How Do I Plan to Plan My 2011 with a Planner?

I dare you to say my blog title 5 times really, really fast! xD

A question asked in Bong's contest competing for a rare Starbucks Planner from Malaysia.

The more I think about this inquiry, however, the more it begs the question: Can you really plan anything for the coming new year?

Certain circumstances usually come to “rain on your parade” whenever you least expect it. For instance, I had planned on migrating to Canada earlier this year, picturing my first experience of the autumn weather and finally getting to watch the snow fall on my perfect white Christmas. I had also planned to learn how to drive, take up my Master’s Degree for Fine Arts, study Mandarin, and the like.

None of these plans came true; mostly because they relied on the one thing that fell apart: my immigration. And my mistake was failing to make a backup plan in case I was asked to stay here for just a little while longer.

Even though the immigration will still occur some time next year, it made me realize a hard fact that the world is really full of uncertainty. You don’t, and can’t, know what the future brings no matter how sure you are that something is going to happen or even how many fortune tellers you go to.

But isn’t that also what makes life more interesting?

Even though I didn’t plan on it, I was able to go to Taipei, Taiwan and not only have the time of my life, but also fulfilled one of my many wish lists I never thought I could. I also started doing commissions on Deviant Art that led me to realize that I’m actually a good enough artist that people will be willing to pay for my work.

Most importantly, I’ve learned to appreciate life a little more, accepting that depression only means you’ve been strong for far too long.

So how will I plan the new year?

By leaving the pages blank… roll with the punches and be thankful for each new day that comes. And if I have to plan something, then I will always have a backup plan. That, and of course, sketch something on the planner almost everyday or as often as possible… like I always do~ ♥

Oh, and in case you don't dare click the links on this post, don't worry guys. All the URLs were shortened by a new URL crammer, xaverian. ^^;

Christmas at the Malls

The Drummers of SM the Block

A Giant Christmas Tree outside Gateway Mall

How will Christmas be for you this year?

If you asked me that back in November, I’d be excited and tell you about our annual Noche Buena… the kind where I’d be waking everyone up around 11pm of the 24th, just so they can watch me burn the barbeque… and then there would be endless chatter, exchanging gifts, and fighting over who gets to dance the next DDR song.

But this year, it’s different.

My parents have gone to Canada to celebrate the holidays there. My sister on the other hand, will be leaving for Taiwan in a few hours. My brother and his family are visiting their in-laws, although he did mention they’ll be back in time for Noche Buena. My other brother… will probably be with his girlfriend.

That leaves me to the house all by myself.

I held a Christmas Event in deviant art to try and cheer myself up, but that just sunk me deeper into depression. For some odd reason, I can’t draw anything decent at the moment.

I guess I’m not used to spending Christmas alone. ^^;

Oh well… I shall spam you all with some Christmas photos for the mean time. Hope everyone gets a happier Christmas than me~ ♥

A "Real" Multi-Lit Train at Mall of Asia

Optimus Prime and Other Railcars from Mall of Asia

Devious Journal Entry

I’ve been much more active in Deviant Art lately… mainly because the haphazard life of a free-lance artist needs much more care and attention than I thought.

I found out that merely posting that you are opened for commissions does not mean people will start falling in line right outside your doorstep. For someone like me who has only 20,000 pageviews in 4 years, the forums turned out to be a huge help. You can offer your services there and find people who are looking for artists to commission.

My persistence with the forums paid off, as I’ve had 2 commissions so far. A third one is on the works, which is taking more time than I thought.

That’s another thing I learned about these commissions: people are willing to wait for their artworks. It’s a good and bad thing as you get to work on your own time, but tend to slack off whenever something grabs your attention.

Needless to say, this artist needs more discipline. But it’s admittedly a huge relief from commercial works with deadly deadlines.

In other news, I won second place in the Thou Shalt Honor Fella Contest! This gives me a 6 months premium subscription on Deviant Art and an official Fella Plushie! x3 I’m not sure when I’ll be getting my plush, but like my commissioners, I’m willing to wait. :D

In case you’d like to commission me too, I’m having a Commissions Sale for the month of September. It’s called the Faux ScreenShot Project, in which fake screenshots will be made for only US$7 a piece. The catch? They’re in smaller resolution; 700 x 525 pixels to be exact.

