Deadlines & Giveaways


January is almost over, yikes! So it’s time to make some deadlines, as these next couple of months will be very crucial indeed.

Overall descriptive summaries of each chapter are underway – I’m up to Book 3 now, and have made the goal to finish all the summaries on the remaining work by the end of the week. Next will come actual frame-by-frame scripts for each chapter.

The main goal is to have a book ready for September. Will this be the entire Book One of 5 mentioned in an earlier post? Well… we will just have to see how it goes since this is a solo project. It will take a few comic pages to see how much written narration I can cover. I would like each chapter to be about 24-30 pages, but this may change when actually doing the art.

Those following my deviantArt account have been seeing new development artwork. The design of three characters has been finalized. Though in reality they have been rather final for a while, just up in my brain collecting dust. Now they are on paper and are official.

Sometime this week I will be posting my personal deadlines, as well as announcing contests and giveaways to mark each event. I don’t expect you all to be overly excited when I finish goals relating to the development of the manga, so the giveaways will be more of a way to share my excitement as well as thank you guys for your continued support.

As always, thank you for your support – and if you like my project or my work please spread the word! Feel free to blab about my deviantArt page (link) or the official Facebook page (link)! More fans will result in me making bigger giveaways : )

Look forward to my future post about specific deadlines and giveaway dates!

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

5 Books Planned & Baking Video Cards

Preview of work in Scrivener

One good thing to come from my computer issues is that I’ve been more focused on writing, which is a big ordeal I have to get in order before I start doing panel art.

As I’ve stated in other blogs, Scrivener is a great choice for organizing/compiling large written projects. What was once 3 books has been transformed into 5.

At this stage I’m still unsure how many pages of art it will take to visually tell one chapter/episode… Although I am fairly certain that each Book/Arc has about 10-12 episodes. My regret is I can’t show more of what is in these folders, as there is a 2-3 full notecards in each one.

Sometimes it feels like nothing is getting done, and I’m basically just doing the same thing over and over.. however now that I’m doing this method I’m more apt to notice plot holes or see problems that aren’t explained well.. or just flat out make no sense. A friend on Facebook mentioned that while this stage may take a while and might not be as fun, it’s important to do all the groundwork before diving straight into finished art panels. I wholeheartedly agree.

For those that are curious on the status of my computer – turns out it is the video card that is the problem. A quick search of my video card, which is a NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT, finds that many have had this problem after a few years of purchase. The remedy? :drumroll: Bake it in the oven! I kid you not. It seems really far fetched but the explanation is that it helps remelt and heal tiny hairline cracks that have developed between the components on the card. Of course I like to learn/do new things so this last ditch attempt at fixing the card is a win win for me. Hopefully it works, but if not then I’ll have to buy a new video card… /fingerscrossed

Here’s the tutorial I’ll be using as soon as the thermal pads come in the mail. Check it out, it’s pretty interesting!

 

That’s all for now, I’m organizing my art room for maximum efficiency when everything is back up and running. Have a good New Years!

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

Back from Haitus

It’s been a while since I’ve made a formal post. Here’s what’s been happening…

  1. Went to Japan
  2. Enjoyed turkey via Thanksgiving
  3. Added 20 more notecards to the Oyasumi Yumiko story/outline
  4. Wake up to my Mac Pro being out of commission
  5. Planned revival of my personal blog

The first thing, Japan was great – it’s a wonderful, safe country that I recommend everyone travel to at least once in their lifetime. The trip marks my second time over there, and we’re already trying to plan to go back again. (though at some point I want to travel to Ireland, Italy, Machu Picchu, etc too… ^^;) I took 1000 photos, and that is no exaggeration… Though only about 500 were print worthy. If you’re ever curious about my trip send me a note, I’d be happy to answer any questions or give insight from a southern-gajin’s point of view.

Second thing, Thanksgiving was good. I got to eat turkey, dressing and try to catch up on sleep due to jetlag.

Third thing, I’m still working on the story! Yay! I’ve been steadily adding/deleting/changing/adapting plot points in the story, and what was once set up to be 3 major arcs has morphed from 4 to now 5. The addition of other arcs came really due to character development, each arc focusing on a specific character. During the process I realized I even had some characters I needed to just take out, as they were not necessary to drive the overall story along.

