'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.

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

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

So. You want to own your own business.

This article is a hypothetical. But maybe not. Maybe this can happen, yes?

Anyway, it was for a school assignment.

---------------------------

    And you came to me? Seriously!?

    It's all good.

    If I were to give serious advice about owning and operating your own business, it would be this: WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN!

    It's hard, it's arduous, it can crush all hopes and dreams with the cold hard facts of doom! But it's supposed to. It's supposed to take the mystery out of your business approach.

    Your business plan is there to serve as a window into reality. Once you have the facts; once you have the rulebook for your business and industry, then you can get creative.

•     Creative with your image.
•     Creative with your product or service.
•     Creative with your market reach.

    The most effective purple cow can come from already having a clear grasp on the rules and your business plan is, again, that rulebook. Now, don't let this intimidate you and don't run at it like an angry bull charging that irritating little man the red flag. Be calm, open-minded, willing to change and tackle each section one at a time until it's finished and you'll get a clear idea of what your business is and where it could be.

    This also doesn't mean you can't be working on your product or service in the meantime. For example: I finished the First and Second chapters of 'Descendant' while writing my business plan. It was through this process that I realized the only way I could reach my audience was through smart Marketing and knowing how and where to talk to them.

    Marketing and skill. These are what I needed to have in order to draw in my audience.

    So, you can then start to set priorities with your business. For instance: I did my financials last because I wasn't going to be asking for money because I knew I wouldn't be able to pay it back within a decent amount of time. I wanted to, first, prove that my product could at least break even so when my investors did help me with capital, I was able to attend more functions, put more effort into advertising and marketing and turn a business that was just breaking even into a business that became a profitable share in the comic book industry. And, when you turn a profit and can show you're doing it, you become more attractive to investors, your audience and anyone else who may draw inspiration from you.

    The business plan is, by far, the most important thing you can do for yourself as a small business owner. If you have an existing business, you could do this as well. You can then easily see if your practices are making you the most profit it can or if you're missing something.

Marketing 6th Street

    When I landed in Pittsburgh three years ago, and by landed I mean pulled in and by pulled in I mean, I took the very last of the old Greyhound buses, I was immediately taken aback by the sudden, expansive view of the city. I remember very clearly the mountain in front of my face, going down a dark tunnel, talking with a fellow passenger about their disdain for the Pirates and then being simply awe-struck at the sunlit opening; shining down upon the point and lighting up the river and what I later learned to be PPG Place and the Highmark buildings.

This place has a charm.

    Since I've been here, my work environment has been confined to 6th street in downtown, otherwise known as the "Cultural District" and down the street from PNC Park. I have worked for three employers on that street and have had to handle a wide customer base during that time. These three employers are small business owners, each with a restaurant, specializing in a specific cuisine but it should be noted that there is two of a kind on 6th street.
 
    Two Greek places: Christos which boasts a more upscale vibe and Salonika's Gyros, an Americanized bar and grille which boasts more business due to their prices and manner of service.


    Two Indian places: India Palace, the bigger of the two, is able to house a larger customer base at one-time and has a more friendly, colorful vibe and Indian Spices, a much smaller place in desperate need of decor. Both with a buffet, both with the same food, both who serve the same customers.


    Two "swanky" bars: Well, now it's one, but I'll mention it anyway. Oliver Twist, cool name, friendly staff, live bands on the weekend and an upscale bar if one is tired of the hotel bars and Melange, a once was swanky bar with complicated, very expensive food, drinks but was bigger and could serve more people. Melange was also able to open their windows which is a favorite feature of this otherwise beautiful location.

    Two American-Italian places: Giovanni's, the one that's been around longest and boasts a loyal clientele, their people are usually nice and they have a high volume joint with a decent sized menu and then there's Milano's across the street. Bar upstairs, more places to sit and dine in. Both places deliver and they're always on the move.

    Two American dive bars: Red Beards bar and grille is new on 6th street but they have a location in Mount Washington one block away from Grandview overlooking the city. The downtown location has a nice bar, a few tables to sit outside and they make a great sandwich. DoubleDay's is a smaller dive where people pack in for the buffalo shrimp and beer. Not to mention some awesome burgers!

Surrounding Neighborhood:

    Sixth and Penn: This is an upscale bar and eatery with tiny portions and high prices, marketing towards a more high paying customer. They have a charming little bar inside the eatery as well as a place to sit in front of their gas/wood-fired ovens in the back where some of the nicest chefs can chat with the customers if they so wished. They also have seating on the roof when the weather permits.

    Bravo Franco: An upscale Italian eatery with wine service and a bar. From what I've seen, it's a much quieter dining experience for the well-to-do customer. People tend to go in just before the shows. Reservations recommended.

    Meat and Potatoes: Exactly as the name suggests, a gastropub with an island bar, smoker in the alley where they harass people with the amazing smell of hickory smocked meats and a nice place to sit outside. This would also be accurately described as a sort of but not really barbeque place for people with money. The food is risky but enjoyed. They also serve brunch which is a huge hit with the people working in the surrounding office buildings.

