Artist Name:  Heather Brosman 
Title of Comic:  FFXI Power Nap
Date Completed:  6/23/06

Describe your story and characters:  How did you come up with this idea?  What are you trying to communicate to your readers? 

        I play Final Fantasy XI about once a week with my friends.  We “party” together to level our characters.  Sometimes this aspect of the game can get pretty monotonous, although my friends would most likely beg to differ.  This idea came about from real life.  I actually fell asleep at the computer during game play.  How embarrassing but true.  What we think makes the most efficient “party” changes a lot (although we usually don’t act on the ideas).  When new jobs are introduced we all debate whether or not to change for a new experience.  Here I’m a monk debating about changing to a puppetmaster for the sole reason of having a cute sidekick.  But having another character to control would most likely push me over the edge, seeing that I doze off with my “elvaan” monk.  In any case, this comic is just about the repetitive complexities of a game that I love to hate. 

Does your comic evoke a certain feeling?

        My comic is quite silly so I hope that readers get a little giggle out of it.  The stereotypical female gamer is present here (so I should get some sighs and eye rolls) but would like to note that my monk is crazy strong.  I would be lying to you if this character didn’t reflect me in some ways because it is me and therefore I would like to make clear that it does not represent all female gamers.  It is suppose to be humorous especially to my “party” members. 

What materials & techniques did you use to make your comic?

        First, I drew my comic using my FFXI character and a friend’s character as inspiration for my cartoons.  I bought a Wacom tablet especially for this project to experience web comic creation like the pros.  I went to a web comics convention last summer and was blown away by their expertise, especially in using the tablet for inking.  I scanned my drawing, inked it with the tablet, and used Adobe Photoshop to color and add text.  I enjoyed creating this and I hope I will make another in the future.     

Is this a successful comic?  Is there anything you would change or improve?

        I think so.  You might have to have a little knowledge of online games or Final Fantasy which is why I tried to explain it.  I would like to go back at some point and add some depth with shading and Photoshop effects/filters.    

What did you learn?

        I learned a lot about the creative cartooning process.  I tend to be a really detailed artist, so this was good to practice a more simplified form.  Story development, character design, color, and style all have to mesh in the end.  I did learn new techniques from my students, such as inking with the pen tool to give you a really smooth line (although I did not use it here).     

Other comments about your creative process:

I think its important to incorporate what you know, your likes, dislikes, beliefs, hardships, accomplishments and interests into art and in this case comics.  It makes your piece more believable.  That’s what I tried to do and urged my students to do the same.  Hope you enjoy the rest of the site.  Everyone truly did amazing work!  Great job everyone!