astudyinmspaint

[astudyinmspaint]

Are you ever going to update A Study In MS Paint again? ;n; I check it every day to see if you've updated...

Okay, I have absolutely no idea how old this ask is because apparently I never got a notification for it (thanks tumblr) but just on the off chance that you’re still around, or that anyone else cares about this:

short answer: prooooobably not? but not a hard no

long answer: I stopped updating A Study in MS Paint because a series of really horrible things happened in quick succession and I was very mentally unwell. One of the things that happened was that my tablet’s motherboard fried and as I was then living in a foreign country it would have cost me over $2000 to replace it. I ended up being unable to draw digitally for over six months before I moved back to the States and bought a new tablet, and by then I was too harrowed and embarrassed to think about continuing the comics.

That being said, I genuinely loved doing them, and I think about continuing sometimes. I have other things happening in my life now, but my love for Sherlock Holmes never faded, nor did I ever removed the flagged passages from my books that I intended on drawing. I can’t guarantee I will ever get back to them because, life is wild and you never know. But I do think maybe someday it might happen.

[astudyinmspaint]

Lockey is fixed!!

Well... kind of. I can use him, but he turns off randomly every few hours. Still, it's much better than a totally dead tablet.

I am really busy at the moment- finals week and all- but I hope to update tomorrow. Till then, folks.

[astudyinmspaint]

Update on the tablet situation

I sent Lockey in for repairs. The guy said he had to order a part and that it would be fixed by Monday. Monday came and went and we had no word from him, so we called today.

He said the part was too big and didn't fit, he took a picture and sent it back to the supplier, and he has no idea when it'll be done. UGHHHH.

I am very frustrated. Suffering tablet withdrawal. How am I supposed to do my work like this? I really hope it will be fixed soon.

[astudyinmspaint]

Indefinite Hiatus

Apologies for the quiet time once again, but sadly, my trusty 4-year-old tablet, Lockey, has broken :'C

I'm looking into repairs now, but it's out of warranty and there's no telling how long it'll take to get it fixed, or how long until I can raise enough money to buy a new one.

Sorry, folks.

[astudyinmspaint]

I have remarked that the paper had fallen away in parts. In this particular corner of the room a large piece had peeled off, leaving a yellow square of coarse plastering. Across this bare space there was scrawled in blood-red letters a single word --     RACHE     "What do you think of that?" cried the detective, with the air of a showman exhibiting his show. "This was overlooked because it was in the darkest corner of the room, and no one thought of looking there. The murderer has written it with his or her own blood. See this smear where it has trickled down the wall! That disposes of the idea of suicide anyhow. Why was that corner chosen to write it on? I will tell you. See that candle on the mantelpiece. It was lit at the time, and if it was lit this corner would be the brightest instead of the darkest portion of the wall."     "And what does it mean now that you have found it?" asked Gregson in a depreciatory voice.     "Mean? Why, it means that the writer was going to put the female name Rachel, but was disturbed before he or she had time to finish. You mark my words, when this case comes to be cleared up, you will find that a woman named Rachel has something to do with it. It's all very well for you to laugh, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. You may be very smart and clever, but the old hound is the best, when all is said and done."     "I really beg your pardon!" said my companion, who had ruffled the little man's temper by bursting into an explosion of laughter. "You certainly have the credit of being the first of us to find this out and, as you say, it bears every mark of having been written by the other participant in last night's mystery. I have not had time to examine this room yet, but with your permission I shall do so now."

Holmes.

Holmes plz behave.

This strip WOULD have been longer, if it weren't for Tumblr's image size limits. Drat. But I do believe I go the essence across.

By the way, Gregson and Lestrade are the best. Their rivalry is so appealing to me, haha. I reflected this in their design by the ties- variations on blue and orange, which are opposite on the color wheel.

In any case.

Are any of my dear readers attending Anime Expo or Otakon this year? I might give you something if we meet up, hehe~ So who's in?

