Hoping my hand won't go on strike...

Journal Entry #35

04/30/12

Hi again Journal!

It's almost May.  Four weeks to go before Summer Komikon (on May 28th).  It may seem far away, but for a comic creator who's going to release on the said event, it's VERY CLOSE.  I'm not exactly a person who can manage her time properly on hot days.  Normally I would work at night when it's cooler.  But right now, I have to maximize my time for the comic related projects.

Yesterday,  I worked on collating my books (Cresci Prophecies).  Collating is pretty easy, but very tiring. And you have to move a lot, which isn't good when it's around 34-35 degrees inside your house.  And some of the signatures got mixed up.  Mixing up signatures is a nightmare when collating several sets of chapters that look almost identical.  It gets really confusing, and mix ups after binding isn't something any creator (working on DIY graphic novels) would want to happen. Here you see in the pics, are the sets (that's just for one book, by the way).  I use a squeegee to make fast and flat folds.  I'd have to bring around 11 sets to the binders this week, along with getting new glasses.  Yes, I'm gonna wear glasses soon...

Weeks ago, we got invited to participate in an art exhibit, but this time in a gallery where we can sell our works.  Our previous exhibits were held by museums, so this is the first time we can actually sell what they see.  Getting in is quite tough.  We were briefed on how galleries work, and I can really feel the pressure.  This is what I was mentioning in my previous post.  So after getting a confirmation, the next few weeks will be focused on the Komikon selling copies and the pieces for the said exhibit (which will be open to the public on June 8th).  The scraggly drawing in the pic is the study for the big piece, and it will be in that size when it's done.  My hand's gonna protest again...hopefully it won't go on strike in the middle of production...



--Joanah T.C., writer and artist for Point Zero

Early Bayanihan for Tony

Journal Entry # 34

04/28/12

(Entry #4 for "Callous Comics")

Just when I thought I knew a lot about printing presses, I'm proven to know nothing at all!

I've finally finished all the additional artwork and panels for "Callous Comics - On Lighter Dreams" and have found a new printing press to send it to.  Finding the time to do all that was a daunting task but somehow I pulled through.  This new printing service, through my friendship with a member of the family that owns the business, has taught me a bit more about the whole process.  And it's been quite an education!  The downside, however, is that I've found that how I handle text in my comic strips isn't offset-friendly.  Nevertheless, I believe it's a problem that can be resolved.

"Callous Comics" has been updating sporadically.  I long for the day I can get back to doing this daily.  The previously-mentioned storyline that was supposed to follow "Regret" had to be postponed and I'm doing gag-a-days until my schedule stabilizes.

On another note, 2012's Free Comic Book Day is coming up!  I'm excited to be a part of the "Komiks All-Star" book that will be given away at Comicx Hub.  And to see a Carlo Vergara rendition of Cal Duck?  Awesome!  But there's another reason to to look forward to May 5, and that's to help out "Jonah Hex" co-creator Tony DeZuñiga.  He suffered a stroke a few days ago and his family is struggling to keep paying the bills to maintain his care in the intensive care unit.  A bunch of comic artists will be sketching art to sell in both Comicx Hub and Comic Odyssey to help his family with their current financial burden.

You see, I'm the kind of guy who has heartfelt respect for those who have blazed the trail before me, whether as a physician or a comic writer/artist.  Tony DeZuñiga is obviously no exception from that.  Last November, before Komikon 2011's doors opened to the public, I got to meet Sir Tony as he roamed the con floor and stopped in front of my table.  We had a nice short chat and I asked if I could have a quick picture with him.  He happily obliged.  He said some nice things about me and my work and like many people was surprised to find out that I was a doctor.  He then went on his way.  Little acts of kindness go a long way with me and I long only to somehow return the favor.

Until my next entry, have a great day, everyone!


Best Regards,
Carlo Jose San Juan MD

Multi-tasking Komicker

Journal Entry #33

April 24, 2012

Hey, Journal!

It's just a month and a day to 2012 Summer Komikon.  It's been a hectic several months, trying to balance my work as a Writing Consultant and my creative pursuits like comics creation.  I feel like I need an extra 4 copies of me to get everything done.  One to work on Komikero Anthology, another one to keep abreast with Bayan Knights, another for redoing the Servant #1 pages in color, the other for finishing the Servant CGI comic, and still another for doing my bread and butter job.  The last copy of me would be to sleep for the benefit of the others ^_^

Anyway, since there's no cheap cloning available at least for another couple of decades, I have to make do with what I have and multi-task.  Most recently putting efforts into the CGI comic.  I've been interested in 3D since 2010 but couldn't focus on it since I didn't have my own PC until later that year (when I also shifted jobs).  I dabbled a bit, but nothing noteworthy.  Certainly, producing a 3D comic book was a pipe dream then.  But the idea was in the back of my mind.

