. I think Janelle’s hand is the best one I’ve ever done, and I’m very pleased with how she looks here. Jose and Claire look really good, too. Probably the best one art-wise out of the second week-long series hosted this time. Add this to my favorites. ^^

8-7-06

Red and white are Song-Li’s colors.  She tends to wear clothes the colors of the Japanese flag.  Not sure why, but it works for her.

Jenna has different clothes, I swear. :p  I need to expand Jenna and Trent’s closets, obviously.

Jenna’s last quip refers to a comic WAY up there where Drew gave Yoshi-Li a wedgie to get a picture of her panties.  Not groping per say, but Yoshi-Li may have exaggerated the tale to Jenna.  I would if I were in her shoes.  Drew deserves it. :p

10-5-06

I don’t think I intended this to be the final comic before the reboot. but it worked out well enough.

Corrie’s been entirely cut from the universe my characters exist in.  She was too one-dimensional, and was a copy of Lindsay, pretty much.

Dreamcast Swirl goes for four!  I love that icon.

Corrie’s body isn’t too bad.  Drew isn’t, either.  I may seem like I’m being a little harsh on my old works, but honestly, I’ve made a lot of headway since these strips, and can see so many nitpicks that I could do so much better now that it’s hard not to rip a little on them.  I do love my old stuff – it got me to where I am now!

Director’s Cut Notes:

The end has come. I think this comic needs to be preserved just to show off the evolution from beginning to end. The art is excellent stuff, let me tell ya. Old SD character Corrie’s caught in a similar position like Janelle earlier (but is a lot more violent about it), but you can see the progress in my art from then to now. Corrie’s been cut from the new SD, but she may cameo.

Drew’s shirt makes me laugh. The shirts boys wear with girls with enormous breasts are ridiculously unrealistic and demeaning, but Drew has no such qualms (naturally).

The little blood squirt from Drew’s head came from the manga/anime Rurouni Kenshin. Sometimes when Kenshin gets hurt in a comical manner, these would pop up…which I thought were pretty nifty.

Ass nugget. Best two-word insult in the old Snow Dragon.

Well, that’s the end of the Classics. Thanks for rereading (or discovering!) the comic’s humble beginnings. I hope you come back to read the new comics! JF

Original Notes:

Corrie’s introduced at last. I finally get everyone into the comic and I decide to relaunch the silly thing. :p Anyway, I’m pleased with the art of both Drew and Corrie, it makes me chuckle, and the lines are solid. All and all, I’m very happy with this one. Now I need to make all the comics look as nice as this one. ^^

4-9-07

This is the first comic of the relaunch.  I made the extra effort into coloring it to show how serious I was, and then I dump the project in its entirety three strips later.  Heh.  *shrugs*

Sun’s Spawn looks horrifically graphic in color. O_O  As does Janelle’s shirt with the dismembered finger.  O_O

I love the art on this to this day.  It was a hard strip, but it really pushed me, and I think it’s the best strip I have done artistically.  Everybody looks pretty solid.

The Dollars inside my Pockets I would still sing today.  One of my best songs.

I’ll let the original notes finish up here.

Original Notes:

Welcome to the second wave of Snow Dragon! Arguably, this is one of the finest pieces I’ve done. Granted, each sketch was drawn separately, but I don’t think any one person brings down the overall execution of the piece. The art here is pretty awesome, that it is.

The song is called The Dollars in My Pockets. It’s one of my more recent songs, and one I intend to use myself one day. It’s quite fitting considering the cost of fuel these days. *sigh*

This was quite a task to do. It took me probably 3 or so hours to get everything drawn, all put together and colored. But the results are well worth it. ^_^

Character Notes

I don’t know if I’ll do this every time, but some more notes on the execution of this comic…

Janelle: She was probably the most challenging to draw on this comic. I’m not very comfortable drawing people from the back, but I think this turned out really well. That is a lobbed-off finger on her shirt, btw. O_O And I used a special filter on her pants to give them a sense of texture. I think it looks pretty spiffy.

Jer: I think I took the least amount of time on Jer in terms of drawing. I like the way his clothes look. ^_^

Chad: Chad’s shirts are always fun to do. This time I had a blast coloring that weird design (it’s an eye, but the iris is a pair of hands ripping the pupil open to show the brain underneath…creepy, I know. :p ) I like the guitar colors, too. He is wearing a Tool shirt. You can barely make that out. :p

Jose: You’d think I took the least amount on coloring him, but you’d be wrong. I colored all of his drums, which took a good chunk of time yet did not appear much in the final comic. If you look close, you’ll see the colors. The last word on his shirt says LOCO, but it is a tad hard to read.

Claire: This is Claire’s soccer uniform. She has to run to practice after rehearsal. She’s a busy gal. The tweak to her bangs looks really cool to me. ^_^

Mike: Mike’s having a blast in the back, ain’t he? I like his guitar design as a speaker. Since he refers to them a lot on his clothes, it felt like a good fit.