    Alihan's Mediterranean Cuisine: The man who owns Giovanni's is opening a sit-down restaurant across the street. He's not open yet, but we can already tell from the renovations that he is planning on marketing to a very upscale customer base.

    Starbucks: This is a small Starbucks so don't be fooled. They serve all the classics and is the only place open before 10pm on this block.

    Vocelli's: A pizza-by-the slice place that mainly delivers. They have no substantial seating.

    Subway: A national fast-food chain that sells subs and salads.

    Fu Lai: The only stand-alone Chinese place for several blocks in the opposite direction with the exception of Wok and Grill, located in 5th avenue place.

    Fifth Avenue Place: There is a food court on the second floor with, basically, mall food with the exception of Au Bon Pan and Cafe Amante. Au Bon Pan and Fifth Avenue Beanery are the only places open at 6am serving breakfast items. Fifth Avenue Place has a "bridge" that connects it to the Highmark building.

        Charley's Grilled subs: Exactly as the name suggests plus cheese fries.
        Flamers: This is a joint venture that has an Americanized Mexican menu complete with edible taco salads and on the other side, they serve American food: Burgers, wings, etc.
        Fresh Corner: Paninis, salads, wraps and any combination thereof.
        Sbarro: Fast Italian food. Pizza, pasta, giant calzones
        Wok and Grill: A Half-Chinese Half-Japanese eatery.

The Cabaret: A late night entertainment venue and bar where people can enjoy a drink and a show located in Theater Square.

That's a lot, and that's just one block.

And this is the block I will be concentrating on.

As someone who has worked in this area for the passed three years, I have noticed and heard customers voicing their frustrations about this particular block. I have divided these customers, along with their concerns, into a few categories:

    The office crowd: These people have voiced concern over lack of variety and the absence of better breakfast places. Many of them get up at 5am and are in downtown, ready to work by at least 7am and they want breakfast. I've asked them if Au Bon Pan and Starbucks was enough and they all give me a resounding "No!".

        East Indian Office crowd:  Many of these people also want breakfast, but they want something specifically Indian. I have suggested to the owner of India Palace to, perhaps, do a very small breakfast menu but he says there's not enough of a clientele to open earlier in the day.

    The Theater Crowd: These people want more variety. Everyone sees the lack of "something else" on and around the 6th street block and I agree with them. Many of these people are loyal clients of the venues already present, but, even they want to add some variety to their outings.

        The "Fast" Theater crowd: These people not only want variety but they need speed. These are the people who may have been looking for parking or may have only 15 minutes before a show starts. I also notice that, despite them wanting fast, they also want to sit down for a few minutes while they eat. These people generally go to Salonika's as they can get something simple very quickly, or, they will go to Milano's for a slice of pizza.

    The Bar Crowd: Since Oliver Twist, DoubleDay's, and Red Beard's stay open until at least 2am, you can bet there are people stumbling out of those bars hungry and still wanting to stay awake. If anyone has the patience to take on this crowd, It would be a great niche! Even if it's just take-out orders.

    The Dessert Crowd: After customers see a show at one of the local theaters, they want to sit down and enjoy coffee, desert and to wind down. To discuss what they saw and to catch up with friends. Something simple with a nice, calming atmosphere.

    The Game Crowd: These people are marching along 6th to and from a game, either at Heinz Field or PNC Park. Sometimes, they're even coming out of Concerts held at Stage AE or at Heinz Field. They generally want simpler food so Pizza, Gyros, burgers go well with this crowd. They're also with their kids; a lot of places around this area don't have a kids menu. they generally make compromises with their menus.

    The Lunch Crowd: They love a good sit-down place. India Palace, Indian Spices, Milano's, Salonika's and now Red Beard's do very well with this crowd. They have still expressed frustration with the lack of variety on the street.

    The Budget Crowd: If there is one thing 6th street is, it is diverse. Just because it's in the Cultural District, doesn't mean that people of the lower-income brackets don't come to partake of this street's cuisine. Offering healthier, tastier options at competitive prices could and would certainly go over well with this crowd. Especially any who may be out with their children.

Filling the gaps:

Breakfast:    Breakfast is the number one gap that I can't stress enough. There are other options the farther into Market Square one gets, but not much. McDonalds, Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, Another Starbucks, Einstein's Bagels and a Crazy Mocha. As you can see, we are missing: a simple diner with pancakes, waffles and fresh coffee. We are missing smoothy bars, fresh fruits, oats and vegan friendly cuisine. We are missing fusion that has the ability to offer a variety of breads to the East Indian customers that travel here all the time.
        Possible solution? A small fusion place that is open for breakfast and lunch that serves fresh fruity chutneys, fresh paratha, eggs, bacon, and maybe run a special for vegans and meat-eaters alike. A breakfast place on its own would be a wonderful addition to this little sliver of Downtown.

