Felaxx's Gallery

New York Trip and Lessons Learned

Thu, 08 May 2008 01:34:46 GMT

Hello everyone! Long time no blog. Recently, Kazu and I got back from a trip to NYC. It was great to see old friends and say hello to colleagues. I only wish we had more time to stay and see more people!

Check out my flickr stream if you're interested in how it all went down...

I'm still trudging my way through the book, but I'm very excited about it. I lost track of how many drafts I've done, but with each one I get closer to something I can be proud of. That's the thing about writing, there really isn't much to show until the whole thing is done. Aw, heck. Here's a paragraph I just wrote a couple hours ago:

"Tabby faced the quivering blackness in front of her, her heart pounding in her ears. Terrible fear gripped her, and she tried to focus on what lay on the other side. Her home, her friends, her school, her mother. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. She closed her eyes, then extended her fingertips, and reached through the darkness."

Looks kind of silly out of context. Quivering blackness, what? Will it be in the final draft? Probably not. It's funny, because it isn't the craft of writing that's been so hard for me, it's the storytelling. The storytelling is the hard part. Rema has become such a huge world in my imagination with so many parts of it I want to tell, it continually pushes in unexpected directions. It's been difficult choosing one direction to stick to and go all the way to the finish line with.

Well, needless to say, writing has been and still is an adventure. I also recently quit my retail job, and I've learned (or re-learned) several things from it.

1) The value of money. Seriously, I don't know how anyone can get by on minimum wage. I don't want to waste my money on things I won't use.

2) The value of time. Time is precious, more precious than money. It shouldn't be wasted.

3) The value of kindness. If you give people a little love, you can change their day.

4) the value of my own talent. I am so incredibly lucky to be able to do what I do, and to be able to do it well enough to get published. Most people cannot do what I do, and being surrounded by nothing but artists, I completely forgot that. I need to be grateful for my talents, and not let them go to waste. If you're someone out there who is talented, show your gratitude for your ability and make something with it!

5) A reconnection with my love for books. I love books. I love all kinds of books. I love how in the book world, variety is embraced and encouraged. I love how in the book world, there's room for everyone. I love how books make you feel included, encourage opinion no matter how controversial or marginalized, and foster the imagination. I love how anyone who can read is welcome to a good book, that the imagery within the pages is at the whim of the imagination that reads it. I love books.

I learned a lot working at the bookstore, but it's time to wrap up this novel. It's been almost a year now...

Oh noes....!

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:42:21 GMT

The Twilight teaser trailer.

It looks cheesy, romantic, embarrassing, compelling. Just like the book. ;)
By the way, borders has a good video interview with the author, Stephanie Meyer, in four parts. I think she's awesome...

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:57:51 GMT

Did the above watercolor here and there over the past week (click image for full version). It's a character from the book who's new, and not in the webcomic version.

I got a job working retail part time, and having a blast. It really makes me value my time more, plus meeting all the customers and co-workers has been a great exercise in character study. I've also been really obsessed with the democratic nomination race, which has been just fascinating.

My dearest Kazu gave me an awesome 4' tall Orion Skyquest xt8 telescope for my birthday. Boy, does he know me, or what?! I've been looking through it on almost every clear night. It's been a big source of inspiration for me these days. I just love looking at the stars and daydreaming about them! Of the objects I've managed to locate (Saturn, Venus, the Pleiades...) the Orion Nebula is without a doubt my favorite. You can actually make out the features of the nebula, which just takes my breath away. Seeing the rings and moons of Saturn is also pretty inspiring, and a crowd-pleaser (when strangers walk by asking what I'm doing, I like letting them look through and share the wonder!). And of course, seeing the moons craters is always a trip. I can't wait to use the telescope in a really dark sky though, because the skies of Alhambra have a lot of light pollution.

Also, for those interested, I updated my flickr page with some photos of Kazu's Amulet signing at Nucleus, the Warner Bros. Studio tour with my family, and more.

Speaking of Kazu, he just wrapped up the lineup for Flight 5 last night. Man... all I can say is that you're all in for a real treat!

Working on chapter 16 of Rema now, and everything's going well. I love writing, and with each page written, I love it even more. It's really freed my imagination in unexpected ways. Life has been awesome these days. Hope everyone else is doing just as well, if not better!

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:04:57 GMT

evolution of a song:

At Seventeen by Janis Ian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypn9oKaO-3E

Nothing Lasts Forever by Maroon5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni5Sd5NsDps

Heard 'Em Say by Kanye West (animation by Bill Plympton!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6rUOO-MwRI

I love all three songs. I always find it fascinating when I see this happen, especially when each incarnation is so incredibly different than the last.

