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Foxes & Boxes Comics and Blogging by Daniel J. Hogan.
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About Me

daniel j hogan photo

I’m a cartoonist who lives in Lansing, Michigan. Visit my shop to buy original art and more. Follow me on Instagram, @danieljhoganart.

My Books


Check out my fantasy-humor novel, The Magic of Eyri.
magic of eyri book by daniel j hogan
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Cartoon Pin-Up for Punching The Clock

by Daniel J. Hogan on February 11, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]T[/dc]he guys over at Punching the Clock, Jeff Manley (artist) and Rob Humphrey (writer), put out a call for pin-ups awhile back. Mine ran on their site this week.

punching the clock pin-up

Pow!

This was a fun challenge and a great opportunity to help out a couple of fellow Michigan comic makers. Thanks to Jeff and Rob for giving me a chance to work outside my comfort zone a bit, as I put a fun spin on Jeff’s classic Punching the Clock header image.

Jeff and Rob’s comic recently came to an end (hence the call for pin-ups), but if you like workplace comedy, give Punching the Clock a read from the beginning.

I know Jeff, who drew Punching the Clock, will be at the MSU Comics Forum this month–another reason to come to the show! You can find both of ’em on Twitter: Rob is @RPHumphrey and Jeff is @manleycomics.

└ Tags: cartooning, comic creating, commission

Behind the Scenes: Using Bing Ads

by Daniel J. Hogan on February 3, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Behind the Scenes, Blog, News, Reviews

[dc]R[/dc]unning a website means constantly trying new things to promote what I do. Since I can’t use Google AdWords any longer, I decided to try Bing Ads, the Microsoft version of Google’s famous advertising service. Instead of advertising on Google, my ads run on Bing and Yahoo search results (and websites using those search engines, or running Bing Ads).

Bing Ads operates pretty much the same way as Google’s AdWords: you create an ad campaign, write-up your ads, bid on keywords, and let it go. People search for whatever in a search engine, and my ads might show up.

(Sure, there is more to it, but that’s the thumbnail of what I do.)

bing ads

Some of my Bing text ads.

Import AdWords Into Bing Ads

Upon creating my Bing Ads account, I learned I could import all my campaigns and ads from Google AdWords. This saved me a lot of work, and got my Bing Ads up and running faster.

I still rewrote a few ads, and added new keywords, but being able to import all my old information helped a bunch.

Minding Your Bing Ads Budget

Another feature of Bing Ads I really liked was how it handled billing. I could add money to my account up front, like I do each month at Project Wonderful, and when the money is gone, my ads stop. Easy (I also disabled the feature which would automatically add more funds). 

I’m a fan of going this route versus the other way: getting a bill at the end of a cycle with an amount depending on how many times users clicked my ads.

Using the pay up front method, I knew how much I would spend each month. The ‘we’ll bill you later’ option is why I stopped using Facebook ads (among other reasons): I didn’t like not knowing how much I was going to spend up front, which is vital when sticking to a budget.¹

Thoughts So Far on Bing Ads

I’m only using text ads at the moment, but I’m pleased with the results so far. I’m not spending a lot of money on advertising through Bing Ads, but even a bit helps.²

Some of the menus are a bit confusing, but overall I’m happy. Go ahead and try Bing Ads today.

–

¹ Facebook’s ad billing was weird too. I had difficulty understanding their billing cycle.

² My monthly budget for Project Wonderful is about $30 and for Bing Ads its about $20.

└ Tags: behind the scenes, marketing, technology

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 – Six Months Later

by Daniel J. Hogan on January 27, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News, Reviews

[dc]I[/dc] realized I bought my Microsoft Surface Pro 3 roughly six months ago while uploading this week’s comic. Since I wrote a post called Microsoft Surface Pro 3: Two Weeks Later, I figured a six months later post would be a fun idea.

surface pro 3 review

Has it been so long? Original image via Amazon.

Here’s some new thoughts.

Drawing on the Surface Pro 3 is an Adjustment

I’m still getting accustomed to drawing on my Surface Pro 3. Had I spent the last few years making comics on another tablet, the change might have been smoother.¹

Am I better at drawing on the Surface now than six months ago? Yes, certainly. Making the effort to practice helped considerably. I started a sketchbook file and draw in there often.

So Many Pens, So Little Time

The biggest hurdle came when deciding which pen settings to use in Clip Studio Paint (aka Manga Studio 5). On paper, I had my mechanical pencil and my Micron or PITT pens, nothing more.

In Clip Studio Paint, my options are MUCH more. I bought the Frenden pen sets, which gave me even more options (which are all worlds better than the default pens).

This may not seem like something about the Surface, but certain pens/brushes work better (for me) on the Surface. After I picked two to three pens and stayed with those, my comic-making sped up and I my drawing improved.

Pressure

I spent a lot of time experimenting with the pressure settings inside Clip Studio Paint. Remember: the Surface Pro 3 uses different pen pressure software than a WACOM or even older Surfaces.

It is important to play around with pressure settings, as everyone draws different.

