Hi guys! I'll be at C2E2 this Friday-Sunday at Artist Alley table C15

Will have prints, buttons, keychains, comics, charms, bookmarks and all other goodies.(HOW AM I GONNA CARRY ALL THIS T____T;;;   Stop by if you're going! 

I'm also sorry for the lack of illustrations and tutorials lately!!!  Finishing kickstarter, the convention, and keeping up to date with my manga has been pretty killer ;___;  I should be all done with them soon and back on track!  

UPCOMING CONVENTIONS:
C2E2 (Chicago Comic Con)
AnimeNEXT

Hi everyone I hope you're all doing well!

I had a lot of questions about kickstarter and where I printed my book, so I wrote up this little blog entry over on MangaMagazine.  I tried to be as indepth as possible (thus the separate link so the journal doesn't scroll down for 4 pages long XD), so if you're interested in reading, take a look! 



UPCOMING CONVENTIONS:
C2E2 (Chicago Comic Con)
AnimeNEXT

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates recently! I've been working so hard on getting out stuff for Kickstarter (finally done cutting 293480918 pieces of paper), and working on lots of new stuff to sell at Conventions.  Speaking of which! I'm going to be going to C2E2 (Chicago: TABLE C15) and AnimeNEXT (New Jersey), so if anyone's heading over there, it'd be great to see ya!

And...Omg! I can't believe it, but I managed to hit Premium tier on Manga Magazine.net ;~~;! Which means they're basically going to support my webcomic by helping promote and pay based on the number of hits I get to my comic! ;___;  Thank you guys so much for your support during Convergence and having to click on over to MM everytime a new page came out ;___;  :HUGS EVERYONE:  

I'll still be updating Ibuki on DeviantArt, but Manga magazine will be getting daily updates so if you want to read it faster, just hop over there

UPCOMING CONVENTIONS:
C2E2 (Chicago Comic Con)
AnimeNEXT

Hi guys I'm pleased to announce the fanart results!

First place:


Second place:
EasyComics from MM - [link]

Third Place
Tony from MM - [link]

And ... and... I really loved all the entries So much that I had to contact a bunch of my friends to help me with voting!  So I'm going to reward everyone who entered with 100 DA points If I accidentally skip over you please let me know!  

 
[link]
[link]

Also, the last page of Convergence is going up Thursday ahh. 2.5~ish years of hard work. I couldn't have done it without you guys!!

Ibuki's still on track for being released on March 31st I'm so excited and I can't wait to release the pages!!

Also if you guys are reading Marvel comics and using the AR app, I show up in Thunderbolts #5 and Cable and the X-Force #5.  I mean...literally me.  @_@;  I tried to be as silly as possible T_T

UPCOMING CONVENTIONS:
C2E2 (Chicago Comic Con)
AnimeNEXT

STUFF IN PROGRESS:
Ibuki webcomic

Hey guys!!  Thank you all again for your support, as always!  A lot of you guys have been asking me questions about the Fanart contest and Kickstarter that I would want to answer here. XD   Plus I need your opinion!

1) Where should I submit the fanart? (Fanart Info reposted below the questions)  You can note me, leave a message anywhere for me to see! I'll generally reply back to say that I got it.   If you can upload it to DA though, please do! I would really like to show all the entries online too!   The book is definitely being printed at this rate, so I'm gonna be featuring the top 3 entries!

2) Is there a paypal option for the Convergence Kickstarter?  Kickstarter apparently doesn't take PayPal... ;~~; But omg thank you guys so much for wanting to buy the book too!!  I ended up figuring out a way around this though... I set up a PayPal version!  Just click here to check it out  The options are the same as the kickstarter ones, and you might want to visit the page for more clarity. I only included the more popular options but if you see one that you want added just let me know!  