More information can be found on my Deviant Art. For now though, here is a sample of what I can do on such a small canvas:

Faux SS 02: Rima by *kurohiko on deviantART

*cough* Just in case you know someone who'd like to see their work turned into an anime screenshot, please do point them my way. You don’t need a Deviant Art account to commission me, but you do need a paypal account. ^_^

Grief…

A hostage situation that started peacefully ended in a blood bath, killing 8 Hong Kong tourists.

Hong Kong Interpol will be making their own investigations on what went wrong.

Two nations who both wish to seek the truth silently can not cooperate with one another.

And I can’t help but watch from the sidelines, thinking the situation could have been handled better, but could not do anything except to helplessly watch as the events unfolded.

I love Hong Kong. I love it so much that when I had the opportunity to work there, I enjoyed every single minute. The food, the freedom, the people… even those who looked down upon me changed their minds when they realized I was Chinese.

I don’t know the people who were taken hostage… neither do I know the ones who were killed. But watching the entire thing unfold left a pain in my hear that refuses to heal.

I can easily point fingers as to who did what wrong. In fact, I have been doing so in my twitter and plurk accounts. But then I realized, my bitterness cannot help those who are really suffering: the families left behind by the departed.

And so I will light incenses and keep them in my prayers.

May God bless the departed souls and the families who were left behind.

Influence Map

I suppose it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I’ve jumped on the meme bandwagon, even on deviant art.

When I think about the people who have inspired and influenced me, I could probably list about a hundred names, more or less. They’re not all visual artists; some are musicians, teachers, family, and just people who were there to encourage me in times of self-doubt. The one that particularly stands out, is my teacher and uncle, who is always so relaxed when it comes to drawing and teaching. He made it seem as if drawing was not hard at all.

I could go on and on, but that’s enough rambling… on to the meme!

Kurohiko's Influence Map by ~kurohiko on deviantART

It makes me wonder, looking at this, do any of the artists featured on the meme have obvious influence on my work? Will I ever become par, or even surpass their expertise?

Maybe one day, I can meet them all personally… Just so that I can say “thank you”.

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My Very First Commission

Even though I’ve worked for Mango Jam as Twilight Calling’s continuing artist, I never really felt my artwork was something worth paying for. Maybe it’s because they hired me as a continuing artist and not as the original artist, but that’s beside the point…

I’ve opened commissions some time ago, and didn’t really think anyone was going to commission me… until recently.

Commission: A Reunion by ~kurohiko on deviantART

Adiv and Altair (Alaistair) are characters created by ~Stine22 aka =Kilo112205. I have to say, I never thought working on commissions would be so enjoyable. I’m a little worried that this may not be what she had in mind, but I did my best! And I sent a thumbnail sketch before I started working on the actual artwork.

I think I like the blood stained moon on this piece the most. The wings were painful to detail, and drawing embers is pretty much a first for me.

My sister mentioned that “one is crying, and the other is salivating” in her usual innocent way. >.>;;; She also kept pestering me why the wings are brown when angels have white wings. THIS WORRIES ME EVEN MORE! *headslap*

I just hope my client doesn’t see this piece the same way she does. ;x; I might… cry in the corner or hide under a rock… forever.

Thou Shalt Honor Fella

I can’t believe Deviant Art has been around for 10 years… and that I’ve been a member for more than 4 years already.

The good (and shameful) thing about Deviant Art is that you can go back too far… Stuff that I used to consider to be my best work prove to be a stepping stone to what I wish to become. I’ve learned a lot from experience, and from the members of this community, and I’m thankful for that.

Putting that aside, Deviant Art came up with its 10 Commandments in order to celebrate its anniversary. They’ve put up a lot of contests this August, and I was able to join one contest… twice.

On the 7th Commandment, it is written: Thou Shalt Honor Fella. As such, you shall depict your ideal Fella.

At first, I only wanted to give Fella a make-over. I mean, we have fancy llamas for goodness sake, why don’t we have a Fancy Fella?

Then it dawned on me… Deviant Art is 10-years-old. That makes for a devious shota Fella, doesn’t it?

…so my ideal Fella comes in two forms. I’ll keep my fingers crossed on this one.

I really love how they turned out, but I’m wondering if my ideas are brilliant enough to win the contest. They seem… very typical and simple ideas to me, but then again, looking at the entries, no one really came up with the same ideas as anyone else. I think that goes to show that what we deem as simple may turn out to be very complicated for others.