[astudyinmspaint]

At the door of the house we were met by a tall, white-faced, flaxen-haired man, with a notebook in his hand, who rushed forward and wrung my companion's hand with effusion. "It is indeed kind of you to come," he said, "I have had everything left untouched." "Except that!" my friend answered, pointing at the pathway. "If a herd of buffaloes had passed along, there could not be a greater mess. No doubt, however, you had drawn your own conclusions, Gregson, before you permitted this." "I have had so much to do inside the house," the detective said evasively. "My colleague, Mr. Lestrade, is here. I had relied upon him to look after this." Holmes glanced at me and raised his eyebrows sardonically. "With two such men as yourself and Lestrade upon the ground there will not be much for a third party to find out," he said. Gregson rubbed his hands in a self-satisfied way. "I think we have done all that can be done," he answered; "it's a queer case, though, and I knew your taste for such things."

I find it interesting how Holmes apparently thinks Watson is the kind of guy who would appreciate these sorts of jabs at the police. Remembering that they know each other for a fairly short time as of yet, Watson didn't even know Holmes was a detective until that morning (just before they set off to this case together), and Watson hadn't even met Gregson at all before now.

[astudyinmspaint]

Hey-yo!

Just a notice that I'll start updating again starting today! Are you excited? I know I am! I've got everything set up. Well, it's good to see you all again! Till later!

~QU

[astudyinmspaint]

Apologies for the long, unannounced hiatus! I took a break in order to focus on school. This last month has been very rough for me. But things are okay now, and aside from having two summer classes I have plenty of free time! So regular updates will return on Saturday, June 9th. My goal is one strip a day, or two if possible.

Thank you very much to those who sent me kind messages in the meantime. It's nice to know I haven't been forgotten! I hope you'll still stick around!

[astudyinmspaint]

I have spent an absurd amount of time trying to figure out what Inspector Lestrade and Inspector Gregson look like orz

I think I've finally got it down, though! So I guess now's time to continue with the chapter, ahah.

[astudyinmspaint]

After a while of inactivity, I start forgetting how to draw orz

here's a handy guide in case you were ever wondering. And to remind myself. I should practice some more.

[astudyinmspaint]

It was a foggy, cloudy morning, and a dun-coloured veil hung over the housetops, looking like the reflection of the mud-coloured streets beneath. My companion was in the best of spirits, and prattled away about Cremona fiddles and the difference between a Stradivarius and an Amati. As for myself, I was silent, for the dull weather and the melancholy business upon which we were engaged depressed my spirits. "You don't seem to give much thought to the matter in hand," I said at last, interrupting Holmes's musical disquisition. "No data yet," he answered. It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgement."

Chapter 3 begins! Holmes has received a letter from Inspector Gregson asking him for help in investigating a strange murder. He's not very interested, but with some prodding from Watson, decides to take on the case. He invites Watson along, and this little scene happens.

Talking about evidence always gives me flashbacks of playing Ace Attorney. I think Holmes and Edgeworth would get along well. Also, I would like to point out how beautiful Doyle's descriptions are! It's only a short paragraph, but it captures perfectly the essence of the weather and gloomy atmosphere of the case.

In any case; I apologize for the absurd delay. I had many projects to do for my art classes, and there is such a thing as drawing fatigue. Even small doodles like these can be a hassle. If you would like to see what else I'm up to, feel free to check out my other art blogs: [x] [x]

[astudyinmspaint]

Hello, new followers!

Due to an advertisement by the Sherlock Holmes Club over on deviantART, I've gained a number of new followers! Thank you very much!

Sadly things are slow at the moment due to heavy amounts of schoolwork. Please don't think I've forgotten about you! In a couple more weeks, I'll be done with these pesky projects, and then I'll have the whole summer to draw things :)

I hope to have the next comic up on Sunday or Monday. Thank you for your patience, and stay tuned!

[astudyinmspaint]

Hit counter

Just an update to say I added a pageview counter on the main page!

I wouldn't ordinarily mention this, since it's rather pointless- but it's shaped like musical notes! So cute! I'm unreasonably giddy about this design.

Till later, Holmies!