In other news... I gave myself the deadline for ERA-IBUKI pages to be released on March 31st!  One "page" will be posted EVERYDAY on MangaMagazine!  :I'm going to do notifications through DeviantArt maybe once every two weeks so it'll be easier to read  

ENTRIES DUE: Feb 28, 2013  You can post it anywhere! Send me a note or just type in the comments here!
PRIZES: (Point prizes can be exchanged for regular money instead too!)
  First Place : Your piece will be featured in the printed version of the book!  + 3500 DA Points! + Free Chibi from me!
  Second Place :  Your piece will be featured in the printed version of the book + 2000 DA points!
  Third Place : Your piece will be featured in the printed version of the book + 1000 DA points!
Fanart Contest Rules -
  1 - Characters must be from the webcomic!
  2 - Please keep it all-ages friendly!  Blood is ok, but no gore!

And I just want to give everyone that stops by, favorites, watches, everything a big hug ;~;

STUFF IN PROGRESS:
Optimus Prime Generation One
Ibuki webcomic

EDIT: Kickstarter funded!!!! ;~~~; THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Can't, stop crying happy tears ;~~~; [link]

Hi everyone!! So I started my first kickstarter ever for the printed version of my webcomic, Convergence!  I'm very very sorry if you'll keep hearing about the kickstarter from me for the next few updates, but it really is one of my dreams!  I'll definitely make it up to you guys with lots of art this year!  

I don't know if it'll make it to the goal, but I would like to thank everyone who's backed it, reblogged it, and just thought about contributing to it already!!!

But I'm also going to start a fanart contest!  If you win in the top 3 spots, you can have the piece printed in the printed version of the book! Even if the kickstarter doesn't go through, i'll be featuring the winners anyway!

ENTRIES DUE: Feb 28, 2013  
You can post it anywhere! Send me a note or just type in the comments here!
PRIZES: (Point prizes can be exchanged for regular money instead too!)
  First Place : Your piece will be featured in the printed version of the book!  + 3500 DA Points! + Free Chibi from me!
  Second Place :  Your piece will be featured in the printed version of the book + 2000 DA points!
  Third Place : Your piece will be featured in the printed version of the book + 1000 DA points!
Fanart Contest Rules -
  1 - Characters must be from the webcomic!
  2 - Please keep it all-ages friendly!  Blood is ok, but no gore!

And I just want to give everyone that stops by, favorites, watches, everything a big hug ;~;

STUFF IN PROGRESS:
Flash Tutorial (Non Video) - Finishing Touches
Optimus Prime Generation One
Ibuki webcomic

EDIT: Everyone has shared amazing tips.  Please read through comments for more!  Stay strong everyone!  

There's no secret that being an artist is one of the most unhealthiest things in the world  Sometimes we just get so lost in doing what we love to do...

Force yourself to take hour breaks.   Get up and stretch, all that good stuff.   Besides, the short little break might help you not think about your current project for a moment, and make you look at it again from a different light and spot some mistakes to fix  

Invest in making your workspace as comfortable as can be.  Get fluffy pillows for your chair, get a comfy cushion, make your desk as comfortable as you can.  They're worth the money, trust me.  @_@

Get one of those squishy toys for your desk.  Every now and then when you're not holding your pen/pencil, just squish it a few times to keep your hands from cramping up.

Don't forget to breathe @__@ ... I know this sounds weird, but a friend of mine actually mentioned this to me and I was really surprised.  He told me ... that he read somewhere... haha, that most people who focus on things for too long just forget to take a deep breath of air every now and then, as opposed to people who are out and about.  

Do you guys have any tips too?  Please share with the rest of us!  

STUFF IN PROGRESS:
Flash Tutorial (Non Video) - Finishing Touches
Sakura(Convergence) Poster
One Piece Poster
Optimus Prime Generation One
Ibuki webcomic

Ahh! With much pain and craziness, I finally finished my video coloring tutorial!   It's only on Youtube at the moment, but I'm hoping I can post it as a deviation soon too  

Warning! If you don't like cute things, this isn't the video for you!



STUFF IN PROGRESS:
Flash Tutorial (Non Video)
Sakura(Convergence) Poster
One Piece Poster
Optimus Prime Generation One


COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN (SORT OF)
I'm only doing Chibis/Meowvel and Chi's Sweet Home style kitties: $5 per character, +$3 for each additional, full color digital file.

EDIT: eee. interviewed me [link]
EDIT2: Contest over!
EDIT3: Coming next week... a cute VIDEO COLORING TUTORIAL!?