In other Deviant Art news, I won second place in =Kilo112205’s "contest"! I’m very excited to see her character, Alaistair, with Rei Kuassary as her father figure~! Rei needs a father figure, obviously, and my character in another artist’s rendition is always so exciting and awesome~

It does make me wonder though… I’ve always seem to come up just a little short when it comes to these contests. I’m not complaining, of course, in fact, I’m very grateful! But I always tend to think “maybe if I tried just a little harder…”

Self-doubt be gone. =_=;;; I need to finish my first batch of commissions and collect more money soon… Being a free-lancer is hard work!

To Be Happy

6 of 10 - Akira Tomosuke by ~kurohiko on deviantART

When you owe a person something, I think it's best to pay that person no matter how long a time has passed.

This is a long overdue sketch for Akira, but somehow, his character turned out to look a lot like Kira Yamato from Gundam SEED. I didn’t realize it until I already posted the artwork.

I just hope this was worth the wait. *_* Forgiveness please, Akira…

On another note, I feel very happy today after talking to my mom. Now I feel like I can achieve whatever my heart desires. And that makes my spirit soar.

Of Cats and Butterflies

Sometimes, I wonder whether or not I could ever surpass my own previous works.

When I made Goth Eri back in 2007, I was convinced that it would be one of the best illustrations I’ve ever done. Such that I would never make another Eri artwork that could ever compare.

That was then, this is now:

A.illusions: Feline Sisters by ~kurohiko on deviantART

Ironically, it’s for another Deviant Art contest that I didn’t win.Even still, I love how this came out. I have to remind myself that hand-drawn patterns look better than default ones… take more time, but worth it.

I don’t know if it compares to Goth Eri, but I think it can at least stand side by side with it. ^_^;;;

Welcome, Kaien…

I have never done this before, and I hope I wouldn't have to again any time soon...

Ichigo, my PC, had been failing in his performance as of late. After a few system checks, it appeared as though he had a worm infestation I just could cure. And so, before the worms reach my files, I decided to reformat him and re-install his entire operating system.

It was a fairly complete success. So far, Kaien is performing very well. His reaction time is much faster than Ichigo’s, but I suppose that’s mainly because not all of his programs have been installed as of yet. I have to say, it wasn’t too bad for a first timer like myself… But I am wondering whether or not I should have wiped the entire HD clean before re-installing everything.

Well, it’s a bit too late for that now. If I want to do that, I’ll have to wait until the next reformat.

Ichigo was 5-years-old before he was turned into Kaien. I’ll miss him dearly, but it was time for him to go.

On another note, I was able to find an English copy of Paint Tool Sai. Everyone on Deviant Art has been talking about this program for a while, so I thought I might check it out. Now if only I can find some tutorials on this program so that I won’t have to go in blind.

Fangirling Over Kuroshitsuji Things

I'm finally completing my episodes of Kuroshitsuji and stumbled upon the OVA the other day... Now I'm just totally confused. The series was pretty vindictive in showing that revenge is everything in this world, and then the OVA dictates the exact opposite. It seems that Ciel learned this lesson from the children in the audience... in a way, Sebastian also taught him that. If that were the case, then why did Ciel end up dying in the end of the anime series?

Too many questions left unanswered... but despite the OVA being an overall disappointment, their depiction of Hamlet was pretty hilarious~! I'm guessing they wanted to do something different for the OVA.

That also reminded me that I haven't even posted this yet:

I like this and I don't like it at the same time. ~_~ I'm not sure... maybe it's because it looks too typical of Ciel to look like... well, Ciel? xDDD;;; It just seems like I copied it from an original piece or something. =.=;;;

I need to draw him and Sebas-chan together~ ♥ I wonder what season 2 will hold in store for us? New master, now butler (even if the new butler sounds like Sebas-chan); this should prove to be very interesting indeed. >3

Happy April Fools~ xD!!!

Artist for Hire

Because I am now a starving artist, I've decided to put up commissions. For now, these are the services offered, but I will update my Deviant Art Commissions Information if I think I can handle any more.