4-26-07

Ah yes, Virginia Tech’s shooting.  I was a little floored about the whole thing, and then I was fucking angry at the way Jack Thompson attempted to string his anti-game shit to it.  Gah.  I wish I had that editorial I wrote regarding this somewhere, but I think it’s become lost.

Claire’s shirt is pretty cool.  A little different from her usual.  Reminds me of a similar thing I did in another project (sorry, confidential).  I suppose that tangent is unneeded, then. XD

Claire’s bangs have mellowed out a touch since this comic, but I do like the way they look here.

Original Notes:

The tragedy at Virginia Tech really sent chills down my spine. 32 lives were lost that day, and countless others were tattered. Obviously, I did not join up with the group that thought violent games trained Cho to kill (which unfortunately is a still-brewing debate), but I do think that there was something off about him. I don’t think gamers (hell, anyone for that matter) of rational mind would go out and do that kind of violence, as much as Thompson and Co. would like us all to think so.

Anyway, when I saw the news, my reaction was very, very similar to Claire’s. I hope that the victim’s families and friends recover as best as they possibly can from that horrible day.

The art I’m quite pleased with. I like Claire’s new hair design. It’s fun to draw. That was about the only fun thing about doing a comic about such a thing…

6-9-07

I think this is so cute…beyond Chad’s shirt, anyway. :p  I need to revamp this one again.  I love bumping Chad and Alexia together.

Behind the back earphones AGAIN?

A simple line of text and an “Eep!” made this a great comic to use the art as the focal point.  One of my faves of the whole series.

Original Notes:

This is a really cute comic I was very pleased with. I’ve done this idea before, with Chad and Alexia in a very early rough of Snow Dragon’s webcomic predecessor I don’t have on my computer, and again in a concept work for Snow Dragon with Jay and Kristyn in 2003.

This was before I planned them to be in a relationship…it may have been the one that prompted me to put them IN a relationship.

Anyway, I like the idea of “bumping” into love, so to say, and the pairing of Chad and Alexia (who are too shy to say anything to each other about their feelings to each other) makes the concept work really well. Probably my favorite so far in terms of execution, but the art is great, too. ^_^

9-27-07

The end.  I didn’t expect it to be the end, it just sort of happened.  I ran out of creative juice being out of college, so I hit the final roadblock in trying to keep this going.  I moved on past Snow Dragon into other things, and only looked back twice (which you’re going to see soon!).

I miss the dock.  It was the hangout spot for me and my drama allies, and I have a lot of good memories from there.  Since graduating I’ve been taking a couple of anthropology classes, but the experience of being in school hasn’t quite been the same for me without all of my friends from that period.

Would Marie wear skinny jeans?  She might.  I think I was a year ahead of that phase.  I CALLED IT…wait, do I want to call that?  I hate seeing skinny jeans on people!  Too many don’t have the right legs to pull it off!  Gah!  *end rant*

Hm…I don’t think I’ve done Marie as busty as I did here.  I think I toned that down (so odd to talk about breasts in such a nonchalant manner, isn’t it? :p ) in recent years.

Marie’s been a springboard between Shi Kurai and Snow Dragon’s worlds.  She’s in both, and was the catalyst to uniting them.  I think that’s a good thing…as you may see in due time.

Original Notes:

Marie’s having a bit of a down moment…she always seems to have them, doesn’t she? :p I am quite pleased with the way she came out this time.

The background comes from my old college. They had a dock outside of the theater where me and my drama compatriots spent many of our days. The dock was covered in spray paint from doing the sets. It was a cherished place for the drama folk, although that had diminished as more of my friends graduated. *sigh* Anyway, I wanted to convey that spirit in here…and I think I succeeded in that…for me, anyway. I’m rambling…sorry. XD

8-6-2009

After a two year hiatus, I decided to give the comic a proper strip again, with the intentions of starting the saga back up again…but it just didn’t get going.  I felt good about this comic – the song, Enough, is strong, the art is great, and beyond a little smudging error on Claire, it’s an excellent strip.  But…the passion for Snow Dragon had vacated.  I’m not in college anymore, and trying to write a comic so entwined with those memories and moments is very hard to do once you leave all that.  It served as a nice site anniversary memento, but little more.

That being said, I love Claire and Mike here.  They did turn out very well – among the finest I’ve drawn them.  And Mike’s pose is feasible, unlike Chad’s way up at the first comic. XD

8-6-2010

The truly final strip of Snow Dragon.  Decided to go with something a little moody for the last piece.  The song I created exclusively for this comic, which is the first I’ve written in at least three years.  It was basically what I was telling myself about Snow Dragon.  It took three years to get that message to sink in.

I like the way I colored Claire, too.  I love her eye, to be truthful.  It’s so bold.

Do I have any regrets?  Not keeping up with it, mainly.  It was fun, but it’s honestly time for me to take what this began and take it up a few pegs.  Look forward to the future!

That’s the end of the Snow Dragon archive!  This is the closest thing I have online to seeing how my work has evolved over the years, so I’m pretty happy to be able to do that somewhere.  Hope you enjoyed the trip through time!