Hi everyone I've been working on my manga for quite a long time now (2 years if you didn't count my 1 year hiatus!), and I'd really like to thank all the readers!   I wish I had the time to give everyone a drawing.    I'll be picking TEN random readers for a free chibi drawing (it can be anything! Licensed characters or original!)  My chibis basically look like my Meowvel vs Catcom kitties but ... well, human, of course. XD  (If you would like, I can also draw a cat version of your character though )

And if you do want to read my manga, or need a refresher, check it out here.  

Please send the answers to me in a note!
-  Pass the quiz!
      1.  What distracted Suzuran during her battle with Velias in the ruined city?
      2.  What's the name of the evil scientist responsible for the horrors of two of the major characters?
      3.  Who shows up in the rainy alleyway and helps Velias?
      4.  What did Velias think was easier to do than to bring Suzuran into a giant hallway?
      5.  Who's your favorite character ?
-  After you pass the quiz successfully, I'll assign you a number.  After JAN 1st, I'll use a random number generator and post the results in a journal to show who won!

Good luck I hope everyone has a great new year!

For Convergence Readers... Some of you might know that I only intended on making the series three chapters long.  A lot of things have happened over the last 3 years since i started working on it, and I decided that... yeah, I will stop it at the end of the third chapter--

BUT!  All my manga stories tie together!  Sakura, Suzuran and Velias will be appearing in my main series "ERA: PROELIUM"  which takes place after Convergence.   Sakura will be the main character alongside someone else.  But before I get to that series, I'm redoing my "ERA: IBUKI" series in full color which is also set in ERA but in a different part of the world.



CURRENTLY WORKING ON:
One Piece Pin Up
An Optimus Prime Generation One pin-up
Convergence

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN (SORT OF)
I'm only doing Chibis/Meowvel and Chi's Sweet Home style kitties: $5 per character, +$3 for each additional, full color digital file.

So if you could wish for any one thing in the world, what would it be!?

I hope everyone has a good end of the world tomorrow, and great holidays assuming the end of the world doesn't happen!

Mega Man's 25th birthday just passed December 17th  I'm... kind of disappointed that there wasn't more from Capcom, but Street Fighter x Mega Man was just a good surprise anyway. XD



CURRENTLY WORKING ON:
One Piece Pin Up
An Optimus Prime Generation One pin-up
Convergence

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN (SORT OF)
I'm only doing Chibis/Meowvel and Chi's Sweet Home style kitties: $5 per character, +$3 for each additional, full color digital file.

wowsers! They finally did it you can start submitting your own manga to CrunchyRoll now !  I've been so nervous @___@  

thanks so much to to have told me about it

i can't believe they picked Convergence pages to show as the preview though @____@;;; ahh, my pages look so bad compared to everyone else's T___T;;;;  [link]

i'll only be updating chapter by chapter there, so DA/MangaMagazine/Smackjeeves is still the main page by page sites

but omggg  thank you guys for all the great feedback on the MegaMan tribute piece that I died over trying to finish.  it even ended up getting a featured #gaming tag on Tumblr which surprised meee @__@ (i never get that many notes when I post my own stuff! XD)  yeah I know it's not even that many notes but I'm still so grateful!! everyone!  



CURRENTLY WORKING ON:
An Optimus Prime Generation One pin-up
Convergence
One Piece Pin Up

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN (SORT OF)
I'm only doing Chibis/Meowvel and Chi's Sweet Home style kitties: $5 per character, +$3 for each additional, full color digital file.

What is everyone thankful for?

I've been in Grand Jury duty for the last month, and with that coupled with Hurricane Sandy, I'm thankful for so many things I have taken granted that I can't even list them all. T_T  And thank you so much to you guys too!    Hopefully I can think of a fun contest idea to give away free subscriptions around X-Mas time or something.  I hope everyone's having a happy holiday

Oh one update break for Convergence since it's Thanksgiving;;;!!  I'll post a new page monday!