First Kiss, Then Tell

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:13:31 GMT

Just out, this anthology features a number of popular YA authors spilling the beans about their first kiss. It ranges from sweet, to romantic, to downright disgusting (and judging by author Justine Larbalestier's blog, she'd know I'm talking about her story!). It's a fun read to share with friends, a great gift for Valentine's Day, and for a good cause as a portion of the proceeds go to NPR's Youth Radio.

As for my contribution to the book, I made a comic documenting my precarious path to true love. If you ever wondered what went on in my brain when Kazu and I first met/decided to get married, this comic is for you. OR... if you've lost faith in the idea that true love can exist, this comic is for you too. OR... who am I kidding? I made this comic for anyone willing to listen. I hope you like it!

So check it out, First Kiss, Then Tell edited by Cylin Busby. Be prepared for warm fuzzies!

Things on Rema are progressing slowly. I was stuck on chapter 7 for a good two months. That's right. Two months on one chapter. When I save versions of my chapters, I label them version A, version B, etc. The version that worked is chapter 7, version Vb. Don't laugh... I'm just happy to be off that merry-go-round!

Since then, things have been running smoothly (knock knock), and I approach each page with an eager heart. I'm up to chapter 11, and realizing this book is taking me way longer than Kazu or I could've predicted. Remember back when I was hoping to finish by December? Ha ha ~

I think it might be time to go hunting for a part time job. Ironically, the prospect of getting away from the studio and working on set, non-creative tasks sounds like a vacation. Writing sure requires a lot of mental gymnastics...

Storytelling

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:11:06 GMT

Just the first scene. Sometimes I hear his voice saying those lines when I'm stuck in writing... Was reminded of this while discussing storytelling with a friend. :P

Sketches from Japan

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:53:17 GMT

Did everyone have a good Christmas? I got a big ol' pink scarf from my Mom. I'd never where pink on my own, but now that I have it I think it's pretty awesome. :)

While in Japan, I started a new sketchbook. These are all done straight with the hi-tec C 03mm pen. I love that pen. There's more, but these are the best ones. I need to draw more! It clarifies my writing and helps me visualize things more easily. I noticed that there's an economy of storytelling in comics that I love, and want to carry over into my writing too, if I can. We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, click the thumbnails to see the full image:

Have a great New Year's, everyone!!!!

Amulet in stores

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:44:14 GMT

Most of you probably already know this, but here it is!

One month before the official release in Jan. '08, Kazu's all-ages graphic novel Amulet is out in bookstores and on amazon.com. Two years of writing, drawing, and painting bound together in beautiful full color, it makes a wonderful and affordable gift.

Hardcover
Paperback

Someone started a thread over at the Flight Forums about the book. It's a good place to go if you want to discuss it and see some reader reviews.

I helped paint some of the pages, and was Kazu's sounding board for story ideas etc. I'm so so sooooo proud of him and the book! It turned out beautifully, and best of all -- the story is awesome! There's magic, monsters, robots, strong characters, and a touching story of the heart for the whole family.

Miskit's my favorite character in Amulet, but they're all awesome. I love the villain too, he looks so cool. I want to do a fan art...

Back from Japan

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:43:49 GMT

Wow. What an awesome, life-changing trip! I can't even begin to express how awesome a trip it was. I miss the place already, but it's good to be back. All I have are my photos, and little commentaries contained within:

tons of photos from our trip to Japan

If you don't know how to use flickr, here are more direct links to the "detail view":

week one
week two part 1
week two part 2

It's a beautiful country, the peak of modern living, and full of some of the kindest, least cynical, hard-working people I've ever met. It was a breath of fresh air. There was so much visual stimulus, I ended up drawing again. I'll scan in my sketch book soon, it's actually pretty small. But it's the most I've drawn in a while, and it felt great! Comics are deeply ingrained in their culture, and they're everywhere. I urge every cartoonist to visit Japan at least once in their lives, just to see what it's like.

Countless thanks to Ray Goto and Savannah College of Art and Design for inviting my husband to go there to teach, and for allowing me to tag along. It was the best trip ever!

Going on an adventure...

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:55:15 GMT

Kazu and I are off to Japan with a bunch of studio mates for two weeks. Will be back in December with pictures!

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:17:04 GMT

Writing continues on Rema.

