Let it be known that there is a good reason for doing character sketches. And not only doing them, but making sure they’re done ahead of time. Case in point, the new character introduced in this arc, Life.

Life was meant to be a laid back, chill guy, something of a surfer dude with a little more insight and determination. Think Matthew McConaughey, shirtless disposition and all. Straighten the hair a bit and you’ve got Life. As you can see from the first sketch above, my first pass wasn’t even close. To me, that looks more akin to Jesus Christ starring in a romantic comedy.

Pass number two got away from the Messiah look, but it also made Life boring and unoriginal. This Life had no life, sadly, and was quickly tossed aside. Eyes too close together, not really diggin’ the teeth to the side look, and the forehead could use a little shortening.

The third and final take finally resulted in something I could use and use multiple times without it becoming repetitive and mundane. This Life finally had that spark that could jump off the page, with eyes that could show a range of emotion and a face that retained a manly, muscular rigidness while also offering that softer, low-key demeanor of someone who just wants to live. Not quite a hippie, but also not a stereotypical chauvinistic brute. Perfect.

I also now know how to spell Matthew McConaughey’s name, so it’s a win-win for any rom-com reviews I might write in the future.

I think. I mean, I’m pretty sure. I know I’m certainly digging the look. Scope the colored sketch of Midnight below to see if you feel the change like I do. Also, check out the Tumblr page for other sketches, as they happen, LIIIIIIIIIIVE!

UPDATE: Ok, so the uploading isn’t going so well, so for now, please click on through to the Tumblr page where all the sketches thus far are uploaded and ready to view.

Due to time constraints completely beyond my control, there will be no new update for this week. Also, there are big changes in store for DSA, so stay tuned for further announcements and updates!

For those 100+ followers out there we managed to earn we have some bad news. I’ve been delaying putting off the inevitable, as you can see with us missing two posts, but we are going to have to put the site on indefinite hiatus. The time has come where Jason’s real life has piled up to the point where he can no longer give the time or provide a quality  comic for you. Therefore he has asked to retire from DSA, leaving the comic without an artist. That leaves me in a spot where I can’t continue the comic until I find another one.

Until further notice Digital Strips Adventures has gone on hiatus. There are years of material still left untold so I will be looking for another artist to pick up the pin. There is even an Edmund Finney script completed and waiting for an artist. So if there are any out there who like what they’ve seen so far or would like to pick up an extra $20 per page with a large potential audience, then send us an email and we’ll take a look at your work.

For those of you concerned over the blog and podcast don’t worry. Steve and Jason are sticking around on the main site. The problem is the 8-12 hours it takes to pin, ink, and color a full page strip, on top of the time for reading comic archives and produce a podcast, that has pushed Jason to back out of this strip.

So that’s a big sorry to the fans we’ve earned and I hope you continue to stand behind Digital Strips.