With Oyasumi Yumiko I want to seriously avoid some of the pitfalls other mangas have, especially Magical Girl stories. I want the story to move significantly along with every chapter – no random filler episodes… (okay.. maybe for holidays there might be a side story.. but it will be outside of the main story ;D)

Now on to the fourth thing – this was rather sudden and put a big kink into my plans. Last week I went out with a friend, came back home, checked my email then turned my monitor off and went to sleep. After a quiet, peaceful night I wake up and realize my computer isn’t working, and with every attempt at a restart I get… the dreaded… Gray Screen of Death/Kernel Panic on Startup. My Mac Pro is my baby, and a computer that is still great even for being 3 years old… (and really the reason I got it was so I could upgrade it over the years instead of buying a new one). After removing 3rd party ram, the harddrive, and doing many tests the realization is that it is a hardware issue and it will have to be serviced… Of course, its past 3 years, so I don’t have AppleCare, and this will be an out of pocket expense.

Apart from the expense, it’s also just a major blow to my creative work. While it can’t stop me from drawing, it will impede my design/planning work a little… still, I’m not entirely dismal… I have my harddrive backed up, so all my files are safe, and I can always plug my wacom and scanner into my laptop to do work.

Fifth thing! I will be regularly posting again on my design blog. It’s been dormant ever since I graduated, but lately I’ve realized I get a lot of nerdy things – and I just want to talk about them! Maybe you’ll find it interesting: Click here to visit!

As always, thanks for the support… I want to talk about the story, but I can’t do that just yet… don’t want to spoil any story before its done! However, I will be adding some character sketches soon once I install my scanner driver on my laptop- so stay tuned! :D

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

The Plot Thickens.

Oh de lally – the writing is still going strong. Over time it is clear that there is even more things that I had forgotten to include in my initial notecard/outline. In a way, this is great as it reaffirms my earlier decision to postpone starting the manga.

Scrivener is proving to be a huge help for me – as I type faster than I write, but I’m also highly visual and have to see my work as notecards vs just typing in a word document. I would give a screen shot but don’t want to give away any spoilers ;D

Currently the notecard count is at 44 – which is roughly 14/15 per arc. Lately in an attempt to grasp how professional mangaka have handled story arcs I’ve been re-reading manga from my “forever” collection. “Forever” collection books are ones that I will never ever trade in because I love the stories that much (and I’ve traded in a good deal of manga over the years).

The collection spans from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, The Recipe for Gertrude, Sand Chronicles, Card Captor Sakura, MeruPuri, Fullmoon wo Sagashite, and a few others. A month ago I was reading Magic Knight Rayearth to really study how CLAMP handled the story. The manga has plenty of sudden realizations and does, to an extent, follow a formula. I wonder if that is just unavoidable if a story is being published in a serial magazine as it is hard to expect viewers to remember too much.

Still there is the persisting thought that the plot for this manga shouldn’t be too light nor too heavy. It’s difficult to visualize how many pages there would need to be to cover the content. Maybe it will be like MeruPuri and be summed up in 4 books? Or maybe it will be like Shugo Chara which is now, in the US, up to the 11th book (if I remember correctly…^^;) It will take some careful planing and execution to make sure the story goes just right. I know a detractor for me is if a book goes past 11 or 12 books. Since in the US they are $9.99 or $11.99 a piece it can be quite an investment. The story has got to be really good to keep a reader in for the long hall. No worries though, I’m up for this challenge. Whatever Oyasumi Yumiko becomes I think that will be just the right number of books – it will be what it will be. :)

Anywho, that’s all for now. I hope everyone’s week is going well. Here’s sending some good thoughts your way!

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

Writing Tool: Scrivener 2.0

**If the video does not load, try hitting refresh**

For those curious, I am writing Oyasumi Yumiko with a handy program called Scrivener by Literature & Latte. So far I have found it extremely useful for working on large projects. The plan was for me to make a review of the program, but the gentlemen over at ScreenCastsOnline have already done that for me (and sound a lot more interesting… british accent over southern accent? – yeah, I’d pick the british one ;D)

What is also great about this program is that after the 30 day trial period ends, you are given an opportunity to open your file and export your work. Some programs, such as CircusPonies’ Notepad, will not let you go back into the file after the trial period is over. This can be VERY frustrating, but thankfully Scrivener is kind enough to let you retrieve your 30days of work even if you choose not to buy their program.

Hope you find this useful!

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

Yumiko, a 3 year character design evolution

While working on my story for Oyasumi Yumiko I came across some very old drawings of Yumiko back when the story was just a shadow of its current self. Since I want to showcase the process of making this manga I thought that you guys might get a kick of seeing Yumiko in the early years and her final (hopefully) design.

