2013 Art in Review

Decided to follow suite with Jingles and post my own 2013 art summery. It feels like ages since I've done any prop making but I'm hoping to get back to work on my Alencia statue soon. I just picked up this awesome book and I'm ready to take another go at it.

I'm hoping to barrel through this year doing more and learning more~

Reflecting on the Past Twelve Months

And so the new years is upon us. For many a time of celebration and reflection. Now a days it's really just another night for me. I don't party, I work two jobs, so even though I have tomorrow off I'm just sitting in watching MST3K on youtube and drawing. Not that I'm complaining. But if you're off celebrating tonight be sure to stay safe and have fun!

I noticed others filling out those 'year in review' art summaries that tend to float around on Deviant Art so I thought I'd fill one out too and take a look back at the artwork I've done and things I've accomplished this year. Blank template here.

I think this year I really worked on experimenting with different media, both traditional and digital, and I’ve really come to love both even more than before. I also pushed myself in how much work I can get done in a short time with the “31 Days of Horror Art” project I did over October; as well as the Steampunk Comic and Alencia comic.

I re-launched “Or Maybe Not” as a web comic, although I admittedly left it unattended for most of the year due to working. However I hope to give it more attention this new year, as well as digging into my Alencia comics even more! I also started my Synesthesia painting blog which could also use some more attention. Those paintings really help me explore and share my Synesthesia as well as explain it to others.

Art has always been a light in my life, something I can fall back on and find comfort in. A lot of gloomy things have happened this year that have attempted to break my spirit, or my heart, or sometimes both. But time and time again I have to look past those things, brush them off, and march forward. I have too many things that I want to do let the bad stuff keep me down. And even though I have to keep telling myself this, I keep listening. Because I have to hold onto the light that art gives me, and I have to create, and keep improving, because I know if I do then I can propel myself forward into more desirable situations (and jobs).

It's hard to keep positive, even though there are plenty of people in the same boat as me. When looking up at my peers who made the plunge and picked up and moved to go chase their dreams while I stick around here slugging it out in retail it can be hard to see a bright side. However... I have plans. Goals. Things that I want to see come into fruition, things to create and publish and nurture and grow into something special. So, there will be plenty to look out for from me in 2013. I plan on rocking this year.

So with that, here's some Dio. My motivational music muse as of late *fist pump*


I'd also like to thank you all for following me and enjoying my art. Don't be afraid to comment or drop me a line some time. I won't bite :)
Have a great new years guys!

Alencia Preview/Let's Talk about Kale

Here's a little preview from the 17 page Alencia comic I'm working on. After I finish this baby up its' back to work on continuing Kale's story. (I've been feeling really conflicted about it lately but I'll explain a bit more later.) Here's a panel from page 11.

Here's Alencia casting a spell on her sword while fighting the evil undead.
Very fun to draw. Done with non-photo blue pencil and a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen.


The reason I've been feeling conflicted about Kale's story is mainly because of the circumstances surrounding me doing it. When I originally sat down to do her story I gave myself less than a year to do it and publish it in time for a convention. I originally wanted it to be a stand alone book, a self contained story. It ended up being cut up and will be maybe three issues, possibly more, by now. This was also my first time doing a self published book (aside from a mini comic done for my 'Intro. to Sequential' final project a few years prior).

I'm glad I did the first issue of Kale, and I'm really proud of the work I did, but now the art is almost two years old, and my mistakes are becoming even more glaringly obvious to me, to the point where I'm becoming more and more embarrassed about it. If you compare the comic pages to the panel I posted above the improvement is obvious. But I'm glad I did it. I learned SO MUCH from actually getting off of my ass and self publishing the first issue. I wouldn't have gotten that knowledge and experience in a classroom alone.

I'm just faced with some possible choices right now for Kale issue #2. I want to finish the story, its' just the start of it is very rough. It needs polishing but if I restart it then I feel I'd be letting down those people who bought the first issue, and myself. I don't want to get stuck in the endless trap of redoing pages to the point that I don't get to move forward with other projects or finish this one. It's a commitment and I want to see it through to the end.

I've also considered completely dropping it in favor of doing other projects but again, I feel I'd be letting myself and others down, and I can't have that. I want to be a woman of my convictions and finish what I start.

So after I finish this 17 page intro story of Alencia, I'm going back to thumb-nailing and planning out the next issue of Kale. I've also been universe building and have been doing LOTS of writing. This next issue of Kale: Lost & Found is going to blow the first issue out of the water in terms of quality and art direction. To the point where I might offer the first issue with the second as a bonus :P And/or offer a discount on the second issue to those who bought the first one; which I still have a stack of books for.

Either way, this story will be told, and I will make it better with every brush and pen stroke. You have my word.

Coming soon!- 10 page preview of Kale: Lost & Found issue #1, for those who need proof it exists! It may also come with commentary :P Haven't decided if I should further embarrass myself yet... I'm also going to post little insights into the world of Kale and Alencia while I build their universe, so look out for those!

If you read my wall of text, thank you. I'll have more art up soon, and I'll try not to make these text heavy posts a habit :P
Thanks for sticking with me!

Snow of the Wilds

Here is a mini comic I did partly to get it out of my head and as a gift for a close friend. He inspires me a lot and has always been there for me so here's my little tribute for him and his character Rorketh.



I think I will do a title page to go with these. I'm planning on putting this comic in the back of the Kale book but it'll be grey scale so none of the colors will show; which bums me out a little bit so I decided to post this version here in all its glory. I really wanted to play with a super limited color pallet and composition. The first page is my favorite because I love how cinimatic it feels. The wide panels really help with the feeling of isolation, at least that was my intention. I also really had to push myself to keep things simple. I kept over crowding and adding too many unnecessary details that hindered the panels instead of helping tell the story. This was a great learning experience and I'm really glad I did it.

7 Year Retrospective

I did this meme that's been going around on Deviant art. It really does help you see where you've improved and how far you've come. It was cool seeing friends and artists I admire doing it.


2003-2009 Improvement Meme by ~Spork-Bunny on deviantART

It's nice to know that I'm steadily improving as the years go on :)


Kale comic progress:

(all pages need text)
Cover: inked/finish background
Logo: done!
Pages 1-8: 90% done (finish a few backgrounds on 2 pages)
40 pages to go for complete book
My deadline: Completely finish by October 1st, 2010 in order to publish with Ka-Blam and to be in time for Nekocon 13 (November 5th-7th, 2010).