Every time I see this picture, I just bust out with giggles. xD

http://www.icanhascheezburger.com

Yesterday it was 40 F. Today it is -35 F. Yet they still hold classes. 

My computer is fixed now, but it needs a sound driver and more fonts. I want that glorious Old English-style font that I use to watermark my art back! ;_;

I started playing FF7: Dirge of Cerberus, which I bought like eight months ago >.>;;; today. I really, really suck at FPS. Vincent looks so cool in the cut scenes, and then I do his character no justice at all while I run around trying to target things and not get my ass shot off -_-'

Speaking of Final Fantasy, I finally got the Advent Children soundtrack, and the Kingdom Hearts 2 soundtrack. ^_^ I now have 3/4 of a gig of Final Fantasy music on my MP3 player. *bweee*

I ended up being lazy and not doing too much of anything over break, but I guess that I am pleased with what I did accomplish. At least now I feel that I have recovered from my first semester of school and that trip to Utah. Somehow I managed to get on the Dean's list. I was so sure I would wind up with at least one B, so that was a pleasant surprise. School starts again on Thursday, and I have an 8 AM class MWF. Joy.

Anyway... Webcomic progress report.
I really, really, really want to start penciling. I told myself I would finish the storyboard for chapter one first, though. It's almost done, I'll likely finish it tonight. And I'm glad I'm redoing them too, I originally had 15 pages of prelude, now pg 15 is the final scene of chap. 1. I was putting more panels on each page, but not speeding the pacing up any. After all, this story is (in theory) supposed to be the length of a one-shot. 
Foo. I worry that my art/comic ability has gone backward because I (almost) stopped drawing during school. And it's been something like 18 months since I was last doing comics on a regular basis. This webcomic ought to get me drawing on a regular schedule again. It worked in high school, so it should work in college too.

Anyway. Back to storyboards.

I'm still out of town, but you guys have GOT to see this. It's freaking amazing!
http://www.holdman.com/christmas/video.asp

PS, be sure to show other people too. Happy Holidays!

Went down to Omaha to see Spamalot. Hilariously offensive as all Monty Python skits, especially those French taunters. The whole theater was roaring with laughter just anticipating the scenes. Funfunfun.


My comic script seems to be writing itself full of angst and shoujo drama. Normally that crap makes me gag, but the character's not angsting because of the love interest; instead it's because they cannot protect another character that saved them earlier on.

Which feels very odd, since I've always considered my comics/stories more shounen oriented. Hur.

...Actually, it's more like panic than angst. Panic and frustration and fear!

For all the shit that character has been through in life, they hold it together quite well.


The English language could use a non-gendered singular pronoun. "They" and "them" don't work as well as I would like. -_-

Haha, turns out there is an anime convention an hour south of me this weekend. But I've got other obligations, go figure. ): Maybe next year.
I wonder if I would turn a profit if I were to get a table in the Artist's Alley. Probably not, since I don't draw fanart, and I've mixed emotions on drawing whatever is popular just to sell prints.

Had my first two exams today. I think I did all right, but I'll find out next week. Now I at least have a better idea of how my study habits need to be adjusted. I'll need to get my act together if I want to do a webcomic too.

Monday is a holiday, so I'd best stay off the internets and actually do some concept art/designs for my webcomic. I still want to launch it over winter break.

I donated blood this week too; funny how I don't mind the needle but can't stand having my finger pricked. Trying to explain how much 495mL was to my sister failed too. Quarter of a 2-liter soda bottle. There was one guy there who was worried that I was going to pass out the second I stood up. Haha, I have a sturdier constitution than that.

Man, it's taken two weekends to finish updating music on my mp3. 'Bout time I got some Beatles on it. -.- Now if only the damn thing could hold a charge for more than an hour. :P

Hmmm... So look for the possibility of an actual refined piece of art this weekend. Later! >.>

Edit: Y'know, I need to buy Rhapsody in Blue sometime. Amazing piece of music. C:

Edit2: O gawd, my bunny is still outside.

Phew... went to Utah with my dad for my grandmother's 80th birthday. It was hot over there, and rather smoggy from all of the wildfires, especially that one down by Milford. We came through Yellowstone and the Bighorn Mountains on the way back, it was gorgeous.


I want to get moving on a comic before my university classes start in September. I had one in mind, but it took place in a large city... So I've got another one that is more fantasy-like; taking place mostly in the forest, a small town, and a fortress. I think it should be about 200 pages long, and there are 7 major characters. It's a (very) heavily altered version of a horribly drawn comic I entered it Tokyopop RSoM3. Back when my ego was waaaayy overinflated.

Anyway, it's a girl-is-transported-to-another-world type story. But, instead of making it a satire, I'm trying more to subvert things. Especially the things that bug me about those types of stories- no language barrier, prophecies, cutesy animal companions, bishi heroes, angst, the villain with good, if twisted intentions...
You know, mix it up, but keep it fantasy-drama. Serious drama, not omg-which-bishi-to-I-go-with? drama. *gags*

The character designs need a whole lot of work, but the personalities are pretty solidly developed. The world setting is good, the backstory needs a little more work, and the outline is about half done. I'm not entirely sure how it's going to end, but I've just gotten an idea today that is rather appealing. No scripts yet, but I've got several bits of dialogue that really need to be recorded.

The work is all cut out for me, I just need to do it.

It's been pretty chilly out here lately. Well, chilly for the end of June. It warmed up some today, but it's only been about 65F for the past few days. It got down into the 40's overnight. Brrrr. I suppose it's better than 90F weather. At least we haven't had to use the AC much. So far, anyway.

