SAMURAItastic!! - the blog.

// oh man, junior year

2011-10-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating this thing a lot. Everywhere else but here is pretty much banging - Tumblr, Wordpress (I don't even have one, surprisingly), Twitter, etc. Mostly Tumblr is keeping my attention and it's really easy to post pictures there.

If you want to know where that is, well here we go: http://starthesamurai.tumblr.com/

So I guess what I'll do with this and give a brief synopsis on what I've been doing since last updates.

I got through sophomore year pretty smoothly, although all the deadlines + requirements for projects took a lot of getting used to. This year it's somewhat smooth sailing there.

Basically it was a communication arts thing, where we were taught with graphic design majors. So they learned some illustrative stuff and we learned some graphic design stuff. Since I have an interest in graphic design anyway, it was pretty cool. I always do hand-lettering, despite not...using that term with it.

So we did stuff like stop motion animation, Flash (which is awful, btw), movie poster design (the above is the lineart for my Memento poster, which is still hanging in the PCAD hallway - inspiration for the new sophomores I guess? Feels pretty good), commentary on security cameras in the city, and designing your own font.

(WHICH IS SOMETHING I'LL TRY TO DO IN THE FUTURE - I tried to do that in high school and couldn't find anything clear on how to do it digitally).

ANYWAYS THIS YEAR, I am learning Corel Painter - finally. I tried to learn it by myself and it never ended well. Not even the Essentials version that came with my tablet. But I am getting a hang of it and liking the conte + oil pastel tools more than anything else. ANDDDDDD picture book illustration class = MAKING A COMIC ABOUT WITCHES AND BLOOD AND CRAZY FACES. Loving it~! And figure anatomy class is...not really so much anatomy? I don't know, it's weird.

I'm going to make another entry with selected new art. Yay...? Let's end this with Mr. Bones.

// 10 ; long time no update

2010-12-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

I'm in college now - lol. Fantastic, yes?

This is my 2nd year technically. Most of the stuff I've worked on is traditional and I've been too lazy to scan in stuff + take photos, resizing, etc.

But here's a few examples:

I'll be scanning in this semester's stuff anyway for school, so I'll try and post what I like on here. :9 And I need to change this damn layout.

//09 → it's been a while, hasn't it?

2009-05-24T08:50:00.001-07:00

listening to The Avalanches second mixtape thing, After the Goldrush, while not really paying attention to the Simpsons

Okay. So basically I've been extremely busy since...October 2008. Oh geez that's...8 months. That's just an insane concept.

But basically I finished my graduation project in December of 2008, excepting one chapter due to lack of time. I published it in Janurary, evidenced by this picture:

Also within that month I completed my interview with PCAD and it was 100% certain that I got accepted. And I did. Which is pretty awesome. I completed most of the financial aid stuff, yet I need scholarships. There was one for PCAD, but they didn't give it to me. They said it in the most nicest and lamest way too. Of course. But it's all good -- still going in the fall. Plus an alumni from my high school is going there as a freshman in the fall too. So one person I know! Yay!

Last week was fucking busy due to the Senior Art Exhibition!
Again. Me and the poster. I designed the poster. I designed last year's poster. I designed this year's agenda book cover. I'm not sure if anyone designed this much shit for anything in my school. I don't think so.
Anyways. It was really successful. A lot of people gushed about everything I made to me and stuff. I had my animation up there too. (No animation..."copyright infringement" on music apparently. I don't believe it! I still don't! DX) Everyone could tell which piece was mine and stuff.
It was extremely fufilling. The perfect sendoff for my art in high school.
Tomorrow is a critique in drawing and painting 5 - gah, my last drawing and painting class!! I'm so going to miss the art teachers! GAH SO VISITING WHEN I HAVE TIME ASIDE FROM COLLEGE!!!!!!
Portfolio kids are going to be honored on Monday! I can't wait!! Haha but tomorrow all seniors are clearing out lockers. Oh my lord. But it's easy for me. All I have is my pre-calculus book in there and it's set. ;D ;D ;D

So what am I doing now?
Tomorrow is part 2 of 2 finals I have to take. Humanities and Pre-Calculus.
Humanities is easy. Pre-Calculus is decent. I'm bsing whatever I don't know. I really don't give a damn at the moment.
Also I'm slowly gaining an 'every-day-updating' schedule for my comics. It's quite beneficial too...considering I gained 3 fans for GH at Smackjeeves within the past...2 days. It doesn't sound like much, but it's better than one per day or few days.

