i'm working on finding this out by searching forums etc. on the net but just in case anyone can help me here (please! ^^; )

i'm planning on drawing my neo comp entry out on B4 paper then reducing it to A4 size to enter it. so i have 2 questions:

1. are B4 and A4 in the same ratio? (i.e. if i drew a safe area equally measured from each edge of my B4 paper, will this reduce to A4 without needing to be squashed horizontally to fit?)

2. how big a margin should i leave from the edges of my B4 paper for trim/bleed? on A4 i've heard its about 1-1.5 cm, so should i use about 1.5-2cm?

hopefully i'll be able to find answers to these questions online, but it would be really helpful if anyone who knows would comment, as i've never used B4 before ^^;

i'm really excited! i've been thumnailing my neo entry during the week so i'll be ready to sketch soon yay!! (gotta get it out of the way so i can work on my RSoM entry o.O; )

Tags: comics
aroundabout now, i am: worried

i've been planning loads of CLM strips lately (i'm up to 24 strips thumbnailed o.O; ) but i've realised that, to get to the end of the pirate arc will take at least 50 strips, and i just don't have time to draw them all before RSoM this summer. i wanted to find a good cliffhanger to stop on, but the best one is 24 strips away ^^; so i'm going to go to the second best one, which just so happens to be this week's strip!

so this sunday's strip is going to be the last CLM strip until after the summer (weird o.O; )

but never fear! as i said i've got the next 24 pirate strips thumbnailed already, and planned the story already for about the next 20 or so after that...actually come to think of it there's at least a year's more pirates to do before we get onto more normal stuff lol! XD

it *will* start up again at the end of the summer! (and hopefully i'll be able to get some fancy new character profiles etc. for the website done as well ^_^ )

once i finally get a job and can get my act together to sell some comics then i'm hoping to make a couple of cute CLM postcards too! (oo...and i dre an even more super deformed moomer last night that was just *so cute* ... *so tempted to give moomer a little brother* XD )

so my to-do list reads as follows now:

- 1 CLM strip for sunday (already thumbnailed)
- webcomic mole 5 (already planned out but not finished) plus future webcomic mole columns (number 6 is finished)
- RSoM comic (this is going to take a few months o.O; )
- (plan CLM katamari painting?...this is just on the list because i want to do it, i don't really need to! XD but imagineFX had some cool stuff about composition this month so i'm thinking i might plan my silly painting using loads of uber composition rules, just for a laugh! XD )
- daily life drawings (which i'm still keeping up with! go me! :D )

this isn't counting future projects like rapunzel, fleet, light etc. but i think its best to focus on as little as possible at one time ^^;;

Tags: art, clm, clm pirates, comics, rsom
aroundabout now, i am: creative

(sorry muse if i make you blush by posting about this XD )

wm_sketchpad (wandering muse on SD) has posted a preview for a comic which i think really exemplifies what i'd love to see more of in indie UK comics - the complete juxtaposition of western design / design history and a strong manga influence in art and storytelling - this is the direction i would really like to see comics going in, as it seems utterly original

http://www.drunkduck.com/Bee/index.php

there's just a preview cover page at the moment, but stop by and take a look at it - i could see that alongside any professional comics in borders couldn't you? anyway, i can't wait for this one! (but take you time muse i don't mean to rush you XD just enjoy making it as that's the main thing ^_^ )
 
i love to see people producing things like this off their own back for the joy of doing it - it's so inspirational!

Tags: art, comics
aroundabout now, i am: enthralled

i'd had a brief look at the website before but following a link from an interview with the editor i'm getting more and more interested in maybe asking for a couple of the 'Flight' anthologies for my birthday this is the cover to volume 3 (my fav <3 )



it might be interesting to read some short comics by indie western comic writers/artists - anyone got any of these? and if so, what did you think of them?

Tags: comics
aroundabout now, i am: busy

i expect no-one will remember my hikari project as i never really drew much of it (when i was coming up with the main story and characters i wasn't good enough at drawing to even attempt sketching them o.O; ) - it's an adult, cyberpunky story set a few hundred years in the future in the city-state of england. its got a few cliched ideas in it but i think i've successfully turned them on their heads enough that they are now quite original (we'll see! XD )

i've got the main plot laid out but it'll need a complete re-write and re-planning of the comic issues, as it still has some yucky japanese-fangirlishness about it >.< i've been sitting on the story for 2-3 years now and i'm not even going to attempt to draw the comic until i've finished my current projects (RSoM, Rapunzel 1&2 and fleet issue 1) - soooo...i'll be starting drawing it in about 3 years time at the least! (actually i think that's about right, i want to be decent at comicking before i start it).

its set to run to about 1 GN in length - i would about 5 chapters of 20 pages each. so after having done the four 20-odd page comics above i think i'll be ready to tackle a longer project ^_^

i've chosen to re-name it by just directly translating 'hikari', so its going to be called 'light' (luckily most of the deathnote craze should have dissipated by 3-5 years time! XD )

...although with a title like that i think i'm going to have to play close attention to my light sources in the panels! XD

i think its a good sign that i still like the story and main characters, even tho (as i wrote it when i'd only just discovered anime and manga) its chock full of horrible 'OMG i love japan!!!1!' moments >.< i hope to be able to sit down sometime in the next few months and start bashing out a complete re-write *nods* ^_^

