Crystal Shadows: Page 013

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And we begin chapter 3 with a colored manga page! o(^^o) I miss making these!

Now you guys know where that “100+ Likes” panel is from! And also, Dylan’s hair color is officially green! ヾ(ｏ･ω･)ﾉ I wonder if revealing that will make him lose some of his bishie points? (‘◇’)? Uh oh…

I should tell you guys though, that I’m taking a little break from webcomic making after this update! (;*´Д`)ﾉ I’m really sorry, but my sister is here for the holidays, so I haven’t been able to focus of drawing for the past 2 weeks! ヽ(ﾟｰﾟ*ヽ) I already have the next few pages penciled out, but it’s going to take some time to ink and tone them! I’m about ready to collapse from physical exhaustion. ヾ(×× ) ﾂ

Hope your holidays were all well spent! For me, I’m missing my bed, and I will take a long sleep after the New Year is over… Σ(￣。￣ノ)ノ Zzzz…

The Many "Yukee"s of Honey

Santa knows I’ve been good this year which is probably why I received my Christmas presents early! (≧▼≦；)

~Originally from here and here~

Honey Den seems to have taken a liking to Yukee! （⌒▽⌒ゞ Just look at these gorgeous portraits! And the priestess one is colored traditionally too! How awesome is that?! ヽ(≧∇≦)ノ

Ayiii~ Thank you so much once again! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) ♫･*:.｡. .｡.:*･ I will add these to the gallery page once I’m done with the Christmas celebrations! I’m already so sleepy as it is, but hey! Christmas only comes once a year right? I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday even much more than me! (*´・ｖ・) Merry Christmas!

Crystal Shadows: Page 012 (Holiday Contest!)

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And now, ladies and gentlemen, the final page for the second chapter! ☆*:.｡.ヽ(^。^)丿

Hm… I seem to have forgotten to add the “To be continued” text for the web version, but nevermind that! What’s important now is that I have a little game for you to play! (*~▽~)

There are seven background characters in this page. (Actually, there are 8, but you can hardly see him in this tiny version!) (≧▼≦；) And since I’m feeling the holiday spirit, the first one to correctly guess all 7 characters (or the one with the most correct guesses) by December 24, 12mn +8 GMT will receive a portrait art of the character of their choice! ヽ(*≧▽≦)ﾉ～♪

Only those who comment on this blog are eligible to win. Facebook, Smackjeeves, and Reddit comments will not be accepted. Remember, you must include your name and email address in your comment.

And of course, I will give you a few clues:

• Panel 2 contains the first three characters, who are all related in one series.
• Pane 6 contains 2 originals and 2 fan arts.
• Technically, the 2nd original in panel 6 can also be considered as an original character.

That’s all the clues you’re going to get, so good luck and start commenting! (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ

Afterlives Symphony

I don’t know why I did it, but I’m doing it anyway. o(^^o)

I’m not a huge fan of a voting-based art competition on Facebook mainly because I’m not popular, ﾍ(￣ ￣;ﾍ) but I decided to try it out anyway!

So if you like thise piece and happen to have Facebook, please help!

• Like Afterlives
• Like my entry
• Profit ψ(｀∇´)ψ

Oh, and check out the Art Competition Album and give a like to the pieces that you-… well, like! It’ll make someone’s day brighter! (*´・ｖ・) Thank you~

Karma: Chapter 2: The Complete Collection

It’s finally here! ヽ(；▽；)ノ And it’s so shiny! I didn’t even use flash for this photo and the second books looks like it’s actually glowing! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Don’t be fooled though, the “third” cover on the right is actually the back cover of the 2nd book. But I worked really hard in drawing that tarpaulin that I figured I ought to immortalize it in print, no? ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

And I have a teeny surprise for the fans~

We’ve included a fanart gallery for this page, which features all of the artwork I’ve received from this series! *(*´∀｀*)☆ I hope no one minds! I added each of the artists’ website there too, so I hope you guys will also get a lot of publicity for your work! ～(^з^)-☆

I should add a “Previously on Karma” page next time. It looks as if we just jumped the gun with this for those who only purchased book 2. (>‸<)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! And feel free to contact me if you have any questions and stuff~ ヾ(･ω･*)ﾉ

WIP: A Firey Christmas

So who in the what and the where is this?