Yes, I'm serious... even if it is April Fools today. xD;;;

Portrait Commissions: US$15 ($7 for each additional character)

* waist up
* full color
* minimal to no BG only

Samples:

Chibi Commissions: US$10 ($5 for each additional character)

* full body
* full color
* minimal to no BG only

Samples:

Color Commissions: US$10-20

* price depending on difficulty
* lineart must be provided in high resolution
* minimal to no BG only

Sample:

If interested, please send me an email with the following information:

Name:
E-mail: (your PayPal email)
Commission Type:
Description of character:
Art style: (you can choose any style from my gallery)
Link for reference of character:

RULES

- I reserve the right to post commissions on my websites.
- Sketching will begin only after the commission has been paid either in 50% down payment of preferably paid in full (PAYPAL ONLY).
- Please give at least 15 days before issuing a follow-up.
- Corrections will only be entertained during sketching stage.
- The final artwork in its highest resolution will be emailed to the commissioner in JPEG format (unless requested otherwise).
- No hentai, yaoi, or yuri.
- Allowing the artist a bit of leeway for the poses is preferred.

If you have any questions, comments, requests, and suggestions, please do let me know~ ^_^ Thank you very much!

A.illusions: Durarara!!

The sad thing about this..? I've never even seen an episode of Durarara!! >.<;;; But it's been going around Deviant Art and Youtube so I decided to do a parody of my own.

It was pretty easy to decide which characters to do on the top, but as I gradually began to venture down, it was getting harder and harder to fit the personalities of the characters with the poses. In the end, I had to change Azorite's and Souji's poses entirely, but it turned out pretty good too!

I was suppose to put the antagonist of the series there, but decided to have the automatons get their share of the lime light~ ♥

Nephews have decided to animate this and use the piano version of "Trust Me" to show off their talents. xD Hopefully, we can get it done soon!

View the A.illusions Gallery post and the full deviation in Deviant Art please~ x3

Sugary Sweet Sundaes

I feel so nervous all of a sudden. *_*

I’m so behind on my pages that I feel like I’ll be missing deadline after deadline again. I need to break this habit and try to keep proper time management.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), my sister and her husband arrived earlier this morning. This would mean sleepless nights of endless drabble that’ll cut my productivity in half. I’m trying to come up with ways to keep her at bay so I can try looking for a printing press in time for Komikon.

Well, that’s the plan anyway. I’m going to try and print limited copies of the digitally re-mastered edition of A.illusions Act One, and possibly Mote-Mote if I can afford it. I’m so nervous about the whole thing because… what if no one buys my books? That’ll be a disaster. But at the same time, this could be my last chance to try and sell some indis, which I’ve been wanting to do for the longest time.

I might just have to take a leap of faith… but I’m still nervous about the whole thing, haha!

In other news…

Sweetest Dreams by ~kurohiko on deviantART

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at drawing Trinity Blood. Good thing ~Laura28182 requested Abel for her prize~ x3

Life is Like a Boat

I am, quite literally, going crazy now. @_@;;;

I’m one page late in Mote-Mote, hahaha. Too many things are going on in the real world right now, that I have no time to work on personal projects. A shame when I feel so creative at the moment..! But I guess there’s a time for everything.

I’m hoping and praying that will push through. So far, things are looking good, though not in the pace I would prefer it. I’m just praying the decision I made was the correct one…

Ah! It would appear that I will be jobless for a few months. The very thought of it makes me panic! I think I’ll have to set up a paypal account and start accepting commissions in Deviant Art. Maybe open a few slots to see how it goes before going full throttle!

I would also have to find some way to help out my brother without gritting my teeth, lol. It’s one thing to be out of work, and other to work without payment. @o@;;;

You see how insane life can be? I wonder what sort of fortunes my year has with the year of the tiger? Hurr…

Art Journal; Year 2003-2009

Kurohiko's Art Journal by ~kurohiko on deviantART

Do you think I improved?

I honestly don’t see a lot of changes, haha! That is very bad. No progress means I’m not developing my skills at all. Oh la la~ I should explore more this year!

Hopefully 2010 will be a lot better~

Twenty-Ten

I had a bunch of ideas with what to write about for my very first blog post of the year 2010. I ate a heart-shaped McChicken on the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, I took photos of Trinoma’s fireworks display on December 30, and had quite a holiday loot, if you know what I mean. Of course, there was a ton of family drama too, but who’d want to read about something so depressing when it’s the new year?

