Author: softmanpillowboy

Posted on August 22, 2020 by softmanpillowboy
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This comic is a bit of an apology to anyone who has been wondering why the antics of Softboy Pillowman have been so theater-focused as of late. This is because Softboy Pillowman and I are both huge theater nerds. Rest assured, we shall begin stories that specifically focus on LGBT-issues very soon!

Fun fact: Softboy actually started the free trial on his website earlier than this comic was published, so he’ll only have it up until a couple weeks from now. Still, he’s happy to have the possibility of expanding on it once he gets some more disposable toy income.

If you like this comic, make sure you’re following the blog, and feel free to check out my Ko-Fi page!

Posted on August 15, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

“He… how could it be? He hears the music….”

“You… you hear it too. You hear the music…”

Guess who watched Love Never Dies not long after finally watching The Phantom of the Opera? And now, four months later, I decided to make this semi-sequel to the Phantom of the Opera artwork I made a few months ago. 

I’m not a big fan of Love Never Dies (the musical sequel to The Phantom of the Opera), and I’m sure many people feel the same way. When I finally watched a production on YouTube a while back, I found little in it that truly entertained me…. except for the song “The Beauty Underneath.” I was taken aback by the sudden rock number, and couldn’t stop listening to it for weeks afterward. Then, I found this newer version of the song on YouTube that I love even more.

The Chrisville Theater Society would never put on a full production of Love Never Dies, but its members also share a fondness for this number. Dirk is often cast as the Phantom, and Softboy Pillowman steals the show as Gustave, the ten-year-old boy who turns out to be the Phantom’s son. 

This number represents one of the few times Softboy and Dirk truly get along during playtime, and their rendition of this song is rather heartfelt. This is because they each have a different interpretation of what the song means by the Phantom’s “beauty underneath.” Dirk pictures his love for what all the other toys see as too tough, violent, mean-spirited, and dark. (The other toys are typically correct in their judgement) Softboy, on the other hand, pictures his appreciation for the macabre, playfully cynical, and artistically off-putting, such as a love of Edgar Allen Poe stories, the spooky tales that surround cryptids, and animated works like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Invader Zim.

Posted on August 8, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

And with that, we have a humanoid form for Dirk and a finale for our latest multi-part comic. You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.

Fun facts: In the second panel, when Softboy says that the Chrisville Theater Society should do “Pirates,” he is, of course, referring to the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance.

Dirk’s lineart was inspired by the way My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic uses colored outlines. Dirk may not like to hear that this was a source of inspiration for me, but it’s true. (This also means that Softboy’s earlier comment on how Dirk is ordinarily hard to draw was largely ignored for this form’s design. This method took me forever to figure out, and Dirk’s human form will be used sparingly as a result.) 

Also, Dirk’s grain made me download an additional brush asset for Clip Studio Paint for the first time. I’ve just been making do with the basic brushes until now.

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page!

Posted on August 1, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

It’s time for things to get pretty silly in Part 4 of our current multi-part comic. You can check out Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here. 

Fun fact: Since the toys’ doodles for Dirk’s “Sad Horse” form are fairly obvious, I don’t think I need to say what real-world cartoon they’re referencing. If you’re wondering how Chris is allowed to watch such a mature show, then it probably won’t surprise you to hear that he technically isn’t. Chris has his own little profile on his dad’s Netflix account, but it’s still a kid’s account. Chris has figured out, though, that as long as he doesn’t try watching Netflix using his dad’s account while his dad is using it on another device, Chris can get away with seeing things his dad has already watched. He doesn’t do this all the time, and he doesn’t do it out of the thrill of watching mature stuff for the sake of being “grown-up.” He came for the animal-people and stayed for the incredible storytelling. And the puns.

Also, this update was actually supposed to be the finale. However, I ran out of time this week, so I decided to split the intended comic into two parts. You’ll have to wait til next week for the conclusion!

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page!

Posted on July 25, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

Here’s Part 3 of our surprisingly long journey towards giving Dirk a humanoid form. You can check out Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 4 here. I hope you all like constantly changing character, background, and prop sizes! (Let’s be honest. You’re here for the story. Not the art.)

