My experiments with Paint

I hardly ever paint- but I LOVE this illustration, even though it was a mistake from start to finish. It was a happy accident. I saw a picture like this somewhere, don't know who artist was, so I can't give them credit for the inspiration. I was messing around with my mum's acrylics (she's an illustrator) on scraps of paper around her work desk. This is just under 2x2 inches. (so it's a mini mouse drawing teehehe)

I'm a newly instated counselor for a high school-aged girls' organization, and since I made the suggestion that some of our meetings be devoted to learning skills from the members, the president decided I should pioneer the idea with a one-hour painting class next Wednesday. Ack!
inexperienced girls can be easily turned off by their art not 'looking like the picture', so I decided to go with stylistic animals. These ^^ are doodles I did whilst figuring out my game plan. B)

'Happily ever after isn't a fairy tale, it's a choice.' -Fawn Weaver
This three paneled comic was inspired by Fawn's insight, and the large amount of blue paint left on my pallet.

 Text yet to be added!

Manga Art Sketches Mar-Apr

I'll be posting more manga anime styled art soon!

Sitting chibi poses

Here's a reference sheet for you chibis who are tired of standing around or blasting evil with magic fireballs. Sometimes our characters need a rest.

You can compare poses to see how different angles of the head and placement of limbs can totally shift the mood of your character.

It's important to know how to draw a pose simply. Just as Architects use prototype bridges and buildings, we artists use thumbnails, and I draw complex poses in a chibi style first, so I know I'll get it right in the detailed version.

Episode 28! Not So Generic

My webtoon, Not So Generic, has grown into more than just a comic, but also a small community of supporters, whose encouragement and love I adore. <3 The newest episode, 'Chase your Dreams', just came out! Follow the link at the end of the post to view it all.

 Not so generic 'Chase your dreams'

Manga Hair

It's important to realize that bangs come out of the hairline. When you visualize or even sketch out the hair line as I have above, the hair will all be uniform and look real.

Make sure that the hair isn't stuck to the skull by giving it some volume (unless your OC has a shaved head). Just a little bit will do- the more cartoony a character, the more volume.

Besides those two basic rules, hair variations have no limits! Here are a few common ones in my style. Instead of illustrating each strand, I organize the hair into 'clumps' that are much easier to tackle.

Remember to mind the HAIRLINE and VOLUME, and to divide the hair into sections. Have at it! here are a a few of my chibi girl characters- notice how there's more volume in a chibi's hair vz. Manga character- and yet they all have noticeable hair sections and a consistent hairline.