sour times

roar

finally finished another page. i know i'm super slow, but at this point it means a lot to me that i'm able to keep making comics at all. this page was quite a triumph for me with the mood i've been in lately.

this is probably my favorite page so far in terms of coloring :) and i actually simplified my coloring techniques a lot so i can be faster, but i actually like the speedier look better. i'm learning so much all the time, but there's always more to learn! it's exciting.

also i'm getting pretty tired of hand writing the words, and i worry that it's too sloppy and hard to read :/ anyone know of any good free comic-y fonts that would kinda fit the Dinogeddon aesthetic (if you know what i mean)?

castles made of sand

i've been mostly writing, getting things in order lately....

help!

okay, i need some help, guys! (if anybody still reads this blog....)

here is the latest Dinogeddon page i just finished:

i'm not sure if i'm happy with it, and i'd like some input before i'm done for sure. in the last panel, i have a little introductory blurb about Ronnie, obviously. i plan on having similar blurbs for all the main characters. the main reason is because it's a pretty big cast, and while i think everyone looks different enough, i wanted to give readers some tidbits of solid information they could grab onto to help them identify all the different characters, and help them keep track of who is in what gang, etc. and i thought it would be fun and maybe add a bit of humor to add an irrelevant factoid or two linked to the character's personality. but after getting the ball rolling with Ronnie's here, i'm beginning to second-guess myself whether it's a good idea or not, or if so, if i executed it properly.

i know my handwriting can be hard to read, but i like the look of my hand written lettering for the comic and don't really want to use a font. (and yes, i have tried making a font out of my handwriting, and it just ended up terrible.) i thought about having the blurbs in little boxes, but i was thinking that might be too cliche? i don't know. maybe it would be easier to read that way. and like i said, i'm wondering if i should do the whole blurb thing at all? maybe it would just be better to let the characters unfold for themselves over time? i don't really like it when comics have to have bio pages or whatever, unless it's like a series catch-up kinda thing, and eventually i'll probably have a character bio section on the Dinogeddon site, but....like i said, it's one of those ideas i originally really liked, but i'm not so sure comes off as well in practice. what do you think? keep it, lose it? change it? and how?

sailor moon saved my life

i watched this episode of Sailor Moon on a day i was feeling my depression really hard, and i wanted to vanish...and this scene brought me to tears. i felt like Sailor Moon/Neo Queen Serenity was talking directly to me, telling me that i'm surrounded by people who care, that she believes in me, and not to give up. i felt so much better after Usagi told me i'm not alone. :,)

i think i finally understand how a lot of people feel about their favorite heroes in comics...that's how i feel about Sailor Moon. i've never been into super hero comics and never really understood their appeal, but maybe now i do a little. i fell in love with Sailor Moon from the very first time i saw one of the horribly dubbed episodes on local cable tv...even though i hate getting up early and like sleeping in, i would get up extra early just to watch it. it was unlike anything i'd ever seen before...ordinary girls who became super heroines. and their leader, Usagi, was clumsy, did badly in school, and liked to eat too much and goof off...this was the first heroine i could ever really relate to! everyone loved Usagi because she had such a pure, giving heart, full of love for everyone. i think even for me.

Sailor Moon's always been my biggest hero, but now especially, more than ever. all of the sailor soldiers, and so many other characters in general are so great...my other favorite senshi, Sailor Jupiter, taught me that it was okay to be a big, boyish girl, and i shouldn't let that stop me from doing things i want to do. Luna, for always trying her hardest and even jumping into the fray, even though she's just a small kitty without any offensive super powers, she never gives up. and Sailor Uranus, my androgynous idol, helped me to feel more comfortable about my queerness long before i really figured it out. i really want to read the manga, but they're so hard to find/expensive...hopefully some day.

