New tribal Ka'chkka, process

whoo I am on a roll with these posts! Anyway, I spent all day researching tribal costumes and thinking of how in the world I could design Ka'chkka in a way to make him more ethnic.

This is what he looked like before, a very pretty boy. but this is something I didn't want my characters to look like so I wasn't happy with it completely. However, this IS mainly still how he looks without all his accoutrement:


Okay, so I quickly realized this design would be vastly different. I can't just put a beaded necklace and tunic on someone and call him 'tribal' oh no! So here's the initial sketch (Cyg just happens to be there too) lol:


Here I drew in the legs in the comp and printed it out:


The cleaner pencils after I lightboxed the printout. I almost never do this, but I kinda had to in this case:


The inks! I like inking, but drawing him this way in the comic will be headache-inducing, but I think it's worth it:


Flats! The At'rik still have purple skin, though the more At'rik blood, the darker the skin would be. Ka'ch is one of the only full At'rik left, so this is as dark as it gets:


Aaand some shading to polish it off for online viewing:


Speaking of that, the Deviation is here!

All in all I'm glad I made the effort to do the research in order to make the cultural history of the FT world more diverse. ^__^

Smelly Headshots

lalala...a new post already? hahaaaa yes. I just wanted to show my inking practice that I was doing yesterday:


Hah I didn't mean it, but they look like they just smelled something really bad! XD I colored them for fun, but actually I may just do a headshot like this for each character and use it as their profile page on the site:


Since I didn't want this post to look too barren, here's a preview from Page 4, probably my favorite panel composition-wise:


So as I'm drawing the pages I'm getting so intimidated by just HOW much reference I need to pull this comic off properly. Scary! Also, the characters I thought I didn't have to worry about finalizing their designs appear MUCH sooner than I thought, so I gotta get on that...but designing Ka'chkka's outfit is really challenging, I need to do more research for it. OH MAN I'm lucky that I actually LIKE doing research!!

Though I miss having such easy access to the NYC PictureLibrary...but I'm not gonna be able to get into the city this week to research, so I have to go on the internet for it?!? BLAH that's so counter-productive, it annoys me. I always end up doing time-wasting things like posting on my blog! lol I love going to that library and just being surrounded by so many bountiful images! It's like my crack. O__o;; ANYway, I'm gonna shut up and go get back to work...XD;;

Lots of stuff?

Sooo I just finished the 'thumbnails' but it's more like my method of script writing since towards the end of a session the pages start looking like small boxes with numbered bubbles...but yep, I may be ahead of schedule but that doesn't mean I can slack off! :p

I kinda forgot if I posted these or not?? I don't think I did. I have so many sketches on my computer right now! Anyway, have some sketches and stuff! First off, a really bad oekaki that I don't know why I'm posting lol:


Second, a really bad sketch that isn't really Lyra's correct profile or height at ALL that I don't know why I'm posting again but here it is:


Third, an oekaki from today's warm-ups, it's what I feel very strongly about! it's caption is "In that moment she realized that life is beautiful, but it was too late. Never forget the beauty all around you!" all oekaki I do is done on Skylands:


When did I do this?? I can't even remember but now I'm up to the Blackthorn Gym and everyone except Togetic's fully evolved, but I'm so scared to fight Claire, my team is still not strong enough I think:
Speaking of my Pokémon obsession, OMG GEN 5. OMG. EXCIIIIITED. Helloooo fully animated sprites? HELLZ YEAH. Sad that the 'following pokémon' feture isn't in it though, that was such an enjoyable element of HGSS!!! okay I'm not done geeking out but I'll spare you:


THEY ARE SO RIDICULOUSLY THUGGG HAHA I love it. The Deviation is here if you're into that kinda stuff! lol

Speaking of obsessions, do you remember the sketch of my Okami fanart I've been meaning to do since FOREVER?!? haha I don't expect you to, but lookie I did something with it! This is only still in the very rough stages but I'm so excited because I think this is the only time one of my drawings looked almost exactly like I wanted it to!!! I am excited to make it even more how I pictured this illustration to be:


More and more as the days of Summer are getting harder and harder with all that is going on in my family life I am realizing how much this image represents the struggles we go through. Run headfirst into the gloom and a trail of beauty will follow you, you have to stay positive and be assured that everything will be all right in the end. It is hard to keep this in mind, but I am trying my best, because this world is such a beautiful place to be in, I don't want to waste a second of it!