 

Here Yumiko is drawn for the very first time! She is a little plain, but from the start I knew I had two characteristics that I wanted to keep through the design phase. One is her little flyaways – since she is an avid dreamer, she will not always have super smooth hair, there will always be some rouge strands sticking out. Two is her hairclips. At this point I’m thinking they are just part of her headband.

Her outfit for the dreamworld, otherwise known as Reverieh, has not yet been invisioned. Her school outfit is also a little drab, it is very clear I’m just using the standard sailor suit as a place holder.

 

 

Here is Yumiko’s a little more developed. She’s already starting to have a more easily identifiable look. It’s funny, when I was first doodling her I thought back from when I was little – and I used to ALWAYS curl my pony tail around my finger. That got me to thinking of Yumiko doing that, and as a result would make her hair curl on the ends. At this point her hair curls a bit too much, almost resembling little sweet rolls…

Her outfit is also a little lacking, but it was one I was inspired by when driving by an elementary school. There was a girl at the time that had on this one piece dress that looks very similar to the one Yumiko was wearing. I really liked how the color divided the outfit, but felt it needed something more to make it apparent that Yumiko is a dreamweaver. I was also trying to incorporate some design element on the lower part of the dress, almost like a crest/patch/embroidery that would change as she ‘leveled up.’ However after careful thought I realized that having too much detail would 1) be hard to pull of for smaller images 2) detract from her overall design due to its complexity. The bows on the edges were an attempt to flare out her dress more visually, but these too were later scrapped.

Still her healing staff makes an appearance, which is just a shepherds crook which has been modified with a heart shape.

 

 

Alright – now we’re getting somewhere. I’m starting to find my own style here, and I’m fleshing out more details in her overall design. Her hair is now a little bit less detailed, however still has too much curl at the end. I’m attempting to give the illusion of curl through the actual pigtails with curved lines, but it’s not quite enough yet.

Her outfit has been changed here. Instead of a dark band across the upper part of her dress it is changed for a cowl as I am now taking more inspiration from shepherds outfits. Her dress also has changed due to inspiration from celtic dance dresses which have a solid panel and two pleats down the front and the back. Her staff has remained true, though her bow has been enlarged.

Her shoes and socks remain the same, as I’m a big fan of mary jane shoes.

 

 

Okay let’s skip ahead a little. Her outfit has only had a few minor changes up til now – I’ve simplified her bangs, and tried to render her hair in a different style. Notice how her curl is less detailed now, but still curves enough so it looks kinda like a circle… I’m still fighting with that at this stage.

Her cowl has been upgraded to allow for a big bow in the back as well as ribbon along the bottom half. My thought process here was that a cowl should be something to protect a shepherd from the elements, and since Yumiko’s outfit takes inspiration from that it should have that ability. When the ribbon is loosened the bow becomes a hood, and the cowl lengthens into a cloak. (Yeah.. let’s not think of how a toy company could pull that one off, I don’t think its physically possible – but hey this is a manga – things don’t have to always make sense right? ;D)

 

 

Here is Yumiko’s FINAL design. Her hair has a specific flow to it, and also a method to how I render it. Her hair clips are now hidden a little by her bangs, since I’m trying to give the illusion of depth. They sit farther back and on her pigtails so they should be covered a little. The curve of her hair is not overly done – and in a way this helps her overall shape resemble a heart. She still has the flyaways though they are in specific spots (though they’re covered up in this image)

Her staff now has one minor adjustment, which is a little heart gem in the corner of it. She now has a necklace with her celtic knot symbol on it – and her overall outfit is refined for the last time.

Her shoes are now a little different. Still mary jane-ish, but now taking on some qualities of celtic dance shoes since they look a little like ballet shoes with the crisscross of the laces.

Final colors for her outfit are set.

 

So yeah, that’s pretty much it for now – there are other WIP images for her “Healer Outfit” which is what she transforms into. But since those are in the early stages I will wait before I post those. These images were done idly over 3 years while I was attending college and working full time. I think if I had less life commitments the design would have come together a lot faster, but I’m pleased with how Yumiko came out and mayhaps it was fate that it took so long : )

Anyway, hope it was entertaining as well as informative!

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

AWA Summary

My table set-up during the early hours of Artist Alley on Friday.

Turns out during the course of the convention I failed to provide daily posts on the con like I said I would. I’d like to give everyone a summary of how things went at the con.

Things were a mixed bag. There were good and not so great things that happened. We’ll go ahead and get the not-so-great things out of the way first.

