things of momentary interest...

Sakura Con 2012

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:13:48 -0400

And so, another Artist Alley is behind me. And it feels like a clear sign that retirement from Artist Alley, and probably anime conventions in general, is inevitable. I guess it’s my own fault for clinging to dying fandoms. In this case, Professor Layton and the Ace Attorney series. I made enough to just cover my registration fee and the cost of half the table. As far as materials, I’m seriously in the red. Even when I reduced the price of bookmarks, buttons and postcard sized prints to just $1. Few cared. Even those dressed in Ace Attorney or Layton cosplay. It was like they just had nothing else to wear. I dunno. Perhaps I’m a little embittered. It was my first time back at the bigger con after building up my variety of merchandise and my confidence at a smaller convention. But it seemed a little too late. Funny though. Someone was thumbing through my King of Fighters prints from years ago that I was trying to clear out. He mentioned that King of Fighters stuff is hard to find. I instinctively retorted that it’s even harder to sell. He found that unfortunate, but bought one of the Mai prints I had. I didn’t even bother trying to sell any of my L.A. Noire prints. I guess I just don’t have enough mainstream stuff to appeal to those who have money to toss. I guess that artist who flamed me for obtaining an artist alley table and “stealing it from hard working artists who work daily to produce art, while I took a year off from drawing” was right. I had no business getting a table.

So what does this mean for me as an artist? I don’t know… before Artist Alley happened, I wanted very much to continue to draw. And I’m going to try and hold myself to that. But I’ll let go of the silly notion that I can make money off of it. I guess as long as I draw stuff that I enjoy, then I should learn to be happy with that. If people like the work I do, then that’s a happy bonus. If no one does, well I say fuck it to try and draw stuff to pander to the masses. Because it will become pretty clear that it’ll show in my lines and gestures that I honestly didn’t give a fuck about the character or series that I was drawing to please anyone but myself. But oh well… lesson learned.

Good night and good luck.

type0positive: A little goody for the workers at the Colefan...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:29:32 -0500

type0positive:

A little goody for the workers at the Colefan Shipping Co. ;)

Cole: So… Is it everything you’ve ever dreamed of?

Stefan: And THEN some! But… which of us is going to be carrying the other through the doorway?

Happy Presidents’ Day from Roy Earle. Taker of bribes Ad...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:02:32 -0500

Happy Presidents’ Day from Roy Earle. ~~Taker of bribes~~ Ad Vice.

I wanted to get this done in time for the holiday, unlike my Bekowsky Valentine. Though once I started working on this one, I couldn’t get myself to stop til it was finished. :P

Art Progress.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:34:08 -0500

Well look at that? I have more followers than I have ex-boyfriends. :) That’s if I count the “would-be-ex’s” (aka the online guys who flaked out of meeting me in person because we were divided by a few states) and the actual ones. But anyhow, that’s not why I’m typing this up. :P

So. February is over half-over now. I’ve gotten a fair amount of drawing done as compared to the previous year. As far as new material for the upcoming Sakura Con Artist Alley, I’m sticking to my bread and butter, which is the Layton and Ace Attorney series. I’m sort of banking on the hype from the (at this point, Japan only) release of Professor Layton vs. Gyakuten Saiban/Ace Attorney, the recent announcement of Ace Attorney 5 (again Japan only because Capcom USA cares only about their fighters and their quasi-sequels) and the worldwide release of the Ace Attorney movie. I’m hoping to get all of my pencil work done by next week, and at the very least, color flats by the end of the month. Yes, the fact that I’m deadlining during the shortest month of the year is putting a bit more pressure on myself… by two days in comparison. :P

That’s not to say that I’m not going to continue drawing the gents of L.A. Noire. Of course, now that type0 is following me *waves* I feel a slight obligation to do a Jack Kelso piece. Which I will! Let’s just say I’m sooner to do a Kelso piece than say, a Galloway or Biggs piece. Not that Hersh isn’t a great character. But… I’m a might shallow as an artist. :P I do have a President’s Day piece in mind featuring Roy Earle. Yes, I am slightly obsessed with him… He and Bekowsky are like the Bad Boyfriend and Good Boyfriend archetypes… at least in my head. :P

So that’s what’s been new art-wise for me. Hopefully I’ll have accomplished what I’ve set out to do in the next two weeks. Because March will be all about cranking out the merch… and working on my Robin costume for Emerald City ComiCon. Kevin Conroy is going to be in attendance, and I want to see if I can get him to say something completely out of character in the Batman voice. :)

Happy Valentine’s Day! I realize that this is late for...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:07:00 -0500

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I realize that this is late for those a few timezones over, and it’s not my cleanest work, but I kinda quick sketched it on my commute home. It put a smile on my face during Singles Awareness Day.