Asian:        Where does one go in Downtown for fresh fish and amazing Asian food? Why, they'd have to walk all the way McCormick and Schmicks or the Westin. If they wanted Japanese food, they'd have to go to Station Square on the other side of the city! A sushi bar on or close to 6th street would be a welcome and celebrated addition to the neighborhood. If there is one thing that Pittsburgh is lacking in, it's Asian food!
        Possible Solution? A place that specialized in just sushi, and nothing else, would be amazing. Also, a gap exists for another type of Asian food. Authentic Korean Barbecue closer to Downtown would be a welcome change of pace.

Mexican:    Who doesn't like tacos? And fresh tacos with homemade salsas and tortillas? Yum! Not only would a Mexican place be a welcome addition, it can also add to the street food scene. A Mexican place could and would offer cuisine to every customer type, be a fun and vibrant place and would add much needed color and culture to the Cultural district.


        Possible Solution? A Mexican place that offered breakfast, lunch and dinner of the finest, (yet affordable) south of the border cuisine would be exactly what the Cultural district needs! And if you're feeling fun and festive, a Mariachi Band for Cinco De Mayo would be an awesome opportunity to drive in curious customers from all walks of life! 6th street screams "$3.00 Tacos" to anyone going to the games!

Pierogies:    If there is one thing that Pittsburgh loves, it's pierogies. Imagine a venue that handmade fresh, made to order Pierogies right in the middle of the Cultural district? You'd be tempting people from across the city with the very mention of your name! I singled this out as a specialty because it doesn't make sense that the places around 6th don't do more of this. Pierogies exist on the menus of several places, but not as THE thing they specialize in. These are fast, easy, popular, and a savvy business professional wouldn't have a problem working in a small venue to push such a grand product.  The words you want to hear are "Just like Grandma used to make!"

Buffalo Wings:    I, personally, adore buffalo wings and I'm sad that there are not more places around Pittsburgh that specialize in buffalo wings. There is Quaker Steak and Lube in Oakland...that's it. There's not even a Wing Stop in this city! What travesty! Wings are fast, fun and cater to the Bar Crowd, low budget crowd and the Sports crowd!

Vegan:        Vegan and Gluten free places are few and far between but business owners help them; but there is no place that can be safely called truly Vegan except for, perhaps, Sree's. A small Indian place that is located on Liberty Avenue. But what if you're Vegan and don't want Indian today? What if you want a nice sandwich? Or hand-tossed salads with your favorite veggies and trimmings? This crowd, however, is very small.

Barbecue:     I don't think I would call Meat and Potatoes Barbecue, so having said that, there is no, actual barbecue around the Cultural District. I believe there was at one point, but not since I've been there. Barbecue would be awesome and a tempting treat for all the carnivores in the city, especially if that Barbecue were made with homemade sauce, trimmings and a Texan who knows their meat! (Ha! I'm kidding Pittsburgh...sort of.)

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

One thing I will mention is that the businesses around 6th street lack a certain creativity and spark. While the people can be pleasant, the Cultural District is named this for a reason. Culture. Bringing more and different culture to this street would be a welcome change of pace no matter what. Adding variety and by being different will, by its very nature, bring you customers. Sheer curiosity can be your initial marketing tool, but then, quality, price and word of mouth will grow your business further into flourishing. Homemade is this cities thing and the good people of Pittsburgh expect and deserve no less. If you give them that, you will get bountiful returns!

So come to Pittsburgh, why not?

- Beverly Wagner
AKA Djwaglmuffin (the Comicker!)

What? Oh yes. Alive.

So.

I have this blog, you see? And I always forget to update it. Why?

Because...I just do.

ANYWAY

I want to inform everyone that I've been working hard on my webcomic. You can check it out here:

Descendant on Smackjeeves

For now, I'll just update to let people know I'm alive! Oi! In a while I'll do a fun "this is what I've learned" thing and outline my goals for each chapter as I go along.

Now, you may be wondering (or maybe not) about Slayers: Divine? I'm going to finish it but I want to work on my original while I have the steam for it. I think it's going great and I can't wait to gain more readership!

Please do forgive the long bouts of silence. I promise...I'm still here and alive!

Slayers: Divine restart

Slayers: Divine on Smackjeeves

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let the sphere know that I've finally restarted my doujinshi efforts. If you've been following me (or even if not) I've been using this doujinshi as a way to improve my art and storytelling abilities. A way for me to learn to organize my thoughts and to translate what I want to say through pictures and dialogue. I hope I'm getting the hang of it because, you see, I want my original titles to be amazing when they really hit the ground running!

Maybe I can learn some marketing while I'm at it, nyo.

So follow along, why not?

Recent sketches

Been off and on with the drawing thing the passed few weeks but with my recent job situation I think it's finally coming back. I'm going to keep working on it, of course. Because I love it. <3 br="br">

My life at work

Here’s a situation and you all can tell me what I can do. I think it interesting that every time I scroll down on blogrolls or other social media and these…work help articles are popping up:

Right now, I’m a waitress at an Indian joint in the Pitt. I’ve been there since Feb. 2011 and, at the beginning, it wasn’t so bad. I make $8.00 an hour with no tips and I average 10 hours a week.
But these hours are spread out in such a way that I’m spending a lot of time on public transportation getting from home to work and visa-verse.

