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[erysium]

new pages are up~

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[erysium]

I keep noticing these pink flowers appearing in Kochab. Are they a symbol of something? Or what flower are they? I've noticed them several times now and wonder what they mean(if they mean anything)

Have a great day/night!

Yess, it's fireweed! Definitely symbolic, although I think it'll make more sense in the very last chapter. :~)

[erysium]

new pages from the last few weeks are up :> ✨ kochab-comic.com

[erysium]

I was wondering, why did you decide to name your comic Kochab...er, Kochab? Does it have any specific meaning?

Yeah! It's named after a star that used to help determine true north, in celestial navigation. After a few thousand years, earth's axis of rotation has shifted slightly, and now Polaris has replaced it as the cynosure that the rest of the northern hemisphere's night sky appears to revolve around. :)

A big theme of the story is about being lost & homesickness & trying to find your way / choosing to let go & move on from old things you used to orient your life around / allowing yourself to change. ✨💫

[erysium]

You've talked about writing your comic in a few asks before, I was wondering if you have advice/ resources for artists writing their own comics? I've only ever scene stuff for writers writing for an artist and would love to see what goes into your scripts.

haha I'm a little shy about trying to give advice this, since I feel like I'm a lot weaker at writing than drawing! writing is really stressful & difficult for me.. I would never want to write for someone else, because a lot of my 'writing' process is really just drawing things out, and seeing what works. When I edit my scripts for anyone else to read over, I cut about 2/3rds of what I have written in as notes - stuff that mostly only make sense to me (ie 'referencing this scene in chapter 3,' 'an expression like in that scene in that cool amv' or 'this part inspired by the ending of that movie/book/etc') as well as the 2-3 what-if versions I have for every scene, that I sometimes only finalize/decide between when I'm working on thumbnails and finally seeing how it all flows on the page together. or after someone who's helping me edit takes a look and has thoughts. When I have an idea for a scene, it's also usually in some visual form - so I'll jot down some notes in my story doc, and then sketch out the acting & feeling I'm imagining to see if it feels like anything when it's down on paper. As it sits in my notes for months or years (while I'm working on and reading other stuff,) that moment might change a little in my memory, or develop more..or the point of that scene might feel less clear when i reread it with fresh eyes, and it might get cut.

I guess for overall advice - find a process that works for you! If you're a more visual person, you can find ways to work visuals first, and then trace your steps back to extract the story from those cool visuals, and then figure out how to puzzle piece all those cool visuals & moments together. & ofc, reading a lot, watching a lot of movies, listening to podcasts or anything narrative, is important for developing your voice & priorities & style as a writer, the same way you do as a visual artist. :-)

(This is what i wrote when I was reorganizing the flow of the first 10 pages in this chapter - I have an idea of the conversation's exact wording written down earlier, so I'm just figuring out if the emotional beats makes some sense with the overall tone in mind, sometimes having a good idea that pulls things together better (highlighted in purple so I don't forget it) or greyed out so I can ignore it (but not deleted, so that I remember that i already had that idea & discarded it for a reason) .. also Kye is always 'k' in my notes & Sonya is always 'v' because i don't want to write their names out all the time lol)

[erysium]

I was just wondering, will Sonya's and Kye's wishes from the end of chapter 3 come into play sometime later in the story? (also, I cannot tell you how much I screamed over how CUTE Kye and Sonya were when they kissed...and then cried so much over page 153. why are you so good at making me feel feelings over this webcomic)

P.S. I think that the kiss scene was drawn beautifully and I would not change a thing about it for the world 😁

No spoilers, but I'm so happy someone remembers that / you're reading so closely 😉 and thanks for the sweet comment!! 💕

[erysium]

I illustrated a little witchy mini-comic by Vera Greentea!! If you want to read, the crowdfunding campaign launched earlier this week! 🥳🍂

[erysium]

[Chapter 0] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Site]

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Has the world of Kochab been influenced by any legends beyond just “Ifrit is a fire spirit”?

the overall story arc was originally a take on Sleeping Beauty. :’) When I started writing, around the same time I also had a school assignment to do some vis dev art inspired the Aladdin fairytale, so that had a little influence. I also really liked The Firebird, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen, A Promise Is A Promise, and fairytale-inspired work - like soviet animations The Humpbacked Horse (1947), The Fox and the Hare (1973), Hedgehog in the Fog (1975), and fairytale illustrators Vera Pavlova, Fritz Baumgarten, Ivan Bilibin, John Bauer, Arthur Rackam, Edmund Dulac. A lot of the webcomics I was reading & inspired by at the time also had a kind of fairytale tone to them.

[erysium]

coincidentally.. new page today

Thank you for the fun/sweet asks lately. :) Here’s some thoughts!!