Not-so-Great: Low Sales

Alright, so Artist Alley for many is like an extension of the dealers room. Well known characters or items based off of games sell very well compared to original work (most of the time). This year I decided to share a table with my friend who runs the Geek OUTlet. I was very glad to help her out, as I thought she would do very well at the convention because of her work. While there it was immediately apparent how easily con-goers flock to items that they already know. I knew that this year I was a bit at a disadvantage since the greater half of the year was spent finishing my degree. There weren’t as many new prints and I also didn’t have the same cash available to make new products (due to going to Japan later this year).

In many ways I’m rather glad that I didn’t do too much, as it would have still been difficult to compete with the products my friend was selling. I’m really happy that she did so well even though I didn’t – I’m glad it was worth her while.

I was only slightly down about the sales – note the term “slightly.” It is very easy to determine your work’s worth with money. If it’s great then obviously it will sell right? Should I take my experience as proof that my work isn’t any good? Pffft, what are you crazy? Of course not. However it is good to realize how hard it can be to compete in this market. I take it in stride and will do what I can for next year to hopefully do better! : )

The cover for Kozue Amano's 4th artbook.

Not-so-Great: Dealers Room Temptations

Dealers Rooms are always great as it is generally the only time you can see items in person before you buy them (Japan imports especially). While I generally spend a little in the Dealers Room in previous years I really had to be stern with my spending since I am going to Japan very soon. My only true temptation was a copy of Birth by Kozue Amano. She is one of my favorite manga artists. She is mostly known for her works of Aria, which center around female gondoliers who work on Mars which has been terraformed and now resembles Venice. I really needed some inspiration that day, so I broke down and bought it. I highly recommend Kozue’s art books, they are beautiful and well designed.

NOW ON TO THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE CON!

Great: Inspiring Visitors

There were a few visitors that came by my half of the table during the con that really moved me. While I don’t know their names, I hope that if they read this they know how much their visit and their comments meant to me.

Fujimoto from Ponyo

First was a really nice man cosplaying as Fujimoto from Ponyo. He took the time to read the signage at my table that described the story I am working on and also what my project was about. He had nothing but good things to say about the story summary, which really made my morning since most of the attendants up until that time just would glance at the sign and then walk away.

Next was a girl named Emily who again took the time to read my story summary (so from the start I’m already liking her!). She too seemed interested in the concept and went so far as to say that she loves Dreams too. She mentioned to me that I could make dreamcatchers, which is an idea I had been thinking of incorporating into the story at one point.

There was one visitor that surprised me, yet very much warmed my heart with her presence. It was a little girl, who had to be around 4 or 6 years old. She was there with her mother walking around Artist Alley. When she came by my table I saw her stop and for a long time she stared at my work. This meant a lot to me as children that young have no real concept of lying to save someone’s feelings – they are very honest and sincere. While I sat there, grinning from ear to ear at her cuteness, she asked her mom something while she pointed at one of my bookmarks. Her mom leans over and asks how much it is. I tell the little girl it’s only one dollar. She goes into her little hello kitty satchel and pulls out a dollar to hand to me. I tell her to pick out the bookmark she wanted and she picks… the Hydinia bookmark. This to me as a double-fold compliment. Hydinia is the villain of Oyasumi Yumiko, and a character that I have worked on very much. I’m not sure why the little girl picked her, maybe it was the colors which were predominately purple and maroon, but either way… I found it a little befitting, because even Hydinia, the Dream Reaper of Reverieh, is not beyond love. It moved me so much that I even gave her a button (Yumiko’s celtic heart knot to be specific) for free.

Last but not least there was a re-occurring visitor who stopped by. Every year I have had an Artist Alley table (4 years and counting now…) he has come by my table and bought a Bandit related item from me. He loves sheep, and has told me this everytime he comes by. I’m always glad to see him, and honestly flattered with his loyalty – and even more so touched that he likes my work.

While there were other great visitors that supported the work through purchases, these top four made quite an impression on me. I want to make my manga for people like that – I hope that I can bring them as much happiness and joy through my work as they so freely gave to me through their words and actions at my little table.

Great: The Company You Keep

I was very blessed to be near my friends during this convention. Sitting at an Artist Alley table alone could be very boring and dull, but I was lucky to be sharing my table with a friend, and also having another friend next to me with her own art table. We were able to pass some of the time between visitors making jokes and having general good fun. Spending time with friends is great, as you can learn more about them and form closer bonds of friendship with them. I feel lucky to have had those near me during my time in Artist Alley – it made the weekend even more pleasant.

Great: Learning Experience Level Up

It’s always good to take learning experiences from everything you do and this con was no exception. One of the many things I took away from the con was that I needed to spend my time from now until the next AWA in making my first manga book. I am making that a priority and set the goal up for myself. I also learned what things I need to do with my table display for next year.