BTW Mega Man's Birthday is December 17th  Celebrate with the rest of the Mega Man/Rockman community!!!  I might have my artwork up earlier than that though cause I've literally been working on it for 2 weeks @_@



CURRENTLY WORKING ON:
Some artwork about this blue robot who's 25th anniversary is coming up.
An Optimus Prime Generation One pin-up
Convergence
One Piece Pin Up

CURRENTLY WORKING ON:
An Optimus Prime Generation One pin-up
Convergence
Some artwork about this blue robot who's 25th anniversary is coming up.



NYCC was such a blast.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by our table!!!!   I couldn't believe how crazy everything was!  And what surprised me was two of my sample posters were even purchased!  ;___; I'm so grateful to have met so many amazing and supportive people, overall nice people, and fellow excited kitty, Megaman, FFXI and Zone of the Enders fans.  

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you.

And as usual, big thank you to everyone on DA for your continuous support!

Newgrounds contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me to do a wall piece for the audio section of Newgrounds!!  I just couldn't believe it That's my drawing of Newgrounds's A-Bot... on the wall/background!!! Thank you so much, Tom!!

For those of you who wanted to still buy some prints from NYCC, I just joined etsy!    And I will have more prints up for sale... but if a specific print you want isn't up on the site yet, just send me a note or e-mail me!  I will ship anywhere in the US only

ahhhhh.

NYCC is a week away! Stop by U8 in artist alley to see me and   We'll be selling all sorts of stuff (Keychains and Prints).  



And thank you everyone for your feedback on Convergence so far   I really appreciate it!!  And as usual, thanks everyone too for your favorites, comments, watches and continuous support!  

Also, here's some Ted Talks   Some pertain to art, some are just great for life.

Larry Smith:  Why you will fail to have a great career
Sherry Turkle:   Connected, but alone?
JR: Use art to turn the world inside out

PRINTS AND KEYCHAINS FOR SALE: [link]
Artist Alley: New York Comic Con (Oct 11-14) TABLE: U8
Tumblr:  [link]
PIXIV: [link]
PSN: Wavechan
3DS: Just Ask!  I send random Swapnotes.

Hi guys   If anyone's interested, I'm going to open up prints (AND KEYCHAINS!) for sale/shipping since a buncha people from Baltimore Comic Con asked me, you can check it out at this journal entry! Just send me a note with what you're interested in, address and stuff, questions, etc.  [link]

I also ended up getting interviewed for a Manga Magazine Podcast.  It was pretty fun Check it out! [link] (Just warning, I have a scary voice)

EDIT: also i'm sorry about the Flash Tutorial >_< I think I'm going to have to push it to be after NYCC is over... or at least until I finish the last few pictures that I'm going to make for the con @_@

Thanks everyone for your views, comments, watches, support, etc. I love you guys, and I wish I had the ability to reply to everything!

WIPS to do before comic con : ANUBIS VS JEHUTY - COLORING!  [link]

PRINTS AND KEYCHAINS FOR SALE: [link]
Artist Alley: New York Comic Con (Oct 11-14) TABLE: U8
Tumblr:  [link]
PIXIV: [link]
PSN: Wavechan
3DS: Just Ask!  I send random Swapnotes.

Recently I've been scouring TED talks... it's a bunch of videos from all these awesome people that are so inspiring and heartwarming.  I did a poll a while back where 85% of you guys pretty much said that motivation was one of the most important factors to being an artist, and I think these videos can help everyone revive their drive, or push it even further.

The fringe benefits of failure - From J.K. Rowling (Author of Harry Potter)

The Mystery Box - From J.J. Abrams, the creator of Lost and Director of Star Trek

Your Elusive Creative Genius - From the author of Eat Prey Love

A curious boy - From James Cameron (Director of Terminator, Avatar, Titanic)

The clues to a great story - From Andrew Stanton (Toy Story, WALL-E)

The three As of Awesome - A very entertaining story from a successful blogger.  

Living beyond limits - Just a really heartwarming story from Amy Purdy



Thanks everyone for your views, comments, watches, support, etc. I love you guys, and I wish I had the ability to reply to everything!

