WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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110 comments
Hi! I just posted a new Pepper&Carrot episode on peppercarrot website:
https://www.peppercarrot.com/xx/webcomic/ep36_The-Surprise-Attack.html
Have a good read !
(I'll add more infos in the comments later)
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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4 comments
Note: I was so busy during the production of episode 36 that I never published really a production report. This one was published long time after, collecting all materials I still had on my disk.
## Production planning
Episode 36 was a daunting task from the start, with its massive 15-page length and complex storyline featuring a war. The sheer scope of the episode, with its numerous locations, multiple characters, and dynamic camera work that follows multiple points of view, was overwhelming. Additionally, the dialogue-heavy script added to the already considerable workload, making it a challenging production to undertake.
For this episode, I attempted to apply the lessons I learned from episode 33. I chose to draw inspiration from episode 33 because I felt that the workflow for episode 34 had become too constrained and multilayered, making it inflexible. In contrast, the workflow for episode 35 had swung too far in the opposite direction, with sketches that were too loose and coloring that was applied underneath without sufficient structure. With episode 33, I aimed to strike a balance between these two approaches, finding a middle ground that would allow for greater flexibility and creativity.
Additionally, I was working under a tight deadline, as I needed to deliver this episode by a specific date. To stay on track and manage my time effectively, I implemented a organizational system where I would gray out small squares on a piece of paper with a pencil each time I completed a step. This visual tracking method helped me stay focused and motivated, allowing me to make steady progress and meet my deadline.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_00_notes.jpg)
_The A4 sheet I used during the production._
## Hardware
I produced this entire episode using the Wacom Intuos 4 XL tablet. Although I'm not utilizing the full active area of the surface, I am using a large portion of it, proportionally.
The overlay sheet is actually from a Huion WH1409 tablet (I bought extra of them on the Huion eshop) − and not just one, but two, as a single sheet isn't large enough to cover my active area. The gap between the two overlays happens to align perfectly with the position of my dock on the screen, so I never accidentally paint on this boundary.
Why did I resort to this DIY solution? It's the only way I found to get a large-format tablet that meets my needs, and by "large", I mean something larger than the largest screenless tablet in the market right now: the Intuos Pro Large (2017), which measures 12.1 x 8.4 inches (311 x 216 mm). With a width of only 31cm, it's a bit too small for my comfort. In contrast, my DIY setup allows me to work with a 40cm-wide active area, which is my sweet spot for working on my 24-inch quad HD monitor.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_david-revoy_desk-tablet-krita-cat.jpg)
## Workflow
In practice, the workflow was solid, allowing me to track my progress on a daily basis. However, I also took several unnecessary detours, which ultimately wasted time.
For instance, I attempted to segment all the characters using flat color areas (separating characters, background, and foreground) with the Colorize-Mask tool, but this step proved to be useless. I also spent too much time trying to preserve my original line art and painting underneath it, but the lines ended up getting in the way.
It wasn't until I decided to flatten everything and paint over it that I finally felt a sense of freedom, but unfortunately, this realization came late in the process. As a result, I experienced a prolonged period of uncertainty during production, which could have been avoided if I had adopted this approach earlier.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_04.jpg)
_The four main production steps of episode 36_
### The scenario
For writing the scenario, I utilized LibreOffice Writer and created a long table with three columns: one for the panel number (which was automatically generated by LibreOffice), another for the visual description of each panel, and a third for the dialogue.
My approach was to focus solely on the narrative flow, ignoring page count and layout considerations, and instead concentrating on crafting a cinematic and smooth storyline that unfolded as a series of consecutive actions.
By doing so, I aimed to create a scenario that was easy to follow and visually engaging.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_00.jpg)
_The scenario 'cut' in Libre Office Writer_
### The storyboard
When it came to the storyboard, I prioritized simplicity and focused solely on creating a basic plan. I didn't worry about the composition of each panel, nor did I consider techniques for proportions or view angles.
I also skipped grayscale values this time around even if it was effective on episode 35, as my primary goal was to quickly establish a straightforward narrative outline.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_02.jpg)
_The 15 pages storyboard on a single 'grid' document_
### The sketch
I began by copying and pasting the storyboard thumbnails onto each page at full resolution (3840x5422px documents) and tinting them green. To create visual distinction, I maintained a warm grayish paper color to differentiate the borderless panel's white color from the inner panel area.