Tags: comics, light, writing
aroundabout now, i am: creative

(something similar to this is cross-posted to bumblemoos)

if there weren't enough personal projects for me to work on already, here's another! starting next weekend i'll be writing a bi-weekly column for indiereview.co.uk on UK webcomics!

i will be introducing a comic each couple of weeks, as well as giving a short review of it. there will be a bit of a slant towards the more manga-influenced webcomics as that is just my personal taste, however i'm very open to suggestions as to more western (or just plain out there) styles of comic too - this will be good opportunity for me to read many more types of comics ^_^

hopefully in the future i will be able to include more in-depth columns on a particular comic or creator, and maybe even the odd short interview with a creator!

i've been compiling a list of recommended webcomics but am always open to new suggestions / pimpage of your own comics XD

another exciting thing with indiereview is that they are now taking submissions of webcomic profiles as well as printed comics, so if you have a webcomic but nothing in print (like me ^^; ) now's the time to add yours to the site! (and of course add any that you enjoy reading too - this site is great for getting the readers in there adding content that others will find useful ^_^ )

*phew!* what a day ... you know you're on the net too much when it takes you until lunchtime to check messages and finish posting blog entires o.O; needless to say i'm really excited at the moment! i've got tons of new UK printed comics to read (sincere thanks to the SD members and other UK creators involved for their hard work and creativity there) as well as a massive list of UK webcomics to devour...i've got loads of reviews and columns to write, momiji dolls to design, 3D projects to do for my portfolio and i *still* haven't had time to even install my new copy of manga studio and get working on RSoM designs yet! life is good ^_^

Tags: bumblemoos, comics, indiereview, webcomics, writing
aroundabout now, i am: excited

check this out, even without garfield, garfield is still really entertaining XD

http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/page/1

Tags: comics
aroundabout now, i am: amused

does anyone out there produce a UK webcomic?

does anyone out there read any UK webcomics frequently?

i'm after some geeat UK webcomics to devour (and tell others about) so please let me know which ones read or if you write any! (as most folks out there will know, i mainly prefer manga-influenced comics, but i'm very open to trying new things as well!)

also, does anyone know of a site listing UK webcomics? (i guess i could try comicspace o.O; )

i think there are probably many more webcomics out there than there are printed ones seeing as lots of folks find it hard to coordinate money, files and time to get their comics into print...

Tags: comics
aroundabout now, i am: working

my new (if somewhat crushed) copy of manga studio arrived today yay! XD i wonder if i'll get a chance to muck about with it tonight >:-)

...i really need that extra hard drive and RAM o.O;

oo! and season 5 of DS 9 arrived too! XD just season 6 to go and we'll have them all! (we got given seasons 1, 2 and 7 for christmas...go figure o.O; )

*can't wait for dinner time so we can watch DS 9* :D

there's something to be said for a program that you can watch 4 whole seasons of back-to-back and still want more (contrasted to heroes, which i've given up on at the 2nd season, supernatural, which i gave up on at the 3rd season, and house, which i think i gave up on at the 4th season...)

Tags: comics, random, tv
aroundabout now, i am: artistic

yay! today our thinpack boxsets of DS 9 series 3 & 4 arrived! i'm so enjoying re-watching them - the writers of DS 9 were really good, the characters evolve over time whilst keeping their essential components that make them who they are, there's a good overarching plot to the whole 7 seasons provided by the politics of the area (the bajorans, gamma quadrant, wormhole, wars etc. etc.) and also loads and loads of standalone episodes dealing with introducing a situation, developing it, and concluding it one 44 minute episode. some of the most imaginative concepts and best writing i've experienced in an american drama series, well, since the last time o watched them XD

we spent a soggy few hours in town today, tho it was ok as it wasn't all that cold ... altho my shoes may never be the same o.O;

we sampled a selection of waffles from the cambridge waffle co! they were very nice, altho i think rather than a given topping (they do several sweet and savoury varieties), next time we go there i'm gonna go for a double stack of plain ones with vanilla ice cream and just pour on the ol free maple syrup *mmm*

also today we bought a new pot! we got given a debenhams giftcard for christmas and we got a funky new cast iron cooking pot in bright orange! (a le creuset one...wierd, as i used to stack these things back in my debenhams home depatment working days o.O; ) it's very cool, perfect size for 2-4 people's worth of food, in my fav colour and should last absolutely years! i can just see the chicken, olives, tomatoes and white wine bubbling away in there now *mmm...* aww pity we dont have any of those ingredients at the moment! XD

i'm putting the finishing touches to my looking for the sun review now - i'm really enjoying re-reading them especially now that i know what's going to happen so i'm just appreciating it now in a bit more detail...i wish book 4 was out already! >.< altho i'm only on book 2 so far so it'll be a little while before i'm up to the end of book 3 ^^ i have to say that, altho morag says that she finds environments frustrating to draw at times, it hasn't made her shy away from drawing them! there are some pretty challenging environments even in book 1 o.O; (what comes of having to introduce a new world every other chapter i guess! ^_~ )

i'm going to be sitting down and taking a look at my little (possible RSoM? o.O; ) story in a mo (just getting the essential cuppa tea...). i really don't know if it'll hold up - it should be about the right length, its got a lovely charming randomity to it which i'm happy with, but i think i've got approx 4 versions of it written out so far and the events just aren't slotting in in the right places yet >.<



 

Tags: comics, random, tv
aroundabout now, i am: chipper