1 - Thank you! <3 I planned the comic out entirely, but kept the later chapters as more of a summary, and only tighten things up to the point of thumbnailing and pin down dialogue, exactly how moments will play out, etc for the current & maybe next chapter. I asked for feedback on the early written drafts from friends and editors, and did about 3-4 drafts of most of the story, and extra rounds of revisions to the 2 ending chapters that I really wanted to get perfect. Some more thoughts from an ask a few years ago:

I read a lot of books about writing/story structure/making comics, but actually making a comic has been the most useful practice I’ve found for getting that reading to sink in and actually improve my story telling. Most of Kochab has been though 3-4 rough drafts since I started drawing it 2 years ago, but the overall feeling/climatic scene I’ve wanted for the ending has stayed the same - only the way I’m getting there has been changing to be more efficient and (hopefully) effective in the end!

2 - I’ve had these 2 ocs kicking around in my sketchbook since middle school haha. When I started college I made a quick concept art project and redesigned these two characters from a fantasy story into something closer to the design aesthetic of Kochab, and they kept evolving for a few years after that while I had the story in the back of my mind. If you scroll back far enough in my art tag you can see some of that early concept art. :’)

3 - ahh this is such a nice comment, thank you! I don’t want to spoil anything! I think the ending is very slightly bittersweet, but overall happy. I’ll rb an old ask that I think talks about the inspiration/planned ending stuff a little more! hope you have a good day too :)

4 - haha! I aim for a 10 but my the time I’m done with a chapter it’s hard for me to judge where it actually lands. thank you so much for the sweet ask, I’m so happy the comic has been a bright spot for you. wishing you the best!! 

[erysium]

Do you remember how you first came up with the idea for Kochab? Is there anything you can share about how it has changed since its inception?

Kochab had a long & winding path to what it is now haha :’)

It was originally a much edgier & very derivative fantasy story I started in middle/high school !! but I couldn’t decide on a satisfactory ending for it, so it never really went anywhere. I reused the main characters for a rushed concept art project a few years later and accidentally found a setting and mood I liked a lot better..then left it alone for a few years again. Eventually I got to take some time away from my usual work during a study abroad trip, and somehow when I was sitting on a train staring out the window, an idea for an interesting ending finally came together, and I got a first draft written down with the goal of that scene in mind.

I’ve read a lot of books about writing/story structure/making comics, but actually making a comic has been the most useful practice I’ve found for getting that reading to sink in and actually improve my story telling. Most of Kochab has been though 3-4 rough drafts since I started drawing it 2 years ago, but the overall feeling/climatic scene I’ve wanted for the ending has stayed the same - only the way I’m getting there has been changing to be more efficient and (hopefully) effective in the end!

I don’t know why these characters have stuck around so firmly in my head for so long, or how I’ll feel when this project is finally done ! I’ve been thinking about these characters from the earliest days since I was making stories, and even if the origin is really silly, somehow it still taps into that pure childish joy of creating.

[erysium]

[Chapter 0] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Site]

Page 149

[erysium]

[Chapter 0] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Site]

Page 148

[erysium]

I've been reading Kochab and it's safe to say it's become my new favorite webcomic. I'm really excited for this new chapter and based on your twitter and tumblr, it's going to be a good one! Is there anything you can say about this chapter without giving away major spoilers?

Thank you so much <3

I always really wanted to make a comic with these characters, but I could never start because I couldn’t figure out where the story was going - what the end goal, or character arc would be. When I was at a low point in college (a little burnt out, depressed, not feeling ambitious anymore) I took a study abroad semester, and I stopped making much of anything for a few months.

I was on a train for a few hours, just napping or looking out the window & listening to music, and one of the ending scenes in this chapter popped into my head. That one sketch made the entire story click into place. Being able to use that moment/feeling I wanted to achieve as a guide for the rest of the story is how I was able to write the whole comic, and it’s something I’ve kept in mind through every revision and draft, as something to work towards. 

Anyway, that scene is coming up at the end of this chapter. :) 

[erysium]

Hi! I was looking through your tumblr and I noticed a post that said that you just drew for kochab that said that Kye and Sonya KISS and I couldn't help looking into it. I think it's going to happen REALLY soon because of the background and how the plot is going so far so...that's my theory. Thank you for making such an awesome comic! The storytelling, characters, and world building are amazing! I can't wait to see how Kochab ends!

this ask feels like an ad I could've written 😂 ❤️❤️ yes, I hope everyone is aware that the characters in the webcomic I've been drawing for the past 6 years are going to kiss real soon. comparatively it's real real soon.

[erysium]

I've noticed that the person who mostly appears in Kye's memories looks kind of like Sonya. Is this on purpose? I just noticed this when reading today.

haha it's a combo of (spoilers) + Kye has a type, also only knows how to braid hair in 1 style + character design is my weakness :’0

[erysium]

[Chapter 0] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Site]

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