Next, I used a large brush with a deep dark blue color to sketch the panel, which proved to be a good decision as it allowed me to focus on the overall composition without getting bogged down in details.
I also added the text and onomatopoeia in red using Krita's text tool, which enabled me to adapt the dialogue in a 'what you see is what you get' manner as I drew. This approach was particularly useful for planning the translation system, as it allowed me to test the dialogue and speech bubbles before finalizing them in Inkscape later on.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_05.jpg)
_The page after the sketching process_
### The clean-up
I began by reducing the opacity of the sketch to a very low level, turning it into a faint blue outline. Then, I redraw everything on top of it using my 'c0) Sketch' brush, a version saved with a stronger opacity curve. I set the brush size to 30px, suitable for my 3840x5422px documents, and chose a #5F5F5F or rgb(95,95,95) gray color to discourage myself from getting too caught up in varying line weights. I also set a '42' stabilizer on my line. To avoid getting bogged down in details and to prevent perfectionism from slowing me down, I also made a conscious effort to keep the document zoomed out to 33% of the viewport, which helped me maintain a good balance between detail and overall composition.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_01.jpg)
_A screenshot during the cleaning process_
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-05_episode-36-sketches.jpg)
_A compilation of drawing after the clean-up step_
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_06.jpg)
_The page after the Clean-up step_
### The under-color
Before proceeding to the under-color step, I created a separate paint layer called 'sel' (short for selection), which contained the grounds of the picture. This layer serves as a mask, allowing me to quickly select specific areas of the image by right-clicking on it and choosing 'select opaque'. This enables me to easily decide whether to paint on the character or the background, streamlining my workflow and saving time.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_07b.jpg)
For the setup, I changed the blending mode of the cleaned drawing to 'Multiply' with 80% opacity and then painted underneath directly with a soft, rounded brush. At this stage, I focused on establishing the dominant colors and light sources, while also considering panel continuity and how the ambiance would evolve from page to page.
To maintain a broad perspective, I kept the page zoomed out to 25% of the viewport, allowing me to see the overall composition without getting bogged down in details. Initially, I didn't worry if the colors bled outside of the line art, as my primary goal was to avoid getting caught up in textures, small contact shadows, points of light, and other fine details. Instead, I concentrated on designing visually appealing shading that would maximize dynamism through contrast, color balance, and large, triangular shapes.
Before proceeding to the next step, I zoomed in slightly to clean up the silhouettes of the characters against their backgrounds, refining the separation between the two. The page example (under) is at an early stage, while under-painting, but I've kept this one to share here as it gives a good idea of the workflow. I later pushed it a bit closer to the final result colors.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_07.jpg)
_The page at a early step of the under-color_
### The paint-over
If the "lasagna" approach of the two previous steps is effective, there won't be much to "paint over", but this panel (gif animation under) is probably a bad example and an outlier in the process: I didn't have much to paint over or post-fix on this one.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_08b.gif)
_A gif animation of the paint-over VS the color under_
I mainly just added extra fog, dust, and increased the resolution on eyes and details. See also how I refactored her nose, and fine tuned her final expression to better match her dialogue line.
However, for some panels, the paint-over step was crucial in allowing me to re-contrast, liquify, and improve the panel to a whole new level. As for my method, I usually paint on top of my cleaned line-art and under-color. I paint on a merged fusion of these two layers, which allows me to get back to a single-layer simplicity, where I can edit everything freely.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_08.jpg)
_The final page without text, note how I have to paint even under the speechbubbles._
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-14_ep36_prod-report_09.jpg)
_The final page, in English, with speechbubbles_
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-12-05_episode-36-rendering-sample.jpg)
_A compilation of panel ready after paint-over._
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-10-20_ep36_panel1.jpg)
_The landscape of the first panel, paint-over._
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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no comments
Many have noticed the change of splash screen after launching Krita 4 this morning. 🎄😻
Eg, I saw this:
- https://twitter.com/V4eleya/status/1468538397732093953
- https://twitter.com/Geat0526/status/1468234122476797963
If you are curious about it, it's a panel from Pepper&Carrot "The Unity Tree" and you can read the full episode here: https://www.peppercarrot.com/xx/webcomic/ep24_The-Unity-Tree.html
This easter egg is not part (yet) of Krita 5, will not be part of the release of 5.0 coming soon and that's good: you don't want to miss the [new splash screen from Tyson Tan](https://twitter.com/TysonTanX/status/1427983466038185988) with the larger size in Krita 5. It's splendid!