Eventually I'll get back on AIM and MSN. I don't know when. I am tired. I've been tired. One of my friends which I only contact on AIM...aw man. Haven't talked to her in months. Not sure if she still gets on...! *death* if she does and I get on, LOTS TO CATCH UP ON. HAHAHA.

Anyways I'ma get back to making comics. Hopefully Photoshop will have pen pressure or I'ma reload it and I'm not going to like it! HAHA.

// 08 → i am a watercoloring machine. i swear.

2008-10-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

I literally colored 7 of these pictures yesterday.
listening to some drum & bass internet radiossssss.

Okay. So today I finished this series of pictures involving every like important to important-ish character of the series. Well. Not. Exactly. MOST OF THEM. Of Glass Hearts, I mean. I named this THE GH COLORBAR PROJECT. Haha. Joy. So yeah. Along with the 'comic-page-making-machine' title in my belt, I now have the 'watercoloring-machine' title in my belt. I wonder what other machine titles I can attain...? Here are the rest of the pictures, btw:

Hopefully you all enjoyed all these. Hahaha.

PCAD is visiting my school on Thursday, which is pretty fucking epic. And I can't wait until that day. Yet I have to mat things this week to make slides. Yet I need to buy slides. Oh lord have mercy on Samurai using an old camera. OAO;;;;;

Tyler School of Art is visiting on November 5th I think. I didn't think of this school actually. Hahahaha. Saddening I know~ I'm sold on PCAD. Fo' sho.

// 07 → well THIS is complicated.

2008-10-10T12:12:00.001-07:00

Proof that I am serious about being a comic artist.
listening to Makoto and Akira's "Flying High" among other nice drum and bass tracks.

Yeah. Uhhh I pretty much put all the other sketches of this chapter into .psd files without like laying out text and such. Trying to save as much time as possible.

Hahaha. But this background is a major pain. I didn't want to do the typical INDUSTRIAL PIPE TYPICAL GYM CEILING. It would be too hard. So I was lucky to find a reference with no such ceiling. Though another hard part is drawing the damn basketball court stuff. All I'm thinking is "LINE LINE LINE LINE ERASE LINE LINE LINE LINE MOVE RESIZE LINE LINE"

I'm complaining repeatedly in my mind. But whatever. It's looking good. So I'm feeling accomplished. Can't wait until I finish this page. The next one includes a locker room.

For those who know Charlie. Kinda. Well, he's slightly different now so perhaps you DON'T know. Let me just say: he is semi-more superficial and semi-more selfish. The first portion should bring you to what he'll think in a locker room.

I gotta say this: I cannot wait until I draw more of GH. Like...my mind is itching to think of more stuff for it that isn't like major drama but like developing relationship-wise. Not like...love stuff. But friend or going towards friend path. And more fun arguements. Oh lord. That'll be so much fun.

Again, I can't wait until I finish this damn book. Hahaha.
But it'll be worth it in the end. Though apparently today is some portfolio thing. Too bad I'll be missing it just to work on this.

Hopefully I won't be shot repeatedly on Monday. Like "WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE????". Oh gosh. I'm just going to be like "HEY. I WAS WORKING ON MY GRADPROJECT. GOD KNOWS I NEED MORE TIME FOR IT. PLUS IT'S FOR PORTFOLIO TOO."

I mean come on. It's better than doing nothing instead of being there. At least I'm doing something art-related.

Plus I don't even have ride. Plus I don't know what time it even is. All they said was it was a portfolio thing at farm show. They should know how confused I was with everything changing up a lot. We were going to do something last Thursday, but that got cancelled. Then this Tuesday got cancelled. Then yeah. I was making up quizzes like...last week I think. So everything was just messed up.

