Sunday, May 31, 2009

Official Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 2009 Applications Now Accepted for Entry to SpiderForest Network

June 1, 2009

The SpiderForest webcomic collective is now accepting applications for entry to the private network until June 24th.  New members are welcomed bi-annually based on an admissions process where current SpiderForest members read, review and vote on each application.

Everyone interested is encouraged to apply, though not everyone is accepted. Application details can be found at spiderforest.net/apply.

Since 2004, SpiderForest has hosted experienced webcomic creators in an environment free of mandatory ads or unoriginal site templates. SpiderForest offers FTP access for the maximum amount of site customization, cross-advertising via the network header, free hosting, a comic creator’s choice of archiving software including the SF original, easy-to-use “ProPanda,” and a diverse array of fellow comics. SpiderForest claims no intellectual or property rights on comics that it hosts.

Current members include the creators of such long-time comics as NAHAST: LANDS OF STRIFE (Alejandro Melchor), REQUIEM (James Roden) and SPECIAL SCHOOL (Andy Mason). New comics welcomed in the previous round of admissions include BETWEEN PLACES (Tiffany M), LIFE’S A WITCH (Samantha Wikan), and SHI LONG PANG (Ben Costa).

Contact:

Ran Jado

webmaster@spiderforest.com

http://spiderforest.com

###

posted by KEZ at 7:12 pm  

Saturday, May 30, 2009

June 2009 News

SpiderForest admissions are open June 1-24, so if you’re interested, our apply page has everything you need to know about what to email us! Admissions are now closed, and we are in the process of reviewing all the applications. Notices go out no later than July! If you missed it, here is a link to our official press release, but you’ll have to wait until December to apply again!

Network news:

EDIT! From Al-X: As on today (Monday 22nd), voting for the science fiction & fantasy contest I’m competing in should be live. I need your vote!. Of the 21 finalists, only 10 will win a spot in the publisher’s upcoming anthology book, so we have to outvote at least 11 other people. Yes, there is no jury to pick the stories, they are trusting in general public voting. If the voting page is up and I haven’t been able to update this notice, my story is called “Cuenta la leyenda”. You can read it’s translation, “Legend tells”, in my LiveJournal.


Two comic anniversaries this month! Requiem’s fifth anniversary is June 7th and Between Places‘ first anniversary is June 17th! Congratulations, guys!


Net of Tales of the Traveling Gnome would like to announce that he has moved his comic fully over to SpiderForest! He would also like to share with everyone a Forum Fiction he has started, using characters that forum members have posted. Check it out!


Samantha Wikan of Life’s a Witch says she will continue her live streaming drawing sessions throughout the summer. Beginning June 2, scheduled drawing sessions will drop down to ONE day a week (Tuesdays at 9am USCentral time). There will be spontaneous drawing sessions whenever the mood strikes, though, so be sure to follow her on Twitter if you want to be notified!


The SpiderForest Community is continuing its monthly creative theme thread in the forums. This month, the theme is “on the job”! Do something creative (draw a picture or write a story or make up a joke…) that has something to do with a workplace or job situation. You DO NOT HAVE TO BE A SPIDERFOREST creator to participate! This is for creators and readers to share work side by side.. and mainly to get all our creative juices flowing. We’d love to see what you can create!


Alex Melchor of Nahast: Lands of Strife has been a busy bee (which might explain his radio silence on a lot of forums). For one, Nahast is starting it’s 9th chapter on it’s 250th page, “Voices from the Darkness”, with a promise of drama, milestones and revelations for many of the characters. Here’s for getting this chapter done in less than a year…

If you want to hear Alex’s husky hispanic accent; tune in to “Meanwhile…”, a podcast devoted to superhero role-playing games. Alex was recently interviewed for his work in Mecha & Manga, a complete sourcebook to run anime-type games using the Mutants & Masterminds system.

In more local matters, Alex is typing away at a sci-fi short story for a contest he’s a semifinalist of. The ministory that won him the pass into the second leg of the contest has been translated in his LiveJournal. The second phase involves public voting, so if you want to support a struggling writer in a foreign language, keep an eye on the publisher’s website! ;)

All of this and Nahast is coming out once weekly!


Kez of The War of Winds and Not Alone would like announce that Not Alone is COMPLETE at 48 pages, and she is ecstatic to have a finished comic under her belt (as opposed to the never-ending story that is The War of Winds.)


Good luck all SF applicants!

posted by KEZ at 4:15 pm  

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Nahast trudges on!

Last week, Nahast ended its eighth chapter, the first to be hosted by Spiderforest. Blood of Two Rivers focused on Niriko, the half-elf girl in the Hawk Maidens, and gave some insight on elven culture in Nahast and just what kind of SOBs the pointy-eared buggers are ;)

More as a footnote than a celebration, the Chronicles of the 5th Age site now features a short story called “Deeta’s Lament“, which gives a look at the motives and epilogue of the chapter’s main antagonist, Deeta, who is none other than Niriko’s elven mother.

Now, with no time to lose, Nahast posts its 250th page with the beginning of Chapter 9: Voices from the Darkness! The night is not over for the heroes, as Behari, who was wounded by a poisoned arrow during Chapter 8, is now fighting for her life.

Several secrets hinted at in previous chapter will receive additional clues, and the major players of the shadow war that threatens the city will be revealed! Glimpes of the future and insights into the past! Secrets of the spirit world and the dread Region of the Dead! In Chapter 9, the main plot of the entire comic will truly start unraveling so, keep reading!

posted by Al-X at 1:36 pm  

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

May News

One more month until application are being accepted for SF membership! Get your comics ready, guys and gals!

Onto SF member news!