But for sure I'll try to propose an illustration for later Krita 5.1 or 5.2 release, one that could be ready before December 2022.
Feel free to also contribute to make ones (it's not just a privilege I had), you just need to propose your artwork made with Krita, with an aspect ratio for this format, about the season, and with a permissive license (eg. [CC-By 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)). Don't forger to post-it on https://krita-artists.org/ , so the community and developers can see it.
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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6 comments
The wait is almost over! I'm on the intense last ten days of production for the next Pepper&Carrot episode. The longest! Twice the length of a regular episode: a project I started last summer. Here is a compilation of spoiler-free panel sketches 🥰
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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8 comments
A fan-art illustration portrait of Aerith Gainsborough, a playable character in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake. She is one of the lead protagonists and I really enjoyed finishing the remake recently.
I made it during a short break in the production of episode 36, in order to test the new impasto 'wet RGB brushes' bundle for Krita 5.0beta. I love them and adopted three textured presets to complete this piece.
_This work is a fan-art of a fictive video game character property of Square Enix Co. Ltd, published here under fair use._
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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19 comments
Hey! I'm looking for **French to English translators contributors** for future episodes of my Free/Libre and Open-Source webcomic [Pepper&Carrot](https://www.peppercarrot.com/fr/webcomics/index.html)!
It happens because **I'm refactoring the workflow** of episode creation. If you are interested, you can contact me and other contributors by [opening a thread on Framagit here](https://framagit.org/peppercarrot/webcomics/-/issues) (open a new "issue") or by starting a discussion on [our chat room](https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/chat/index.html).
## How English version was done previously?
#### ⏩ May 2014 - December 2014:
Episode 1 to 5 were written and posted directly in English by me; with a proofreading of Amireeti.
#### ⏩ January 2015 - August 2017:
At episode 6 with the ambitious [Potion Contest](https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/webcomic/ep06_The-Potion-Contest.html), I decided to write it in French and it was translated before the release by [Alex Gryson](https://framagit.org/agryson). I created the base of the translation system at that time; a system that split artworks and speechbubbles. It was easier to share a lightweight 27KB Inkscape SVG files than a 200MB Krita file. It was also possible to use versioning control system with them. I continued this workflow with Alex until summer 2017 and [episode 23: The Encounter](https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/webcomic/ep23_Take-a-Chance.html). I can't thanks enough Alex for this!
#### ⏩ 2017 to nowadays:
After summer 2017, I decided at that time to **open more the creative process to contributors**. That's how was born the [beta-reading project](https://framagit.org/peppercarrot/webcomics/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&label_name[]=future%20episode) at [episode 24: The Unity Tree](https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/webcomic/ep24_The-Unity-Tree.html).
As in the majority of Free/Libre and Open-Source project, Pepper&Carrot's contributors uses English as a lingua franca. So, to adapt to the maximum of beta-reader possible, I changed my workflow to full English (or almost).**I kept writing my scenario and dialogs in French**, but once posted on the beta-reading threads, I had to propose it in English. So, I always translated my own version in English before posting.
Unfortunately, **my English skill isn't good enough** to express the subtle tones of voice I had in mind for characters (eg. "irony" for some, a little bit "bossy" for other, etc...). So, as you can imagine, my first English draft always is very poorly worded, contains misleading tones and in the best case feels flat. It is near to what a cold auto-translation program could do.
Fortunately, **my lack of skill was compensated thanks to the effort of the contributors**. This resulted in the English version you know on Pepper&Carrot and the one that become **the canon version** as a starting point for the other potential 57 languages added on the project. And that's how all other languages translators can start to translate the next episode a couple of week prior the release.
## Problems
### 🐛 Lost in translation
I could spot the problems once the English version is translated back to French by the [French translation team](https://framagit.org/peppercarrot/webcomics/-/issues/189). That's often for me the time where I realize the size of the gap between dialogs from my scenario (in French) and the final French translation. That's how I can spot the **tones missing from my original scenario**, or worst, **the shift of meaning for full sentences**. Sometime it was huge and problematic, but often too late to correct back.
