Manga is Art

“I don't remember when exactly I read my first comic book, but I do remember exactly how liberated and subversive I felt as a result.”
Edward W. Said, Palestine

Friday, July 26, 2013

'Descendant' Promotion Events

Hello my minions!

I want to let you know I am holding a few events:

1. Yeah!! I hit 70 fans on Manga Magazine and 60 on Smackjeeves today! I'm still waiting for 100 so that I can draw you fun art! These will be separate so 2 people have an opportunity to receive free art.

Also:

I would like to encourage everyone to SHARE the links provided. Every share and every fan, especially on Smackjeeves, allows me one step closer to being the success I wish to be, but I can't do it without your help. If you have any social media outlets, please use them. I will do my very best to reward you all for the effort in a great story and great and evolving art as well as bigger and better events and goodies revolving around 'Descendant'. Also, don't be shy! Feel free to drop a line every once in a while and I'll do MY very best to keep you all updated as well.

Descendant on Smackjeeves


2. Title page art: I am accepting title page submissions to attach to my chapters as the story progresses (on Descendant). The best of the best will be featured in the official printed books, those who do not make it into the books will be featured on my official 'Descendant' website as fanart and, eventually, be compiled into a fanart book that will be the goal for a future contest as well as printed books! :3

To view current fanart and contest entries:

Un-Chaptered Work and Fanart

Submissions must be 8x11 or 10x14 at 300 DPI. They must be of the characters in my comic and be done to the best of your abilities. All fanart will be featured on Smackjeeves.

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I am letting you all know that I start printing in October and since some of these companies have page minimums, that will mean I want to fill the blank pages with art from not just me but also from you! How cool would it be to see YOUR art in a book?

Also, as an added incentive, I will be offering space after my chapters for a preview of any titles that you may want to see in print someday as an advertisement! That's right, I am offering to feature your webcomic in my book to expose you to my audience as well as anyone else who picks up the book! More details coming soon!

3. I will be resurrecting my drawing classes every Sunday at 5pm EST (or, depending on how many want to participate). These classes will go over story design, character design and general illustration. I will be running polls on my deviantart account and asking here what you all would like to go over. This will continue based on PARTICIPATION. Meaning, if nobody shows up, I will not be doing this anymore. I don't like to offer to help people and have nobody take advantage of it.

Anyway, I hope you all participate! Once money and time become more available, I'll be doing a lot more.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Faux Business Plan

Journey of a Comic Artist

Earlier this year, I created a fake business plan but based it on real life dreams of mine. I know some of the information is dated but I couldn't find some fresh material to use. My Marketing figures are definitely off. Also, my instructor didn't require a Financial section...which I thought odd but I added at least a mention of where I hope to generate capital.

I'm show you now so maybe someone out there has ideas on how to improve this.

Also, forgive all the grammar and spelling errors. I didn't have time to edit it before I had to be in class.

\( ゚ヮ゚)/

~DJ

Monday, July 1, 2013

Descendant Chapter 4: The road to color

Well, I was supposed to post a new page for Chapter 4 today and I'm behind...mostly because I wanted to start coloring and when I got through the first panel, I thought it looked really bad:

Light is a bitch.
 My other thinking was: This story is set in the old west. ORIGINALLY I wanted to have a color overlay on top of tones or gray tones to give the comic an old movie feel. Like one of those old black and white westerns back in the early days but, even then, I couldn't settle on the right feel.

For the first 3 chapters, I compromised with just tones and trying to make up for the lack of "oomph" through the story but there are things coming up IN the story; silent pages, lots of spells and rituals, the will require the very best of my current art skills.

I want this to look awesome on screen and, eventually, on paper. I think I'll revert back to my original idea: doing the old movie thing, but then there is the problem with night scenes.

Since I consider myself a creator who is unafraid of elevating people of color into roles of authority, AND since a lot of this project takes place at night, how do I make my characters stand out against the background, especially characters like Laini and Ohanzee. Laini, pictured above, specifically who is an Egyptian goddess (may as well be. I love her!!) <3 p="">



Anyway, dark skin+night scene= Can't see them! D': This must be corrected. I tried using Gradients to fix this via toning but I thought the fact that it was night was being lost on people. I need this to translate. How do you handle this? I want them to be in the story like they're supposed to. 

So, dearest Internet, I am begging, PLEADING even, for your help. I've been looking around and asking for a very long time now and nobody seems to have any answers. I need YOU, Internet. I need you!

And if begging doesn't work, maybe this cute picture of baby Bender, maybe?


~DJ