Oh, and my boyfriend graduated on friday and my brother graduated today! I feel so little. haha Congrats, guys! :D

Crazy stuff + Designs

I've had a crazy few days, I tell you. Yesterday my Omi broke her OTHER femur (right after the other one had finally healed after 8 months), and now we have to go through the long recover process again I feel so bad for her, especially on Mother's Day! That was only one of the events...don't even want to go in to any others, it's as if my family just can never get a break! or.er, not break. no, bad word. O___o;; (esp. since on the same day I also managed to slam my wrist in a door at work...swelled up, but it wasn't my drawing hand so I was thankful...it's better now though, but still bruised...) oh dear! ^_^;;

Anyway, have a doodle of a frustrated Lyra:


Aaand finally a character sheet:


View The Deviation!
Regardless of these crazy events that are happening I am managing to get work done. I don't know what's going on in the next few days, but hopefully I can still keep to my schedule. >__>;;

but yes, Happy Mother's Day! Hopefully yours isn't in a hospital, 'cause now both of mine are! haha...it's kind of funny, actually. ya just gotta laugh at these things when they get this ridiculous. I think my freak-out tolerance is a bit too high nowadays. ^__^;;

Cityscape: The El-Rail.

I...think I'm done? rather, it looks finished enough to not work on it anymore. plus it's 5am and I have to be on the train in 4 hrs...yep. So here it is, clickie to see it:


I'm gonna wait to post this other places 'till I've gotten Donato's critique and tweak it a bit more...oh man, that's so depressing, the last critique. I'm gonna miss his class so much...as ridiculously grueling as it was it was also one of my favorites. He really taught me so much more than how to make an image, but gave me the ambition to make a career. I just can't thank him enough. :')

Xan, Cityscape, Preview

Lots of stuff I guess, but really I just need a break from lining this cityscape...and I don't feel like starting my reports at all, so..post!

A little warm-up doodle: a fanart for my friend Kasey's webcomic, Winters in Lavelle! If you haven't yet, you should read it! Though I think I made Xan way too shoujo...but that's what happens when you drink as much coffee as I do. XD;;


Speaking of webcomics, this is like, the most uncrowded panel in page 2:


Lookin' forward to coloring that. yep.

So here's the sketch for my much-complained-about Cityscape:


I hated the way it was coming out while coloring it without doing lineart, and when I tried to ink it traditionally it wasn't coming out how I wanted it to either. Unfortunately the only way was to digitally ink it, though this takes me forever to do. However it is a bit easier with PSCS4's canvas rotation tool. :)


Some close-ups that will look better when I add...more stuff...@__@;;


hey look Donato, they're not all perfect little teenagers now. HAPPY!?!??!? T___T;; Though I admit it is fun to draw 'squishy' people. lol :p

If I get chided again for not doing this more 'realistically' and all 'painterly' I may go on a shooting rampage. I'm sorry that I don't want to be that kind of artist anymore. really. T_T

Anyway, I should get back to work...here I come! :(

FT:Rebirth - Page 1 finished!

Since I'm fine with just posting the first page, here it is hot off the press! First without text:

I'm still debating between two font types, but realizing a fatal flaw in ShonenPunk makes me lean more towards CartoonistSimple. This fatal flaw being that in the middle of the word, there are crossed I's, which is one of the biggest no-no's in lettering. Just so you can see the difference, here it is in that font:


Can you see how where the crossed I's are it is a bit harder to read? CartoonistSimple does not have this problem, and although it lacks the organic quality of the first, it is much easier to read:


So yes, it will probably be lettered with CartoonistSimple. Thank you for all the feedback I got both here and elsewhere, it helped me so much! I hope you like this first page of FT: Rebirth! :D

On a side note, the last two panels were colored after I got CS4 Design Premium yesterday, and was colored in half the time as a result! I am so excited for the free CS5 upgrade to come, I know it will only make this whole process even easier. ^___^ Plus because of this, now I have a working version of Dreamweaver so hopefully I can get back to updating my websites regularly after school is over in two weeks. :'D

FT:Rebirth - Page 1 previews!