Surface Pen Battery: When in Doubt, Change It

My Surface Pro 3 pen began acting strange a couple of weekends back. It would auto-shut off frequently and it would start drawing when I was hovering and not touching the screen (that’s bad).

I swapped out the AAAA (yes, four A) battery in the pen and I haven’t had any issues yet. Finding a replacement AAAA is a bit of a challenge locally, but I tracked one down at a battery store (Staples, where I bought my Surface, did not carry the battery).

What Windows Button?

Early on, bumping the Windows button on the right hand side (when in landscape) was a constant problem for me (and other Surface Pro 3 users). Six months later, I don’t even come close to bumping the Windows button.

How? Practice. I knew the button was there, so I shifted my drawing space in Clip Studio Paint away from the button (which is easy, you just drag with your finger and it auto-triggers the Hand tool). Closing my layer palettes also gave me more screen space to use as well.

Tip: You can flip the Surface so the button is on the left if you want.

Another Tip: I moved my Windows taskbar to the top of my screen. Bumping the taskbar in its usual spot on the bottom was a constant annoyance.

Still Another Tip: Disable the scroll bars in Clip Studio Paint (aka Manga Studio). I hit those way more often than the Windows button. Once they were gone, I never had any problems. Go to View > Scroll Bar and click to remove the check mark and disable the scroll bars.

Six Months Later: I (Still) Don’t Like

  • The Surface pen has its quirks. There are times when I’m inking it doesn’t 100% hit the line I’m tracing. I’m working on drawing slower though, which seems to help.
  • The touch pad on the Surface Type Cover. I wrote a blog post reviewing the Type Cover, and why I ended up buying a wireless mouse to use instead. The touch pad is terrible, especially for a $100+ accessory.
  • How Windows 8 handles updates. I don’t like being forced to choose between ‘Update and Shut Down’ or ‘Update and Restart’ when I have to shut down. Let me update when I want!

Six Months Later: I (Still) Like

  • Being portable. I can work on comics, writing, or website tasks any time, any where. I’m not chained to a desk, and the Surface Pro 3 fits (comfortably) in my backpack.
  • The battery life. It probably helps I turn wi-fi off when I’m drawing, but the battery life continues to impress me.
  • I don’t get hand cramps with the Surface pen. I don’t know if it is the grip I added (read about it here), but my hand doesn’t hurt like it would with a traditional pen.
  • The auto-rotate screen. I love how I can work on my Surface in either landscape or portrait mode. Very handy when I don’t have a table to work on and have to draw with the Surface in my lap.

–

¹ Maybe. If I were accustomed to a WACOM, the adjustment might have been just as difficult. Who knows?

└ Tags: cartooning, comic creating, surface pro 3, tablet, technology

Red Fox Comics Local Creator Event Recap

by Daniel J. Hogan on January 7, 2015 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]I[/dc] realized the other night I forgot to write a recap of last month’s local comic creator event at Red Fox Comics. Blame it on the holidays or the rain¹. I enjoy writing these recaps, as it helps to keep a history of all the events I attend.

This way, I can look back and see what worked, what didn’t, what sold well, what didn’t, or how many kids I made cry. The crying kid count for the Red Fox Comics event, I can happily say, was zero.

Wagons, West

The event itself was my first time visiting Red Fox Comics. I don’t get out to Lansing’s west side too often, so it wasn’t in my usual operating range. Red Fox Comics is a very nice shop though, with a focus on comics and related merch, but not much in the way of games (which is fine, just a FYI).

Small Events vs. Large Conventions

Small events like this are always a gamble when it comes to attendance: either being high or a total ghost town. I’ve experienced both, and when small events bring in the numbers, my earnings can rival (give or take) that of bigger shows. Yet, if no one shows, time slows to a crawl.

One of my cartoon commissions.

One of my cartoon commissions.

The advantage of a small store event can also be its disadvantage: I was part of a very small group. This meant more attention, but it also meant fewer names to bring in fans (I was one of about six creators).

Luckily, the event at Red Fox Comics ended up being one of my best appearances of the year—and it was only four-hours long.

It really isn’t fair to compare what I took in at this event to a convention though. They are very different. At Red Fox Comics, I was one of only six people—and everyone had to walk by our tables. At conventions, I could be one of dozens or hundreds of artists, and visitors could spend all day at the show and never once come near my table.

Intimate events are always worth a gamble, especially if it is in town and doesn’t cost me anything for a table—which was the case at Red Fox Comics.

What Sold?

First: I need to once again sing the praises of the Square Register app. I use the app for every sale, even cash. This way, I can easily go through my records and see what sold or how well I did at any given event.

I sold a lot of prints and ‘random’ cartoons this time around. I’m sure the event taking place so close to Christmas helped a bunch with sales. Mini-cartoons (my sketch cards) continued to sell (and help as eye-catchers).

bb-8 star wars card

One of the mini-cartoons I painted for the event: BB-8 from Star Wars VII.

I even sold a couple of my the postcard watercolor cartoons. This time, I didn’t focus on selling them as postcards, but would casually mention some were pre-stamped and could be mailed.

Continue Reading

└ Tags: artist alley, cartooning, christmas, events, holidays, on the town, pop culture, star wars
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