It’s for my secret santa (or secret baby?)! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) ♫･*:.｡. .｡.:*･ We’re not suppose to show our works before Christmas, but I think this screenshot doesn’t really reveal anything. I gave him some different clothes too, so there’s no way anyone can tell who this is.（⌒▽⌒ゞ

But for something that I will post on Christmas day, s/he looks so gloomy. (,,#ﾟДﾟ)

Crystal Shadows: Page 011

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(;*△*;) I was kinda hoping she wouldn’t do that but…

Anyway, this chapter’s almost done! And I seriously need to work on new pages, because I’m way behind schedule! But with Christmas coming up, and a few more orders on my desk, I’m just about ready to cry!

But no, no, no… I must keep my head up! (ノД`)・゜・。This sort of busy-ness doesn’t happen everyday! I just need to finish them one at a time!

Oh, and I’m getting some feedback that some of the readers actually like Dylan better than Jeremy. (´・ω・)ﾉ That makes me happy, because at first, Dylan was only going to appear in the first few chapters, then fade away into the background. With this kind of feedback though, I’m beginning to think that I should make him one of the main characters of Crystal Shadows. (*~▽~)

I should write the next installment and have Taichou look through it. ≖‿≖

In any case, please enjoy and advance happy holidays! ☆*:.｡.ヽ(^。^)丿

Thank You!!! ♥

This was supposed to be for the 100th like on my Facebook page, but I couldn’t really decide what to draw! (*≧m≦*) I ended up cropping one of the panels for future pages and changing the dialogue for the commemoration. (≧▼≦；)

Something to look forward to, maybe? And thank you once again~ m(_ _)m Here’s hoping there will be another 100! Or more! （⌒▽⌒ゞ

Karma - the Concluding Paragraph on Sale December 9!

I’ve got the official announcement that Karma’s 2nd book will premier at the ANIMAX Carnival in Robinsons Place Manila! (ノ,,#ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ Woohoo~! Once you buy this book, the Second Chapter should make some kind of sense, but then again, even my own editor decided to make her own conclusions after reading it. Ehehe~ (｡･ω･｡)

I don’t think I’ll be able to go the event, but I will try to pass by… It’s my sister’s birthday on the 9th, and the family will get cranky if I’m not there for the festivities. ヾ(･ω･*)ﾉ

Anyway! I hope you will support this starving artist and buy yourself a copy! It will make my Christmas all better~ (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) ♫･*:.｡. .｡.:*･

EDIT: As according to Raykosen, 50 lucky attendees will get a chance to get this manga for FREE! And the convention itself is free admission so make sure to pass by! ♥ヽ(≧∇≦)ノ♥

Crystal Shadows: Page 010

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I wallow in misery as the rest of the Philippine Rurouni Kenshin fans are rejoicing over the epicness of the latest live action movie! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ︵ ┻━┻ What kind of RK fan misses the first day screening?!

Probably one like me who is neck deep in reports among many other things. Le sigh… ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ)

Anyway, enough of my fail and on to the latest manga! I think I may have drawn Dylan to tall… or maybe Erin’s just short?
ﾍ(￣ ￣;ﾍ) Dylan is a basketball player after all, so it’s natural that he’s taller than most of his classmates I guess. It’s a stereotype, I know, but you need the height to be exceptional in that sport!

Yes I speak from experience because I am short and I had to take basketball for physical ed in college. (シ_ _)シ My team lost every. Single. Game. (¬▂¬)

Oh! Those four panels in the bottom of the page is actually just my excuse of wanting to draw the characters’ head shots… a lot. (*´・ｖ・) I enjoy drawing close ups very much~

Oh No! Manga at Iloilo Comic Con ♥

I don’t usually post photo of my manga by other people in this blog, but I really had to share this one in particular~ ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

This was taken by Comeec at the Iloilo Comic Con a few days ago. And look at the perfect timing! Someone was checking out my book! ♪(┌・。・)┌ Who are you, stranger with a beautiful hand? o(^^o)

And it gets me wondering, did they like it enough to buy the book? Or did they think it wasn’t worth their well-earned moonies? Or maybe they were just passing by and really bored and…

Ok, I’m over thinking this, but yey~ Thanks for taking the photo! ～(^з^)-☆ And if you want to see other fans’ photos of my books, check out the album on Facebook!