I am hoping I won't be shot. Hahaha.

Time to finish this damn gymnasium.
I bet my fans will love me more because I am drawing so much better now. And more better dialogue.

I am excited, yeah. Glass Hearts coming back to the internet. Oh god. I am so excited. Plus it's after the election, so my mind will be more at ease. Because thinking about that stuff makes my head want to explode. Not even kidding.

BUT YEAH NOVEMBER 27TH...!! AHHHHHH.
Too bad it's Thanksgiving. Whatever. 8D I'm going to post the page or two or three the day or two before that day. I know I'll be doing lots of stuff OTHER than computer stuff on that day. Hahahaha. Considering I'm older and stuff and I can help around on Thanksgiving. At least.

...I hope my mom will LET ME help. Wait. On that day. Yeah. Hahaha. Any other time, I ask to help and she says she's fine. Ahhhhh geez. Everyone else is practically forced to do chores. Me? Nope.

It's weird like that. Plus we never had a grounding system. NEVER.

ANYWAYS. TIME TO WORK ON PAGE. *DASH*

// 06 → GP

2008-10-09T16:00:00.001-07:00

You gotta love days off of school.
listening to nu:tone ft. logistics's "never together"

I've been working on graduation project all day long since yesterday I didn't make it to the computer. Hahaha. In my area, there's a farm show going on until Friday. So I went to that. Oh joy. There's supposed to be something NAHS/Portfolio going on there. But I don't have a ride. Plus I wasn't fully aware of it until like this week/Friday maybe? But yeah. I honestly don't feel like doing anything w/school.

School has been interrupting my process too much. I need to work on my damn graduation project which is going to be in my portfolio. SO HAH. >:C

CAN YOU SAY FOURTEEN PAGES LEFT OF THE GLASS HEARTS CHAPTER??
I am so excited. I am trying my best to work fast yet beautifully. Aw man! I am too excited right now.

And then it's 62 pages of Project 217!. Oh lord have mercy on me and have me finish this at least during November. I'd be lucky if I finished it this month. Then it would've been half-assed.

WELL. GOTTA MAKE PAGES. YAHOO.

// 05 → GP + PORTFOLIO

2008-10-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

I think the mashed potatoes are going to shoot me down to sleep.
listening to Underworld's "Simple Distinctive (Floating World)" repeatedly and obsessively.
They better not. :/ I wanna get a page or two done!!
153 pages to go! Hahaha!
For GH, it's 22 pages to go! I can do this! Finish 1 chapter within this month!!

Alrighty. So as for portfolio, I'm planning on making a still life at home, color the GH COLORBAR project at home with watercolors, ink the outlines for that GH COLORBAR project at school, and work fully on the multiplefacialexpression project at school.
PHEW!
All I can say is that I can't wait until I get everything done so that I can focus fully on graduation project after my drawing and painting 3 class since I have no art classes next marking period, which sucks. (Gym replaces D&P3. Oh joy.)

And tighten up my portfolio pieces, OF COURSE. And make one more still life and a remake of a picture in my sketchbook. And finish that horrible torturistic photorealistic self-portrait. OH MY GOD. Wanamaker is right. I'm going to need therapy after I'm fucking done with it. *DIES REPEATEDLY NOW*

Well. I'ma try to lineart some of page 32 and go watch the Young and the Restless and then come back to it. I don't feel like watching Dancing With The Stars. Hahaha.

// 04 → GP + PORTFOLIO

2008-10-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Today was fufilling.
listening to Le Knight Club's "Gator"

So yesterday I finished sketching the GH chapter, which is very exciting. And I'm thinking I'll be able to finish it within this month. I started sketching the P217! chapter yesterday too.

Basically in portfolio today we discussed what we're interested in majoring in and what type of college and/or what college you wanted to go and such. It was nice. But yeah. Now we need to discuss financial aid and scholarships w/our parents. I already did that with my dad on the way home and he understands. Now that we had experience with Michelle (my sister -- graphic designer) && college, it should help me a lot.

