Rei's Artworks and a question

Reikara - Heavens Tear · August 2009

I had a thread here long ago for my stuff but now I largley only post it in the PW colouring book thread. I'll still continue to do so but I had a question and needed to post some of my stuff for it

Well; basically and I know it may be a little off-topic but~ (my work is pwi fanart anyway xD)

I want to be a manga author. Or manga-ka, or whatever it's/you want to call it. Bascially because there's nothing else i'm good at and my people skills are fail. This has been a dream since I was 16, and i've since devoted almost every day of my life to practice. (I've been drawing long before that, since 4 or 5 but started drawing manga at 13, at 16 in school one day, it hit me.)

I live in Australia and we have no or very little industry here for it. It's only popular with the younger generation and they soon grow out of it. Everything we watch either comes from Japan or America. Though school kids enjoy drawing it, even some who were VERY talanted at it, never chase it as a career. Due to the fact that it's unheard of and no one knows anything about it. They end up chasing careers like fashion and grahpic design.

My question is, do you think, in your own personal opinion that I should chase it? It would be quite difficult, since I can't speak Japanese, and why should they print something of mine when they can print someone else's who is more skilled, and won't have to pay to translate it. I was thinking of trying the American market, but it's a gamble still. Mine strays away from the traditional japanese-school girl/ bishoujo/ samurai/ ninja culture.

Mine is going to be more multi-cultural and some will be Australian based traditional. These will still be fantasy/action/drama/romance/adventure/sci-fi.
I'd personally like to see more different skinned main characters instead of just white. I have no idea however if there'd be any market for this. My mother is currently trying to push me into buisness administration or child care, something that she sees as more solid and a "real job."

Personally, i'd rather die than sit behind a computer all my life doing data entry and wearing a fake smile all day. Not critising any who does do it, but it's no where near suited to me. Well, do you think, based on what I have here as samples, should I seek it out as a professional career. I'm 19 at the moment and tearing my hair out. I cant find any credible advice or critique as like I said, Australia really dosen't know what manga is.

The reason I came up with this is, If the general answer was yes, i'd consider doing some perfect world comics for practice

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z182/riann099/reiyn.jpg[/IMG]

Zirconium - Heavens Tear · August 2009

I wish I could draw, unfortunately a stick figure is the best I can do and if Photoshop didn't have so many good effects I would be pretty stuck. b:sad

There is a pretty big underground manga following here in the UK and the growth of Internet publishing means there is a large world wide fan base for artists to tap into.

It's not just manga you can get into but web graphics, game graphics ......

It's better to be paid for something you like doing instead of being stuck in a boring job.

Kitsuneh - Lost City · August 2009

Didint know you can draw manga toob:shocked

I am not an expert but I really like those. Keep it up.

It's better to be paid for something you like doing instead of being stuck in a boring job.

This is the path I would follow.

Thelegion - Lost City · August 2009

Love u for this b:chuckleb:victory

Deceptistar - Sanctuary · August 2009

Reikara - Heavens Tear wrote: »

My question is, do you think, in your own personal opinion that I should chase it? It would be quite difficult, since I can't speak Japanese, and why should they print something of mine when they can print someone else's who is more skilled, and won't have to pay to translate it. I was thinking of trying the American market, but it's a gamble still. Mine strays away from the traditional japanese-school girl/ bishoujo/ samurai/ ninja culture.

Mine is going to be more multi-cultural and some will be Australian based traditional. These will still be fantasy/action/drama/romance/adventure/sci-fi.
I'd personally like to see more different skinned main characters instead of just white. I have no idea however if there'd be any market for this. My mother is currently trying to push me into buisness administration or child care, something that she sees as more solid and a "real job."

Personally, i'd rather die than sit behind a computer all my life doing data entry and wearing a fake smile all day. Not critising any who does do it, but it's no where near suited to me. Well, do you think, based on what I have here as samples, should I seek it out as a professional career. I'm 19 at the moment and tearing my hair out. I cant find any credible advice or critique as like I said, Australia really dosen't know what manga is.