Crystal Shadows: Page 009

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I thought Thursday was tomorrow! (¬д¬。) What is wrong with you internal body clock?! щ(ಥДಥщ)

Anyway, now you know what, or rather “who” Erin saw in the previous page! o(^^o) I wonder if this will make the whole elementary – high school timeline thing a wee bit clearer?

I don’t know about you guys, but I love Jeremy with his fluffy hair and glasses better than his clean cut look. And in case you’re wondering: yes, he’s still as blind as a bat… he’s just wearing contact lenses now. Whoever told him to do that is really mean. ♪(┌・。・)┌

Oh well, I need to work on those other pages now. But with the current “end of the world” scheduled on December 21, maybe I don’t need to work on page 13 onwards. ～(^з^)-☆ ROFL~

Sketch Dump: Sakura

Suoh requested to see my other attempts at drawing Yuuki’s original character, Sakura, since I’d mentioned the final illustrated was already the 4th attempt.

After I went through my PSD files, however, I realized that I stand corrected:

There were five other attempts making the final one my sixth instead of my fourth! (º_º) How could I have failed myself 5 times and not even remember it?! (＊0＊;)

Oh well, I guess I could just tell you guys more about them since I would probably never finish these…

• Green (right-most) – attempt number 1, which was supposed to be a “mirror” to EL’s illustration. I was going to give Sakura a pair of silver moth wings with similar designs EL’s butterfly wings, but I somehow got bored with this even though the lineart’s almost finished. I think the pose is… awkward? (‘◇’)?
• Pink (middle-top) – attempt number 2, I think I was reading too much Kuroshitsuji then which explains the pose and Victorian-styled clothing. (・_・ヾ Obviously a half-hearted illustration, since I couldn’t get the expression on her face to come out the way I wanted.
• Blue (upper-left) – attempt number 3, and I used a reference photo for this pose. Still not what I was looking for, but the action pose was something I liked, but couldn’t get. (;*´Д`)ﾉ
• Red (middle-bottom) – attempt number 4, I knew I wanted to draw her sword at this point, the pose was ok, and I even started inking. I don’t even remember why I stopped drawing her, because out of the five, I would probably pick this one to finish if I had to. ヽ(ﾟｰﾟ*ヽ) Maybe I can use this for something else one day.
• Purple (bottom-left) – attempt number 5, which was inspired from something I saw in Deviant Art, I think. It was a character that looked like she was falling deeper under water, but after I sketched my attempt, it looked rather depressing. (一。一;;)

There you have it folks! Hope you enjoyed looking at my fails… ψ(｀∇´)ψ I have a lot more in my hard drive and if this is interesting to you, let me know, and I might end up sharing more.

Crystal Shadows: Page 008

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And we're back with page 8! ヾ(ｏ･ω･)ﾉ Woohoo~! We’re on a roll!

Ok, maybe not. But today does mark the official debut of our resident bishounen, Dylan Reese, even if he only appears through Amilia’s and Hailey’s thoughts. ヽ(･ω･ゞ)

That “sparkly” second panel unfortunately reminds me of Edward Cullen, haha~! ヽ(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ Maybe that’s the reason why I don’t like this page very much. I don’t know what it is about this page, but I struggled with it quite a bit. I asked my editor for her opinion, but she said the page looks fine, if not a little boring because nothing’s really going on. ヾ(×× ) ﾂ

Well, boring or not, I need to get a new character page out for Crystal Shadows. Heck, I should do that for Karma too, seeing that the second book will be released soon, but the lazy in me is saying I should keep working on these pages before I run out of stuff to show you guys. （ー△ー；）

Oh well, back to the drawing board for me! Tomorrow that is… I worked on that cover for two night straight and I’m too sleep deprived to think straight! I think I earned a sleep in… Enjoy the page… Σ(￣。￣ノ)ノ Zzzz…

Oh No! Manga: Karma – the Concluding Paragraph

Sorry for the long wait! (>‸<) But I’ve finally submitted the pages for Oh No! Manga’s publication! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ Here’s a look at what the cover will look like~ ♥

The second book will contain the concluding paragraph of Karma: the Second Chapter, as well as a few goodies inside~ I’ll be sharing this issue with Raykosen’s D.ICE, so please watch out for it! (｡･ω･｡)

Details to follow as soon as I find out anything along the grapevine. Hope you guys will love this as much as the first one! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

And just in case you haven’t noticed, this artwork is inspired by Enjelicious’ Sword Art Online Fanarts. I don’t know how she makes her colors look so amazing, but hey, I tried. *(*´∀｀*)☆