The work environment began to degrade when my coworker, a student from India, started working with us. He came around when my bosses and their entire family went to India for 6 weeks leaving me with the welfare of the restaurant. We did very well and everything went smoothly but, again, the quality of the environment began to get worse. They started neglecting me as a candidate for anything extra curricular like catering or deliveries around downtown and cut my hours to give this other guy more even though he was in school. Lately, it’s been really bad. This happens all the time but here’s one example: Last week I had asked for some time off for my chest. I had gotten so angry, so irritated with their attitude and the boredom of sitting around in downtown all the time that I had to slightly change my routine just so I wouldn’t end up in the hospital. They said OK (plus I haven’t had any real time off since I started working there.).

They called me in for Monday night because coworker had a class to go to. I wasn’t happy about it but I went in anyway. While there, it went from bad to worse. Boss-lady came in and we’re usually pretty busy with deliveries and with in-house orders so but she likes to try and do everything because she believes that nothing will get done if she’s not doing it. 3 sets of regular customers came in, I knew them all and I knew what they ordered except one of them, this time, wanted to change up their order a bit so I ended up fielding a few questions. Now, I’m not Indian but I know the food at the restaurant and I know the menu and how big everything is. They asked me a question and as I was answering, boss-lady runs over, bumps her body into mine causing me to stumble off to the side a bit and says “What’s the problem?” I say “There is no problem, they were just wondering about portion sizes” and she raises her hand in my face and says “don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of this.” I turned away, put my pen and book down and then the phone rings for a delivery. As soon as I go to pick it up she says “Hey! I’ll get it.”

Now. This happens a lot to which I have to ask myself “Do you even want me here?” And it’s putting a real damper on my attitude.

The week before last she called me in to work on some time off and at first I was like “No, I have some things I want to get done.” And she says “but don’t you need the money?”
I thought. “$16.00? really. Maybe not.” And then she starts guilt tripping a little bit like “Fine, I’ll just deal with it.” I got annoyed and said I would be there. When I got there, she fucked around with me the entire 2 hours I was there. I know it doesn’t seem like a long time but when people are dicking you around it feels like a thousand years.

She was first yelling and screaming at me about how fast I was going with customers. At lunch time we do a pretty big buffet and we get a lot of people all the time during lunch so there’s always a lot to do and there’s no set priority of what to do first. We just have to do what we can when we’re in front of it or thinking about it. I have developed my own little system to handle customers and get as much done as possible.
So I was at the register handling the people leaving. She walked over to the register, stood there and watched me. Now, remember, every seat in the restaurant was full with the exception of the people leaving. Instead of going away and doing something else like I would have done she just stood there watching me. I finally looked over and asked “What’s the matter?”
She said “Here, let me do this.”

I said “Why? I got it and it’s getting done…”

She says “Bev, just go do something else.”

Ok, fine. I dropped my pen and walked away. As I was cleaning tables in the back she came to me and told me I needed to pay closer attention the people coming into the restaurant. I just said OK and kept working.
But I think the final straw was when I asked her if I could leave at the time I normally leave after lunch. She said, and I quote:

“No. You need to stay until 3 because I have things I need to get done today.” and she walked away from me muttering under her breath “I’ve been trying to get out of here for the passed hour.”

I was stunned. Simply stunned. She called ME in on MY day off to help her when I ALSO had things to do but the world had to stop for her? What? I said, OK and asked her if I could at least eat since there was nobody else in the restaurant. She said yes but that I had to “Hurry up in case people show up.”

I’m thinking. Every time I eat and we’re still open, even if I’ve been dismissed for a few hours, I get up and help anyone in the place plus people coming in. That’s just the way I am. I’ll interrupt my lunch for people and it’s been like that since I was working there.

I go to the back, pick up a place while slightly cussing under my breath and Boss-man (her husband) comes out and just laughs at me like “What’s the matter.”

I said “Nothing” and kept working to throw a little bit of food on my plate. Boss-lady comes back there and they start screaming at each other in Panjaub and she comes storming out of the kitchen yelling at me: “FINE Beverly, you can leave! Not like I had things to do today.”

Consider camel back broken. I dropped my plate and left. Chest pain and all.
Now, look. I know it’s unprofessional to diss your bosses and job but fuck all that. A couple of months ago I asked for an increase in my pay. Boss-man is all like “What? Like a bonus or something.” And I said Yes.

“Just something to help me save a little bit of money. winter is coming and I want to have something put away for food and such since I can’t get on food stamps.”

He said OK.

His idea of a bonus is $8.00-$20.00 and when he gives me $20.00 he won’t give me anything extra on the following check.

I have some people telling me to quit. I have some people telling to stay since it’s $100.00 plus or minus every week but to be honest, I want to quit. And Badly. I have a second job, one where I make more than my weeks pay from the Indian joint in two days. (if that made any sense). Even with the second job, all of the money I make is going straight to rent and bills plus the occasional home cooked meal. If I’m not too tired and annoyed to make myself something.

