ROYAL RUMBLE

Journal Entry #56 

6/27/2012

Hi Journal

Ako si Francis Martelino, yung gumawa ng "HOPE"," Hotdog Prince" at " Ano ang gagawin mo sa 24 oras na natitira bago gumunaw ang mundo?" Ako rin ung isa sa mga founder ng KOMIKULT. Heto na last day na ng pasahan ng requirements para makapasok sa Indieket. Hindi pa rin ako mapakali hanggat sa makareceive ako ng email na nagsasabing talagang pasok na ang KOMIKULT sa Indieket. Sana makapasok kami para makastart ng magpromote ng komiks kasi isa un sa mga pinakamasayang part ng pagkokomiks.

Gusto ko lang i-share sa inyo yung 1st run ng KOMIKULT sa Komikon. Sobrang saya ng experience kasi sa wakas mababasa na ng mga tao yung storya na gawa mo. Hindi ko akalaing magiging ganun kasuccessful ang una naming try. Bukod sa ndi kami nakapaghanda ng maige, puro last minute ung mga ginawa namin preparations including ung komiks. Andami ring setback. Biglang nasira ung printer, nasira ung photocopy machine ng paborito naming xeroxan, nagkulang ng pamasahe pampunta sa mga group meeting at marami pang iba. Kaya rin siguro ako tuwang tuwa nun kasi pagkatapos ng lahat ng pinagdaanan namin ay nagbunga anman ang aming paghihirap. Bilang baguhang grupo, starstruck kami sa mga nakita naming favorite komiks writers/artists. Ang galing lang e, isang araw binabasa mo gawa nila at nangangarap kang maging kagaya nila isang araw, tapos ngayon after ilang years, pareho na kayo ng ginagawa. Tandang tanda ko pa, umaga nung komikon. Nagaayos na kami ng table ng bigla naming namalayan na na katapat na booth pala namin ung mga idol namin mula sa Culture Crash. Grabe lang, akala ko lalangawin yung booth namin dahil natapat kami sa kanila pero buti naman hinde. :D Nandun din pala si Jinri Park. Wala lang.  Sumali din kami dun sa komiks creations contest pero ndi kami nanalo. Sana merong copy na binebenta ung mga winners ng contest para mabasa ko gawa nila. Natapos ang aming komikon experience sa Jollibee kung san namin ginastos ang lahat ng kinita namin.(Bukod sa komiks)

Hindi pa dun nagtatapos yung saya ng Komikon experience. Pagkatapos nun, marami kameng nakuhang feedback mula sa mga bumili ng komiks namin. Sobrang nakakagaan lang sa loob na ma nakaappreciate ng gawa mo at ndi nagatubiling sabihin sayo yun. Malaking bagay yun samin bilang mga komiks artist. O baka ako lang kasi first time ko. Hahaha. Hindi lang namin alam, na baka yun na yung last naming Komikon. Dahil ilang linggo lang pagkatapos nun sinorpresa kami ng INDIEKET. Ang ROYAL RUMBLE sa WRESTLEMANIA ng Komikon. Nung una, sabi ko sa sarili, parang imposible na talaga makapagkomikon ulit. Top 10 sa sales ang kelangan at wala kami ganun karaming time para makagawa ng bagong komiks. Pero sabi nga nila "Kung gusto may paraan, kung ayaw ay laging meron palusot." Napagtanto ko rin na maganda rin na may event na talagang pang indie komiks lang. Spotlight sa mga artist na suki sa mga xeroxan. Hula ko balang araw magiging kasinlaking event nito ung Komikon. Kung sino man nakaisip ng idea na ito ay talagang dapat bigyan ng standing ovation.

Tatapusin ko ang entry ko para pasalamatan ang Komikon at yung mga bumili ng komiks namin. Seryoso, sino bang matinong tao ang bibili ng komiks tungkol sa isang hotdog na naglalakad sa panahon ng kastila? Salamat talaga! Sana rin dumaan kayo sa booth namin kung sakaling makapasok kami ng Indieket. Tapos Komikon hopefully. :D 

-Francis Martelino, salarin sa paggawa ng HOPE, Hotdog Prince, at Ano ang gagawin mo sa 24 oras na natitira bago gumunaw ang mundo?( from KOMIKULT)

Woohoo!! Indieket!!!!

Journal Entry #55

June 19, 2012    

Yo Journal!

Ilang weeks na lang Indieket na. Nakakakaba! Hehehe. :D  Things have been pretty difficult in terms of preparation lalo na ngayon at start na naman ng klase. Nahihirapan din ako magbalance ng time kasi sabay pa ang work sa paggawa ng comics. Mas nauubos pa nga ang oras ko sa pagpeprepare ng comics ko kaysa sa pag aasikaso ng ituturo ko.hehe ‘Di bale nabawi na lang ako pag nagkaklase na. Extra effort talaga kapag isinasapuso mo yung pagcocomics. :D

Hmmmm. Indieket. Wala talaga ako idea. Nakakatakot lalo na at first time. Eto na yung iniintay kong break (naks!) para sa comics ko. Sana magustuhan ang mga pinaghirapan ko. Sabagay hindi ko pa din naman alam if qualified ako para sa Indieket. Naku sana.hehe Basta excited na ako sa Indieket!!!!!! Sana makasali na ako pati yung mga kagaya kong bago sa industry!! :D

Here are some sample pages of my two independent releases, side by side with their cover designs.

