Fresh Fish

the comic strip by Daniel Barcroft
RSS
‹
  • About
May 2012
S M T W T F S
« Mar    
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Latest Comics

  • Spring Roll
  • Swipe!
  • Greatest. Movie. Ever.
  • Ginormous
  • Bap!

Special Thanks Redux

by Daniel on September 23, 2011 at 12:00 am
Posted In: Blog

Hi everybody.

Remember that list of people I had a few posts back who had helped out with different character development/naming stuff? It’s on its way to doubling in just the first month of the “new” Fresh Fish.

I checked with everybody before actually putting any names out there on the Internet, and didn’t want to take the time to do that with this one (although I probably will later when it comes to an “About” page). But I left out a role several friends of mine have played that is incredibly important, and certainly never solicited (I’m not that pompous!).

I’ve often joked that I had an estimated readership of 12 the first time Fresh Fish ran. I’m pretty sure most of the readership were just my own close friends. I recall that throughout its run, but especially at the beginning, a particular friend of mine familiar with the characters would send me e-mail whenever he found a strip or story particularly interesting.  I dubbed him Fresh Fish’s “first ‘biggest fan.’”

His contributions are by no means unique to him. I hope it doesn’t sound like a broken record (or desperate compliment-fishing) for me to say again how much I appreciate everybody reading the strip; especially when they get the chance to tell me what they think. I hope everybody reads it because they actually enjoy it, because you guys reading has some very practical upshots.

Wednesday, two separate people gave me great advice as soon as they saw the comic that really helped me out a lot. It wasn’t the first time either of them had helped me out, either. One corrected typo and a tip on better sharing practices later, I realized I benefitted from this stuff enough to write it up.

I’m still getting used to/deciding what to do with blog posts and site design, and I only really know one very good way to verify that any of it “works:” Feedback.

So seriously: thanks for reading. You help me out a lot just by showing up. Or as Mister Rogers would say, “Just by your being you.”

[ No Comments ]

Comic Strip mix-up?

by Daniel on September 19, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Posted In: Blog

Hey everybody. Apparently I still have some things to iron out. I noticed that my RSS feed gave me Wednesday’s strip instead of today’s. The correct comic seems to on the website homepage. So, if you read both in the correct order, you might have the chance to read ahead. Hooray?

This comic, by the way, is adapted from a single-panel version that ran in the ACU Optimist in 2004, and which I re-drew in the “first run” of Fresh Fish. Check out a lo-fi version of the original here. I occasionally worked the Fresh Fish characters into my editorial cartoons during that time.

[ 1 Comment ]

Site Design Maintenance

by Daniel on September 12, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized

Hi everybody. If you notice a few minor tweaks to the header and menu bar in the next couple of days, don’t panic. I’m just setting myself up to go through the layout changes I outlined earlier. Everything should still function the same. Thanks!

[ No Comments ]

One More Housekeeping Blog Post

by Daniel on September 7, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Posted In: Blog

Hey everybody! Remember when I told you I’d have the new site design in a couple of weeks? Well… forget that noise.

My original plan was to lay out a complete design, then add features into it. I decided against this for a couple of reasons. First, I knew even less about setting up a website like this than I thought, but am determined to do it (mostly) myself as a learning experience. Secondly, I don’t mind this existing site design quite as much as I thought I would.

So I’m going to get rid of deadline expectations for myself, and instead just make sure my progress is regular. I’ve made up a list for myself that will allow me to make sure the most important functions are given regular or priority attention, and still end up with exactly what I want in the end.

If I end up ramming my head up against some of this too much, I’ll keep at it but also go ahead to the next step simultaneously. I’m also not above getting outside help.

Check out my plan below, and be sure to tell me what features you’re waiting for so I can address them properly as early as possible!

  1. Get logo & navigation bar where and how I want them
    (After this is completed, I’ll come back and add or enhance additional pages like “about” or “links” or whatever in between each step below)
  2. Decide on, design graphics/labels/style specs for, and either activate or make room for later addition any other options that will go underneath (but within the same visual area as) the comic. (This includes RSS and e-mail subscriptions, archive navigation buttons, etc.)
    (After this is completed, if there are any options I want to include but haven’t got to yet, I’ll add at least one in between each step below)
  3. Same for left and right sidebars (underneath comic, to either side of blog)
  4. Same for blog (mostly just redoing style)
  5. Change/Tweak style and layout
    (At this stage I may be changing the width the comic is on the site, based on visitors’ screen resolutions. If you have strong opinions on this, make your case reasonably early in the process so I can take it into account (but no promises!)
PS – I believe the archive problem with the duplicate strips has been solved. If you notice any evidence to the contrary, let me know.
[ No Comments ]

Quadruple F!

by Daniel on September 5, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized

Hey everybody! Time for some Fresh Fish Fun Facts!

I’ll eventually have some nifty “about” pages with this information, but I wanted to give some “special thanks” shoutouts to some people who have helped shape the comic into what it is today. (The brunt of the blame, however, still rests with me.)

  • My friend Paul Anthony came up with the name Fresh Fish in about 30 seconds in a casual conversation about what concepts I wanted to get across with the title. You would not believe how much better this name is than the names I was considering. Seriously.
  • I learned long ago that it’s usually inadvisable to overtly base characters on real people. But I did once promise a friend I’d name a character after her (and then I did).
  • Similarly, my buddy Rhett Swarb came up with a different character name in about 10 seconds about 15 years ago that I think is probably better than anything I could have come up with.
  • I’ve also taken some character design advice from several people, including Michael Henderson and my lovely wife.
  • And there have been many times I’ve taken dialog and punchlines from real-world conversations with many people.
[ No Comments ]
  • Page 4 of 5
  • «
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • »

Pages

  • About

Categories

  • Blog (24)
  • Comic (84)
  • Uncategorized (2)

©2011-2012 Fresh Fish | Powered by WordPress with ComicPress | Subscribe: RSS | Back to Top ↑