Then, boom, DAZ3D offers their Pro Package for free and things just started to click.  I also figured going digital is a good option, cutting down on production costs while getting your work out there in the global market.  Learning curve is high and my PC barely makes the minimum required specs (creating a satellite dish tower and city backdrop for Servant's civilian workplace still takes several hours and a lot of trial and error with rendering, for instance),  but the results are immensely satisfying.  Now, I'd be the first to admit I'm a rank amateur (hindi pa pwedeng pang Dreamworks, haha!) and there's a lot to learn.  But you have to start somewhere.


Borgy Borgonia, Creator, Writer, Artist, etc. SERVANT

So it begins...

Journal Entry #32

04/23/2012

Hi Journal!

It's the last week of April, and that means it's time for me to have my books done.  It takes 2 weeks (for me) to finish a copy of CP, since I can only make 2 trips during weekdays.  It takes around 3 days to be bound in the shop, so I get the books the following week, and bring along new materials to be made to save up on travelling fare. I had the Vol. 3 content done last month, but I needed to fix a few things before I can bring them to the binding shop.  I'll be working on Vol. 4 pages with an erratic schedule...oh well.

Along with the books, I'm also making copies of Kanto Inc. #1 pages (issue 1 had the lowest print run).  The last time we had the first issue done, there were a lot of rejected signatures because of faulty photocopy machines.  Our wallets took a blow, of course, and now we need more issue 1s to make up for the sales of 2 and 3. Tonight, I'll be collating the sets to find out how many signatures needs re-printing.  If you're wondering about Issue 4, we're still not sure if we can release it by Summer Komikon.  It all depends on our artist, so we'll keep our fingers crossed...

Aside from Komikon, there's another mini event I'm preparing for (provided I can really join).  I spent my free days testing Masterboard for another piece I'll be working on in the next few days.  It took me a while to finish since the weather has been really hot (the room kinda acts like a furnace without the window), and I can't concentrate.  I'm really hoping the actual piece I need to work on would turn out to be good (as in really good, I need to get accepted so it can be sold... :P). We also got invited to teach the art of comic making last saturday, in an international school. The attendees were composed of students coming from different countries.  I was teaching with with Melvin Calingo, Sherry Baet-Zamar, Jon Zamar, and Ariel Atienza.  I hope they learned a lot from us.  ^_^

I'm pretty sure the coming weeks will be full of last minute preparations for the Summer Komikon... @_@;

--Joanah T.C., writer and artist for Point Zero.

Handling Rights and Protection!

Journal Entry # 31

April 20, 2012

Hello Journal! These past weeks has been like unreal to me. Let me start with protecting my original characters and works! Raytopia is now the registered trademark on which I can protect all my projects for this year. Raytopia handles all the rights for my few projects and stands as a label house for all my projects, commissioned projects and joint projects.

I am still is on the works for Private I Café. So far, here are the scenes I finished so far. I kind of got that problem with tone execution. To be honest, I haven’t been using my Manga Studio program. With my schedule, it's complicated to allot a time on studying another program. If I get familiar with it, I might buy the license so that I can protect Private I Café if ever I use the program for the title.

D.Ice debuted under Oh-No! Manga last April 15, 2012. Dream come true! Last year, I was planning to turn this title into an indie but it got delayed because I got troubles in claiming my rights for my projects for a Japanese group. This is also one of the reasons why I had register Raytopia. I suggest other creators to fully protect their project by copyrighting it or self copyrighting their works. Also, if you are dealing with commissions, you must specify about your rights before signing any contract. It will save you and your work from a lot of work and future troubles! As of now, Oh-No! Manga handles the publishing rights of D.Ice.

Signing off!

Ray Magbanua, creator of Detective Ice, Private I Café and Tigray (Revel Circle group)

"The juice will be worth the squeeze."

Journal Entry # 30

April 17, 2012

Hey Journal!

It has been two weeks since I bravely tried to have my first independent release called Eternal Crisis. I initially produced 100 copies and so far, 30 copies have been sold, forcely. :) Mahirap talaga pala magbenta. Lalo na pag wala ka pang pangalan sa industriya. Nkakapanghina din. May mga criticisms din tska mga low blow feedbacks. Still,I didnt take them personally, because everything is just part of the business. Ang mahalaga,I'm learning from them and I still continue to strive to be better. And better. And better. Ito ang pangarap ko buong buhay ko. Wala ng ayawan to. :)

Currently, I'm working with a new character for my new comics entitled "Cotton". It's about a young cotton candy vendor who turned out to be an UNDERWEAR-masked superhero. And blah blah blah. :D I'm still trying to come up with my best story for this one so watch out guys. :)

-----> I know this path as a comic artist will be way too difficult to trek. Still I believe that after all the hardships and failures, after everything that we have worked for, "the juice will be worth the squeeze".

Till next time. :) Mabuhay po tayong lahat! Salamat po! :)

Nino Balita- writer&illustrator for Eternal Crisis

Krisis Komix 3rd Anniversary and More!