I am off to watch Ugly Betty and the debate tonight. How exciting~ I'll be sure to have more stuff tomorrow.

// 03 → PORTFOLIO

2008-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

My eyes hurt super much and I am feeling semi-confident. Which is a good thing.

listening to Cut Chemist meets Shortkut - Live At The Future Primitive Soundsession from 1998

So today I worked more on my photo-realistic self-portrait. And that was it really.

Then I left choir later on in the day to the art room for some portfolioreview I think I should call it from this girl from MICA. And yeah. I had to wait a while. I didn't have all of my stuff.
BUT!
But but but but but~ I am amazed: she liked my sketchbook as well as what final stuff I had there. And yeah. I didn't hear anything negative. So. Better than expected.
My mind is settled on putting my graduation project comic book in my portfolio.

So I'm probably going to work on it really soon. After AP Psych homework. And I'll have a screenshot or two. Blocking out text. I'll be sure to remember to do that.

Haha. So basically the art teachers (Cook, Wanamaker, and Hibshman) want to see like EVERYTHING we have drawn. It doesn't matter if it's like crappy to us, they want to see it.
So uh.
I DRAW A LOT. So. I'm going to take lots of pictures of digital stuff. Oh lord. Too many digital things. But yeah. If they want everything, I'm gonna give them everything.

New post later~

// 02 → GP + PORTFOLIO

2008-09-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

My day was decent.
----listening to London Elektricity's Syncopated City obsessively----
Judging from this picture of me, that phrase might be refuted. Geez.
Now I'm just tired. And pondering. A lot.

This is my computerspace. All those papers + folder are covering my tablet. Well. Right now it isn't, but yeah. That white bowl has water in it. Now it's blue and such. You'll see why. But on the tablet are like papers. Of what you ask?

Why graduation project and portfolio stuff, of course! Silly!
Basically. Those are sketches of pages. I scanned them in...an hour ago? Also there's a page of dialogue in case if I'm like "What the hell is the storyboarded page saying?". Oh. The storyboarding is on top of the dialogue. And on top of the storyboarding is portfolio due dates and such for school.

This is what I am almost done with. This will be included in my portfolio. The working title is flying on the phoenix in the sky. Well. It could also be Phoenix Air. Like. An airplane. I don't know. The lines were drawn with india ink (my love since last year) and the coloring is being done with watercolors. And it'll have some digital edits in Photoshop. Like textures and stuff. I was going to color it digitally but due to issues with sending it home to me, I decided out of boredom to color it. Hahaha.

How does it look now? Uber amazing. I'm about to add one more color-tintage somewhere and I'll be done. And I'll be sure to take a picture of it and post it here. ♥ Oh joy.

So today at school, we had a portfolio group meeting. Finally we got our paper filled with due dates. How exciting. Discussed it with my parents + sister like...an hour or so ago.
By the way, I have a slight advantage: my sister used to be in portfolio group and she's now a graphic designer. She's all like "YOU GOT YOUR RESOURCE RIGHT HERE. *SARCASTIC SMILE*" XD Gosh. But yeah. That should help a lot.

Tomorrow some recruiters from MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) are coming to see seniors. Oh lord have mercy on samurai. xD Because only ONE of my works is matted. And I just finished like 2 things that would need matting. (The phoenix one is one of them two things.)

I need to ask Mr. Cook (one of the three art teachers) about bringing stuff in~ my figure drawings + works for portfolio + works that could be in portfolio but don't think they should be. Oh. Plus one of my works like fell apart slightly. So I need to fix that baby. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. Good thinking, samurai! And I'll finish my pencil-only self-portrait when I straighten my hair. (I really don't want to draw photo-realistic curly hair. I really don't.)

Hot damn. And also gradproject is at my heels too. Oh right. I should ask Mr. Cook if I can include a book in portfolio. (COUGHGRADPROJECTBOOKCOUGH)

I didn't make any pages tonight. 8D
AP Psychology loves to do that. Chew time in huge bites.

stats;
GPA
final: 22/184
sketch: 44/54 (I think?)