The first issue of Eternal Crisis comes out with a new packaging. Binago ko yung cover kumpara dun sa unang beses ko sya ni-release para mas astig. Hehe basta sa tingin ko astig naman sya.hehe Wala kokontra. :D

Da Adbentsur op Cotton issue #01 will also be available for Indieket.

Yun lamang po! Yeahbah! :D Kitakits tayo sa Indieket!


Mabuhay ang kartunistang pinoy!



-- Nino Balita, Writer and Illustrator for Eternal Crisis and Da Adbentsur op Cotton

System... Stabilized

Journal Entry #54

06/18/2012

(Entry #5 for "Callous Comics")

It's been a while!  Lots to talk about too!

My new webcomic, "M.O.U.S.E. - Multiple Ordnance and Utility Synthetic Entity", had launched a few weeks ago and I'm pleased to hear that so far people have been enjoying it!  Furthermore, Pilar Nenita Esber's art had been well-received, to say the least!  Pilar and I were even guests in the TGT podcast which was a lot of fun!  Summer Komikon 2012 had come and gone and "Callous Comics - On Lighter Dreams" was my best seller!  And I was quite surprised to learn that I was the highest-earning independent comic as well!

Now that my nightly routine has somewhat stabilized and I'll be starting this year's fantasy storyline in "Callous Comics".  It had gone through several re-writes for it was hard to follow the grand epic that was "On Lighter Dreams".  So, I decided to scale it down a lot and keep things personal.  For a long time my working title was "Legend Song".  Then recently I changed it to "Serene Swords".  Finally, a last gasp change brought my storyline title to something I previously posted right here in "Buhay Indie", "Heartstring Pizzicato"!  In the end I really like this new tale and I hope everyone will too.

-- 

Best Regards,

Carlo Jose San Juan MD

Exhibit Jitters

Journal Entry #53

06/18/2012

Hi Journal! Tonight is Comics Arthology Night. 

This is the 2nd comic exhibit for Art Asia, which features art related to Komiks, and made by comic artists too. We got invited a few months ago, so this is my first time to be part of it. This is my third group exhibit though, but the first to be held in a mall gallery, and the first time my pieces would be on sale (the first time collectors would actually see my work).  To tell you frankly, I rarely sell my original sketches, since I rarely work on heavy sketches and want to part with it.  I get attached to my sketches, so I don't sell them.  This time, I'm ready to share my stuff to other people who would (maybe) appreciate it enough to bring it home.  

It took several weeks, especially the big one (all CP art).  I haven't worked on something as big (the Nine Years piece was 16x12).  So it took quite a lot of patience, and worked with a deadline in mind.  It was crazy working on it while we were also preparing for the Summer Komikon.  Good thing I wasn't releasing anything new, or else, it would have been impossible for me to work on 2 projects which required focus.  

Yesterday, hubby and I picked up our art pieces from the framers, and delivered them to Art Asia.  Most of the artworks were already there, and we saw Seb (setting up the gallery), Randy,  and Tepai who had just submitted her pieces.  We chatted a bit and looked at the really nice paintings and sculptures around us.  I'm still a little nervous about today, so I'm really hoping somebody would like it.  ^_^;

If not, I'll just hang it on our wall.   Wish us luck! (come visit the gallery soon!) :P 

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

a month without computer (^_^)

Journal Entry # 52

06/05/2012

Ang hirap ng walang computer...

Isang buwan na walang computer at internet halos mabaliw ako pero may solution ako sa problema na yan “mag traditional”. Nag isip-isip ng bago nakakatawa na biglaan lang at naka pag isip nga ako ng bagong story. Pero kahit papaano  hindi ako na bored dito sa amin medyo hirap lang kasi walang Photoshop para lagyan ng gray hehehe…

Oo nga pala na inspire ako kapag nakikita ko yung kapit-bahay namin paano ba naman ang cute cute niya halos natutulala pa ako hehehe…

Ngayon naiisip ko na mag ipon nalang ng pang bili ng computer para kung sakaling dadalhin niya yung laptop may gagamitin ako.

Maraming salamat sa mga bumili last may 26 sa KOMIKON nakaka enjoy talaga kahit hindi kompleto ang group namin. Sayang hindi dumating yung mga ininvite ko huhuhu bibigyan ko sana sila ng freebies.