I’ve packed on 25 pounds, developed chest pain, have grown to hate customer service and have developed prejudice against Indian people and their culture. I have a severe negative emotional reaction to anything Indian and my love of being around new people has been hindered. I think customer service, especially with food, is a good opportunity to meet lots of cool people, and I have. Popular musicians from the orchestra, conductors, directors; I’ve met politicians and activists; I’ve met people from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Israel. So, lots of interesting people, lots of cool stories from all of them. But I’m at the end. I really can’t do this anymore.

I’m afraid I’ll be stuck and that I’ll end up as a low end waitress for the rest of my days. I’ve been contemplating suicide and destroying things and even reenlisting in the military. I almost punched a hole in my wall yesterday amidst sobbing like a little kid. I’m having severe emotional breakdowns and headaches on a daily basis. My art has stagnated and it rains all the time…I’m tired of this and, honestly, not sure what to do. I have been looking for other jobs and work but no call backs and when I go in to check they’ve already filled positions or something. I’ve been persistent and everything else. I would like to go back to school but can’t settle on a major and it’s coming out in my grades. I’m bored with the classes I’m taking and the degree I want is just novelty. I thought about opening a business but my credit is so bad I don’t think I can…plus in this economy what would be the point?

I haven’t stood up for myself because of the way I go about it. It’s been bottled up for so long that if I do release it’ll be super bad. Violent even but I can’t let these people walk all over me anymore. And a lot of this anxiety is stemming from boredom! I’M BORED!

Pixiv Oekaki Chat: Part One

I was touring around some of the different ways our artistic Japanese and Korean counterparts communicate with one another and what sort of social networking they engage in and I happened upon:

Pixiv Chat

Now, I've been with Pixiv for about a year now. For those of you who do not know, Pixiv is the Japanese equivalent to Deviantart without all of the drag-you-down popularity competition. That's not to say there aren't popular artists on Pixiv but it seems their fair exposure is actually fair. When you submit, your art is actually on the front page for people to see. When you type in keywords, it doesn't automatically filter out to the most popular in that tag. It goes from order of submission with the newest pieces popping up first.

I really like this.

Anyway, I started using the chat client a few weeks ago because I was curious about oekaki and what it actually was. Turns out, it can be used a nice form of communication! And pixiv has several different clients that can be used as such:

Pixiv Drawr
DrawTwit

And, aside from drawing small little sketch blips in SAI or Manga Studio, having a side little doodle palette online is actually a lot of fun, and it helps to build interest from people in other countries thus stimulation connections between users.

--------------
OKAY, so now that the intro is out of the way I wanted to break down how to use these sites or how I understand it thus far starting with Pixiv Chat:

• #1:   "Now on Air" means that the user created a canvas and is actively drawing in the client. To join them, click inside the blue square (and I will cover that screen a little later).
• #2:   This is the topic or what the user is doing in the chat. Sometimes, I noticed, people will create different rooms for different things. I've seen rooms range from adult themed inflation to yaoi to random girly doodles. 
• #3:   This is the user's name
• #4:   This tells you how many people are in this persons room. 
• #5:   I'm not sure what the Japanese says but I think it means: "My page". If you're using the client for the first time it will ask you to log in and all you need to do is log in with your pixiv account ID.
• #6:   The "Help" Button
• #7:   "Log out"
• #8:   This is a typical search bar. I would use the Japanese tags if you're looking for something. For instance if I wanted to find someone drawing "Slayers" stuff I would instead type "スレイヤーズ"
• #9:   I believe these are popular tags or recent tags. I'm not quite sure.  

Page Two:

(Inactive Room or Expired Session)

• #1:   The screen with the giant "Play" button on it is a recording of the session thus far or, if the session has expired, is simply a recording of that session. A few days ago I held a little Slayers: Xellos session to learn the client and using it as an example.
• #2:   These are occasional static snapshots that Pixiv takes. I'm not sure how frequent these are but it allows you to click on and it will pop up in another window as an image file.
• #?:   I'm unsure what this box does...really.
• #3:   The "Subject Line" of the chat room
• #4:   Tags list
• #5:   A description box. 
• #6:   Pixiv user information with a clickable link to my user profile.
• #7:   A list of users will pop up in this box. Since I was the only one in my room it just counts me.
• #?:   Not sure what this box does either...
• #8:   A handy-dandy twitter button. This will notify your followers that you are currently in chat or if you want to share what you've done.
• #9:   Same thing only a link if you want to post it in FB or another area of the net.

Active room changes:

• #1:   If you click a live room this is what the side bar will look like.
• #2:   "Log in with your pixiv account"
• #3:   "Log in as a guest"

"My Page" (page 3)

• #1:   "Create Room" button
• #2:   "To use this software, you must have Java installed" ..I think.
• #3:   A view of my user history

------------------------

Alrighty!

This is the first installment to the Interface at Pixiv chat. The next blog post I'll go over how to create a room and the third I'll talk about the actual drawing client!

