Life with Squid

It's like your life, but with squid!
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Keep on Swimming!

by heatherlittle on December 16, 2015
Posted In: Rant

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GOOD NEWS!

As of now, the Archives are completely restored!
You can now see 3 1/2 full years of squid and all of the hilarity that entails.

Also fixed:
* The Prints page now has all of the available prints listed, as well as up-to-date shipping information and commissions.
* There is now an easy “Buy!” button above each comic page so you can see whether or not that comic is available as a print.
* The Free Squid page now has actual free squid on it.
* Links to the LWS Facebook, LWS Twitter and Heather Little’s Etsy shop have now been added to the side menu.

In Progress:
* Restoring formatting for the Top Menu and Tentacle Times
* Introducing a handy Character page for you to keep up with our Cast.
* Updating the items in the Shop with current artwork/adding new original art to the Etsy store.
* Weekly Squid, Surprises and much, much more!

Thank you for sticking with us as we keep recovering from the bugs that attacked the last site. We appreciate you reading more than we can say!

Thank you!

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In the thick of it…

by heatherlittle on June 22, 2015
Posted In: Rant

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Please Pardon Our Dust!

We’re working hard to get the site back in order after our big bug fiasco, but it’s going to take some time. Don’t worry, though: New Comics will upload every Monday Morning without fail!

However, these things are still in the works:
Archive – Bugs fixed, but re-uploading three years of comics takes time.
Print Page – Once the archive is complete, this will be able to be fixed.
Menu – We’re aware that the current format doesn’t work for phones, and wraps around on some pages. We’ll hopefully have that fixed soon.
Free Squid Page – We’ll have the wallpapers and some new fun stuff available soon.
About the Comic, FAQ and New Characters Page – These will all be updated once the other bugs have been flushed out of the system.

We appreciate your patience as we work through these issues, and we thank you so much for sticking with us while we work through this. We’re working on creating some amazing “thank you” squid for once all of this is done!

Thanks!

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Celebrating a Year of Squid

by heatherlittle on July 1, 2013
Posted In: Rant

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July 2, 2013 marks an incredible day: the First Anniversary of Life with Squid.

Now I know you’re going to look at the archive and think, wait, didn’t this start on June 23, 2012? Nope. I posted the first ten comics all on the same day…and had to backdate a bunch of them due to programming issues. July 2nd is the Official Birthday of Squiddipus and I’m happy to share it with all of you!

I could not have expected what a daunting struggle and an absolute joy this first year would be. I have been blessed with the support of family, friends and you, my wonderful readers, and I could not be more thankful for it.

To celebrate, I’ve made a couple changes to the site to make the comic more reader-friendly.

1. The comics will now show at a smaller size, so it’s easier to see the page as a whole. To view detail, just click on the comic and a pop-up will appear with a larger version. To close it, just click outside of the pop-up or hit the X button in the bottom right corner.

2. I have moved the Buy Print button below the comic, instead of sitting up by the Title. This makes things a little less cluttered looking. Of course, you can always see all of the Prints I have for sale by clicking the Prints link in the top menu bar.

 

Also, I have a GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT to make!

Life with Squid will be making it’s first public appearance.  You can see me live and in person at next year’s Megacon Convention!

MegaCon Convention
The Orange County Convention Center, South Hall
Orlando, FL
March 21-23rd, 2014
I will be at Booth Purple 3 with lots of squid.

Click Here for the Megacon Artist Alley Site.

I will have some great squid stuff, will be taking commissions and I’ll be accompanied by the real life Jack! Come by and say hi!

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

 

It has been a true pleasure getting to work on squid this past year and I can’t wait to show you all of the great squid to come. I look forward to meeting many of you in person next year and thank you again for a rewarding first year!

THANK YOU!

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Moving Forward!

by heatherlittle on November 4, 2012
Posted In: Rant

Hello fellow Squid loving people!

It’s been a while since I got a chance to update the blog, so here’s an overview of some site changes:

1. The Prints page has been updated with not one, but TWO new prints which are available for purchase.

2. There are now links to the LWS Facebook and Twitter pages to the right of these blog posts, on the right of each of the pages and underneath every comic. It’s just a text link right now. I’m in the process of creating something prettier.

3. There is a Character page in development, so those who are new to the comic can hear the history of Squeezy. It will go live in the next couple of weeks.

4. On a personal note, I got a job in the real world. This doesn’t effect the comic, but it does mean it might take me longer to respond to posts. I apologize for this in advance.

And finally, the big news!

Life with Squid reached 10,000 hits!

It has been such a pleasure working on this comic and I’m thrilled that you guys like it too. It means the world to me that you’ve been checking in every week and sending me lovely messages.
THANK YOU!

Now I’m off to make more squid!

~Heather

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And now, Prints!

by heatherlittle on August 24, 2012
Posted In: Rant

There is now a page where you can buy your favorite Life with Squid Prints!

If you click the link on the top menu or on the left hand side of any page, you can see what prints are available for purchase. There are currently two prints, but more will be added as the comic goes along.

If you want to request a particular comic be turned into a print, message me at and, if possible, I’ll make it available. You can also message me to get custom orders in different sizes or printed on a different kind of paper.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment here or send me an email!

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Pardon our Dust

by heatherlittle on August 20, 2012
Posted In: Rant

In the next few days you might notice some weird things happening on the site. I’m currently adding some new features – like a way to buy prints of your favorite comics – and it will take some time to get the coding in place.