The reason I came up with this is, If the general answer was yes, i'd consider doing some perfect world comics for practice

My answer would be no, you shouldnt chase it, or at least directly.
There are many styles of manga and yours is no exception, ive seen similar like it in japan. And yes they do not print america made manga in japan. Altho it is very popular, it is one of the most cheap cheap payed businesses you will ever find. Most artists can barely pay the rent.

You have options tho.
Option 1) Publish your own manga online
-If pple think its worth reading, you will gain fame online, slowly allowing you to explore and spread it out more. Successful manga you need to have either (a)VERY interesting storyline or (B)superb drawing skills. Ask yourself if you think you have what it takes. Try peek in deviant art.

I myself gave up what i really wanted to do which was game character design and went to a state job. If I REALLY wanted to i can save up to take night classes for a try in the industry but im lazy. If YOUR motivation is REAL you can still head towards what your mom suggested and still learn and do manga online. Its similar to pple working 2-3jobs to buy their dream car or something similar. Just in your case the job your mom suggested is an "insurance" you have for your future, in case one of the 2 paths (in this case manga) would fail. If you didnt have a 'real job' as your insurance (and possibly a good funding system), what are you left with 5-10 years down the road if you realized you got nowhere with this? All youll be left with is a measly resume that has a list of part timejobs in the prime of your life.

Your mom would not be as worried if you actually had a steady income, living alone, independent, to backup this risky venture. Cuase then she would know she doesnt have to step in to (sry scuse' me) wipe your a$$ and mess if you take the big fail fall.

Trying to take the path for a 'real job' and putting aside what you really want to do as a 'sub job' is not appealing, yes i know, ive been there (and i gave up lol) Altho I am happy i took this path because now I am safe to venture out and try something diff. if I wanted to, because i am independent and can fund myself completely, and wont loose anything if it does not turn out like i wanted too.

Option 2) Publish your own doujinshi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Djinshi
This is like a amateur manga and alot of famous pple started off here. It is EXTREMELY popular in japan and I have seen alot of out-of-japan doujinshi nowadays. There probably are services online now to order. Of course you will need a couple hundred $$. And add to it that your manga or style is well known enough for pple to want to buy your doujinshi. Needless to say you will need a 'real job' to pull this off.

Insurance is very important. 9/10 pple in the social class have it, and it helps you tremendously when the big nasty IF happens. The idea is the same for this.

Now......... you said you are 19 still. If you are planning to go to an art college then that is a completely diff. story. They will provide you with the classes, the skills, the programs, and even apprenticeships in your last years of school. They will open a whole new portal for you, and even slap you in the face with a degree in fine arts to go with your merry way. You will most likely be able to get a job somewhere in art which you can use to weasle your way to manga main.
Alot of the jobs like this atm now tend to be online nowadays (publishing costs) so even if your college end up in the states, you can still go back home and pursue the career.

MissEbil - Heavens Tear · August 2009

I agree with Deceptistar, it's the best plan to have a backup.

I really, really, REALLY, beyond anything in the world, want to be an author, but it's just a hobby for me at the moment, as until I can get enough money together to push it to publishers, or come out with the next Harry Potter, then I have to have something to pay the bills.

A lot of artists from all sorts of genres just did their art as a hobby, as not many places anywhere in the world will open their arms to an artist that hasn't proven themselves to already be popular.

Best of luck, and the PWI comic sounds b:dirty

Need a cell shader? LOL kinda joking as I'm not all that good.