A little angry...

 As I stated in a previous blog I've been pretty upset all day. First, WoW isn't working the way it should which is annoying  because when I can't get my pen moving I like to relax with some video games. But no. That was a bust. Second, my computer magically erases 2 chapters of my doujinshi which was enough to make me cry. Seriously. Sob..like a little kid. Mostly because of the kind of work that goes into creating a comic book of any variety and..poof. Gone. The stress was enough to give me a monster sized headache that attacked me all day long. /ugh

To be honest though I'm not really worried about the WoW thing but my art? Shit. I could have punched puppies I was so mad.

And lastly, I got into a sort of shit fight with my sister. I hate fighting with my family mostly because it opens up old wounds that have seriously yet to heal. Talking to them reminds me of just how hated and neglected I was as a youngster and even now. They have a special way of making me feel useless, worthless, unwanted and only good to be around if they want something. And the excuses for the neglect are unbelievable half the time but...I think over time I've become numb to the thoughts until we start to converse and she was being particularly disrespectful.

Anyway, it's been emotional and irritating but I'm still pushing forward regardless. Giving up is just not in my base programing. I drew these little bits to calm myself down and think a little bit. The first one is Xellos and Lina Inverse from Slayers (I'm working on a doujinshi so it'll be Slayers fanart for a while!). I actually drew this last night but kept tweaking it and this is the final result. The second one was ...well, the calming piece.

Usually when I get pissed off like earlier I draw angry art but not tonight. I decided to draw something a little calmer, sensual even. I think my wonderful crack OTP is perfect subject matter for my learning experience and they have a fond place in my crooked little mind. The intent was to calm but I still feel pretty tense. I think I need some sleep so...off we gooooo!

Sketches volume 1

For your face: Bunch of Slayers stuff. WEE!

 <---this one was for a forum post "Draw the poster above you" ...nobody drew for me but dammit, I sure did for them. Oh well.

 Luna MUST tortured everyone she comes across. This was a question posed to me. Seriously, you should all know better.

 <--this was a follow up sketch to "Eve of Battle"

 Ubrizael; an angel and a jerk.

（￣□￣；）

 Lina Inverse for Deb Aoki @About.com It was her birthday so.. Yeah!

 LS request. Timmy says "Xellos eating a donut!" And this is the result.

 Gaav. I think "Chaos Dragon" sounds f*kin cool as hell.

 Ummm...pokemon.

 Luna, Xellos, Spot. And a butterfly.

 Gourry for the ever awesome HLrespect!!

<--Milgazia and Filia

Gourry and Lina-->

 Ok, loads of art.

New paintings #1

Well, it's been a day of...irritation. Earlier today I discovered that Chapters 6 and 7 of my doujinshi was deleted and all I did was restart my computer.

Thanks windows!

Anyway, it's ok...I'll just redraw it and be back on the road.

Here are some new paintings!

"Eve of Battle" Xellos and Luna Inverse beating each other up. I really like the way this came out though I know it still needs some work...for my next piece, it'll be a lot better.

"Bleeds Light" Luna Inverse from Slayers

"Path of Destruction" Lina Inverse from Slayers. Working on background and foreground integration as well as composition and color.

Art Block PART 1

This is an old post from DA that still has merit. Please enjoy.

Out of the 805 people that voted on the last poll (ON DA), 507 of you have asked to bring back guides, advice and tutorials on how to break art block.

So with that observation I have decided to reinsert my time into the community as I still have great faith that each and every one of us has the patience, talent and potential to start our respective projects and persist even in the harshest environments.

Let's start from the top: What causes art block?

Trends and Industry Health

As it stands the illustration community, be it video games, comic books, animation, etc. Has taken a great nose dive into the concrete in recent years, especially if you live in the land of the free, home of the brave.


I have noticed that industry trends can have an adverse effect on those of us who wish to create what we feel are great works of art and collections of love-laboring. With a drowning industry and seeing our favorite books and videos being removed from all distribution channels we begin, in the back of our minds, to lose heart in our own pushes forward.

It has an even more negative effect on those of us who believe we were made for nothing else but story creation and art. It's as if we are chasing a speeding train that has what it needs to survive on the bones but not what it needs to plump up.

This may seem like meaningless information but...

The industry shapes how we draw and what sort of stories we tell. Many notice that vampires, zombies, ninjas and samurai are popular in the mainstream and then create stories and characters based on that thinking theirs will also be popular only to find that it doesn't work. And if it does, it's because people are 1) looking for it and 2) the art or story compensates for lack of the other.

If you do see your numbers go up through that strategy, it's only because it's been tossed in the corner with people who are already fans of these subjects.

Another problem we seem to run into a lot around here, especially on DA, is the fanart issue. DA has bred a place where fanart gets the most unintentional praise than original works and if you do happen to post an original that does well it's because you're :devgenzoman:.

This fanart versus original art thing has REALLY disheartened an entire generation of artists that I believe to be devastating to the health of our community. The fact that a poorly drawn MLP doodle can acquire 1000+ hits but an original piece that took days barely breaks 100 views.

