A certain somebody is finally turning up next chapter of Fan Dan Go. Just a teeny peek at what I've been doodling on my scrap paper here...

"I'm amazed this comic hasn't fallen apart entirely in my absence"

I've been tweaking how I draw the characters faces lately. Since the first chapter was all Rekki and Subo, I've had a little time to break old habits and properly redesign the faces of Sarin and Juliet particularly. Trying to make the Juu in the comic more like the Juu in my head was something I wanted to take the opportunity to do. I hope the readers won't mind. The Juliet fans are terrifying people! Hahahaha!

I've been digital painting! It's finally starting to 'click' for me now.

I've been tasked with designing the album cover for the soundtrack to my favourite freeware RPG serial, 'Vacant Sky'. It's an RPG-maker made game released in 'Acts', with an original tactical battle system, great custom graphics, excellent music and probably the best cast of characters I've seen in an RPG maker game. Oh, and the main heroine is voiced by the lovely Charil Zweig lunabell_charil, who's also an old webcomic friend! You can download from the main site.
http://projectbc.wordpress.com/

The cover I'm doing is for the Act 3 soundtrack. First attempt was this:

We agreed this was a bit dark for the soundtrack cover. Something more chilled out was in order. Also, the logo for the game is a big one, so needs a lot of space.
The light and shadows are a little hesitant here, and I over-relied on black and white in some places.


This is attempt two! Really pushing the colour this time and trying to avoid using transparency too much. There's still definitely room for improvement here, but I feel like I'm starting to be able to think like a painter.

It's not easy, but gotta keep trying! ^_^

Having finished my MA, it feels like coming out of a long trance or something. I hadn't really noticed that I was stressed or busy, but days just seemed too short to get everything done. Time seems to be slowing back down again to normal now, and I can actually think about what I'm doing again.

Something is happening to my artwork. I'm not sure when it started, maybe a few weeks ago. Normally I go through a distinctive 'funk' when I have a transitional period, but I didn't really have the time or opportunity to not draw for a few days this time, so it's been different, with elements of a new evolving style breaking in through into my work in places. I'm not at the end of this transition yet, it feels like I'm in the middle of it somewhere, but I can feel a kind of clarity and understanding sneaking up on me. I guess what it's like this time is when a teenage boy's voice is breaking, and it keeps kind of phasing between the old voice and the new one, with occasional weird bits in-between? Hahaha. It should get a little smoother now I have time to think about it and experiment a bit. The new style that's emerging seems to be a little more delicate and detailed, more flexible. I guess it's the equal 'reaction' to the very bold, graphic work I did on stuff like 'Legends' and the Jiman entry.
Maybe I'll try to do some finished pieces in this style.

So, I've completed my MA with a First! Woo! Go me! ...I now have bahonsma written at the end of my name BWAHAHAHA! It sounds like something an aussie would say, meaning like 'awesome' or something. "Aww, mate, that was totally bahonsma!"
...Okay, so actually it's BA Hons MA. But my way is funnier.

I'm a little unsure what to do with myself now. I wasn't expecting the results so soon!
Ooh, and we're out of the recession finally too! Woo! I think today is a good day for a celebration of some kind! I'm not sure what kind! Hahahaha!

Having the qualification in hand does at least make me a bit more confident about applying for jobs and stuff ^_^

Today, Photoshop decided it hated me. Especially me drawing scenery. It crashed on two occasions when I was making progress with my environmental paintings -_-;
I did take a screenhot of one of them when PS froze, because it was nearing completion, and I quite like it:


I find buildings and stuff a lot harder than natural environments. I should try to get better at manmade environments and make a few nice natural portfolio pieces too.