[astudyinmspaint]

"You appeared to be surprised when I told you, on our first meeting, that you had come from Afghanistan." "You were told, no doubt." "Nothing of the sort. I knew you came from Afghanistan. From long habit the train of thoughts ran so swiftly through my mind that I arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps. There were such steps, however. The train of reasoning ran, 'Here is a gentleman of a medical type, but with the air of a military man. Clearly an army doctor, then. He has just come from the tropics, for his face is dark, and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are fair. He has undergone hardship and sickness, as his haggard face says clearly. His left arm has been injured. He holds it in a stiff and unnatural manner. Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have seen much hardship and got his arm wounded? Clearly in Afghanistan.' The whole train of thought did not occupy a second. I then remarked that you came from Afghanistan, and you were astonished." "It is simple enough as you explain it," I said, smiling. "You remind me of Edgar Allan Poe's Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals did exist outside of stories." Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. "No doubt you think that you are complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin," he observed. "Now, in my opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow. That trick of his of breaking in on his friends' thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of an hour's silence is really very showy and superficial. He had some analytical genius, no doubt; but he was by no means such a phenomenon as Poe appeared to imagine." "Have you read Gaboriau's works?" I asked. "Does Lecoq come up to your idea of a detective?" Sherlock Holmes sniffed sardonically. "Lecoq was a miserable bungler," he said, in an angry voice; "he had only one thing to recommend him, and that was his energy. That book made me positively ill. The question was how to identify an unknown prisoner. I could have done it in twenty-four hours. Lecoq took six months or so. It might be made a textbook for detectives to teach them what to avoid." I felt rather indignant at having two characters whom I had admired treated in this cavalier style. I walked over to the window and stood looking out into the busy street. "This fellow may be very clever," I said to myself, "but he is certainly very conceited."

Thanks for your patience once again! I haven't much to say about this quote.

But shame on you Holmes for hurting Watson's feelings.

[astudyinmspaint]

Just a warm-up doodle. Will post the comic in a few hours :)

[astudyinmspaint]

Updates

Greetings, followers!

I've recovered from my illness, thankfully. Still not sure what it was exactly, but I feel much better now.

I've also been kidnapped by my friend to Las Vegas for spring break. No tablet, no reliable internet connection, no updates. Sorry :C

On the other hand, I'm done marking up "The Sign of Four" and "A Scandal in Bohemia"! Now that I'm in short story territory, it gets much easier. I hope to get back to drawing "Scarlet" this Saturday.

See you later, and thank you for your patience!

[astudyinmspaint]

It was upon the 4th of March, as I have good reason to remember, that I rose somewhat earlier than usual, and found that Sherlock Holmes had not yet finished his breakfast. The landlady had become so accustomed to my late habits that my place had not been laid nor my coffee prepared. With the unreasonable petulance of mankind I rang the bell and gave a curt intimation that I was ready. Then I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it. Its somewhat ambitious title was "The Book of Life," and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deductions appeared to me to be far fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man's inmost thoughts. Deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer. [...] "What ineffable twaddle!" I cried, slapping the magazine down on the table; "I never read such rubbish in my life." "What is it?" asked Sherlock Holmes. "Why, this article," I said, pointing at it with my eggspoon as I sat down to my breakfast. "I see that you have read it since you have marked it. I don't deny that it is smartly written. It irritates me, though. It is evidently the theory of some armchair lounger who evolves all these neat little paradoxes in the seclusion of his own study. It is not practical. I should like to see him clapped down in a third-class carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his fellow-travellers. I would lay a thousand to one against him." "You would lose your money," Holmes remarked calmly. "As for the article, I wrote it myself." "You!"

Happy March 4th, my Holmies!! I didn't even realize I'd be posting the comic today until this morning, haha! So here we start the real plot, when Watson finds out who Holmes really is, and they investigate their first murder together! Yay!!

I think besides the one line from "The Three Garridebs", "What Ineffable twaddle!" is probably my favorite line in the canon. C'mon. I vote that we all start using this phrase from now on. In my book, "ineffable" is marked in pencil, I think because I used it for a vocabulary assignment in High School.

I seem to be coming down with a cold, so I might not be updating for a few days. My arms are really sore and I've made a million typos while writing this so I think I should get some rest.