Run, Phoenix! Run! My WIP counterpart to the Layton sketch I...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:22:16 -0500

Run, Phoenix! Run!

My WIP counterpart to the Layton sketch I posted a little while back. I’m currently finishing up my Luke sketch and will start Maya soon after.

Run, Layton! Run! I cranked this one out while at the Barnes...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:53:07 -0500

Run, Layton! Run!

I cranked this one out while at the Barnes & Noble cafe. This will eventually be a tote design. But more importantly, it feels good the get a sketch done in one sitting. Haven’t done that in a while.

Artistic Momentum

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:42:57 -0500

Well, Sakura Con Artist Alley is just a few months away. And I have the terrible habit of not getting enough done of what I plan on. That or I find myself trying to do too much last minute… or even worse at the hotel the night before the con. *shakes head* my table partner and I have decided that we need to avoid that this year. I also tend to draw from series that I like, which may not necessarily be what’s currently popular. So my sales are typically a mixed bag. But I’ve always done well with my Layton and Phoenix Wright merch. And since there’s the crossover coming out (in Japan) and the Phoenix Wright movie releasing in February (also in Japan only at this point), I’m thinking of doing more stuff from those series. Not that I plan on hanging up my love for L.A. Noire, but I don’t see it being a big seller. I dunno, maybe I’ll have my Bekowsky and Roy line-ups as mini-prints just in the random chance that someone’s interested. Anyhow, since posting to DA is so cumbersome, and I just kind of need to be away from there anyhow, I’ll be posting my sketches and progressive work here. So just a little something for the four of you who are following me at the moment. Heheh…

But in case any of you are interested in seeing my older work, my handle on Deviant Art and Yaoi-Gallery is also OtokoNoShufu.

http://otokonoshufu.deviantart.com/

http://yaoi.y-gallery.net/user/otokonoshufu/

Being that I’ve settled into a full time job with a pretty lengthy commute in the last few years, I’m not exactly cranking out the art pieces at the rate that I used to. For example. The year I went uber gung-ho and did a slew of Phoenix Wright chibis for keychains and mini-prints in the span of two months… that’s not happening this year. I guess that’s why I’m trying to simplify my style a little. That and I still prefer the feel of lead on paper over trying to draw directly onto photoshop with my tablet. I just can’t get it to feel natural. Anyhow, going to try and get more art posted more often. Thanks for checking in! ^_^

Stefan Bekowsky: “Pole” dancing. No, it’s not the Phelps or...

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:01:00 -0500

Stefan Bekowsky: “Pole” dancing.

No, it’s not the Phelps or Kelso line up sketches I probably should have started, but I felt the itch to do a sketch of Stefan doing the charleston… or something like it.

areyoujun: BAHKOWSKEE, Rusty, and that one...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:19:12 -0500

areyoujun:

BAHKOWSKEE, Rusty, and that one douchebag

Wow… there’s so much about this that I love. Really catchy tune in game as well. ^_^ If I saw this as a print for sale, I’d convulse and pass out. Then hopefully come to and buy the print. :P

Detectives Galloway (Michael McGrady) and Phelps (Aaron Staton)...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:36:10 -0500

Detectives Galloway (Michael McGrady) and Phelps (Aaron Staton) in mo-cap; and the in-game finished product, rowing along the tar pits looking for clues.

Worst first date EVER!!!

sirseahorse: stone cold dead in the market (he had it coming)...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:57:17 -0500

sirseahorse:

stone cold dead in the market (he had it coming) ~~///~~ ella fitzgerald & louis jordan

there is one thing that i am sure
he ain’t goin’ to beat me no more
so i tell you that i doesn’t care
if i was to die in the electric chair

download

I really love this song!!! That and I not-so-secretly would love to hear a mash up between this song and Disney’s Tiki Room song. :)

type0positive: The usual suspect…and because there are no line...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:16:34 -0500

type0positive:

The usual suspect…and because there are no line up pics of him yet.