// 01 → GP PROCESS 01

2008-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

My time got super used up by making this thing. And this is like definitely the only time this week I'll have no homework from AP Psychology! I am so intelligent... ( Je suis trés intelligente... ) Did I mention French II gives me homework almost everyday too? School is the reason I'm not getting time to complete this damn thing. Good thing next week has some off days. Yet those off days are a part of my town's farm show week. OH. JOY.

So where am I? Well. All summer long I sketched sketches of poses and setting imagery for my mentor. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I have a mentor involved with this as well. Although communication is only via email, we still get communication flowing. At least, when I have time and/or when he has time. I don't want to divulge TOO much, but he's an illustrator and has given me lots of guidance when it comes to all this. It's quite exciting to say the least.

At this moment, I have 22 out of 184 pages done. I started making pages like...Saturday of the week before last week. So that's not bad, right? I just need to devote loads of weekends for just making pages. Family will not understand and probably pull me out of the basement and be all "YOU NEED FRESH AIR."

*sigh*
Lemme show you imagery.

This is my desktop at the moment. That was what I got up to yesterday. I made 7 complete pages, which I feel very proud of. Hahaha.

Here are two pages I've completed yesterday. I should've blocked out text but~ I'm too lazy at the moment. Highly doubt anyone @ the SJ place will catch on to the whole 'blog side' of SAMURAItastic!!. Hahaha. If they do, they better let me know. But I highly doubt that too. No communication. Yet most of them go to school. But still. Still. I try to be patient and wait for responses and no one ever does.

I put a drop of an idea to post a few pages as a preview for the relaunch online on November 27th. We shall see how many people respond. Or not care that I want responds and laugh in my face ...or rather out of my face.

Well. I'm off to shut down, put Syncopated City by London Elektricity on my iPod (yes, the entire album), and make more sketches of pages. Joy joy joy.

//endtroducing ←→ gnicudortdne

2008-09-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hello~ hello~
I've had a blog on here before -- my attempt at being an anime blogger person like loads of blogs I look at from time to time. I don't know how long it's been since I haven't updated -- oops!

But anyways. I'm superknown as the star samurai. (T*S, TSS, SS, *S~ call me anything) But before that for like...5 years, I've been supersuperknown as buttercup*samurai. But don't call me that. I'm already set with being T*S online. So yeah. You can call me 'Samurai' too. I guess. Hahaha. Or my real name, Monique, is good too.

I've had a semi-art-web-blog-thing on Smackjeeves.com since...this summer? Yeah. Go check it out.
http://samuraitastic.smackjeeves.com/
But yeah. I'm going to try and organize it. I don't think people over there want to read entries. Therefore, why not put that here? I happened to have a gmail account for loads of months. Uh. Since last December. When I made the nameswitch and disappearance. That's explained in the SJ site, by the way. I don't feel like talking about it again.

I am an aspiring comic artist, yep. Superinfluenced by anime + manga, superyep. Getting increasingly superinfluenced by cartoons, supersuperyep. There's something about those old cartoon shorts of Looney Toons and Disney that is so stylish and cool. The old ones, at least. There's a certain distinct style that I instantly reconize and it's really fascinating to see.

For my high school graduation project, I am making a full-length graphic novel. It is going to be 184 pages, which is insane but true. I have to finish it by December. So a sense of huge urgency? Very much so. It's not exactly a continuous story type thing. I titled it KABOOM! the star samurai comic sampler for a reason. It consists of 4 chapters, each one being the first chapter of Project 217!, Holding the Moth;, SAMURAI SUPERSHOTS!!, and Glass Hearts. All of which are my comic babies. (P217! originally being a novel-baby since 2002 until December 2006)

So I'll be blogging about that.
A LOT.
Along with my developing portfolio for art college.
I have yet to send applications.

SO YEAH. WONDERFUL INTRO. Yes. I do use caps a lot. So...a warning about that. And I like to rant about things repeatedly. Forgive me. I also like to talk about music. Since I draw and listen to music at the same time.

A non-intro post will come AFTER this one.

Oh joy.