Fun fact: In case you didn’t know, Softboy’s miraculous conjuration of a rainbow while saying the word “imagination” is a reference to a famous and oft-memed scene from Spongebob Squarepants. Dirk calls it stealing, but I call it an homage. 

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page!

Posted on July 18, 2020 by softmanpillowboy
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Things get a bit more interesting (and meta) in Part 2 of our current multi-part comic. You can read Part 1 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.

Fun(?) fact: It is indeed very hard to draw Dirk. Sometimes, the look of an entire comic will change just because I’ve realized that I just can’t draw Dirk at certain angles. It also doesn’t help that only one side of him can visibly emote.

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page!

Posted on July 16, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

@penny-anna: FELIX i just noticed the ‘argument’ in the background over how to spell theatre and i’d like to know who is responsible

Haha, you’re the second person I know of to comment on that! The purple crayon is Leo Lion. The gold is Softboy. (That’s why the little purple angry face has a kitty frown)

Both Leo Lion and the Chrisville Theater Society are based off of what Chris knows about his British uncle, who is himself part of a G&S society back in England. (In fact, as an American, I hadn’t heard the word “society” used in a club-like context outside of a few major organizations; I think it’s just a less common, but not rare, usage here). Because of this, Leo Lion is as British as an 8-year-old American child can imagine, which means speaking in a fancy accent, being very polite (but also more than a little sarcastic), and of course, staunchly defending the British spellings of words.

Softboy loves Leo Lion, but he’s also a stubborn American with his own views of how words are spelled. The other toys don’t particularly care, outside of some light teasing for Leo, but will certainly support Softboy in any of these arguments.

(Don’t even get them started on aluminum…)

Posted on July 11, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

It’s time for another multi-part comic! It looks like business between Dirk and the Chrisville Theater Society isn’t quite finished yet. You can find Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

PLEASE NOTE: Softboy Pillowman and the toys of Chrisville want to remind their loyal readers that you shouldn’t be ashamed of the way you’re shaped, no matter what your body is like. As you’ll see in the next parts of the comic, this is more of a playtime-related issue than any actual issue with Dirk’s form. 

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page!

Posted on July 4, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

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Kids can get some fascinating new interests during the quarantine…

Here is our first look at Chris’s mom and dad! Just like Chris, we’re going to call them “mom” and “dad” for now. 

Fun fact: The Chrisville Theater Society’s costumes are inspired by my favorite production of Don Giovanni, which was performed at the Royal Opera House in 2008. Softboy Pillowman is playing Leporello while Dirk has landed himself the lead role as Don Giovanni. Leo Lion is dressed as the Commendatore, although he was considered for the role of Don Ottavio, and would probably play that role in other Chrisville Theater productions. 

Also, Chris’s dad is supposed to have a decent amount of scruff and chest hair, but I quickly learned that I am not a good enough artist to portray that. Until then, Chris’s dad has taken up shaving during the quarantine.

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page.

Going back to Leo Lion’s role in this production of Don Giovanni: he is definitely more suited to play Don Ottavio than the Commendatore, and is probably only going to play the latter role just this once. When asked why he fought so hard to play the Commendatore, Leo Lion responded that he just really wanted to drag Dirk to Hell.

Posted on July 4, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

Kids can get some fascinating new interests during the quarantine…

Here is our first look at Chris’s mom and dad! Just like Chris, we’re going to call them “mom” and “dad” for now. 

Fun fact: The Chrisville Theater Society’s costumes are inspired by my favorite production of Don Giovanni, which was performed at the Royal Opera House in 2008. Softboy Pillowman is playing Leporello while Dirk has landed himself the lead role as Don Giovanni. Leo Lion is dressed as the Commendatore, although he was considered for the role of Don Ottavio, and would probably play that role in other Chrisville Theater productions. 

Also, Chris’s dad is supposed to have a decent amount of scruff and chest hair, but I quickly learned that I am not a good enough artist to portray that. Until then, Chris’s dad has taken up shaving during the quarantine.

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page.