Journal Entry #29

April 16, 2012

(Journal Entry # 2 for Krisis Komix)

Dear Journal,

Another Earth Hour has passed and this only means one thing, its the anniversary of Krisis Komix! The official launch date of Krisis was on Earth Hour 2009 and ever since it has adapted the world wide event as the reference point for it anniversary. Though busy, I am working on the 3rd anniversary strips for Krisis Komix which I have not posted online yet. I am happy for its third year, however the process of comic strips are really slow, plus the fact that I have a lot of events that leaves me with less time for drawing. :-(

I was also sad to not make it to the list for this year's Komikon, but I would definitely focus on improving the Krisis website which contain future strips for Ang Bagong Kidlat and the continuation of the abstract comic Johnny Astig. I am also saving to have a drawing tablet so I can draw and save it directly in the computer. For now, I also try my skills at Draw Something, a android application similar to pictionary, to keep myself drawing even if I left my pen and papers. Its seems like recovery time for me and the comic, but I'll be patient for the right time to come.

--FPJ Jr. (Krisis Komix)

Death By Books

Journal Entry # 28

04/12/12

(Entry #3 for Meganon)

Hola Chika Journal~!

I started to make the Chapter 8 of Mark 9verse47. I'm halfway done thanks to Holy Week! I had 5 days vacation/comic working days for the chapter 8. (So much for a vacation. :|) But it's great to draw our comics once again! As I fall behind on Noodle Boy, I advance on Mark 9 verse 47. MAKTAN 1521 is just waiting to be printed. Hmm... Wondering why the title is about death and books? I think this was my sacrifice for the Holy Week. In a part of our chapter, there's a specific room that needs attention to detail, and I think I gave it too much. It took me an entire day working on this 2 page panel. It's a room full of books and there's a panel on the next page that requires the same background--only smaller. I died, I tell ya. I died. XD

After I finished it, I had to take a picture and let you take a look at it. I want you guys to see the painstaking job of drawing a room full of books. I underestimated these simple, harmless, hardbound things. So, lesson in life, NEVER underestimate a room full of books.

While doing some pages, there were some bumps on the flow of the story so I consulted Maika for some revisions. We talked over the phone, like we always do in drastic times. XD Haaaa~ Now work days have returned, I have to make enough time for our chapter to debut on Summer Komikon. Well, let's see if my strategy will work. That is all~!

Long live books.

Tepai Pascual. MAKTAN 1521, MARK 9verse47, NoodleBoy (Neverheard Comics) [MEGANON COMICS group]

Maika Ezawa. Mark 9verse47 [MEGANON COMICS group]

One More Page

Journal entry #27

04/10/12

Greetings again!

Honestly, I thought I’d be able to create lots of pages because of the Lenten break but I only managed to finish one. I guess I got too busy watching movies, doing some home chores, attending our church's General Conference, and simply spending time with my wife. Anyway, I’m glad I still got something done came Araw ng Kagitingan.

While creating the page, I realized something: a single comic strip takes hours to make but only requires a few seconds for readers to finish. Conceptualizing, deciding how many panels a strip needs, and doing the actual artwork is not as easy as it sounds. I’m just so thankful Teardrop and Steph are always around to provide much-needed help along the way. Plus my wife is extremely supportive.

I think I’ve gained bigger admiration for comic creators now than I ever did. Again, creating comics could be a challenge but knowing you have brightened someone’s day (or have at least made them chuckle) makes it all worth it.

Mark Rosario

Creator, My Wife Is Pregnant

Pasig 2: Roughs

Journal Entry #26

04/09/12

Yo Journal,

Still working on Pasig2 chapter 2. Basically I’m still doing the roughs, and am now 5 pages into the story. Thing is, I don’t really have a clue as to what will happen on the following pages. I’m still formulating the story in my mind and am inventing stuff as I draw… the perils of a discovery writer, but I’ll keep things interesting.

Anyway, Pasig2 chapter 2 is still a long way to go Hopefully it will be in time for the Summer Komikon. Oh, yeah… I still have to finish the script for Kanto issue 4…. damn.

-Taga-ilog, Artist and Writer for Pasig, writer for Kanto Inc., Point Zero

Intermission

New updates will resume April 9... We need some time off too, you know...

zzz....

-- indiehunter

CATCH!

Journal Entry # 25

4/30/12

Dear journal

Sana umulan ang init ditto sa work space ko by the way Ako nga pala si Richard Arguilla tawagin nyo nalang akong chard. Im busy editing CATCH strip for book 2 hehehe sumakit nga ang ulo ko kasi ang bagal ng laptop. Well im preparing sa mga event ngayon syempre nag se-save din ng pera kasi unemployed ako “pasaway kasi”.

Nag iisip ako ng magandang story habang nakikinig ng metal songs hehehe ingay. Summer na malapit na Summer Komikon tapos na yung book 1 ng CATCH at yung collaboration naming hindi pa huhuhu. Hindi ko alam kung maisasama ko yung ATTACK OF THE MAN EATING BEEF STEAK sa komikon (^_^).

Sa susunod ulit (^_^)…

Richard Arguilla – writer and artist of CATCH, TIME JUMP, and ATTACK OF THE MAN EATING BEEF STEAK.