What A Difference A Little Color Can Make!

Wow! Long time no write! ^^; I've been busy. Today I was working on a character from an old series that I shelved a while back. But, it was an interesting bunch of people and the leading character beckoned me to draw her this past Saturday. So, after spending some time sketching her out, she then insisted that I go ahead and color her, too ^^;

Ah well, what are you gonna do. Anyway, this is that character:

Her name is Alima and she's from my series, Serpentine Blue. She's a sea snake hybrid and has gone through more design changes than I can count! LOL! But, speaking of changes, I was thinking about the supporting cast of this story after I had finished her and, for the heck of it, I wanted to see what color scheme could possibly work for a different character. So...I tinkered with Alima's colors and came up with this:

It was strange seeing her like this because in this way, she's like a whole different person! It's so weird! But, I do like this color pattern, so I'll probably use it for someone else. ^_~

Well, I think that's all for me. I have one more commission to finish up and then I have to get started on some work for Shanda Fantasy Arts and then move on to my comics, Hybrid and Sweet Shoppe. Wish me luck!

More from the Bugs...

Yeah, it's just Bella Mariposa. I've really grown accustomed to that title. So, this will be the series of short stories or the mini-series that will appear at the end of both Sweet Shoppe and Hybrid...both series that I hope to have second issues for by next summer. With luck and a heck of a lot of hard work, I'll make it happen ^_~

Having come back from my second convention of the year, I know that I must make this happen. I was tremendously pleased with the near sell out of Sweet Shoppe and the number of people asking for the second issue of Hybrid. I can't begin to say what that means! ^____^

So, this story will appear at the ends of each coming issue of those two series. It'll be good to have something to work on when I'm stuck or low on inspiration for those two stories. But, more on that later. For now, that's all. see ya!

Oh! Here's the latest imagining of the leading character, Mari:

Bella Mariposa!

...or, Bella Maribeeposa. Something like that. Anyway, look for more from this mini-series...or end series...or whatever...coming soon in issues of Hybrid and Sweet Shoppe.

Fanart! ...can you believe it!

Well, I'm back from the convention and it was a blast! It was just so much fun. I had a blast and turned out some pretty good sales, too. Can't beat that, right? ^_^

...and while I was there, I had a request to draw a picture of a gal that I loved as a kid back when cartoons were still super awesome (some are today...but not like the bounty that existed when I was a kid ^_~ ) Anyway, you might remember a show called, Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers. If you remember that one, then you probably remember the leading lady of the team, Gadget Hackenwrench. ^_^ She was an inspiring character. She was a girl and yet she was not only brilliant, but beautiful, too. That's rare in shows that a brainy girl is also attractive. AND if that wasn't enough, she was a mechanic! Come on, how cool is that? ^_~ She was the epitome of girl power. So, I was delighted when I was asked to draw her.
Initially I was just asked to draw a pencil sketch. Here, this is it:



The fella wanted to see Gadget in an expecting way. Now, folks who know me know that I think pregnancy is just a gorgeous time in a woman's life. She's radiant and beautiful and she just shines with life. So, I wanted to show that for Gadget as well.

The pencils turned out well. I was pleasantly surprised since I've never actually drawn her before. ...and since it's likely that I never will again, I decided to just go ahead and do my best with this one and went all out. Uh...here, this is how it turned out:



All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with this one. She's happy and excited and...well...I'm just happy with the turnout. I really need to draw more pregnant images. They really inspire me ^_^ Anyway, I think that's all for now. I actually have a lot of work that I need to do and get done. Gotta go for now! See ya! *waves*

Boy oh, boy, this was cutting it VERY close! But, at last, my Sweet Shoppe comics have arrived ^_^ I was worried that they weren't going to make it before I left. You can imagine my joy when I came home as the mail carrier was arriving...with my package!!

I am so happy that it made it on time. I leave for the first convention tomorrow and would have been a little disappointed to not have these. It wouldn't have let it ruin my trip, but let's just say that I am EXTREMELY happier with them traveling along with me :-) Finally, Sweet Shoppe is in print and ready for sale!