Kyna - Lost City · August 2009

Sometimes it's all in who you know. Art is really hard to get a profession in, -_-; I've been trying for quite a while to go somewhere with mine xD I've had little hits here and there on things, mainly going for colorist. Right now I actually got in touch with a few people that I was told that maybe I could get in with on the coloring end of the deal. They added me to their watch list on deviant art >_> I guess that's a good sign xD

So far as I know they're not huge, but one of their old members now works for Marvel. Not quite my cup of tea >_> you know, since I'm all into the anime/manga style too, but this could be a good place to start. Sometimes you have to make yourself more versatile to get out there. In the meantime though >_> actually going for a degree in criminal justice and working as a waitress b:surrender even if this works out, I doubt it's gonna pay bills.

I'll never quit drawing or coloring though ^^

Reikara - Heavens Tear · August 2009

I've taken that advice into consideration. At the moment i'm trying to find anything that's got permanent hours and wont **** me around >.>

Well~ should I start a pwi comic? o.o
I don't have a story line to follow as of yet, not sure what i'd do there.
Characters obvioulsy won't be hard to find.

Deceptistar - Sanctuary · August 2009

Reikara - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I've taken that advice into consideration. At the moment i'm trying to find anything that's got permanent hours and wont **** me around >.>

Well~ should I start a pwi comic? o.o
I don't have a story line to follow as of yet, not sure what i'd do there.
Characters obvioulsy won't be hard to find.

Sure, why not start one. Anything that gives you inspiration now will be a good base step for the future

Reikara - Heavens Tear · August 2009

Then so I shall, since I have no story as of yet, i'll do whatever comes to mind ^,.,^

Mejezfeld - Heavens Tear · August 2009

lol weeaboo.

firstly I would like to apologize to the weeaboo community here for *insert bishounen anime character's name here* being so "KAWAIIII DESU DESU ORA =^_________^="

secondly I must say that that artwork is awesome.

thirdly, if you are not japanese and you try to make "manga", you'd just cause a lot of drama as to whether your comics should be called manga just because your comic looks like one and reads in the same direction and has a lot missing in translation. Just call it a comic book/graphic novel and make it on the sly. then later, you publish it, become famous, and claim in an interview that your mother gave you a lot of support in making this comic to make her feel guilty as hell. then when she asks for money, tell her to go get a job as a data analyst. Okay, that last part was meen, no need to heed it.

fourthly, if you made a comic and it had artwork this good, I'd buy it.

fifthly, I think I was once in the same scenario as you, I wanted to be a game designer. My mother tried to convince me out of that, a lot, and my sister told me this story she heard from her friend about Game designers getting paid dog **** (I assumed it was fake). But that's where the similarity between you and me ends- later decided I wanted to be an engineer.

sixthly, WINNERS DON'T DO DRUGS

seventhly, I think I've seen some of this art before? Mind if I request something from you to confirm these are yours?

Reikara - Heavens Tear · August 2009

Yes they are, I had them on a couple different threads in here and I also have a DA account. (Deviant art- used to be skitzoid99 but I changed to spudfuzz.)

I'd never steal art o.O;

I don't do drugs, lmao

(sometimes my friends wonder though o_O)

I don't understand why people try to push or convince you otherwise out of doing something you know in your heart is suitable to you and what you dream of doing.

Ugh, I don't really know about the whole vailidility of the name of using manga even though you're not japanese. I know for one that my style isn't like any other western type comic and I wasn't really planning on selling it to a non-english market to start off with. With that kind of logic, it's like saying;

Well, cricket was invented in england, so if you're Indian and you think you're playing cricket, you're not because all you're doing is hitting a ball with a bat. You have to be English to play cricket.

And i'd make mine read left to right, since that's how my culture reads :P

Mejezfeld - Heavens Tear · August 2009

Reikara - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Yes they are, I had them on a couple different threads in here and I also have a DA account. (Deviant art- used to be skitzoid99 but I changed to spudfuzz.)