Okay, so this morning getting the comic updated, checking emails for commissions, getting set up to draw commission etc. Auntie rings about taking Gran to see my exhibition. At this point, not sure I'll be able to go along, since have a lot to get done this week before weekend in Scotland.
Then the University rings:
"Hello, Katherine, are you coming in for your meeting with the external examiners?"
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!????"
...So, nobody had remembered to tell me I needed to meet with external examiners, never mind today. It was about 10.30 at this point, and it takes over an hour to get to Preston.
So fortunately, Auntie hadn't set off yet, so went through with them. Most stressful trip ever. Auntie didn't know the roads well and isn't used to driving in towns. Granny, as I've mentioned before, is partially sighted, partially deaf and has vascular dementia, causing her to have short term memory loss. Imagine a long car journey with somebody who can only hear you if you shout, can't really see much of what's going on and forgets what's been said about 5 minutes after it's been said.
There was all kinds of trouble navigating Preston, which I know very well on foot, but can barely navigate in a car. Not to mention Gran's frustration about still being in the car and lack of understanding that we were trying to concentrate on navigation really didn't help. It was...very stressful.
On getting to the Uni, actually, everything went pretty well. Dropped Auntie and Gran off and cafeteria to have sandwiches and tea, ran to Games Dept, and did meeting with external examiner, which went SWIMMINGLY. Absolutely excellent ^_^ They're hinting at offers to do a phd now. I guess that would make me a leading national expert on...um...video games 0_o; (they do offer grants though, making it kind of tempting...)
After the chat to the examiner, took Granny around the exhibition. Hilarious fun trying to explain to an 85 year old lady exactly what 'Design' IS.

All in all, possibly one of the most stressful days ever, yet remarkably it all turned out okay in the end.
Now I need to collapse in a heap somewhere -_-;

Aaaaagh crap I've finished my MA. Help! What happens in this 'life' thing!?

I'm going to be keeping my other blog, the one on Games Design stuff. I dunno how much I'll post there, but I often have a few rambling thoughts on Games that I want to put somewhere:
http://reflectivegamesdesignblog.blogspot.com/

I'm quite glad I've done games design. I used to think of a story and characters and then just slap in an idea for some RPG-like mechanics, like a comic with added game, but recently I've become more adept at thinking of the mechanics first, then building a story and setting around them. I've had a really good idea for a game actually, and need to get a GDD written up for it. I'll always be somebody who feels most drawn to games with a story, just because I'm the kind of person who searches for the significance and story behind things, but I feel more confident about working on the more abstract side of games now, metaphor rather than just simulation.

My next course of action is building some good portfolios. I was a bit busy in my final semester to do much 3d modelling work, so that's something I want to get in more practice with. I want to make some models based on my character designs. I have some comics-related stuff going on too at the moment, so I'm sort of in the air not sure quite where I'm going to land just now, but I'm not worried.

You may or may not be aware that I'm at the same university as naniiebim, in fact, the same design school. What I didn't know is that we are essentially on the same course (MA Design, but I'm going Games, she's doing Illustration, and I think the part-time version of the course) and doing our final exhibition at the same time. Yesterday was the first time I've ever bumped into Lou on campus! I guess it's not surprising as UCLAN is a BIG university and we both commute, but in a way it as, as we're in the same building, and have both been at this Uni for years. But anyway, what makes this really weird and funny is that our exhibition spaces are right next to each other!

It's a pretty amazing coincidence considering we're from different disciplines and the Uni had no idea we both do small press manga and know each other. We helped each other set up a bit yesterday. I'm finishing putting my stuff up today, and the opening night is Friday. It'll be up in the main foyer of the Design building at UCLAN for a while, so if you're in Preston, check it out maybe! ^_^

Hahaha, I should take some photos!

03-09 Improvement meme by *darthmongoose on deviantART

A rather nice art meme I found on DA and decided to fill in. Kind of a shame it didn't start at 2002, or even 2000. I have art going that far back.

I really want to make some kind of image that's just a kind of evolution of Rekki picture, showing how she's evolved over about 8 years of drawing her!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!



Excuse me for a moment while I go off and squee someplace.
I'm not sure how I feel about the new Doctor, but I know that Moffat is in charge now, and wrote some of the best (and scariest!) episodes of the past few series. I am excited!