Nick Perkins says: As of May 11, Cooties will update 5 days a week! So come by every weekday and watch me actually finish my first story this year 8) .

And:

Samantha Wikan, Creator of the SpiderForest Web Comic “Life’s a Witch,” has opened up The Sketch-Out! This site is a weekly workout for your art skills. Every week a member posts a basic drawing exercise to practice a skill or technique. Traditional and digital artists of all skill levels are welcome to participate!

And don’t forget the SpiderForest monthly creative theme! This month, we want you to create something about or using MONSTERS! EVERYONE is welcome to post their work for us to see and enjoy.

—–

That’s all folks! See you in June!

posted by KEZ at 11:26 pm  

Sunday, April 12, 2009

April News

Sorry about the late post!

First, a second new arrival to SpiderForest! Douglas MacRae of Acorn Place announced the birth of his daughter Miranda Cheyne MacRae on March 16, 2009. Welcome to the world, Miranda! With the new birth, Douglas has decided to indefinitely halt production of Acorn Place, but don’t worry loyal readers! Anubis Rising is still coming last I heard!

Second, April 26, 2009 is The War of Winds‘ FIFTH anniversary online. Kez (that’s me) is planning a week-long birthday bash of guest art updates and other special treats starting Monday the 27th. I will also reach my 300th update this month as well. Yay for consecutive celebrations!

Third, it’s only 2 more months until SpiderForest will once again be accepting applications for new members. If you’ve thought about starting a comic, now is the time! If you considering applying before but didn’t go through with it, here is advance warning. Details on the process and what we require can be found on our Apply page.

posted by KEZ at 7:28 pm  

Friday, March 6, 2009

March News

Network News:

Update! Congratulations to SF member Matt Summers of Tales of the Traveling Gnome, proud father to a new baby girl!  See pictures and offer your own congrats to the family at Matt “Net” Summers’ thread “The Littlest Naga of them All.”

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Life’s a Witch comic is now streaming drawing days every Tuesday and Thursday! Come chat with Samantha as she draws the comic, or sketches or does fan art for her favorite strips. Drawing sessions start every Tuesday and Thursday at 9am US-Central time (CLICK HERE to see what that is in your time zone).

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Cooties is requesting guest strips where you can cameo your own characters and pimp your own comic! You can check out details here.

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The SpiderForest Community is hosting a monthly creative theme exercise in our forums. This month, the theme is “weather.”

Write a poem, short story or scene, or sketch or paint a picture or comic panel using the current theme. Post your creative efforts in THIS THREAD or just browse and be inspired.

There is no obligation to post commentary on people’s art or writing, it is just a personal creative exercise to build up our creative muscles! So ooh and aaah and post your work and know that others are oooh-ing and aahhh-ing at yours.

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The War of Winds just upgraded to a new site design! Check it out!

posted by KEZ at 1:59 pm  

Sunday, February 1, 2009

February News

SF members have a lot of news for you this month!

From Jamais Jochim of Sex Percussions, we have:

  1. Sex Percussions now has a donation incentive: CSI: Vancouver wallpaper, featuring the core SP characters in tan and black. Yours with a donation of $1 or more.
  2. We’re also running three contests: a cameo contest, a fanart contest, and a review writing contest. Winner of each contest gets their choice of merch from the Sakura Corporation Company Store. Full details are at Sex Percussions;  just click on the contest button.
  3. In the Frumph.net WAR! contest, Sex Percussions is in second place, while Life’s a Witch is in seventh. Support our troops!

Next, from Al-X of Nahast: Lands of Strife:

Nahast is weathering along as once more its author has bitten an amount of work that he may not be able to chew and keep his cheeks from expanding like a hamster’s. You can see the results of a new business relationship in Skirmisher Publishing’s Cooper’s Compendium of Corrected Creatures (or go to to the author’s gallery if you’re not into buying D&D books in PDF). That relationship will translate in collaboration in one book in addition to fully writing three more, along doing a series of illustrations. Unfortunately, days only have 24 hours.

Third, I’d like to bring to your attention the wonderful, winter-themed wallpapers made by SF members Nick Perkins of Cooties and James Roden of Requiem. They can be found here and here, respectively.

More news may be posted as it arrives, so keep checking back!

posted by KEZ at 8:49 pm  

Friday, January 23, 2009

A Winters Requiem…

a-winters-requiem

A little something for the season…

posted by maximkovalenko at 11:35 pm  

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Welcome 2009!

And welcome to SpiderForest’s latest additions! Here is the FULL list of newcomers! Wow, look at all this talent!

Life’s a Witch, by Samantha, aka “Swikan” and “Witchy”

Acorn Place, by K. Doug “Skyeboy” MacRae

Twilight Lady, by Blake Chen

Shi Long Pang, by Ben Costa

Tales of the Traveling Gnome, by Matt “Net” Summers and Michelle Zastrow

Between Places, by Tiffany “Tiana” M.

We had quite a lot of submissions for Dec. 2008 and would like to thank everyone for all the effort put into applications. For those not offered membership in this round, it is our hope that you might try again in June 2009 when we will again be looking for new members. Please don’t be discouraged, and instead use the following months to your advantage! By this time, everyone who applied should know whether their comic was accepted, declined, or still being voted upon, so if you have not been notified, please send an email to the same address you sent your application.

SF would also like to thank Fleen, The Floating Lightbulb, and Way of the Geek for helping to spread the word.

Happy New Year everyone!

posted by KEZ at 6:05 am  

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas Panic

I made a funny extra for any War of Winds fans out there. Enjoy watching Talon and Ravar panic beneath the mistletoe. Secretly, I think they have a grudging affection for each other, but they must keep up pretenses.

Photobucket

You can read my comics here:

posted by KEZ at 1:05 am