I'd never steal art o.O;

Ugh, I don't really know about the whole vailidity of the name of using manga even though you're not japanese. I know for one that my style isn't like any other western type comic and I wasn't really planning on selling it to a non-english market to start off with. With that kind of logic, it's like saying;

Well, cricket was invented in england, so if you're Indian and you think you're playing cricket, you're not because all you're doing is hitting a ball with a bat. You have to be English to play cricket.

That is not a valid comparison. It might be if cricket had rules asking people to sing God Save The <Figurehead Monarch Person> at certain points in the game. You could make the same comparison with american basketball but I would point out that none of the rules ask you to steal bicycles... Okay, I have been reading too much Encyclopedia Dramatica. If this string of pointless stereotypes offends you, I apologize- But the point is that literature is more grounded in the culture and mindset of the people who made it than a sport is, especially a sport played in several nations- a better comparison would have been made with the sport of Buzkashi.

But you should get my point, don't call it a manga, and don't call yourself a mangaka. Just call it a comic book, and let the geeks argue about it.

Deceptistar - Sanctuary · August 2009

Reikara - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I don't understand why people try to push or convince you otherwise out of doing something you know in your heart is suitable to you and what you dream of doing.

I think the truth is they dont mind at all. If you can stand up back on your feet by yourself if you fail. In the art world even the exceptional pple sometimes dont make it. Sometimes its luck.

Basically its like saying to your parent/guardian, "Can you pay for this, this, this, and this, while i pursue my dream. I'll be living in your house, eating your food, and be putting minimum rent if at all. If I fail miserably after a few years ill also be dependent on you a few years more."

If you show them that you can get a decent paying job, put in rent or move out, and still show them your pursuing your dreams, they will pretty much zip their mouth cause youll be showing how far youll put up with FOR your dreams.

Alot of young pple want to pursue dreams, its natural. Half of them refuse to put in any extra effort that supports that dream... like getting work.

Reikara - Heavens Tear · August 2009

Well how about this, i'll still call it manga because I know what it is, i'll still let the geeks argue about it but I won't give a damn what they say.

Telling someone they can't draw manga which originated from Japan (Even though it's now spread world wide and there are many foreign artists) because they'e not Japanese is racist and the most ridiculous nonsense i've ever heard. Just because my cultural background is Australian/European, it has no effect what-so-ever on my drawing ability, especially that of manga.

Manga obviously has a set of rules to follow to make it what it is, but it's not exclusive to the Japanese bloodline. If Japan has really been saying this to all the forgein artists, it sounds like someone is afraid of competition.

I'm curious though, what if someone were only half Japanese, this would make their work half manga and half not?

Deceptistar, I understand that just where I'm coming from my mother is a little more
"Why the hell do you want to draw, it's childish and it's not a real paying job."
She'd rather see me to buisness administration because it's what she does for a living, and the only knd of job that makes sense to her.

I've tried explaining over and over that if sucsessful, this kind of job can pay very well (but it's never about the money)
and buisness admin would never suit me, I lack the skills for it. (Not talking about the skills you learn on the job either)

A couple years back there was a local art competition for youth (this rarley happens here, especially for non-indigenous art) and I thought that was finally my opportunity to start getting out there and getting noticed. I came home from work that night to find that my mother and her boyfriend had taken all my drawing tools/paints. They complained that my art takes too long to make and it takes up time where I could be doing more productive things -__-;

Deceptistar - Sanctuary · August 2009

Reikara - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Deceptistar, I understand that just where I'm coming from my mother is a little more
"Why the hell do you want to draw, it's childish and it's not a real paying job."
She'd rather see me to buisness administration because it's what she does for a living, and the only knd of job that makes sense to her.

I've tried explaining over and over that if sucsessful, this kind of job can pay very well (but it's never about the money)
and buisness admin would never suit me, I lack the skills for it. (Not talking about the skills you learn on the job either)

A couple years back there was a local art competition for youth (this rarley happens here, especially for non-indigenous art) and I thought that was finally my opportunity to start getting out there and getting noticed. I came home from work that night to find that my mother and her boyfriend had taken all my drawing tools/paints. They complained that my art takes too long to make and it takes up time where I could be doing more productive things -__-;

Tell her that it is your 'hobby'. As long as you are doing what your mom expects you to do, there is no limit on how much you want to put into this as a 'hobby'. If you dont use loopholes she still has the right to do these things on behalf of your 'good future'.