Well, with this done, I have to get started thinking of the next issue. I also have to get the ball rolling with the Hybrid and get their second issue up and going. I've started writing the stories for the both of them already. I've also written an entire story for Alley Cat Blues...but I never got the chance to illustrate it. Lion Paws are on the back burner for now as are Eyes in the Dark (never mind Pine Willow, Aoi: Blue Sun, and Serpentine). But, they'll get their chances, soon. Right now, though, Sweet Shoppe and Hybrid are taking center stage. ^_^

Well, I'm packed and ready to go. The bus heads out in the morning. All those who are going to the convention, I'll see you there! ^___^ *waves*

2 Year Comparison

On assorted art sites, I see folks take a drawing they did years ago and redraw it at their current level of skill. So...I decided to do the same to warm me up for drawing the other day ^_^ This was the result.




This is Leilani, the daughter of Dumi and Neha Ayele. At the time, when I created Leilani, her parents hadn't been designed, yet. So, I just sketched her out on a whim. But, now, nearly two years later, her parents are fully realized:




And so, I was able to infuse a bit of her parents' looks into her. For example, her coat is the same hue as her father's while she's got her mother's cougar markings. Her hair and eye color come from her grandparents and other relatives. She's still very much a tomboy (with 4 brothers, how could she not be? ^^; ) but, she's a little more...pretty, now.

Anyway, I need to make bookmarks and key chains and other assorted trinkets and knickknacks for the pair of conventions that I'll be attending this year. With the comic finished, now I have a little more time to accommodate that need. I still have commissions to do, but I have more time to work on both tasks side by side ^__~

Comic Work Complete!

I can't believe that I didn't post this sooner, but finally, the work for the Sweet Shoppe comic is complete as of April 26th, 2010. WOOHOO! ^__^

I sent the files off to the printer and they got back to me last week and are in the process of printing my book. I'm so excited. I put so much effort, heart and love into and am really proud of what I've done. I hope and pray that it's successful, but that's all I can do for now. Only time will tell in the end. ^__~

Wish me and the girls and Boomer luck! ♥♥♥

In the meantime, I'm back to work on commissions that have accumulated while I was working on the comic. Never a dull moment, right ^__~ See ya!

Cover Art COMPLETED!

*stretches* Well, it took me a day and a half, but I finally finished the cover art for the Sweet Shoppe, issue #1! I am thrilled to have this completed and I'm very happy with the way that it turned out. Mint finally behaved and the pose came out and...well, here she is, gracing the cover of the very first issue of Sweet Shoppe, scheduled to make it's printed debut in May, 2010. ^__^

Mint is the very alluring, very sensual character in the story, yet at the same time, she's amazingly humble and refined and is so graceful that she would...NEVER pose like this for real! LOL! But, in the story, there's a scene where it makes complete and total sense. What's the scene? Well, I can't tell. ^_~ But, it'll be explained in the comic, for sure ^_^

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this cover shot and, well, I think that's about it. This is the end of March and I'm happy that this is the last entry for this month. If all goes well, I should be able to maintain schedule and have this printed on time! WOOHOO! ...right now, though, it's back to work for me ^___~ See ya!

Finally, A Page Is Complete!

It's taking me forever to get this work done. You would not believe! But, it's coming along, despite hardships ^^;

Yesterday, while skating in the park, I totally crashed and banged myself up fairly rough. My knees were damaged as well as my writing hand, but after a night's rest, I'm starting to come around. My hand is healing nicely and one of my knees is getting better, but the other is still extremely sore and I have to hobble about to get anywhere. Ah, but you take the good with bad. I'm still young and healthy and will heal just fine ^__~

AND!

With the spirit of determination, I finally managed to finish a page of my comic. TA-DA! One page out of twenty complete! This took quite a while because I drew and colored everything individually. So, it took an amazing amount of time to complete it, I'm afraid. Hopefully, though, the other pages won't take quite so long. At least, I really hope not. But, either way, I'll keep moving forward and giving it my best shot. I have to have this finished by the end of April, the latest, so I will do my best and give it everything I've got! Wish me luck and I hope you enjoy this teaser page ^__~

Plowing Along!

Well, it's March and I'm still working away on the Sweet Shoppe, hoping to be finished before the end of April so I can have it printed in time for the convention. This morning I scanned in the first images for the book. Here's a little sneak peak at a WIP.