### 🐛 Unwanted creative input
In order to fix my bare/broken English translation to something improved, contributors had to inject their own creativity and sometime input new tones or change dialogs to make sens about it. Improving dialogs at a wording level, became an open door for creativity. Important meaning got removed or smoothed as if they were mistakes sometimes and get replaced with other intents. Dialogs get extended and discussed a lot, rewritten, new pages required to make them work **resulting in longer production time, and a ["too many cooks spoil the broth" ](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/too_many_cooks_spoil_the_broth) effect**.
### 🐛 Loss of autonomy on speech bubbles
It also put me in a serious position of **loss of autonomy** on a creative level. This feeling **really drives down my energy and motivation in general**. I felt that strongly when I recently preferred to do freelance commissions than working on my own webcomic.
## Refactor
So, it's time to **refactor the beta-reading project** and recover a bit of autonomy on dialogs and wording output for me.
### ✨ A start in French
I would like to post −starting with next episode 36− the first draft in French. It will happen as usual, on a [new thread on Framagit](https://framagit.org/peppercarrot/webcomics/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&label_name[]=future%20episode), (maybe prefixed with [FR-alpha] tag) and still open to public. I wish I can get the same team as the actual [French translation team](https://framagit.org/peppercarrot/webcomics/-/issues/189) on it. They are great! This thread will help me to tackle dialog issues, reading issues and improve the episode. It will be easier on my side, because I have no trouble understanding subtle shift in French and I can understand the output clearly.
### ✨ The French to English translation
Once the French version frozen and final, the English translation team will be able to work on it. English preserves **a very special status** on Pepper&Carrot. Almost all other **55 languages are built upon the English version**. I also self-publish **a printed version** in English. This is **the main language** among all the ~15K daily visitors and the default language for the website as well. That's why a solid translation is necessary here, and skilled translators are welcome!
### ✨ Ready for other languages
Once English version done and frozen, I can contact translators of all other languages before the release of the episode. Usually ten days or a week before (while I still colorize the episode). Finally, I merge all translations and publish the episode.
## End notes
I hope this blog post will be informative to everyone involved on Pepper&Carrot beta-reading system (or curious about it). It is important to be clear about my motivation in time of changes. Be sure I sincerely suffer from not being able to continue to lead (badly) the creation in English from scratch and having to change the process now. I realize my English might be good enough for internal discussion on the project, my blog-posts (like the one you are reading now) or for [my video channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnAbNwJjusY7zQ__sQyJlSA) (I doubt about that), but I'm now sure I'll never be able to write my comics or dialogs as I do in my first language.
Also, don't get me wrong about detailing all the problems from 2017 to now: I'm not blaming anyone. **I'm sincerely grateful about all the contributions I received on it**. I really do. I know everyone sincerely contributed their best on it, and without any bad intents. The problems happened because of how the process was (badly) designed. Not because of any contributors who all participated the beta-reading English project on their free time. It was a huge challenge for everyone and I'm proud of the result we got in the perspective of knowing the system we had.
I really **hope the change I'm planning now will improve the workflow** for the next episode. But before trying that, **I need new French to English translators contributors**. Is it you? Someone you know? (Welcome back Alex if you read this!)
If you are interested at translating **the slower webcomic of the multiverse** but also **my humble collaborative gem on the Internet**: you can contact me and other contributors by [opening a thread on Framagit here](https://framagit.org/peppercarrot/webcomics/-/issues) (open a new "issue") or by starting a discussion on [our chat room](https://www.peppercarrot.com/en/chat/index.html).
I'm not in a hurry to change everything this week, a French draft will only appear by the end of November. But I hope I'll receive help in this change, thank you for reading!
(PS: I forgot to mention it, but I'm not against paying for the service. Please communicate your references and price in this case. Thank you.)
(Update: I forgot to give an example of the workload here: a Pepper&Carrot episode text looks like this: [the French transcript of episode 35](https://framagit.org/peppercarrot/webcomics/-/blob/master/ep35_The-Reflection/lang/fr/ep35_fr_transcript.md) , and it might be this 6 time per year maximum. )
WRITTEN_BY David REVOY -
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15 comments
Second and third panel for the next Pepper&Carrot episode: Pepper's plan wasn't really effective.
[](data/images/blog/2021/2021-10-23_e36p01b.jpg)