I've finished a complete draft of the whole manuscript (about 300pp), each chapter having gone through several drafts already. Now I'm trudging my way carefully through the second draft, and have just started chapter 8.

The second draft is COMPLETELY different than the first. Characters get dropped, scenes get cut, some characters even have a gender change (don't worry -- all the main ones are the same). It feels awesome!

I was stuck, sitting on the rough draft, since I was 15. I didn't have the guts to cut and mangle the story until I was able to wade through it completely, first. Only then could I step back and see what it was that I was really trying to talk about all these years. And in the end, the story is much simpler than I ever thought.

I've been sharing the first five chapters with select friends that are around, and people seem to like it, which is a huge relief. Now that I'm confident, I'm going to hold off on showing it to anyone else until it's completed. I can't wait to share it with everyone, though! But it will definitely be a while.

Kazu and I will be in Japan for two weeks in December, then the holidays are here. Things will be hectic, but I'm hoping to finish a readable draft by the end of December. If I can't make it, though, so be it. I'm taking my time on this one and perfecting it to the best of my ability. I don't mind it, though. I've discovered that I love everything about writing, and it is definitely "my medium", so the process of rewriting is fun, if not something of an emotional roller coaster (a good one).

Anyway, just thought I'd leave an update and say hello. My website is getting dusty. All I can think about these days is Rema...

Italian edition of S&S

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:14:58 GMT

Thanks to the kind and generous folks at Renoir Comics, especially to Michele, my Sorcerers & Secretaries dream has come true. For the Italian edition, it's being published with both books in one volume with a cover illustration that I felt embraced the atmosphere of the books better than any other. I seriously feel like I haven't seen the final product of the last two years of my working life until now. I just hope it can get published like this in English someday!

The book debuts at the Lucca Comics Fair in Tuscany, Italy, November 1st, then released November 10th.

I never thought I'd have anything published in another language, let alone Italian. It's pretty neat! Can't thank Renoir Comics enough~ They're a fairly young company, but they seriously care about their books and their authors! I wish them a long and happy life. A huge thanks has to go to Kazu, too. I believe it's because the Renoir guys read our wishes for a one volume edition on his blog that they went ahead to do the book this way, and it was Kazu's great editorial eye that helped me make the cover look as good as it does. I love you, sweetie! :D

I'm planning a site redesign soon. With all my writing work going on, I feel that this current site doesn't quite make the cut.

radio blog...

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:41:08 GMT

Heh. I found this via my friend Bonnie's blog (elara_bonnie )
A javascript/php widget called radioblog. A little complicated, but it reminds me that I need to redo my website too. Here's a bunch of music I've been listening to lately:

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:13:58 GMT

I was tagged by my friend alisa5179, so here goes nothin'!

Ten things that make me happy...

1: Kazu in the morning

2: galaxies

3: my Mom's childhood stories

4: my brother's drumming

5: writing on my laptop

6: dinner with friends

7: Dusty

8: tunics

9: The Largo

10: Settlers of Catan

11: Muse. I had to include Muse!

Hmm... who should I tag....
rufftoon, tihii_omut, tesseracting, dik_pose, conga_chili, mao, bannman, boltcity, deedupuy, and ivy_rat!!

What are ten things that make you happy, eh?

from chapter 24

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:15:07 GMT

A nameless background character from the book that I just felt like drawing:

Hmm.

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 09:38:25 GMT

The first thing I've drawn in about 1.5 months:

A new character. He's borrowing Ellon's jacket until I can give him one of his own...

Reman's about 2/3 done. I'm about to write a *kissing* scene, so feelin' a little nervous!!!

interview and Avatar magazine

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:09:17 GMT

Hello everyone, it's been a while. I've been spending my days writing and reading, still, and spending quality time with friends. Most recently I read "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones. It is now *officially* one of my all-time favorite books. Romantic without being sensual, quirky without being pretentious, and charming without being coy, it's heartwarming and delightful. Highly recommended book.

If you haven't noticed, I had to turn off the comment box on my site because I was getting too much spam. I'm planning a site redesign anyway, but if anyone really needs to contact me there's always email.

There is a new interview up over at comicbookresources.com as a kind of year-in-review for my work in 2007, as if you didn't get enough of me already! I had a great time answering these questions, thanks to Alex. I got to talk a bit about writing in the end too!

Here is the interview.

Also, if you haven't picked up your copy of the all-Avatar edition of Nickelodeon magazine yet (I illustrated the above "Going Home Again" story), please do at your nearest bookstore. Magazine sales are definitely looked at, so showing your support with the $5 purchase actually makes a difference. The editor, Dave Roman, made an excellent case against scanning images from the magazine by discussing a little bit on the state of the magazine industry in his journal, so go give it a read.