WIP: Angel

Currently working on this for the cover of the concluding half of Karma on Oh No! Manga.
(｡･ω･｡) I’m thinking about using the same “prayer” as the first cover for this or if I should add a new one, but my creative juices are all dried up thanks to this deadly deadline. ٩(×̯×)۶

Oh well, back to work for me! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ Hope you guys like how it looks so far. I’ll announce when the new book will be released as soon as I find out. ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

Crystal Shadows: Page 007

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And here we are at page 7! Yey~ *(*´∀｀*)☆

…doesn’t really say much about anything at the moment does it? Well, I must say, this is probably one of the most annoying pages yet, although I’m not exactly sure why. It just took me longer to finish this than what I’d originally anticipated, but in the end, my 3D rendering skills were tried, tested, and honed a wee-bit~ (n˘v˘•)¬

Yup, the model for Crescent Academy is done by me from the ground up. （＾ｖ＾） Although technically what you see here is all I really have of the school for now. I’m no architect, so I’m not sure how to design a proper school building for goodness sake! (°◇°;) Haha~

Oh yes, this is set in present day! So page 7 is the start of the main storyline. Don’t worry though! I have plenty of back stories to tell, so you’ll get to see more of long-haired Erin in the future! ( ・ω・)

Some did comment that Erin looks like a boy in a skirt with this hairstyle. (。┰ω┰。) Uhuhu~ I’m sorry! I tend to draw my girls as boys and my boys as girls apparently! I will do my best to improve on this in future pages! (o;TωT)o For now, please enjoy page 7~!

Sailor Moon Fever

There’s a Sailor Senshi fever going around Indie Komiks Manila, and it looks like the bug’s finally bitten me. (＊0＊;)

It’s no secret that Rei Kuassary’s design is inspired from Sailor Moon herself, so coming up with her Sailor Senshi design was fairly easy. ヾ(･ω･`｡) This would be her Karma version though, not the one from A.illusions.

However, for Crystal Shadows, it was far more challenging.

The girl in the middle would be Erin, but it felt kinda lonely that she was all by herself. I haven’t introduced a lot of girls in the series yet, so I decided to use Jeremy and Dylan.

…yes, that’s Jeremy on the left, and Dylan on the right. ヽ(　￣д￣;)ノ Hey! The Starlights were also “men” when they were humans and became girls when they transformed!

There’s a special place in hell for me isn’t there? Oh my gosh! щ(ಥДಥщ)

In case you want to try making your own Sailor Soldier or any other doll for that matter, check out Doll Devine for more awesomeness~ （￣ー￣）

Nekomimi Rika

I wanted to try another way of coloring black hair, and Japanise Sakuras’ character, Rika, seemed like the a good candidate to try it on.

Remember xxxHolic? How Yuuko’s hair is always a flat black while the rest of the illustration is a nice wash of watercolor?

I tried to do that here, but in the end, I caved and added little highlights here and there. I don’t know how CLAMP can make it so flawlessly epic. Σ(-`Д´-ﾉ；)ﾉ

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this piece too! (*ノ・ω・) Now to get some work done! ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟゞ)

Crystal Shadows: Second Leaf

Sorry guys! Just the chapter cover for this week, hehe~ (*-`ω´- )人 I need to work on future pages for this manga before I run out of pages to share! Hopefully you guys aren’t tired of looking at Erin yet, what with her being posted as a WIP, Studio 4 Eyes cover, and even appearing in the Komikon post..! At least you got to see her as a witch I suppose? ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

In any case, check back next week for the start of the next chapter! “ヽ(´▽｀)ノ” Thanks for always passing by! (◕‿◕✿)

Yuuki’s Sakura

I don’t know what it is about these art trades, but this is a record breaking 4th attempt in drawing Yuuki Hanabusa’s original character, “Sakura”! She finally came out the way I wanted her to! But argh… the mere fact that it took me forever and a day to finish it is really upsetting to me! щ(ಥДಥщ)

Now I can work on these pending commissions and stop nitpicking this piece! I hope you like this Yuuki-chan! ( (ﾐ´ω`ﾐ))

Bewitchingly In Love

Belated Happy Halloween~! ψ(｀∇´)ψ

You know me… “This was supposed to be just a sketch, but I ended up spending too much time on it” as usual! ( ・ω・) Tori wanted to see the younger version of Erin in full color, but I think I played with her hair a wee bit too much. I’ll draw a “normal” version next time, but I hope this will do for now! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

Would you believe me if I told you my little nephew (then only 5 or 6 years young) taught me how to draw spider webs? (´ω｀♥)

Crystal Shadows: Page 005

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Alright, guys, here is page 5, which also marks the end of the first chapter! ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ Omedetou, Crystal Shadows!