Last week, after my dad and I got back one of our seven mile bike rides, we discovered that the power had gone out. So I decided that I'd take a quick shower, since I was all hot and sweaty and gross. Right when I get the shampoo all lathered up, the water pressure dies. Go figure; the water is heated with propane, but the pump still needs electricity. Anyway, I was running around the house in towel trying to find a faucet that still had some pressure so that I could at least get the shampoo out of my eyes. I ended up having to stick my head in the kitchen sink. It was very unpleasant. At around 11 that night the electricity came back on. Apparently there was a problem with a substation. The moral of this story is, don't shower when there's no electricity.

Dad and I pulled out the paddle boat and took the dogs for a ride. Our cocker spaniel puppy is still afraid of going in the water, but once she's in the boat she does all right. She likes to look at the water. Our other dog, Copper, loves the water and the boat. And swimming before getting in, so he soaks the seat.  Us human passengers have to sit and paddle with wet bums. =(

Unfortunately, some of our trees have gotten Dutch Elm Disease. One has already died, and another is starting to drop its leaves. Most of our large trees are Elms, so we are hoping that after we get the infected ones out it will stop spreading around and we won't loose all of them. Damn fungus-carrying beetles.

So, on GaiaOnline, I'm doing pretty good. Money-wise, right? I've been stalking the marketplace, buying and selling the monthly collectibles. I've accumulated a pretty nice chunk of gold. But, I guess wearing 5 collectibles and carrying another 4 in your shop makes *some* people think you're loaded. Pssssshhhh.
So I give you, silly pm's i got on gaia.

I got bored and brushed some pretty basic color into my day 5 sketch. Photoshop, maybe 45 minutes.

Ven's prosthesis. The wrist and hand do not allow for much fine motor skill and movement. =(
He's a bit scrawny, and some of the muscle forms in his other arm may be off.

But the color of his hair is spot on. :)



before

Dar 30 Days

day 3 - fred's crooked nose

Kingdom Hearts Art Contest =3

I was bored, and decided to count all the manga pages I've drawn.

The total came out to 335, but it's closer to 300 without counting covers, fillers, and gag strips.

I had thought that the number was around 250ish, so, wow. :d

What I wrote and drew back then wasn't so serious, and had a lot of comic relief. I lost count several times, because I'd just bust out giggling at someting. Some of it is still pretty dang good, one page in particular that I might just have to polish and post.

So, for all those pages, how many stories have I completed?

Zip. Zilch. Nada. But I hope to change that by Valentines.



Dude, I don't see the moire pattern on my last entry! *checks rez on this computer* 1024x768, got it. My compy is set higher. 12somesuch by somesuch thereabouts.

Nyah~~ :P

3 pages complete on the short story.

Concept arrrrrt.
Methinks...
DO render the clothes and the hair,
DO NOT render the skin.
Maybe.
It will be finalized once the designs are. I still need to come up with a method of balancing ink and tone that I like. Of course, the mood plays a big part, but for pages in general.

Photoshop, tone pattern self-made.

PS, the short story is coming along, and should be done around Valentines. 11x14 takes much longer to ink. =3

Ah, fantastic haul at the library. 

Angelic Layer 5 - utterly predictable, but cute.
PhD: Fantasy Degree 1 & 2 - well... I think I'm the wrong target audience for this series =/
Fruits Basket 14 - I loved it. Fly away, papers! :D
Fullmetal Alchemist 7, 8, 9 - Wow. The manga is just so much more intense than the anime and movie. So beautifully dark.

Also got a book on the first World War. Gotta start moving on my research with the two main stories I'm developing. It was hard to find, too; they had entire shelves of WWII, the War Between the States, and Vietnam, but only a tiny section for WWI. =(

I should finish that 9 page short story I've been working on this month. >.>

And figure a name for the character that wandered into my head a few days ago.

Odd how trying to write one new character's relationship with one of my oldest characters has lead to great leaps in that one's background, and a whole batch of history pretaining to the city they live in, which has opened up a lovely means to kick off a plot arc that has little to do with those individulals.

Too bad I kind of suck at getting coherant thoughts on paper. =P

Yay, I got Kingdom Hearts 2!

Except, I didn't play Chain of Memories, so I'm kind of confused. o.o

But I've already helped Mulan save China from that evil Hun, his stupid bird, and all the hordes of Heartless. Woo-ha!

Also got many new comics, the Mangaka America art/tutorial book, couple of shirts, some candles... Mmmm, chocolate. Not the candles. ;)

And... still working on the painting. Can't decide on a hair color for the girl...

Happy Holidays. :D

Erm. Gimp inking thing didn't go over so well.

I cannot for the life of me, understand the node thing. I put down a line, and click to pull it up to my curve, but another line pops up and warps the first when you rotate it.

So I ended up printing out my digital sketch (after red, blue, and purple-lining it). That was probably the better option because I corrected some more problems after looking at it upside-down, backwards, and sideways. Traced it onto a new sheet of paper using my tv, and inked the bugger.

So it's waiting for color, maybe I can get up early enough to snag this compy before someone else decides to play games.

Yes, this is all about a silly piece of lineart. But it's a really pretty piece of silly lineart.

=3

1235 songs, and still 16 gigs of free space.

I love my mp3 player.


*edit, 1419 songs and 15.1 gigs. x3

I'm on Gaia now, same name as always- DarKlawStudios :)

Hahaha, this article has managed to break my art block.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=bmb&article=2352

Better get to work, to make it to that top 10% :P


And remember to vote in my poll, to help me figure out what kind of story to make next.
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