Tagalumpuk

This comic is really important to me because I was able to pour so many of my interests into it. It mixes drama, sci-fi, and fantasy, even incorporating worldbuilding inspired by Proto-Austronesian cultures for the design of Princess Bahira.

This comic was also my first attempt at a new midtone rendering style using hatching! Before this, I only added midtones with screentones, but for this one, I tried to bring in a more "traditional Indonesian" style by using Kharisma Jati's method of creating midtones with parallel line hatching, all through the magic of Clip Studio Paint. TBH, after two years and having discovered many better ways, my first attempt here still has many shortcomings, and the printed version of this comic is rougher and less clean than my usual screentone work. But it still stands as a testament to my experiment.

Please read the behind-the-scenes section below to see the complete breakdown of how I made this comic—from the story and art to technical aspects like my hatching experiment.