Did anyone guess that this long, wavy haired and cheerful girl is actually the same as the short haired one? Well, I guess I should explain that when her hair was still long, she was actually only in elementary school! However, the two Erin’s are not many years apart, because she was already in Grade 6. What could have happened that made her change so drastically?

Well, you’re gonna have to wait for further installments because I wouldn’t want to spoil the story. ( ・ω・) The people who bought Studio 4 Eyes’ Debut issue are lucky, because they’ve already read the entire second chapter! Which makes me wonder, am I cheating that I’ve saved that many pages for the webcomic already? (´A`) Then again, after all that rushing, I need a break from manga making and get some real work done. Otherwise, my Christmas will be present-less! o(╥﹏╥)o

See you next week, guys, and I hope you enjoyed reading the fifth page! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ Happy Halloween!

The 8th Philippine Komikon: Aftermath

ANNOUNCEMENT: If you have any information regarding the theft of Ms. Alexa’s bag and Doc Carlo’s DSLR, please do not hesitate to contact Komikon.org. Thank you!

Another Komikon has come and gone, and this marks the second time that I was able to participate as a seller thanks to the amazing Raykosen and Studio 4 Eyes! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

As I mentioned before, Crystal Shadows has officially launched under Studio 4 Eyes with the main characters on the cover! It’s too bad we didn’t know exactly how and where we can print colored covers without burning a hole in our Editor’s pockets, but hey, we actually managed to sell all the copies! How cool is that?! ヽ(；▽；)ノ

Erin Kiraly Cosplay(?!)

As part of Studio 4 Eyes’ Debut, I wanted to do something that I’ve always wanted to try but was always too intimidated to do. (*-`ω´- )人

Cosplaying has always been an interest of mine, but like I said, I’ve always been too scared to actually do it. (*-ω-) For this particular character, Erin, she’s always been near and dear to my heart, so I wanted the indie debut to be as effective(?) as it could be.

And when I met Ray who is both a great mangaka and cosplayer, I decided to try this out and just do my best at the convention. (/ω＼)

Unfortunately(?), I’ve failed in capturing Erin’s personally since I was too excited about Komikon. She’s supposed to be wearing a “poker face” all the time, but I couldn’t help smiling at everyone who passed by our table! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

I’ll write more on Komikon later after I’ve taken photos of all my goodies~ For now, I hope you enjoy these test shots of me as Erin. I might take more photos that are actually “in character” later, but I need to have my jumper adjusted first!

For now, thanks to the amazing Loki’s Haven for my cosplay dress and last minute sewing(?) advice. And of course, to the most awesome cosplayer, Tracy, who gave me the most amazing crash course on how to cosplay! ＼(≧∇≦)／

And no guys, that’s not really my room, that’s our guest room which is a heck of a lot neater than my room! (^^ゞ

Studio 4 Eyes *Debut* at Winter Komikon 2012

We interrupt your weekly webcomic update to give you a special announcement:

Crystal Shadows will be debuting in Winter Komikon 2012 along with two other titles, “I HAN IT for Love” and “Team Gemini” under Studio 4 Eyes!

What’s more, Crystal Shadows will be on the cover of the special *Debut* edition! Limited copies will be available in Revel Circle’s table at the Indie Tiangge.

Komikon will be held at the Bayanihan Center on October 27, 2012. For details on how to get there, please refer to the official event page for further details.

See you there guys! And don’t worry, the webcomic will resume next week! ｡◕‿◕｡

WIP: Misaki-Taichou?!