Mom:"Why the hell do you want to draw, it's childish and it's not a real paying job."
You: "This is just my HOBBY, pls dont belittle my relaxing pastimes."

If your hobby is star gazing astrology from dinner to sleep time as absurd as it may seem to some pple, your mom will not bar the windows and doors if you work earnestly and steadily towards administration (or whatever decent). Now if all you did was gazing and dream talking about astrology work without getting a real job, you bet she will bar them doors.

I think you might be outwardly showing to your mom how much you prioritize your art first, and your actions too tend to sway that way, thus giving reason and a excuse for your mom to even actually touch your art stuff.

Mejezfeld - Heavens Tear · August 2009

Reikara - Heavens Tear wrote: »

A couple years back there was a local art competition for youth (this rarley happens here, especially for non-indigenous art) and I thought that was finally my opportunity to start getting out there and getting noticed. I came home from work that night to find that my mother and her boyfriend had taken all my drawing tools/paints. They complained that my art takes too long to make and it takes up time where I could be doing more productive things -__-;

What

okay here's what you do- Does she bring any of her work home? you take a portable hard drive, and while your mother is at work place all her work files in it, and delete the originals.

Then hide the hard disk and restore the files later after your mother finishes screaming and faints. Leave a notepad file that says says "your work takes too long to do and it takes up time where you could be doing something creative that isn't writing performance reviews and sucking up to the stockholders"

EDIT: Okay, here is a slightly better idea. Start small and make a daily/weekly comic for a local publication. Then wait until you get fan mail from someone who has the same job as your mom and preferably has a Mark Discordia-esque appreciation for your comic. Frame it and hang it where your mom can see it the moment she walks into your room.

Don't know who Mark Discordia is? He's someone who was a working adult yet had a childlike appreciation for the Nintendo Entertainment System, which was apparent in a letter he sent to Nintendo Power Magazine. I heard about him through a website belonging to an internet humour guy named Seanbaby. Here is a picture of the said letter and it contains a link to where I read about it:

Deceptistar - Sanctuary · August 2009

Mejezfeld - Heavens Tear wrote: »

What

okay here's what you do- Does she bring any of her work home? you take a portable hard drive, and while your mother is at work place all her work files in it, and delete the originals.

Then hide the hard disk and restore the files later after your mother finishes screaming and faints. Leave a notepad file that says says "your work takes too long to do and it takes up time where you could be doing something creative that isn't writing performance reviews and sucking up to the stockholders"

Only noobs think recklessly like this. Ever think what would happen if the backup harddrive failed (yes its possible) damaged or got lost, and she had saved a contract/grant unknowingly? What if her mom called in immediately to work about this and it triggered a fast reaction of decisions that needed to be made by others? Not only does it ruin her future but her moms job as well. These are what little kids do and tell it to friends how they regret it and did something stupid.

Mejezfeld - Heavens Tear · August 2009

Deceptistar - Sanctuary wrote: »

Only noobs think recklessly like this. Ever think what would happen if the backup harddrive failed (yes its possible) damaged or got lost, and she had saved a contract/grant unknowingly? What if her mom called in immediately to work about this and it triggered a fast reaction of decisions that needed to be made by others? Not only does it ruin her future but her moms job as well. These are what little kids do and tell it to friends how they regret it and did something stupid.

well thank you for not noticing my little addendum O__O

also here's a toned-down version of that first idea: she can simply move the work files to another folder on the computer's hard drive and if she wants to she can leave a fun message in the now empty original folder.

Rei's Artworks and a question

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