WIPS to do before comic con : Flash Tutorial - 15 pages done, Feline Fantasy Hissidia - sketched,  Anubis vs Jehuty

Artist Alley: Baltimore Comic Con TABLE A147 (Sept 8-9), New York Comic Con (Oct 11-14)
Tumblr:  [link]
PIXIV: [link]
PSN: Wavechan
3DS: Just Ask!  I send random Swapnotes.

Quick note to Convergence readers:  Will be taking a break for a week! (August 13 and 16th), going on vacation with relatives!



"When did Videogames become so violent and scary? "  -Wreck-It-Ralph

What do you feel makes a Video Game "Mature"?  And is it possible to create a Mature action game that sells without having to step into the UltraViolence/sexuality territory?

and..

If you don't live in the U.S., what do people in your country considered "M" ratings?

Okay, okay, I kind of know what you're all thinking with this topic, and I just want to state:  I don't mind violence in Videogames.  I love fighting games, I play FPSes-- heck, I don't mind it in other genres either, like the over the top movie Kickass, or the anime Gantz... To add to that, I don't think that VideoGames contribute to real life violence, after all, people should stop blaming the videogames and start asking where the hell kids are getting access to guns.

It's when the violence takes a step further that makes me cringe.  

My friend brought this article to my attention by Warren Spector and his experiences at E3, the videogame convention:

"This is the year where there were two things that stood out for me. One was: The ultraviolence has to stop. We have to stop loving it. I just don't believe in the effects argument at all, but I do believe that we are fetishizing violence, and now in some cases actually combining it with an adolescent approach to sexuality. I just think it's in bad taste. Ultimately I think it will cause us trouble.

I left Eidos in 2004 because I looked around at E3 and saw the new Hitman game where you get to kill with a meat hook, and 25 to Life, the game about kids killing cops, and Crash & Burn the racing game where the idea is to create the fieriest, most amazing explosions, not to win the race… I looked around my own booth and realized I just had one of those 'which thing is not like the other' moments. I thought it was bad then, and now I think it's just beyond bad.

We've gone too far. The slow-motion blood spurts, the impalement by deadly assassins, the knives, shoulders, elbows to the throat. You know, Deus Ex had its moments of violence, but they were designed – whether they succeeded or not I can't say – but they were designed to make you uncomfortable, and I don't see that happening now. I think we're just appealing to an adolescent mindset and calling it mature. It's time to stop. I'm just glad I work for a company like Disney, where not only is that not something that's encouraged, you can't even do it, and I'm fine with it."

I wasn't at E3, but I also remember an article similarly on Kotaku... [link]

"I asked my father, a definite non-gamer who lives in the Providence TV market, what games he remembered seeing TV commercials for this year."

I think anyone would know without having to refer to the article.

I agree with Mr. Spector's words.  I feel like the whole industry is becoming far too over saturated with over glorified killing.  There's so much of it that I'm practically immune to it now.  Do we really need it?  Do we really need to have theatrical shots with ultraviolent methods of killing people to sell a game?  Do we really need to talk about how Lara Croft almost gets raped in the new Tomb Raider game to make her backstory more "mature and gritty?"  

My friend said, "Well, yeah, of course I want to do things in a videogame that I can't do in real life and pretend to live some glorified fantasy."  

I nod in agreement.  It is cool.  

Then I step back and think, "Wait.  Glorified fantasy of wanting to kill people as brutally and horrifically as possible?"  Erf.  

But what do you guys think?



Thanks everyone for your views, comments, watches, support, etc. I love you guys, and I wish I had the ability to reply to everything!

WIPS to do before comic con : Flash Tutorial - Planning, Feline Fantasy Hissidia,  Anubis vs Jehuty

Artist Alley: Baltimore Comic Con (Sept 8-9), New York Comic Con (Oct 11-14)
Tumblr:  [link]
PIXIV: [link]
PSN: Wavechan
3DS: Just Ask!  I send random Swapnotes.

Hi guys!  I hope everyone is well!  For some strange reason I've been getting an overwhelming number of people asking me about breaking into a job with art all of a sudden @_@  

I'll always answer any further questions.  (just note me or leave a comment)

But I just wanna refer you guys to some previous writings from other artists I have already posted earlier, and is still really good information if you've missed it.

