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 ^_^

Sweet Shoppe Notes no.2

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeell...all of my girls are designed, sketched and have their colors assigned to them. ^_^ With the completion of a new Tange sketch, all of the main girls (Candy, Sweetheart, Plum, Mint, Sugar & Tange) are designed. I also didn't show the picture of Boomer the leading male character that's featured in this series (he's Sweetheart's boyfriend ^_~) in my previous blog. Sorry about that *blushes* I'll show him now. These images aren't as polished as the others, but, they do show the characters designs and characteristics so...I'm pretty happy with them. ^_^

...but, it's late and I can't really think clearly right now @__@ So, I'm gonna end this blog now. See ya!

Sweet Shoppe

...seriously...I cannot believe I haven't updated this page in nearly a year! WOW! ^^; Sorry about that. Hmm...so much has happened in this passed year, I do not even know where to begin.

Let's see...

I attended my first convention in July where I actually was a dealer. That was a learning experience, but a rather fantastic one at that ^_^ I look forward to doing it again next year. Oh! The convention is where I debuted Hybrid. I actually finished the comic in time for the convention and it was a success! I also debuted a series of feline pinups which I decided to pursue as a fully realized story. I've been calling it Sweet Shoppe, tentatively. The next group of images are from that series.

...gee, there really is too much to say all in one message. So, for now, I'll leave it at that. My new year's resolution is to try and be more diligent with this blog, for sure! ^_^