Geez, after doing this with Cole and the partners, it never crossed my mind to do this with Kelso. :P

aradicaldreamer: WHY DID I NOT EVER GET THIS ISSUE OF GAME...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:02:51 -0500

aradicaldreamer:

WHY DID I NOT EVER GET THIS ISSUE OF GAME INFORMER?!
I HAVE A FLIPPIN SUBSCRIPTION!

RAAAAAGEEEEEEEEEE!!!

It was the March 2010 issue, which was during the time I let my subscription expire. However, it is available to purchase as a back issue through the Game Informer website. Click the Cover Gallery link at the bottom if the page under the Magazine heading. No price, but contact details are there to order/inquire. I wouldn’t want my copy damaged by a sticker with my address anyhow. :)

spruebox: On the dock here, there is a badge for the...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:42:00 -0500

spruebox:

On the dock here, there is a badge for the challenge. Thing is, after I got it, I walked over here…and fell down into this little hole and got stuck. In the top picture, I could still turn, but in the second one, I was totally stuck. Only thing I could do was press the talk button and ask Stefan for advice he couldn’t give me. :( Never did get out of there. LOL. So word of warning: don’t walk right there if you don’t want to get stuck >_<

Stuck by a duck in the muck… awww f**k…

spruebox: So, wandering around the military base, I found the...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:57:59 -0500

spruebox:

So, wandering around the military base, I found the obstacle course and ran it. Had no idea Cole could even balance on beams like that, but if I should ever need to do this in a case, I’ll be prepared at least.

The first time I tried having Cole run the course, it was apparently in reverse. And at a certain point, I was forced to recall that Cole Phelps was indeed not Ezio Auditore. :P Love you, Cole!

Stefan Bekowsky: Line Up Series What can I say… once I...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:52:04 -0500

Stefan Bekowsky: Line Up Series

What can I say… once I got my tablet hooked back up, I couldn’t leave this half-done. Coloring and shading have never been my strong suits. I’ve been fiddling with different techniques over the years and just apply what feels right at the time. So I apologize that the shadows don’t all seem to come from the same light source. :P His shadow just looked REALLY wonky casting off to the left. For his coat, I went in the style of Gankutsuou and just applied the pattern then shaded it.

Disclaimer aside, I am still planning on doing a “hat on” variant, as well as Cole and the rest of the partners. And though it’s a day early, this is also in honor of Sean McGowan’s Birthday. Happy Birthday, Sean! Thanks for being the most awesome partner ever! I’ll admit, I almost didn’t realize how great a partner Bekowsky was until I was paired with Rusty… then even more so with Roy. :P

So yeah… done. :)

L.A. Noire Line Up Series: Roy Earl (color and slight variant) I...

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 06:58:00 -0500

Original Version

Awesome Face with Ransom BAD ASS

L.A. Noire Line Up Series: Roy Earl (color and slight variant)

I wanted to get this done in time for Adam Harrington’s birthday… which is today. Happy Birthday, Adam! I won’t lie. Black Friday shopping kind of delayed me working on this piece. :P I wanted to try and make the shading a little more logical, so I went with a more frontal light source, which makes it look like just a little more was done beyond flats. But I’m happy with how it turned out, and hopefully everyone else likes the result too.

And yes, I really wanted to do the ransom letter addition despite “Bad Ass” not really being 40’s appropriate slang. So I gave him sort of an “awesome face” variant as well. :9

With the reaction to the lineart well exceeding even my Bekowsky colored piece, I have a feeling that more people here are closeted Roy fans despite the outward love for Bekowsky. :)

L.A. Noire Line Up Series: Roy Earl (final pencil art) With...

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:55:35 -0500

L.A. Noire Line Up Series: Roy Earl (final pencil art)

With less than a week til Adam Harrington’s birthday, I’m feeling the urgency to complete this. But what do you guys feel about the idea of ransom letters covering up part of his sign that says “AD VICE” to read “BAD ASS” (or “BAD COP”, though he’s technically a detective)? I really want to do it, but want to hear from the fandom. Even if just two people respond.

Not sure if badass was common vernacular. Maybe cool cat? Haha, I don't know, but the drawing is so great.

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:43:56 -0500

Yeah, I struggled with “bad ass” not being period appropriate slang, but i liked how I’d br able to incorporate the AD in “ad vice” with the ransom letters to read “bAD ass”, like he put those letters there himself. :P I’m glad you like the line art! Colors by Saturday, I promise!