I'm terrible with keeping things to myself which is good news for you, and I just can't wait to show you some previews of FT:Rebirth, sooo...here's the first page's lines:


I meant it when I said backgrounds will be the main focus. ^___^

But yes, here is a preview of the first panel's color as it stands now with no text:


One of the biggest conundrums of every new comic is what font should it be in?? I'm having a hard time deciding, and I figure what better way than to get some opinions. :)

1. ShonenPunkv2:


2. MangaSpeak:
3. IndieKomiksSketch:
4. CartoonistSimple:
5. OnomatoShark!:
I like most of them, but the main thing I'm looking for is clarity and a certain type of organic quality. In all honesty, I don't know if I'm 100% satisfied with any of these, and I'm way too stupid to make my own font well. Most of these don't have options for bold and italic letters. Is there a font out there I should try out?

Thanks guys, I hope you will like it! ^__^

Sketchies, MoCCA

It feels like forever since I've posted, so much has happened!

Last weekend was the MoCCA festival, and it was the first time in a long time where I've actually had a genuinely fun time at a con. It was mostly due to the amazing help of the volunteers at the Cartoon Allies booth, and meeting so many amazing people!!

I got to meet...everyone...and see wonderful friends, old and new! It was wonderful to see my friends Kasey, Greliz, Ashley, Hanni, and so many others. And to meet new ones like the lovely Michelle, mostly known as HamletMachine who draws the beautiful comic Starfighter, who was so kind and even drew a sketch for me out of nowhere! haha, I still can't believe it. :'D She's probably the nicest person EVER. 8D


If the heart emoticon didn't screw up blogspot's code it would be EVERYWHERE. :'D

Also, this Wednesday was the reception of our Junior Thesis show, and it was a blast! The support everyone showed each other made me nearly cry, we did it!! :'D

I wanted to show much more stuff, but this will wait for another post next week...for now, have a bunch of sketches I never scanned! lol ^__^


Just a bunch of architecture, redesigns that probably won't go through, character developments, etc. I can't wait to show you guys the first page of Rebirth! but that's for another post. :D

Exciting, Color Studies HELP!

Happy Easter, everyone! Spend time with your family and love them, and celebrate Zombie Jesus together~! :D

EXCITING I have officially started the first 6 pages of FT:Rebirth! (Disguised as a prequel for my latest and last class assignment lol) :D And the lovely Ellie is once again being a huge help in helping me with all my current web-related woes. This is so exciting, I can't wait!

Previews will come later, but for now I NEED YOUR HELP GUYS CAUSE I SUCK SO BAD.
I bought this amazing book on Color Combinations and it's helping me soooo much, but now I can't decide which one to use! Here's the Amazon linkage where it's much cheaper than where I bought it damn it:
What color scheme do you like the most??? I DUNNO.

This is the suckage I did by myself before buying my new color bible:
1.
And this is where the magic starts to happen:
2.


3.
4.
5.
Normal people I've asked say they like 5 best because the colors seem more normal, but I've fallen for 4, where the colors are more like a poster but I think I just like that gold color a lot, and 1 is growing on me more I look at it. What do you guys think??? I may end up just doing 2 versions...lol XD;;

Ellie told me about these amazing color community sites, Kuler and CLOURlovers but I still have a love for my resource books. I like books. :) They are very good sites though, especially Kuler. 8D
I also caved in to admitting I have to get to know my weak points better, and just bought this book:
It seems like the reviews say it's good but I'll see for myself when it comes. hopefully it will help me out a lot 'cause Typography is probably my greatest weakness, along with everything Graphic Design related. lol XD; but at least I'm trying to improve!! ^__^;;

HAHA NEVERMIND GUYS, I totally just finished it:


DEVIATION IS HERE
Tried to incorporate both that I liked into this one. Hopefully it's a good image. It will be on sale at MoCCA, at the SVA table. Stop by! :D