What are you doing in Crystal Shadows? Are you torturing loving me through manga too??? щ(ಥДಥщ)

I think I may be working too hard, but Komikon is only a short week away, and here I am… still toning! (,,#ﾟДﾟ)

It looks as if even my characters are beginning to scold me for getting sick and taking a week off when I couldn’t really afford it, hahaha! (シ_ _)シ But not giving up, not giving up! Going back to work now, huff huff~! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Crystal Shadows: Page 004

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I’m so sorry!!! I forgot it was Thursday already! I was already finished with this, but I’m rushing to finish the indie version for Komikon! щ(ಥДಥщ)

That’s right guys, Crystal Shadows will be available next week in Winter Komikon 2012! ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ This is only the second time that I’ll be participating, but I’m really excited because I’ll be attending with Ray Magbanua, Misakichan, and Pochaco!

But more on that later~ Time to talk about the actual page itself!

Well, I don’t have time to color an icon for this anymore because as I said, I’m rushing things for Komikon, but some of the old readers will probably notice my Megatokyo influence with regards to the girl speaking in a foreign language. I’ve encountered the “< >” style added to the actual dialogue way back in 2004, and thought it was weird at first because you can just write it in the actual language anyway, right?

Wrong. (シ_ _)シ When I mixed languages for my other comics, a lot of people got upset. So that’s why Megatokyo stuck to one language.

Anyway, enjoy the page! More to come next week! ヾ(*´∇`)ﾉ

Crystal Shadows: Page 003

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Hi guys! Sorry for the few hours delay! My sister’s paying us a visit for about a week, so she’s taking up most of my time IRL. （ﾉ´д｀）

Anyway~ So we’re on to page 3! What to say about this page… well, Misaki-chan and I did have a little trouble with the first panel, mainly because we couldn’t decide on the sound effect! I mean, what would you choose to describe someone who stands up abruptly? ヘ(°￢°)ノ Sure, the girl slammed both hands on the table, but her chair would probably make a much louder noise as it’s being pushed away, right? And you can stand up quickly and put your hands on your desk without making a sound anyway! ヾ(・ω・ｏ)

And of course, I could be completely over thinking that again.ヽ(´Д｀ヽ) I like the second panel to be honest… Maybe I’m envious about her legs.

Oh, and you probably remember chibi Jeremy from the preview post. He’s still as adorable as ever, wouldn’t you agree? ｡◕‿◕｡

Ah well, time for bed! I got a few hours of sleep left before I need to run around with my sister again. Hopefully I can finish my pages for the Komikon release even with this distraction, ohoho~ (≧▼≦；) More news on that soon!

Crystal Shadows: Page 002

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Woohoo! Finally, we get to see the first page (or second page? eh?
(,,#ﾟДﾟ))!

And just a quick reminder for the new readers, you can read all the available pages for this series and many others in the Manga Section! (`･ω･´)ゞ

So what can I say about this page? Uh… well, how about this is the first time I’m using SketchUp for the backgrounds of my manga? That’s right~ I’ve leveled up from a 2D artist to a 3D one! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

Ok, not really… ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ I’m not very good at it for the moment, but learning this software does make drawing backgrounds a lot easier! So I highly recommend it!

But wait, would one consider that to be cheating? ヾ(×× ) ﾂ I’m not sure, but being that I’m only doing this on the side, I’ll take all the help I can get!

On another note, check out the 4th panel of this page. Just what is this lunch box filled with anyway? Roast chicken? Duck? And I just ate roast duck the other day, wheee~! (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this page! ヽ(；▽；)ノ Come back next week for another installment of Crystal Shadows!

Gift: Thank You

During the soft launch / premier of Crystal Shadows, I received this little sketch from my editor…

And all it took was an hour’s work on MS Paint with her trusty mouse! *(*´∀｀*)☆

What does it mean? Well, I’ll leave you to decide for yourselves. After all, this is fanart by Misaki-chan, and not official art, right? (─‿‿─) But if you wanna gossip about it, check out the link I provided, hm~?

Gotta run~! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

Crystal Shadows: First Leaf

Finally~! Today marks the soft launch of my new series, which I have lovingly entitled, “Crystal Shadows”! ヽ(*≧▽≦)ﾉ～♪

…ok, technically, the title was originally intended for another series which is a spin-off of Karma, but that’s not important! What’s important is that you guys can come back next Thursday for the first page of Crystal Shadows! ～(^з^)-☆

So what’s the title got to do with this series? Well, you’ll have to stick around to find out. See you all again very soon! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ ♥

***This manga is brought to you by the ever-lovable Misaki-chan, who has been constantly bullying me to get this drawn already! So give her lots of love too~ ♥

Gift: Cameo!