It's not finished, yet, but it's coming along.

Anyway, this is the Second Prince of Calico, Arjuna with his betrothed fiancee, Amarah, the Third Princess of Kitwa.

This is a snippet of the first page of the first issue of Sweet Shoppe, slated to debut this May. The comic features 20 pages and I...haven't even finished one, yet ^^; BUT! I am getting somewhere with them. One page just needs coloring and two more need inks and then color. Little by little and step by step, that's the way! I just have to keep moving forward and I'll be alright! ^_^

Aoi: Blue Sun

This is a project that I've been working on for a while. The series is called, Aoi: Blue Sun. I've been working with the characters and developing them for some time, now, but recently, I put it on the shelf to really throw myself into working on Sweet Shoppe. But, still, this is a developing series that's really close to my heart. ^_^

I'm all about the environment and this series deals heavily with that. It's a series that I started after creating and introducing this character here, Adjani, into a game inspired by a Japanese animated series, Ronin Warriors (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers in Japan) that I used to play on. Adjani (the blue girl there) is a part of the tribe of water spirits, one of the seven major spirits (earth, tree, wind, fire, water, light, dark) on the planet. She is next in line to lead her people and maintain the waters of the world along with them. She cannot allow herself the luxury of following her heart and being with the one she loves who happens to be human.

Back in the day when I played this game, he was her lover. He is the Ronin Warrior, Cye (or Shin in Japan). This picture shows them parting, one last time. She has her destiny to fulfill as he has his. An immortal princess of water spirits must live her life for her people while he, a mortal warrior who fights to save the planet from the forces of evil, must live his.

( http://aoibluesun.blogspot.com/ )

Old Commission and New Uniforms

*stretches* You know, I can't believe that I didn't post this here when I got this commission back in November of 2009.

This was a commission that I was requested to do as a design for a night club in Nashville. Someone told me that this image is hosted as a very large image in their historic print district. That made me really happy to hear. I wish I could see it for myself, but, if I'm ever in the Nashville area, I'll hunt it down, for sure ;-)
SO! Lemme think what else is new. I've finalized the designs for the costumes of the Sweet Shoppe girls even if I haven't finalized the color arrangements for them. I'm debating just having the girls wear the same design and let them all wear whatever colors they choose. That seems to be the best course of action since all the girls have such varied hues, also.

The first issue's story is done, although, I think I'm going to add just a little more to it. I'm not sure as of yet, but I may add an additional bit of writing to what I already have. I won't know for sure, though, until I really get into the illustrations, see how much space I have and determine if I have enough time to make additional submissions to the existing material. So, here's hoping! :)

Alrighty! Back to work! In the meantime, here's Candy and Plum modeling the uniforms for the Sweet Shoppe girls to wear.

Uniformity!

Well well well... Another day, still plowing through the Sweet Shoppe, trying to get things done with the script so I can move on to art. I've actually planned the layout of the shoppe so I can begin figuring out how the shop looks, but the issue of uniforms came up and, thankfully, it was resolved swiftly enough...more or less ^^; Here, I'll show you what I mean:


This is the design for the uniforms of the Sweet Shoppe. There are two versions of, essentially, the same outfit. The one on the left was the original design, but upon thinking on it, I realized that it may be a bit too young for the older girls, Plum, Mint and Sweetheart. So, I designed the second outfit on the right. The lack of a pleated skirt ages it up, just a little and is something that I can easily see the three older girls wearing. So, for the moment, there are two uniforms worn at the Sweet Shoppe ^__~

...now, we move on to the rival shoppe known as, Brandy's Place.


The outfits couldn't be more different, but then, the restaurants couldn't be more different. The Sweet Shoppe is like a soda bar while Brandy's Place is more like a pub. The atmosphere in her establishment is considerably darker and more adult. You wouldn't find children here as you would at the Sweet Shoppe, but, that's the look that Brandy wanted. Children don't make money, or at least not a lot of it so she has very little use for them and thus does not tailor her business to cater to them.