Kita ulit tayo sa susunod journal…


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

Developing an Art Style

Journal Entry #51
06/04/2012


I haven’t gone around to writing about Komikon yet because I can’t seem to get into the mood of taking photos of my haul. But I can’t sleep, so I decided to write about another topic.
When Misaki-chan and Suoh-san kidnapped me and I went for coffee, they began a little interview since it was the first we three meet IRL. ^^;;; I’ll admit, it was nerve-wracking, but one question got stuck to my head:
“How did you develop your ‘art style’?”
I was only able to answer with, “well, I don’t think you ‘make’ an art style… it’s just comes to you. My style probably came about because of college…” etc. etc.
I don’t think it was a bad answer, but I do think it was an incomplete answer. So I’d like to further expound on this topic here in my blog.

I’m no expert, and I don’t think my style is all that unique, but it is something I’ve become comfortable with. I believe an art style can only be developed if you’ve tried out as many different styles that you can think of. You may not like the plate-sized eyes older anime’s have used, but I said the same thing about drawing small eyes when I still enjoyed drawing in the same style as Sailor Moon.

Case and point: 2006 and 2012 versions of Rei Hino

All styles have their own strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve tried them all, you begin to see what you really like and what you don’t. Draw what scares you; draw what you think is impossible for you to master. You’d be surprised with how hard simple things are (like drawing chibi), and how easy difficult things can be (like backgrounds… wait, they’re still hard! orz;;;).
Then you add all the elements you like into one. After attending college and being forced to draw in different styles, I realized several things that I liked when I draw manga:

• Smaller eyes looked more realistic, and therefore, expressions seem more realistic and easier to relate to.
• I like artworks with detailed hair.
• I have a pet-peeve with drawing hands. They really need to look good or at the very least, decent.
• Anatomy is a continued really process, and despite the exaggerated anatomy that you can get away with in anime, I prefer “somewhat” realistic proportions.

I’m not saying these are rules for you to follow. I’m not saying these observations are correct either. These are my rules. You need to make you own. There are no real rules on art, there are guidelines. But even so, both rules and guidelines are meant to be broken. They change continually as you develop.
One last thing… if you really want to make your own style, then practice, practice, practice! Draw what you enjoy drawing and not what you think others will. When someone gives you “expert critiques”, listen to them with a grain of salt. If it makes sense to change something they pointed out, then do it. If it doesn’t, (and this is the most difficult thing to do) then don’t pay them any attention. Usually, those “experts” don’t even know how to draw anyway. xD
Because really, at the end of the day? If your happy with your work, then that’s all that really matters.
Keep drawing everyone. :) Stay happy! ♥
EDIT 2012.06.01: A word from Miss Joanah Calingo:

For major influence, I fused the look from these --> http://fav.me/d2xdayn
Now that's out of the way, for me, a style is a combination of all the visual elements that you like + your skill. Basically, it’s the flavor of your art. I guess there are many ways for you to land on the “final” look that you like. While you're in the process of developing your style, you pick up the aesthetic choices (or the look) of the artists you admire. There are certain elements in their art that you like. Those visual elements, combined with the artist's skill, tends to influence the way you do your art, trying to "emulate" them in the process.
The only advice I can give is to expose yourself to as many artists as you can, and then learn tips to make your art look better (what makes their art/look tick), but never aim to look exactly like the influence. Just aim to be as good in skill, and eventually you'll grow out of the idol's shadow come out with something uniquely yours.

-- Columbia Kho, Karma

Komiks, Suki?

Journal entry #50

05/31/2012

Para sa mga taong may ibang mundo bukod sa paggawa ng komiks tulad ng tatlong bumubuo ng Salmon Komiks, parang isang malaking exciting na school project ang pagbuo ng indie para sa Komikon. Pangalawang issue na 'to ng Salmon Komiks kaya medyo kampante ako na matatapos kami on time. At dahil nabanggit ko ang school project, isang word lang ang malamang na kasunod n'on: NGARAGAN.

Natapos kami ng mga 3 am, at 12:30 pm na kami nakapagbenta nung event. Siyempre kabado kami na magbenta dahil late na kami naglatag ng mga epektos namin, pero bilang alam namin na wala kaming choice kundi maghapit ng sales, ginawa ulit namin ang strategy namin nung Komikon '11, ang mag-ingay. Talagang mag-ingay.

Ang saya lang na magtawag ng mga potential buyers ng komiks nyo. You get to see them smile or yung iba, lumihis ng tingin o nag-bi-busy-busyhan dahil ayaw bumili. Hahahaha! Daig pa namin ang nasa Divisoria! Masaya din na iligaw sa mga buyer 'yung komiks ng kapit bahay mo sa lamesa. Ipo-promote mo komiks nila at ipo-promote din nila komiks mo. May nagtanong pa nga kung galing lang sa iisang grupo yung Salmon Komiks at Krisis Komiks (sila ang katabi namin), sabi ko na lang, iisa kami ng puso. (Echos pero totoo!) 

In the end, naubos ang 50 copies namin. Iba talaga ang high ng Komikon. Para kang nakatira ng kung anong substance! So ikaw na nagbabasa, next time, gumawa ka na rin ng indie. Masaya maglibot sa Komikon, pero iba ang sipa kapag nagbebenta ka ng sarili mong gawa. PRICELESS.

'Yun lang.
Nica Rojo (Salmon Komiks)