Even if some of these are comics, I feel like most of the things stated are universal for most art-related jobs.  Don't be put off just because you might not be interested in doing comics.

Seangordonmurphy's expertise
Paper Wings Podcast

And then I wanna talk about the basic stuff:
-  It's hard.   It really is.   But don't give up.  Because art is so subjective, don't forget that people who interview you are also subjective.  So someone in one company might give you a completely different response than another company.
-  Have a tight portfolio.  And it's debatable, but I feel like aiming for a specific skill set rather than having a bunch of different ones is better.  It tells people that you know what you want.  And if you're confident in that, then you look much better.
-  Don't be shy.  You can't be shy.  Being part of the art industry unfortunately means a lot of networking if you want a job.  We've turned down many intern interviews at Marvel just because they were too shy.  It just shows people that you're not ready to work in a group.
-  Get an internship if you still can!  Paid or unpaid, it's a great idea.   Learning stuff from an interview, you'll learn like 229384098 times more things than you learn at school if you're diligent about it and ask a lot of questions about how your fellow coworkers do their job.
- Don't be afraid to start with a smaller job  Some of the dream companies won't even bat you an eye if you aren't already established elsewhere.  



Thanks everyone for your views, comments, watches, support, etc. I love you guys, and I wish I had the ability to reply to everything!

WIPS to do before comic con : Flash Tutorial - Planning, Feline Fantasy Hissidia,  Anubis vs Jehuty

Artist Alley: Baltimore Comic Con (Sept 8-9), New York Comic Con (Oct 11-14)
Tumblr:  [link]
PIXIV: [link]
PSN: Wavechan
3DS: Just Ask!  I send random Swapnotes.

Hey everyone?   First, how are you all?  

As usual, thank you so much everyone for the support you all give. ;___;

So somehow I managed to get into New York Comic Con artist alley... um.  Yeah.  (currently nervous and shaking in my boots and freaking out that i'm gonna be next to industry pros... cryT___T;;;; ) I'll be there with as usual   I'm also going to Baltimore Comic Con this year, and I'll be sharing with

I just recently put up a short "lettering tips" for comics tutorial on Manga Magazine.  I'm probably gonna throw on a few more super short tutorials like those up on MM too.  If you have the time, let me know if you really find them useful, and maybe I'll convert them into shorts like my Photoshop Shorts.   But also, my next "big" tutorial is probably gonna be focused on Flash basics when I get around to it.  

Currently working super hard to finish Convergence Chapter 2 in time for comic con >___<;;; It's really draining but a lot of fun.  During downtime I started going on the manga magazine chat room ([link] and a lot of people are really really talented on there and are able to give really good critiques for manga and illustrations (all preferably posted on MangaMagazine!).  Stop by if you ever need some   



Thanks everyone for your views, comments, watches, support, etc. I love you guys, and I wish I had the ability to reply to everything!

Artist Alley: Baltimore Comic Con (Sept 8-9), New York Comic Con (Oct 11-14)
Tumblr:  [link]
PIXIV: [link]
PSN: Wavechan
3DS: Just Ask!  I send random Swapnotes.

WIPS : Flash Tutorial - Planning

I just recently discovered this website called "Paper Wings".   [link]

I would pretty much recommend the podcasts to everyone that wants to make it far as an artist to check it out.  If you need one great to start out with, I totally recommend this one   

Ten Steps to a Winning Portfolio at Paper Wings

The two people who run the podcast... well, one of them works as a character designer for Disney, and another one runs an amazing successful webcomic.   The tips and advice they gave are absolutely AMAZING.  Working at Marvel, I can tell you that I've heard all their advices spoken over and over and over in the industry.  

annnd on another note, yay! Convergence got into Featured status on Manga Magazine   ERA - CONVERGENCE at MANGAMAGAZINE  thanks for all your support guys!!!!  



Thanks everyone for your views, comments, watches, support, etc. I love you guys, and I wish I had the ability to reply to everything!

Artist Alley: Baltimore Comic Con (Sept 8-9), New York Comic Con (Oct 11-14)
Tumblr:  [link]
PIXIV: [link]
PSN: Wavechan
3DS: Just Ask!  I send random Swapnotes.