Ask me how my visit with family was, and I would reply as Zedd from Legend of the Seeker would: “It was a visit with family.” Fascinating old wizard, but again I digress…

Then, my laziness gets the better of me, and I don’t want to resize the photos right now. I mean, I’ll eventually post these fantastic photos (as fantastic as 1.3 megapixel camera phones can be), but sitting in the office during the first day of work is anything but motivating.

But then, there is something I want to post today. A realization, you could say, that came to me in the beginning of the new year. Because… Really…

Mad Hatter by ~kurohiko on deviantART

Aren’t we all a little… “mad”?

Coffee Break; Posting from the Office

Dear goodness gracious I am so tired. @_@

You may have noticed that Mote-Mote’s page 4 was up during the night of the 15th instead of midnight. Ahaha! I’m so behind now. Page 5 is still on the inking stage, so I really need to pick up the pace!

I guess I can cram a little on Saturday. The next page has a lot of background detail into it, so it’s taking a lot more time.

These are the moments when I wish I can just use photographs for backgrounds instead of having to draw them frame by frame. Ahaha~ Laziness is in my DNA. xD

On to some celebrity gossip, I’ve been catching up on Chico and Delamar’s Top 10 thanks to the podcasts posted by Blue Ritz. I’m so glad Chico and Delamar mentioned this site, because it really helps me concentrate at work… minus the occasional laughing-like-a-madwoman moments with which my boss and colleagues reach for the phone to call the Mental Institute. ._.;;; Heh.

And I wonder if Misha Collins is really in Vancouver, Canada? He recently tweeted a post office box address for people to send their ticket stubs from his New York screening. He’s also asking for applications for treasurer, which requires a lock of hair for species verification. What. In any case, I hope I can send him a letter to request for an autograph when I move to Canada.

Shush. I already know I’m a dork. I do not need to be reminded. xD

Finally, I must rant about this:

Oyasumi, Kaname-sama by ~kurohiko on deviantART

Stupid me flattened my layers for this illustration, ARGH!!! Now I can’t change the stuff I wanted to change..! *SOB*

I guess that’s what I get for coloring until 2 in the morning. T_T At least it turned out ok, and I’m honestly quite happy with it.

No one is allowed to wake Kaname-sama up. Is that clear? >/

EDIT: Oh right, Misha, you really did give the wrong address. How in the world could we have missed that? Hee~! You’re so adorable. x3

The Devil’s Trill Sonata

The Devil's Trill by ~kurohiko on deviantART

"…so inferior to what I had heard, that if I could have subsisted on other means, I would have broken my violin and abandoned music forever." - Giuseppe Tartini

I think it would be interesting to hear Sebastian play the Devil’s Trill Sonata, don’t you agree?

Please, Sebastian, don’t eat me. ;x;

After watching the final episode for season 1 of Kuroshitsuji, it made me have nightmares about Sebastian deciding to eat me. Dx Ciel wasn’t exactly helping much either since he told Sebastian to make his final moments as painful as possible. Meep… Proof of life? >.<;;;

This is a simple illustration that I did for about 4 hours last night. My nephew was drawing chibis on his Shakey’s placemat during dinner and it kinda inspired me to do something simple and elegant. I’m not really sure why I decided to draw Sebastian Michaelis since we were drawing chibi Bleach together, but I’m not really complaining.

It has everything I love in it… Glasses, a violin, and a window. So truthfully, this is just eye candy for myself. >.<;;;

Hope you guys like it! x3

The Doujinshi Project

I've been busy working on this doujin for quite some time now... too much time actually, that I'm beginning to grow tired of it, haha~!

"Mote-Mote", which translates to "Ladies' Man", is a doujinshi from the series "Onegai My Melody". It's my first doujin that I want to publish on my webmanga some time before the year ends. If I successfully do not slack off, this will by my first finished doujin!

I have a doujin about Kurama and my original character "Kasumei" from way back in high school, but the pages were all drawn in a tiny notebook, and I never really got to know how the story ended. Kinda lame isn't it? Though I've been thinking about working on it again.

It's probably not the smartest idea to create a doujin about a little known series, but Onegai My Melody has been an addiction of mine for more than a year. The episodes are filled with nonsense that make my day brighter, no matter how badly some things have turned out. This is also my way of trying to find my way back into the love of making manga since my passion has wavered as of late.

...trying to find my way back into- isn't that a song?

Anyway, I hope people will support me on this and not kill me for slacking off on A.illusions again! It's just been so hard lately... I hope this will be the answer and cure that I'm looking for!