Using DA as a gauge to track your progress...?

This is probably a terrible idea as well. I used to think that's what the pageview numbers were for. That each hit told me that people were at the very least noticing my work and the more people visited, the more motivated I would be to create something new. Personally, I have broken myself out of this thought process a long time ago but that doesn't mean it's still not a rampant reality for others. I stopped caring about the numbers and started focusing on the fact that my projects were moving forward. I was doing my absolute best at that time and using my various projects to continue to improve. Slowly, but at least it's moving forward.

But these numbers can be disheartening BUT it can tell you how you truly feel about your art when you take a step back from it.

But DJ! (;O;)

Now, now, don't cry...

A problem many of us face is that we don't push ourselves or attempt daring ideas. We all have these ideas: I want Character A to stand in the middle of the page striking a bad ass fighting pose.

Cool, we have the parameters but define "Bad ass" Define "fighting" Define "middle of the page". As artists we have to break each element down like scientists looking for the God Particle. As artists, we have to put words with our work and let that sense of expression come out.

Now let's say you finish this masterpiece and you post it on DA. You feel good about it. Colors are awesome and well placed, the background reinforces your message, your character is posed beautifully and everything about the composition screams "I DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION" But it only receives 132 views.

Quite the slap in the face, huh? You thought it would be the one. You thought you worked hard on it. You thought that you had overcome some soul-gnawing hurdle that you were trying to overcome for months. This original thing you want to blurt to the entire planet! But, no. 130 dev views.

Even the most introverted comic book artist I have ever met posts their work on this site (and many others) because they want to share with the world the things they feel they can't say out loud. But this dev view system really has a way of kicking you in the teeth when you feel you've attempted that very feat. So we retract.

We begin to question our push forward and that hinders our movements. Especially if you're like me and have to teach yourself everything you know through observation, tutorials and books. We see these numbers and trends, these people passing us up as road blocks that crash to the ground every time we feel we're at our current goal.

^----This can all cause art block.

Personal problems and financial burdens

It's a craptastic economy, we're all mostly in debt and even worse off if you're an artist and there are no jobs that match your skill set. Tensions are high, anxiety shaking you to the bones. Political upheaval every time you turn on the TV.

Life sux

The things in our lives tend to either block us from going forward or push us in the desired direction..or even back, if you're a scientist. ...you know. As Nian said in Stargate SG-1: "I am a scientist. A step in any direction is still progress." _{...something to that effect.}

Here's what you do:

(and yes, I'll be following my own advice and if it works for me, I'll be starting an Artist Anonymous group, right here on DA.)

First, if you're having a problem in your life that is getting in the way of your creative energy I would say, instead of trying to draw through it, try taking care of that problem first. If the problem is time sensitive, ie you can't drop everything to tackle it like Emmitt Smith in the good ol' days then don't worry about it until you CAN take care of it.

Once this problem has been kicked off the edge of the cliff like Smeagol in the lavas of Mount Doom, reflect upon any life lesson this problem may have taught you and pat yourself on the back. You not only learned something for later in life but you also learned something your dear original characters can use in your story process later.

Another idea is to become excited about the problems in your life. I know this seems like a bizarre approach but if you head into what appears to be a bad situation with a gung-ho 'tude from the get-go, you can inspire the people around you like a beacon of hope that any problem can be overcome with a little positive influence.

If you're like me and "positive" just isn't in your programming, might I suggest 'calm' at the very least. But I have a horrid temper so...yeah. :|

Carry a sketchbook

I say this all the time but if you're a serious artist and want this to be your thing you need to be drawing all the time, even during bad times. I know this is sort of contradictory to what I just got done rambling about but sketching, at the very least, will also help you get through a problem. Use that opportunity to draw expressions or gestures that require a little more...passion (anger) behind the lines. Use that energy and turn it into art.

Try other forms of art

Always wanted to try paints? AWESOME! Do it when you feel you can't draw. Pull up some how-to on color mixing and teach yourself about the color wheel and how to use gamut masks. Get some super sculpy and create a model for whatever reason makes you feel happy.

Try a craft. Buy some wood and make a clock or a weird looking spice rack for your mother (or father or anyone who likes to cook) /thumbsup

Listen to some music

Go to Pandora or another radio station and flip the stations to different genres. Let the tunes guide you. Maybe you'll even find another type of music that speaks to your creative soul and opens up new ideas and avenues you would have otherwise not considered.

I listen to different genres when I'm drawing different things. Dubstep for fanart, alternative and showtunes for my original work, ambient and electronic for random not-categorized art. There's an entire musical world out there that reinforces everything you do. Music can also hinder you. If you're listening to a song and you feel the urge to slaughter Alliance Gnomes in WoW instead of drawing, flip the station until your hands feel like sketching. :nod:

:iconforthehordeplz:

"Copy" someones art

I hate this but it's worth mentioning.  We all do it, we've all done it and if you say you haven't you're a dirty, rotten liar.