Sweetheart, on the other hand, thinks children are precious and the light of the world and without them, the world would be a much less joyous place. Because of this, her establishment is very geared toward youth and at any given time of the day, you're very likely to see a child in her store. ^_^

Sweet Shoppe - RECOLOR

Well, several weeks ago, I came to realize that the monitor on my laptop wasn't accurately displaying color. I...was dismayed with this turn of events, mostly because with the Sweet Shoppe, the characters are colors that MUST be conveyed correctly. So, I decided to shop around for a new monitor...or rather...an additional monitor to partner with my laptop. Luck was with me because I found one and at an amazing price.

So, with joy and with the help of my new monitor, I am FINALLY able to get accurate colors for these characters. Mint is no longer neon!! (I hope! You tell me if she is!!) and Sugar is more sweet looking with a less darker shade of blue, more "baby" blue, now. AND Sweetheart isn't that soul-less yellow that she was before, she's quite a bit warmer now and her eyes are more brown, not so reddish.

The other three, Plum, Candy and Tange are actually fine the way they are, but these three bothered me, quite a lot. Boomer is also fine. He's brighter than I had intended, but, somehow, I like that on him Brandy...well, she's more saturated and brighter than I had originally planned, but, she may stay the way she is as well

Anyhoo, please let me know if you see a difference on your screens. I can see a noticeable difference from my laptop screen to my monitor, so I want to see if you can see a difference as well. Thanks a bunch! ^_^

Sweet Shoppe Rivals?!

Well, I was talking to my friend the other day and he wanted me to design something edgy for a line of fashion things he wants to get in together with me. SO! As I sat in Starbucks that day, sketching, this character came up. I've been calling her Brandy.

Now, something that I had in mind was that Sweetheart has a rival, a girl and her crew of of culinary competitors. They have a shop that's not quite as successful as Sweet Shoppe because...well, the girls aren't as likable across the board, but they DO attract a particular audience (it's not the most modest of establishments ^^; ). Long story short, Brandy despises Sweetheart and Sweetheart really wouldn't mind not having ANYTHING to do with Brandy. She doesn't HATE her the way Brandy hates her, but she does try to avoid her when she can. But, what I think Brandy truly hates is the fact that Sweetheart has Boomer...and Brandy wants Boomer, too...but, she can't have him.

...ah well. There will be more of Brandy and her staff eventually. They're not needed in the story just now, so, I have time to work on them. Anyhoo, I hope you like her...er...no...wait...not LIKE her 'cause she's the enemy but...hmm...darn! I don't know what to say! ^^; I guess I want people to like her in the way that people like the antagonist in a story I think that's about all for the moment. There will be more from the rivals soon...well...maybe not that soon, but at least this is something to get them started.

Sweet Ferals!

Well, I was playing around with the Sweet Shoppe girls and I guess I must have been bored or curious or spacing out...or something! :-p Long story short, I wanted to see what the cats would look like as regular cats. So, this was what I came up with. This is Sugar, Tange and Plum just...being very feline.

I may end up doing something with this like a little web comic or like a mini-comic at the end of each issue, but we'll have to see. :-) I realize that this is the same thing that I did with my other series, Eyes in the Dark. Except, that series was in reverse. I started with quadrupeds and then did a series with them as upright anthros. ;-) So, if I go forth using these characters in this way, it'll be a twist.

OH! Speaking of cats, I forgot to mention a series that I put on the back burner, Alley Cat Blues. I've left it on the side for a while...you know, that's another post for another day ^_^ For now, I'll just post a little teaser image here so hopefully, you'll be curious for more when the time comes to talk a little more about it here. ...or, you can just dig around my DeviantArt account site! HAHA! Okay! Gotta go! See ya!

Sweet Costumes!

...at least I hope so!! HAHA! Anyway, first post of the new year! WOOHOO! This year started with inspiration for me! Somehow, I was able to find my muse and that's a blessing! *dances* I'm still working furiously away on the Sweet Shoppe and now that all of the core characters are designed, I needed to start working on costuming for them.

Today I sat and finished designs for all the girls (Boomer is coming soon) and even managed to design a shoppe uniform for them, too (which I'll load later). The designs for each girl reflect their personalities and individuality. I didn't want to just give them outfits that looked nice, but rather things that looked good as well as things that fit who they are as characters. So, I hope that comes across ^_~ Anyway, here are my girls, again! I hope you like 'em ^_^