I found my copy of the mag in the family section of Barnes & Nobles, myself. Just look for this spiffy cover drawn by Lauren Montgomery:

As far as things go on the Reman front, I'm still writing every day, and I'm about two-thirds done with the book's second draft. A lot of changes have been made, and as I write I discover new things about the story. Kazu and I go through these plot points together, and it's been helping me shape and reshape the story arch. My goal at this point is to finish a readable draft to present to publishers by December. We'll see how it goes.

And finally to any head hunters out there, I'm interested in doing some short freelance comics/illustration work. If there are any companies out there who think I'd be appropriate for their projects, please feel free to email me: whibbage at gmail.com.

Okay. Back to writing I go...

Reading and Writing

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:21:54 GMT

I thought it was about time for a bit of blogging...

Thank you to everyone that left comments, you guys are really too generous and patient with my stories. I've been working hard, writing every day. So far I've written over a hundred pages by hand, and about fifty on the computer. My plan of hand writing the entire draft before typing was derailed when I realized that I had to go back and change a major plot point, which effected everything after it. Ironically, the "change" is actually closer to the original comic. I should trust my original instincts about story sometimes. I also took some time to think harder about the story and write an outline. Now I'm trying to work on it a chapter at a time, jumping around to write the scenes that most excite me, using the outline as a guide. It's similar to how I wrote the script for Sorcerers & Secretaries, except less linear in execution. I find it difficult to write from beginning to end in prose because I like to spend more time delving into the character's thoughts and emotions, leaving me more time to make realizations about the plot. This means more time to realize I need to make changes.

This past week I've been walking around, concerned that my writing is too terrible and that this won't work out at all. Then I had a good discussion with my husband while we folded laundry, leading me to a spurt of inspiration about a particular part of the story that had been vexing me since college. I rushed to the computer and re-wrote a scene with a new perspective, and that was all it took for me to feel all happy and excited about the book again. I have a feeling it will be like this for the rest of the process, a dizzying up and down of confidence and despair as I try to figure out the story. Writing sure is exciting! I wish I could be more specific about my realizations but I don't want to spoil anything, especially this early in the writing.

I also read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse this past week. I kept seeing the cover to Eclipse everywhere, and I thought the image was really striking. When I heard about the storyline, a high school vampire romance, I was expecting something terribly cheesy. And in a way, it kind of is. BUT... I really loved it and flew through all three books in a matter of days. They're incredibly juicy and unabashed in its portrayal of angsty emotion and humor. The further into the story the author gets, the deeper and more enjoyable the story becomes, as well. I highly recommend them to everyone, especially if you like beautiful male characters! And for those that have already read the books, be sure to check out chapter one of Midnight Sun on Meyer's website. It's chapter one of Twilight written from Edward's point of view, I think it's one of the better parts she's written.

In her thank you page, Meyer mentioned her love for the band Muse, and so I've been obsessed with these two songs lately:

Unintended, Time is Running Out, and Starlight

I also finished reading Harry Potter book 7. Quite the appropriate ending, the last chapter was amazing. And that's all I'll say about that... I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who's as late in reading it as I was.

Also, avatarspirit.net posted a nice preview of the all-Avatar edition of Nick Magazine, hitting stands around September 18th. I still can't believe I got to participate in something so many people enjoy (Thanks, Dave!). Especially because I love Zuko! Sheesh... I really lucked out to get the script for his story in particular. Anyway, enough gloating! Be sure to check out the magazine when it comes out. There's beautiful comics from a lot of fantastic artists! Cover by Lauren Montgomery whose work I just found out because of the magazine, the ever-amazing Rufftoon, the imaginitive Reagan Lodge, and more~

This is a really long post.

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:42:00 GMT

In short: I'm back from San Diego which was awesome, and I'm announcing my decision that Reman will be a prose novel which makes me so so so happy.

I'm back from Comic-Con '07, and have spent the day chillin' at the studio with Kazu, Becky, Vasilis, and their buddy Ilias who is visiting from Greece. We rewatched Pride & Prejudice (the 2005 version), had some boba, had dinner with Chris and Shadi, and flipped through my collection of books that I got from San Diego.