In conclusion…

It was a great con and I will be looking forward to seeing everyone again next year. This time, with a manga book!

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

 

PS – For those that missed me Sunday let me apologize. With the low sales my friend and I decided to cut our losses and do some uplifting things around Atlanta since it’s rare that we are down in the area. If you had planned on seeing me on this day please accept my apology and humble thanks that you were going out of your way to find me. I’ll be there next year for the full time, and will have a special surprise for those that have supported me for so long.

Almost Set Up in Atlanta

About 5 hours ago (since it’s now 2:30am ;D) I was getting my badge for the convention then busy trying to set up my overhanging display at the table.

There were a few snags in the plan but things ended up working out smoothly. For those attending AWA I will be at B-7 : )

I will be posting a post after every day of the con, so look forward to it!!

 

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily

AWA is a week away!

Hooooo… so AWA is coming up, if you are planning on attending I will be in Artist Alley at table B-7 along with Leah Nelson of the Geek OUTlet ([link]). I’ll also be beside my friend Kimberly [Link]

I’m excited, while still writing scripts and plots and doing character designs. Profit is on my mind for the con (I mean who wouldn’t want to make some extra money), but just breaking even will be fine in my book. : )

For those interested I’ve broken out the sewing machine and might attempt to make the dress for the little Obitsu Yumiko doll. Not expecting perfection here, because sewing is still new to me. Though I now have two color sashes for my table, they’re really just for display and were an exercise in practicing end seams… but I feel proud! XD

Also, I have some news along that is rather exciting. My husband Matt suggested to me that I should make a Japan book with my characters for when we go later this year. While I’m not sure how that will pan out, it is an idea that interests me – and it does goes well with my plushie-sheep character Bandit. It will be playing 2nd fiddle to Oyasumi Yumiko manga work, but still it will be fun to keep drawing on a daily basis while in Japan.

Again, shamless plug – if you’re in Atlanta for Sept 30- October 2nd stop by artist alley. I’ll be there in white, orange, and pink cute glory. Here’s a list of things I will be offering at my table :D

8×11, 9×12 Prints
Stickers
Buttons
Bookmarks
Necklaces
Cell-phone Charms
Hairclips

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream)

-Emily

Pushed Back, Again.

If you were savvy enough to bet that Oyasumi Yumiko wouldn’t start September 30th, then.. you’ve won! Can’t say what you’ve won, maybe a high five from me? I can try to mail it to you… ;D

Though seriously, the start date for Oyasumi Yumiko has been pushed back. I’ve come to realize, more-so thanks to a very close friend, that the story I’m creating is just too big to try to rush. I have three major arcs, which might even have to be different seasons – sort of like Cardcaptor Sakura. Since it’s not something I can just squeeze into 100 pages then be done with it, I’m not going to try to force a deadline and do all this artwork only to realize a major plot hole that results in a major re-work.

My new goal is to finish the full plot line and begin writing out the entire script – from there I will shift to story boarding the entire series. New elements are having to be added to the story to help move characters and plot along. This might take longer, heck I might even change some things up during the process. I really really wanted to make this a web comic at first… but I’m beginning to wonder about the long term plan for that. So I hope you guys, my supporting friends across the net, understand.

I would like to thank those of you who have stuck with me thus far, on the internet and in real life. I am always grateful for the encouragement and kind words you leave for me on the blog and art posts. Apologies around to those who were looking forward to things starting and me failing on the deadline. Professionally I want to pursue this when all the kinks are worked out. I hope you also understand that I work while trying to do this solo on my own. Some days it gets to be very disheartening as it seems as if there is no end in sight, and the outcome(s) that I wish for may never happen. Still, I’m going to keep moving forward, working on this manga as a part-time job and hopefully will be able to present my work fully to either a publishing company or just try the usual self-publishing market. I fully believe that this undying desire in my heart to make Oyasumi Yumiko is one that also God wants me to do, especially considering the message I’m wanting to say with it.

If you happen to be in the Atlanta area at the end of September I will be at table B-7 in Artist Alley, sharing it with a friend – Leah Nelson of Geek OUTlet (http://www.etsy.com/people/geekoutlet?ref=pr_profile). I will also be sitting near my other friend Kimberly who will be introducing her web manga and works (http://trafficcontrol.deviantart.com/).

Please look forward to more concept art, notes and other ramblings on this page (and subsequently dA) as I work towards my large endeavor.

Yume ni nare! (Become a dream!)

-Emily