Lookie what I got~ ♥ヾ(･ω･*)ﾉ

Those would be my intrepid trio: Jeremy, Dylan, and Erin, making their first cameo appearance on Suoh12’s manga (the title of which I still do not know)! (*-`ω´- )人

See, the three of us, including our evil ever-loving editor Misakichan, have made a pact on Summer Komikon 2012 that we will release our new series in time for Winter Komikon 2012. So far, I’m behind schedule, and so is Suoh, so this pact is looking a little bleak. However! I’m not the kind of person who gives up until the very last second, so we’ll continue to work hard to release our independent manga on October 27! (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))

…I say this and yet I am off to play games on the PC. ヾ(×× ) ﾂ Sorry, but I need a break from this hectic schedule! (ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ

Anyway, please support my dear friends’ endeavors too! And hopefully, we three will see you all in Winter Komikon 2012! (´ω｀♥)

Preview: *wink~*

Dylan might think he’s seeing you guys soon, but I’m way behind schedule with this manga. Which makes me wonder why I’m wasting my time making a sneak preview of this rather than continuing with my toning. (¬､¬)

This guy’s beginning to grow on me though. (｡･ω･｡) I was worried about his hairstyle at first, but it does add to his charm~ (´ω｀♥)

…and a lightning strike just made me jump. ヾ(×× ) ﾂ I’ll post this quickly and step away from my PC now.

Gift: BOYS LOVE... NOT!!!!! by Misakichan

Oh dear goodness gracious..! I think I just died a little. (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))

It seems that after posting that preview of Jeremy and Dylan in one panel, it’s inspired even my own Editor to draw them… “together”. (＊0＊;)

The expression on Jeremy’s face on the first panel is killing me. ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ I’m afraid of printing this out and posting it on my wall because my mom often hangs out here with my brother to talk about stuff… (◕‿◕✿)

This is really putting on the pressure to make this a great looking manga though. (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ Guess I should stop writing and start drawing now. ヽ(･ω･ゞ)

Thank you again, Editor-san! (｡♥‿♥｡) Hope my mom doesn’t see this. ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

Gift: A.I. Rei by Android Rose

I’m feeling really spoiled with all this love. And how much Android Rose has improved is amazing! ヾ(≧∇≦)ﾉ Just look at that pretty smile!

For those who haven’t guessed yet, Android Rose used the name Marigold Sunset on Deviant Art before. She was one of the first few people who drew Rei when A.illusions premiered online. I still have her work here in case you’re curious.

Thank you again, Adi! This was such a nice thing to wake up to~ ヽ(；▽；)ノ

Gift: Bronies by Suoh12

One short day after posting that little preview, I received this from Suoh12:

Jeremy: "Surely, Fluttershy pales in comparison against Mr. Carrot Cake, puhleeease....Don't you agree with me Dylan?"

Dialogue by Suoh12 on Facebook

How did the boys end up watching “My Little Pony: Friendship” is Magic you ask?

I’m not completely sure myself, but I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with this:

Suoh12: Bromance!!!bronies!!!!brohoof!!!!
Me: OTL;;; I'm not familiar with the last two terms, LOL!
Suoh12: Seek and you shall receive!(at google that is...xD)
Misakichan: Those are terms for guys who like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I actually picked them up from Shijirou, though I'm not sure if he goes *brohoof!* XD
Me: ‎*begins picturing Jeremy and Dylan watching My Little Pony* LMAO~

Via a certain Facebook conversation

I laughed when I saw this image. (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ)) It looks like I will need to work very hard to finish this new series in time for its debut! Thanks again, Suoh~ Now I’m all pumped up to draw! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ

Preview: Jeremy Chan and Dylan Reese

I’m not sure if my monitor is acting up or the ground beneath me is shaking, but I do know that I’m seeing doubles on my desktop at the moment. (¬д¬。) Too bad… I wanted to work on this a bit more before showing it.