The convention was the best I've been to in a long time. It was nice going there without any deadlines looming over me, so I could relax and socialize. Thank you to everyone that came out to say hello to me, and especially to those that showed their support by purchasing a copy of Flight or S&S. I had a great time chatting with all of you, and I wish I could spend more time getting to know everyone! The Flight booth was pretty crowded for the duration of the con, partially because of sales but also because we had a good turnout of Flight artists manning the booth and we all took turns signing readers’ copies.

I got to catch up with my old editors, meet new ones, and chit-chat with various professionals. I got to see old friends, got treated to some lovely dinners, and had a great time discussing industry matters with colleagues and readers alike. I also got a chance to nerd-out. Some highlights were checking out the Golden Compass movie booth where Johane and I got our picture taken with Iorek Byrneson (It's hanging on my wall now!), as well as attending the Avatar panel where they played the preview to season 3 on a huge screen TWICE! I was in heaven. Shortly after the panel one of the co-creators of the show, Bryan Konietzko, stopped by the Flight booth and talked to Kazu. I wanted to say hello and introduce myself, but I could barely get my voice out, and my face was red I'm sure, so my husband had to give him my book for me. It was pretty embarrassing, but refreshing at the same time because having met so many artists I look up to, it was nice to know that I still had the energy to be a fangirl about some things. So, my apologies to Mr. Konietzko for being so geeky about his show!

Of the books that I procured from the convention, the free advance reader copy of Shaun Tan's "The Arrival" from Scholastic was my favorite by far. A wonderful story chronicling the emotional journey of an immigrant, it is beautifully told without words. Instead, each moment is lovingly dwelt upon with carefully rendered pencil illustrations. It reminded me of "The Snowman" by Raymond Briggs. The book comes out in October, and I highly recommend it! It's a book you can really savor.

Since I talked about it with a few readers that stopped by the Flight booth, I thought I should post about it here so I could start blogging my progress.

I decided to write Reman Mythology as a series of prose novels instead of a series of graphic novels. I feel like it's a decision that has been many years in the making, and I know some of you were looking forward to seeing a good comic version of the story, but trust me when I say this is for the best.

Reman is a very long tale that would've taken me my entire life to draw had it been a comic series. It started as a novella that I wrote when I was 15-16 years old which I pitched to publishers with the help of the English department head at my high school. It got rejected by everyone, so I put it on the side until I went to college and met other cartoonists like myself. I was encouraged to turn my novella into a comic by some friends, and I did. The webcomic you see online is the result.

While I learned much from doing that, I always felt like I was holding back with the story. It was difficult for me to fully delve into the psychosis of my characters without sounding corny, I struggled desperately with drawing the landscapes and buildings knowing that I had no interest in learning proper perspective or conceptual rendering, and I had a terrible time battling between my desire to tell a good story, and artistic /professional pressures to make things look "awesome" despite not caring about that kind of thing.

I always had a sneaking suspicion in the back of my head that Reman was meant to be written in prose, I just never had faith in my abilities to write it. There was also a sort of guilty feeling of loyalty to the comics medium that was difficult to get over. It actually wasn't until I heard the dialogue to the 2005 Pride & Prejudice that my love for language and books was reawakened, ironically since it was a film. After watching it, I began spending more and more time at my local library revisiting some of my favorite classics like White Fang, various Jane Austin books, and Les Miserables. Following Laurie Halse Anderson's blog helped a lot too, since she was keeping a production diary for her latest book "Twisted" at the same time that I was for "Sorcerers & Secretaries". We were separately blogging about the same struggles with character developement , rewrites, and pacing. It dawned on me that we were essentially talking about the same thing: storytelling. It wasn't long after that when I realized there wasn't much difference between writing for comics and writing for prose, and that I could probably turn out to be a pretty good writer.

This doesn't mean that I'm going to stop drawing comics, in fact I have a great idea for another series that I want to do some time in the near future. However, as far as Reman is concerned, it will be a prose book, just like it started. I've been working on it for a few weeks now, writing three pages a day by hand in a small 9 x 10 college ruled notebook and ball point pen. I'm up to chapter three in the first draft (around 60 pages). Once the first draft is finished, I plan on typing up the whole thing and working on subsequent drafts, however many it will take until it's finished. Until it's ready, I won't be showing it to anyone or looking for a publisher, but I can tell you the story is better than it ever was. Working on comics has taught me so much about basic storytelling, so much that I feel like I don't have to ask for second opinions all the time anymore. I'm confident in its execution to this point. It's probably the best thing I've ever written, and anyone that enjoyed the webcomic will surely enjoy it in its new skin.