Go to your favorite persons DA or art piece and find the one that inspires you the most. Put it side by side a blank canvas in your program of choice and draw the ENTIRE composition, top to bottom. Color it if it's colored, add all the details...you get the picture.

NOW WHEN YOU DO THIS: Don't copy the STYLE of the persons work. If you're working on your own anatomy style or line style, use your own twists and turns to guide you through the process.  For example if I wanted to draw this:

"Mommy Dearest" -Pupukachoo on DA

I would draw Xellos the way I normally draw him. (I would also not post this rework if I ever did it)

Do this a few times. You'll not only learn something but you'll begin to train your brain into the kind of work and time it takes to create a masterpiece.

(I wouldn't post these compositions though due to trolls but if you do, put them in your scraps or post the original next to yours and let the original artist know what you're doing. As long as you give advanced warning most people are pretty cool about that sort of thing... Most...)

Exercise your body and mind

Yeah, go stretch, go for a walk, read some books on astrophysics JUST because you can. (can you all tell I like space yet?) Go dig holes in the ground and find some feldspar.... Explore another interest or something you've always liked to try.

For me? I've always wanted to take a horse out onto the plains with a telescope and a dog and stargaze.

These are also life lessons. The more you learn, the more art material you have to work with in your head and the better your stories will be because you'll have experience.

Museums are also gold mines of ideas and innovation.


---------------------------------

This post is humongous. It is for a reason and if I actually sat down and applied more thought into this journal, it would be a book.

A VERY LONG and SNARLING MONSTER of a book!

    

Like this one!

Only with an angry Leonardo DaVinci on the front posed like Uncle Sam in those propaganda posters telling you to buy war bonds.

Yeah...

It's finished!

One Law by *djwagLmuffin on deviantART

So I finally finished it and posted it a few days ago...and now that *I've* had a chance to look at it again, I'm thinking my shadows might need some improvement BUT tis a giant step forward, people! FORWARD!

My goal for the next month and a half is to settle on a coloring style. I'm also still studying manga when I have a minute as well as trucking forward with both my original title and Doujinshi. I'm hoping to be finished with Slayers: Divine by December/January. Which could totally happen if I stick my nose to the grind stone. I'm also looking at attempting to apply for Comiket 2013 so...let's hope it works out.

Ayee, processes!

 

So here I am with my first art process blog. I posting this because I'm hoping in doing so I can formulate new avenues of approach and also allowing people to give me opinions on a better platform then DA. This way you and I can see the step by step  way I execute my compositions without me having to reload and hope that someone notices the changes.

Anyway, the top portion was the finished line work for Luna Inverse, Lina Inverse's big sister in the Slayers universe. She is an enigma of a character that I have taken a great fascination with. She and I connected on some level, mostly because as personality and situations go we have a lot in common. She's militant, I'm militant. She's a waitress, I'm a waitress. She's the oldest, I'm the oldest. She's scary, I'm scary. I swear it's creepy. Except I would NEVER wear that GOD AWFUL pink thing she's wearing. Ever. NEVER*.

*You know...unless I somehow managed to land myself an otaku boyfriend who was into that sort of thing... >.>

***ANYWAY***

I eventually finished the background characters as shown below. I believe Gourry and Dilgear (aka Spot) still need a little bit of work and I might tinker with Xellos a bit more just to give them some more life but we'll see. I don't want them to overpower Luna who is the exhibition in this piece. 

I then laid out the first run with colors. Again, I think the pink she wears is just terrible. It's doesn't say "I'm the most powerful human in the world" at all BUT that's one of the reasons why I like this character so much. She's insane powerful (as my interpretation of her goes) and you would have never known by these colors. For her traveling outfit I mix some deep violet, teal (to compliment her hair) and silvers. 

I am still trying to find my thing. My technique..something that is recognizable as mine, but I'm not sure how well that's working out. Granted, people know my style and the way I draw but not the way I color. I know I can do much better and I've been practicing, I promise. For the bottom preview, I started working more with different tools: Water, marker and blend. I like them all except the marker tool. For some reason I can't get them to reproduce the results I want that others seem to get. When I watch videos on SAI nobody talks about what tools and settings they use so I generally have to wing it. Lately I've just been watching the video and working towards my own results and I've gotta tell you, I've dabbled in just about everything, but I think it may be coming around. I think my use of colors will also improve once I figure it out.

 And finally we move onto where I am now. I finished her skin, hair and boots and changed her top to white, following a little closer to her canon picture. I also adjusted the color of her boots just a touch. Another problem I tend to have is I think too far ahead with my work. I'm always trying to rush so taking my time and doing a good job is a recent phenom. There's another piece that has stark light behind my Troll hunter and that one is kicking my ass. It's not the detail I'm having problems with, it's lighting and color choices. So this is going to be a good test, but I'll tell ya'. I have about 4 pieces I haven't submitted because I had the expressed intention of coloring them but am hesitating. 

I promise I'm working on it. I want to get better so the message I'm trying to convey in my stories will come across better. especially in my colored pieces.

~DJ~