You might recognize Jeremy from my previous post (although that’s colored and this is a manga page), but the new guy on the right will be debuting here today. ヾ(｡･ω･｡) His name is Dylan Reese, a varsity basketball player who tends to be a little girl crazy. He’s Jeremy’s friend who finds Dylan’s antics to be a little tiring sometimes, but they like each other’s company anyway. ヽ(｡ゝω・｡)ﾉ

Dylan’s design literally came to me in a dream. (*´ω｀)o I had already fallen asleep thinking about a character design for him when this guy showed up. I took my time remembering his face and woke up about an hour after I slept (which felt like 5 minutes) and sketched him right away. In fact, this panel drawing is literally my first drawing of him. (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))

I think Dylan will turn into a strawberry-blond-haired, blue-eyed bishounen, but that’s just me wanting some eye-candy for myself. ～(^з^)-☆

How I Draw: Basic Structure

There have been some requests on my “lessons” from the Oh No! Manga Cosplay Camp 2012. (*ノ・ω・) I think there’s a possibility that we’ll be using the slides and artworks featured for the next convention, but I’ll give you guys the very basics on how I draw. (◕‿◕✿)

1. Stick Figure. Yes, for full body illustrations, I actually start by sketching a stick figure to make sure the character fits on the page. I don’t want to have to cut off any limbs just because I ran out of paper room. It’s a good way to get the pose right quickly or brainstorm something when I’m lacking inspiration.
2. Anatomy Check. The average person is about 7 heads high, but what does that really mean? (」ﾟヘﾟ)」Basically, you literally make an estimated measure of the character’s head, then double that measurement for the torso, upper leg, and lower leg. You don’t have to measure it with a ruler or anything crazy accurate like that! An estimate is all well and good.
3. Figure Drawing. This is where I draw all the curves and muscles. No clothing yet (ecchi!!! ヽ(-`д´-)ノ) because that’s the only way I’ll know how the clothes would fall to the body’s shape.
4. Inks. If I’m confident enough with how the whole thing looks, then I start inking. Nothing fancy with inking, just your basic black or brown lines.
5. Colors. I usually do flat colors first before adding light and shadow. ～(^з^)-☆

And that’s about it! If you have any questions, feel free to comment or like and share from my Facebook Page!

Oh, and please do let me know if you find this post interesting and if you’d like to see more tutorials? ヾ(｡･ω･｡) I might do more if there are requests and such~ Thank you~!

Preview: Erin Kiraly

Lyrics from “Darna” by Uchuusentai NOIZ~ ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉﾟ~♥

Some of you have probably guessed that my new webcomic will be featuring the characters I sketched last June. ヽ(≧∇≦)ノ I’ve finally decided on a name for her, so I’d like you to meet Erin Kiraly (and carrot?! ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━)!

Sorry, this is just a sneak peek for now… ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ I need to finish a few pages before I launch this on site. ♥

Preview: New WebManga

I had promised my new editor that I would post sneak peaks of the pages I’m working on… I’m still shy about posting the title of this new manga, but we’ll see in the coming days…~ Σ(-`Д´-ﾉ；)ﾉ

So far so good! ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉﾟ I’m still not done penciling the details of some of the panels, but page one is looking satisfactory already.

Page two looks ok too, but the first panel of this page is giving me a lot of trouble with the perspectives. Argh… o(~>.<)o if I could just draw the characters all day long, this would be finished a lot faster! (,,#ﾟДﾟ)

I’m glad I was able to settle on the names though… and the uniform too! Designing girl’s uniforms are crazy challenging! ( ´ω｀)

So, what do you think Misaki-chan? Does it look shoujo enough? (。-ω-)☆

Oh, and I’m just going to leave this close up of the chibi panel here… just ‘coz~ ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

I’m penciling page 3 now and I have cover ideas for the first and second chapter. This manga is flowing much easier for some reason, but designing the panels just… confuses me. (シ_ _)シ I don’t know how shoujo mangakas do this, haha… it’s uncharted territory!

Anyway, back to work before Editor-san catches me slacking off! ヽ(･ω･ゞ)

Soul Dice: Lan

Last Thursday, I met up with Renka-chan, author and artist of Soul Dice. We’ve been friends for a while and she’s given me two sketches of Rei while I have failed miserably in giving her anything. So the night before our lunch, I decided to at least sketch her something… anything! ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡

I somehow ended up deciding not to sleep so that I could ink and color this too… And what the heck? Lan looks like Saber from Fate/Stay Night! ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━

Well, I think Renka-chan liked it? (;*△*;) And that’s the important thing for me~ This was fairly small so that she can bring it with her to China if she’d like. ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

Colors died thanks to my scanner… But oh well, I tried! ( ´△｀) My shadow and lighting… why have you become nonexistent as soon as sleep is deprived? ((o(;△;)o))

Ah well… back to drawing I go! 〆(・∀・＠)