So please pardon the weirdness while I make this a better place for squid!

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Promotional Stuff

by heatherlittle on August 7, 2012
Posted In: Rant

Due to a special request by a very amicable feline friend, I’ve created some promotional materials for Life with Squid which can be printed and shared to your heart’s delight.
I’ve tried to be conscious of how much printer ink and paper these materials would use, so they’re mostly black and white. I’ve included a color card option for anyone who wants something more colorful to share, and arranged smaller designs on 8.5″ x 11″ pages for easy printing.

Once you’ve chosen a design that you like, click it for a larger version.

8.5″ x 11″ Flier:

2.5″ x 5.5″ Bookmark:


3″ x 5″ Color Card:


3″ x 5″ Black and White Card:


If there are any other forms of printables that anyone desires, just send me a message at or on Twitter @LifewithSquid and I’ll see if I can make something!

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Buttons and Magnets, Oh my!

by heatherlittle on July 27, 2012
Posted In: Rant

There are some new buttons and magnets available in the shop!

Six new designs are available featuring your favorite Squid and his supporting cast.

It’s all over at the Shop! Enjoy!

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Making Inky

by heatherlittle on July 25, 2012
Posted In: Rant

I was asked yesterday how I make my comics. Apparently the answer “Time, effort and squid love” wasn’t specific enough, so allow me to elaborate.

I put together my comics using a much shorter process than most professional comics. While I’d like to say this is because I’m a master at what I do and don’t need all those fancy smancy steps, I’d just be ridiculously kidding myself. The truth is that I don’t have enough time to complete ALL of the steps before a comic is due, especially doing all of the work myself.

So! Here is Heather’s Handy Dandy Life with Squid Process:

Step One:

Come up with a rough idea. Obsess about whether or not it’s funny. Write out a shorthand script. For an example, here’s the full script to comic #10 “Lost Squid”:

H. and J. can’t find S. Call for him. J. picks up Squeezy. Squeak. S. descends from ceiling. Hrrk.

Pass it around to Boyfriend and family. Upon approval, obsess some more about humor potential. Rewrite several times before deciding you had it right the first time. Obsess some more, then go and nom something.

Step Two:

Sketch out a rough idea of what the comic will look like. This usually takes up about a fourth of a normal-sized sketchbook page and is then covered in notes with intended changes. Then erase half of the notes after redrawing something and finding them to be redundant.

More notes.

Erase some of the obvious notes realizing that this sketch is just for you and you aren’t actually explaining the comic to anyone else. Feel dumb.

Obsess over whether or not to start from scratch. Realize you’re on a deadline and decide that it’s good enough for now. Take a break before innate perfectionism makes you start messing with it again.

Step Three:

Print out a template of a comic page and rough out where the panels will be. Consult your sketch, furiously decide that you can do it better, and after twenty minutes of frustration decide that you’re probably just making it worse.

Rough in some stick figures and basic shapes to show where everything will be placed on the page. This is important so that you don’t spend four hours drawing an arm and then step back to find that it’s nowhere near where it’s supposed to be.

Start adding background details, laying in perspective grids (which were designed by some demon with a fantastic sense of humor) and building up the setting. Painstakingly fixate on every line so that it is perfectly where it needs to be to create a beautiful setting with the illusion of depth.

Erase half of what you just did so that you can add characters into your environment.

Spend hours upon hours drawing and redrawing your characters. Adjust their positions, exaggerate their facial expressions, make sure they don’t awkwardly collide with furniture. Draw an arm for four hours. Realize it’s nowhere near where it’s supposed to be.

Ponder the subconscious masochism which drives the compulsion to add so many intricate details to a webcomic. Boldly claim that you’ll never do it again. Grimly accept that you’re lying to yourself.

Finally finish up your detailed pencil work and scan it into the computer.

Step Four:

Using Photoshop, turn the whole image blue and make it significantly bigger. Print it out on a piece of bristol board.

Desperately wish that everything was as easy as step four.

Step Five:

Over the blue lines, carefully apply ink lines. Try to keep your hands as steady as possible and freak out over every misstep. Wonder why you ever thought you were confident enough to attempt such a daunting task.

Spend three minutes wondering how you got ink on your elbow. Stop wondering when you find more on your neck.

After hours of editing and laying out each line carefully, allow the page to dry.

Realize you didn’t muck up all of your work. Dance in triumph and then scan the page.

Step Six:

Using Photoshop, edit out any small mistakes and add any large blocks of black that you didn’t want to waste a bunch of ink filling in. Then transfer the file to Illustrator to create speech bubbles, text and special effects.

Start feeling really good about what you’re doing now that the hard part is over.

Convert the file to the appropriate type and make any last edits that need to be made. Celebrate it’s completion by dancing like a lunatic.

Show finished product to Boyfriend and family. Start process of obsessing all over again.

Step Seven:

Post to site. Sit back and squee like an idiot.

Return to step one!

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New Shop Available!

by heatherlittle on July 16, 2012
Posted In: Rant

We now have a brand new Cafepress shop just for Life with Squid!

Now you can own a piece of the squid. Currently you can purchase a variety of products with either the Life with Squid Logo or a lovely design featuring a loving Squiddipus!

Check it out using the new shop link at the top of every Life with Squid page, or go right to the Shop.

If you have any requests for products just let me know at or leave a comment here!

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