I first bought Clip Studio Paint (also known as Manga Studio) when it was on sale. Apparently there are periods of time when the software goes from around $50 to $15 (which is banana pants). I had heard of the software before, but when it went on sale I went, “Why not?” And got it.
Then I didn’t use it… until this last weekend. Continue reading “Day 1 of Using Clip Studio Paint”
Private Deputy Pranesh Guptarani
Age: Older than everyone except for Officer Struthers and Commander McWeenie.
Race: Human
Gender: Male, mostly. Sometimes doesn’t have a gender.
There are more secrets to discover about this guy, but to find out more, you gotta pledge to the Johnson & Sir KickStarter – the secrets are revealed in the book!
More character sketches are coming next week, along with more dinosaurs, Spaghetti Noodle Monsters, mustaches, and other silliness.
If you want all this silliness, there’s always Johnson & Sir – it’s what they do everyday.
Thank you for reading!
You. Are. Awesome.
I have the goal of drawing two sketchbook pages a day. This is to help get new material for eBook sketchbooks (like the Superhero Ladies sketchbook or the Goth & Punk Girls Sketchbook), and to get better at art-making.
But sometimes, I need a jumping off point to draw from. I can’t draw from my imagination all the time.
So I created the Sketching Game. Continue reading “The Sketching Game”
Today’s Feature is on a lovely artist I first met at Swarm Con, Lea Faske. She’s currently a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and she’s made quite a few comics already, including a short comic for the anthology Game Boss: The Final Form.
I got to ask her a few questions about her art and inspirations, and the answers are highlighted below.
Your portfolio is impressive, and has concept art, comics, and illustrations. Do you prefer one outlet over another? Does your work in one area, like illustration, influence you in another area, like comics? Or do you keep the practices separate?
It’s hard for me to distinguish which outlet I enjoy best, since they all satisfy different creative needs. I guess one way of putting it is I tend to look at all of them as separate components to a larger idea. Usually, in my personal work, every piece is linked to a story. The concept art establishes a firm look for the idea, then the illustrations pull out the emotions, and then the comics tell the full story. It’s like they go hand in hand. (I guess that answers if one area influences another, haha.) In all, the story is the priority, so comics might have an upper hand on the other outlets, even though I’ve only ever started making comics within the past two years.
I saw on your website you draw inspiration from fantasy. Do you find over time that you are still inspired by the genre? Has your enthusiasm for it grown, lessened, or stayed the same? Are you also inspired by other genres? How?
Fantasy is such a broad term. I would say that I’ve always been a little disenchanted with high-fantasy (dragons, medieval settings, fairies, elves, wizards, etc.); on the other hand, original fantasy, with new worlds and rules that don’t apply in real life, is where I find my niche. Nothing inspires me more than a concept that twists the rules in a way I’ve never considered before (slyly winks at Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane). Final Fantasy, for instance, has its own unique voice in the genre. That’s the kind of fantasy I draw inspiration from: new, unique ideas. Usually, though, when I apply fantasy to my own work, it leans more towards low-fantasy. Aside from that, I can find myself inspired by any genre, as long as the storytelling is strong.
I also saw on your Tumblr that you’re planning a new webcomic. Is this true? What can you tell us about it?
Yes! I am planning a new webcomic. The script is already written, but I’ve recently had a few ideas, so I’ll need to revise a little before I just throw the pages to the internet wolves. It has a set ending, so if everything goes as planned, I’m looking at anywhere between 1-2 years of updates before ultimately collecting the pages into a novel.
As far as what I can tell you without spoilers, the story is called “Neauva.” It starts at the end of the universe, where the mind/soul of a 13-year-old girl clings to her last physical atom and tries everything she can to escape the black hole that seeks to devour her.
You can also find her work on her website.
Thanks for reading!
This is the revival of a segment that used to be called “Favorite Artist Friday,” but it’s now called Featured Artist Friday.
Once a week, on a (surprise!) Friday, I’ll be writing about another artist. It doesn’t matter what medium or subject matter they choose. Any artist may be featured.
This week, I would like to talk about one of the coolest artists I know, Jeff Laclede.
Jeff is a digital painter, comic artist, and character designer. He is also, I dare say, masterful with his use of colors.
Every time I see one of his pieces, I am impressed with how well he lights his work, and how that light affects his subjects. Lighting is NOT easy, but Jeff makes it look easy, which is the mark of an excellent artist.
Not only does he illustrate very well, he is also an excellent writer.
His current comics project is a webcomic called El-Indon. And it grabs you by the first page.
And it gets better from there! His characters, aside from being well-designed and memorable, are hilarious.
He also a great world-builder. As you read his comics you can get sucked into the world he’s creating and the intrigue within it. And a lot of that is thanks to his attention to character, great page layout design, and thematic lighting and tones.
He even succeeds in all of this in his illustrative work!
If you haven’t read El-Indon yet, you should. While you’re at, go follow Jeff on Tumblr and Twitter. He’s loads of fun to follow.
Thank you for reading, and I will see you on Monday.