In any case, I wanted to get that off my chest. I'll be blogging about its progress here and there, since documenting the progress of Sorcerers & Secretaries was incredibly helpful for pacing myself. I hope you'll enjoy the journey along with me, and hopefully you'll still be around to read the saga of Tabby, Philip, Raed, and Paeter when it's finally printed.

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 09:07:20 GMT

Live Free or Die Hard was AWESOME. I feel dirty about saying this, but I liked it better than Ratatouille. What kind of artist am I?!

Last page in ch. 1 and 2 marathon

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:55:14 GMT

Click here to see the last page

Ah~ I always liked the way this chapter ends. Yes... it is the last page of Chapter Two! I sort of miscalculated the page numbers (I thought there was 47 not 46! Oops!), but there it is.

In case you missed out, here are the amazon links to books 1 and 2:

Sorcerers & Secretaries book 2 on amazon
Sorcerers & Secretaries book 1 on amazon

Leave a review! Tell your friends the book is out! You definitely should be able to find it in any well-stocked comics store and chain bookstore by now. When you find it, I hope you enjoy it. =)

Now that the updating is over and the second book is off to do as it will, I have no plans for the website beyond updating it sporadically with sketches and occasional news. Check in occasionally if it fancies you. If not... thank you for being an attentive viewer and I'll email you (if you're on the mailing list) the next time there's eventful news involving my work.

I had a great time sharing these pages with you ladies (and guys), and a huge thank you to anyone that left comments on my blog. I'd check it at least three times a day! It was exciting to get reader feedback again, so thank you so much. =)

Have a good weekend, everyone!

ah~ romantic comedies!

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:04:05 GMT

(Click here to see today's page.)

Throughout the course of writing S&S, I indulged in many romantic comedy movies. Some I had watched so often as a youngster, I didn't need to watch them again (Sleepless In Seattle, Pretty Woman, Princess Bride, Ghost, Groundhog Day, She's All That, and one of my all time favorites, French Kiss).

Some that I watched were simply terrible. The couples had no chemistry, their character development lacked emotional logic, and if anything, I was hoping that they didn't get together because it was a divorce waiting to happen. A couple examples of this are Alex & Emma, Kate & Leopold, Stranger Than Fiction, and I even found the couple in Breakfast At Tiffany's to be a bad match. It made me realize how delicate good chemistry is. All of this movie-watching has given me a taste for the romantic that I think will leak into my stories from now on.

So I'm curious about you guys. What romantic comedies did you like or dislike?

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 08:08:25 GMT

And the updates keep coming over at Felaxx.com~!

I always thought Nicole looked particularly fetching in panel 1.

It is Wednesday, June 6th, and Sorcerers & Secretaries book 2 officially ships in one week (June 13th) to a finer comic shop/book store near you! I, for one, am quite excited. A colleague at the studio just read both books for the first time in one sitting, and said that it flowed well. I was worried that the books would be awkward to read together since so much time passed between volumes, but I guess it's a-ok. Hopefully someday Tokyopop can afford to print a one-volume edition. I already have a super spiffy cover in mind~ We'll see I guess!

For any Otis students out there, on June 9th I'll be participating in a lecture/roundtable seminar pondering the meaning of being an artist in the business-driven environment of today's popular culture industry. I hear from the grapevine that Otis students get in for free/with a hefty discount, otherwise the lecture is $35. More information can be found here.

On the way to the studio today I spent a few minutes browsing the local library. I've been writing the script for book 1 of Reman Mythology this past week, and writing innevitably gets me in the mood for reading. In high school I spent most of my days writing prose, so whenever I get into my writing headspace I'm always awash with nostalgia. Particularly, nostalgia for countless hours spent browsing bookstores and library shelves throughout high school and middle school.

It was nice to just wander around and pick up whatever caught my eye. The rentals this week are a translation of the Upanishads, a book on Norse gods and heroes, The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (which I started reading immediately as I walked to work, and it's awesome!), and Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Let's see if I can get through at least half of these!

shucks...

Fri, 25 May 2007 08:00:22 GMT

There is no "reply all" so I just wanted to leave a note saying thank you for all the kind words on my RM paintings. I've been feeling kinda uncertain about how to approach it again but reading the replies made me feel much better. Thanks. =)

watercolors~

Thu, 24 May 2007 06:58:53 GMT

Today I spent some time doing 4 x 6 watercolors of Reman characters and had tons of fun. Watercolors are so cool! Their faces kind of altered, but the more I draw them the more familiar they'll get again. Hopefully! They're signed because these are gifts for some buddies. This is probably the best one: