Tag / Voldensfjordian Murders

by sixlakesstudios

Q&A For 21!

TODAY’S MY 21ST BIRTHDAY! WOOOOOO!

What is your favorite comic to draw?

Probably Parker and Luca right now. Parker, Luca, and their friends are into earrings, tattoos, and hair dyes. So it’s just fun to play around with the specifics like that. And it’s nice to create stories for the gay, autistic Parker, who I loosely based on myself (emphasis on loosely).

What program do you use to draw your comics?

Microsoft Paint. It’s what I’m most familiar with, I’ve been using it since I was a toddler, and my parents still had a computer with a bulky monitor. I’ve tried other products, but Paint, despite its quirks, is easy for a novice. Besides, Paint makes good-quality images for a simple platform.

Do you draw your comics on paper before drawing them digitally?

Nope. As a kid, I almost always drew on paper (and my mom saved them so I could show those old drawings off in the future). However, when I started Six Lakes Comics off with the flagship series, The Vikings of Vancouver, in 2021, I decided to draw the strips digitally. I didn’t want to waste paper on drafts that didn’t make the cut.

Are you going to get someone else to draw the graphic novels?

Yes. I am not confident enough in my drawing ability to create an entire GN by myself. I’ll start looking as soon as I can afford to hire a cartoonist. I will continue drawing the comic strips myself for now.

Are you going to resume your non-comic writing?

The Waterfall and Voldensfjordian Murders? Yes. 

Blue City Mysteries? Soon. 

Blurred Lines? I hate to say it, but I’m scrapping Blurred Lines for the foreseeable future. I procrastinated and tried to write it without drafting, I couldn’t figure out where the story was going, and I needed to try to cut down on the SLS workload. I’d rather have quality over “posting for the sake of posting.”

Aviary?!

I’m working on it! The best estimate for publication? Later this decade (apologies for being vague, but that’s really the best answer I can give you).

How’s school?

Great. I’m a teacher’s assistant in the Geoscience Department now! Woot! Things may get busy, but I will do my best to update the comics.

Will we see any new written stories?

I have this one new idea… but other than that, no. Again, I’m trimming down the SLS workload to keep up with school work and my part-time jobs without sacrificing the quality of my work.

More questions to be answered later!

by sixlakesstudios

Absence Apology

Hello, everyone.

I want to apologize for my absence over the last few weeks. The Winter quarter was tough, and I needed to focus on finishing that quarter. Now that Winter Quarter and Spring Break are over, I am currently in Spring Quarter, and so far (trying not to jinx this), the next few months should be smooth.

For readers of Voldensfjordian Murders and The Waterfall, I will make sure you see updates before the end of the month. Also, I apologize to Blurred Lines’ readers; I need to plan the story more, and unfortunately, I decided to place it on indefinite hiatus.

As for the comics, I haven’t updated those in a while and missed some significant events. So:

  • The Vikings of Vancouver: Marcus and Mary were supposed to be featured in a strip about their visit to a monster truck rally. It’s probably too late to post that now, but I assure you, they had a good time.
  • Parker and Luca: I missed a few birthdays, including Luca’s 35th. Luca, don’t worry. Maybe I’ll try to work in a flashback about that.

I will resume work shortly on the projects mentioned above and others.

As for now, thank you for reading, and have a wonderful week!

  • Matt
by sixlakesstudios

Illustration Poll

Pro: You’ll get to see my illustrations of scenes from The Waterfall, Tales of Human Nature, Blurred Lines, Voldensfjordian Murders (text version), Max Fields, and other non-comic works. It’ll also help me improve my drawing skills, and I can post these on Webtoon, not just Tapas and Wattpad.

Con: More time will be needed between updates. I have college and work, and those are always tied for first place on my list of priorities, leaving only so much time for work on stories and comics.

However, I am seriously considering this. What do you think? Poll ends February 1st, 2022.

P.S.: The Aviary of Henry Weston and Blue City Mysteries are going to be illustrated regardless of the outcome of this poll, but not by me.

by sixlakesstudios

Update: 12/21/2021

Happy Solstice!