Sailor Moon Transformation Make Up Tutorial by Michelle Phan, YouTube

this video also made me tear up, i mean the message at the end, skip to about 8:08...it's so true. i want to try harder to make my dreams come true, and stop letting stuff hold me back. i want to start imagining myself as a super hero, like Sailor Moon, a sailor senshi, when i get scared, or feel powerless. i want to be brave, and full of love, like Usagi. thank you, Naoko Takeuchi, for giving me my hero.

thank you, Sailor Moon.

beastly

some concepts for an idea i had about a beauty and the beast story, but with the gender roles reversed and the man being the beauty and a woman being the beast. i've always been a little bothered by the intrinsic sexism in beauty and the beast and wanted to address it. i tried making the beast unattractive not by my personal standards or anything, but by what is conventionally considered ugly/beastly.

why must i stay here

a customer snuck up on me at work and caught me drawing this, then laughed and said it was funny...hmm, okay....

i haven't been posting/drawing much because i've been going through some stuff...i was (am?) in a really bad place with my depression and anxiety issues, and that combined with my job caused me to lose all passion and interest in life, and things i used to enjoy, like drawing. i knew i couldn't go on living this way much longer, so i reached out and am seeing a therapist for the first time in my adult life. it's a bit nerve-wracking for someone like me, but i'm beginning to feel like there's hope again. i started a new livejournal, dinosaurblood.livejournal.com, mainly as a coping strategy since i basically didn't have one, or utilized really counterproductive ones. it's mainly just me ruminating way too much about pointless stuff and venting about my personal stresses and trying to make sense out of my sad, rambling mind, so i totally understand if you don't want to be my lj friend and read it.

otherwise...i don't like my job and am going to start looking for another one. i'm reading a lot, that's one of the few things i still get enjoyment out of. oh, and Sailor Moon. i got Rob to start watching it with me and now we're slowly rewatching the entire series from the beginning. everything is going to be okay.

servitude

farm animals

Corey and Jenelle from Teen Mom 2

Sailor Moon and a sugar packet

plus, i got this in the mail last night! Battle Kittens: the art of R. Dart. i strongly suggest everyone get it, as her art is mind-meltingly good, as is her Battle Kitten stuff, which i really hope develops into a full-blown comic or animated project some day. apparently she was a background artist for Mission Hill and is now a character designer for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, two of my favorite animated series ever, so that could help explain my fondness for her stuff.

and it's Gammy-approved!

how easy it is to invent a humanity

costume concepts/fan art from the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. maybe i was a little too literal with the "wings" described on the handmaid's head coverings, but it's what i pictured while reading it. i'm a little indignant that this book isn't as popular as other distopian novels of the era, like 1984 and Brave New World. personally I find it a lot more riveting and better written.

boohoo

 

imperfections

i used to be really into astrology when i was young....recently i've started reading my horoscopes again. i realize it's superstition, but it seems to be really accurate for me. my sun and moon are both in Aquarius, so i'm like Aquarius extreme!

Aquarius   Degree: 6° 42'

(most relevant passages boldened for emphasis)

Original, knowledgeable, competent, has strong opinions. Likes freedom, enjoys reading. Hates mediocrity and incompetence.

In many life situations, the Moon in Aquarius people have their own, distinct and sometimes very original opinion, and they are not going to change this opinion no matter what, even if they will be left completely alone. It is very important for these individuals to retain their independence. They don't want their personal life to be anybody else's concern.

Often the Moon in Aquarius individuals have some outstanding abilities in one or another field, and they work like a magnet for those people who share their interests. This is why so often they take a central place in the company of like-minded friends. And even there they somehow manage to keep their uniqueness. They are not mixing well with the other people, they are together with them, but still alone.

As a result of their character, quite often the Moon in Aquarius folks can become really alone in their personal life, and their constant urge for independence can lead to chronic emotional stress. Hence their susceptibility to the disorders of nervous and circulatory systems, as also those unpredictable changes in their mood. There is an impression that at times they are getting tired of themselves, and to get rid of this tiredness they are trying to change abruptly, as if to become a different person.

To restore after a significant stress, the Moon in Aquarius persons need to have a hobby which they could plunge themselves into, forgetting about the surrounding world. It would be really good for them if they could speak out their problems, but this is not so easy, because Lunar Aquarians do not like to just chat with anyone about anything. They prefer dealing with experts in their field of interest - this is with whom they are ready to talk endlessly. And if there is no such a person around, a good book could serve as a replacement for a friend.

The Moon in Aquarius parents can be very original. From the early years they will make clear to their child that everyone's individuality is precious, and everyone should be independent. As a result, their kids might not be always properly fed or dressed, but they will become self-reliant earlier than their peers, and their talents will develop more successfully.