Comics: I have been drawing so much, I had to replace the tip on my drawing pad’s pen! Look:

Schedule:

COMICTIME
The Vikings of VancouverSundays (2021-)
The antics of the Norwegian-Canadian Halvorsen family, and those they interact with around the city.
Parker and LucaSaturdays starting 1/1/2022
A dramedy about a married gay couple raising three kids in Spokane, Washington.
Matt the Comic by MattMondays starting 2/14/2022
My semi-autobiographic comic: A gay college student living with Asperger’s, ADD, and the stress of our modern world.
Planning PeriodsThursdays starting 9/1/2022
Middle school teachers at an Olympia school and the ups and downs of being an educator.
GeoFridays starting 1/13/2023
Geo: The work and lives of an independent Geoscience research team based out of Tacoma.
Please note, this doesn’t include special episodes, such as TVOV’s “De tolv juledagene,” or other episodes posted off-schedule for certain reasons.

The Waterfall: Resumes December 26th!

A Voldensfjordian Murder: Resumes January 3rd!

Christmas Special: “De tolv Juledagene” was a spontaneous project, but you know what? I like it.

I might have to touch it up a little (some typos) in the future, but… Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Thanks for reading!

-Matt

by sixlakesstudios

Update 10/31/2021 (Halloween!)

ARRRRRRGH, MATEYS!!!!! I be Four-Eyes the Fabulous, and this be my color-changing pumpkin friend, Jack O’Lantern! We be takin’ over this here website!

Just kidding! It’s me, Matt! Happy Halloween, readers!

If I’m being honest, I didn’t used to like Halloween (sensory overload), but I’ve grown to it. I just have to avoid anything that would cause me to freak out, shut down, or have nightmares. But I’m getting better! In fact, I am even watching the 1978 John Carpenter classic slasher: “Halloween!”

Now, onto the news:

The Vikings of Vancouver: More TVOV coming underway! I will only post a few more comics on WordPress, before shifting distribution exclusively to Webtoon and Tapas. Most likely, I will stop posting TVOV on here after the New Year.

Parker and Luca: I am getting started on Parker and Luca comics right now. I will try to create a character sheet for them as well.

Matt (Comic): I will be starting work on this comic soon.

Mason and Eric: I am one of those people who tries not to get all “Christmassy” (or “Winter Holiday-y” overall) until the Saturday after American Thanksgiving, but what the heck! I’ll announce this year’s Christmas Special! The 2021 Christmas Special is: “Mason and Eric!” More information to be coming next week. [Postponed, not canceled]

The Waterfall: Don’t worry! I haven’t forgotten about The Waterfall. Updates will resume sometime in December.

Tales of Human Nature Serial Killer: Coming May 2022!

Blurred Lines: Well, the story is coming along now, and will be updated as much as I can through November.

Max Fields #1: Coming February 2022!

Blue City Mysteries: I am in the process of writing stories for the series right now, but I’m still trying to figure out the characters, plotlines, and each individual story. I have some of my fictional version of Lakewood, Washington built up right now, but it’s not complete yet.

Also, I am not trying to put Lakewood in a negative light. I just wanted to set the series somewhere that is a) A diverse, medium-sized suburbia in the Pacific Northwest and b) close and near to my heart. I love that city. I lived there for a few years as a young kid, I have family and friends there, and I have a lot of memories there.

Voldensfjordian Murders: If you follow my work on “Chapters” I am so sorry I haven’t updated “A Voldensfjordian Murder” or its sequels and spin-off in a while! I am trying to get back on track, but it’ll be easier when I’m out of school for Winter Break.

If you haven’t seen them, please be sure to check them out!

Other Works: I have so many ideas in my mind, I can’t keep track of them! But I will be sure to keep you updated, and whenever I start truly working on a new project, you, dear readers, will be the first to know!

Personal: I am doing well in the Geosciences Major, and can’t wait for my winter quarter Screenwriting Class. I am also doing better, mentally, now that I am doing in-person classes. I am excited for what comes next for me in college, on this website, and in life! Also, my brother turned 15 years old TODAY! A Halloween birthday, how about that?!

P.S. Yes, those are real earrings. My Ears have been pierced since February of 2019, and earrings are one of my weird, random interests. The strange part, though? I’m not a fan of piercings elsewhere. Just ears. Not sure why.

Bone-us: Here’s a picture of my dog, Pizza, in 2019, dressed in his Halloween Costume.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2021!

BE SAFE, EAT CANDY AND HAVE SOME FUN!

(Hey, that rhymes!)