the feral artist

Kaneko-san and Japanese Readers

2011-12-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

It's almost the New Year! I'm going to periodically be adding some of my favorite moments of the year.

First up was the kind words by Ichiro Kaneko-san, the president of Deleter Inc. I've been complimented by Japanese readers before, from my sister's friend, who is an avid manga fan, exclaiming, "I didn't know that when you said Tay-lu drew comics, you meant she was real! This is really manga!" This made me feel very glowy inside. But it was someone else entirely to get complimented by someone who is in the business of selling manga supplies.

Seems American downers will fall all over themselves to tell you that you don't conform to the quintessential "cutesy" anime style or Shounen Jump or whatever else they have in mind, but when it comes to Japanese people from Japan, well... They've been more than warm to me and very receptive of my comic, which makes me very happy. In Japan, according to them, there is still so much variation in Japan. "In America, even manga here is not as saturated as market in Japan. You get only small portion."

In fact, ANYONE being receptive to my comic makes me happy. I am very lucky to have readers in many countries that have stopped by, most are not in Japan, (I only have about 300 repeat visitors from Japan), but it makes me happy that some of them stop by (maybe to practice their English?).

Anyway, Kaneko-san said some things that came at a time when I was feeling very down. I seemed to be losing commentary by actual fans to be replaced with trolls just trying to cut me down for the sake of cutting down.

But these words of encouragement are beautiful. Excerpts:

Dear Loom-San,

You are so professional manga artist!! Your actions drawing is so powerful !!
Your drawing must encourage all of artist everywhere to keep up their work!! I definitely think that you are good at adding effect at your comic!! The screen tone is also technique is AMAZING. Really really amazing manga Vampire Fetish. I am glad that you allowed us your professional drawing is added at our Gallery!!

Thank you very much!!

And later after chatting back and forth a bit:

Dear Taylor-San, (let me call you with your name now.)

Thank you very much for your message!!It is really touched!!! I will tell your heart-warm message to everyone in my company.

We guess everyone in the world worries to purchase through international online shopping. So we keep trying to improve our service.

Your words encourage everyone of us!! Thank you very much!! If you have any question, please feel free to ask me personal!!

Arigato Gozaimasu
Kind regards,
Ichiro Kaneko

It still makes me feel glowy inside. There's more kindness in that company that simply messages, but the email correspondence, as you can see, is also very heartwarming. I really want to keep giving DELETER business, as they are kind and wonderful. *^_^*

All that said, while I am very happy that Japanese readers are receptive to my art, I whole-heartedly embrace my Western roots. I like my Western flair. I AM Western and there's nothin wrong with Western art. (Tons of Western comics are kick-ass!) I think it's much better to embrace your style, drawing from life and letting the conglomeration of all the things that make up your influence bleed out.

I remember that the MICC judge once said he was disappointed in the U.S. for having so many Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, and moe/loli copycats in terms of style. I am happy to say I really DON'T sit down and consciously copy my style from anywhere or model it from specific people for hours on end. I've had manga & comics in hand since I could walk. The same way kids grew up with cartoons and superheroes that influenced THEM, *I* truly, truly grew up with comics & manga both influencing me in a huge melting pot. I was unaware that "manga" was a Japanese "thing" for the longest time... XD

Playing with Dolls!

2011-12-24T12:10:00.001-08:00

What is in the pretty box?

It's a dollie! Made by periwinkleimp! (Commission info here!)

He's wearing a red dress and pearls! Oh, my!

I had some other doll clothes I made when I was a girl, and lo and behold they fit! German Jude looks a bit like a garden gnome, though.

Or maybe one of those Christmas elves from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!"

Okay, back to his day clothes! Pictured here with the vile vampire brownie made by Jazeki/Jessica Swanson!

He's got his jacket on. Time to face off with Vampire Brownie.

Land of Lions on Kindle and More!

2011-12-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

Pimping out some fellow artists! Many of you are probably familiar with the fabulous Land of Lions by Cassandra Jean as well as Two Keys by Chloe Chan & Aliena Shoemaker, and also SIN by Drake Tsui.

If you're like me, you like books. If you're an addictive personality perhaps you even like eBooks! Well, Land of Lions is available as as eBook! You can access eBooks from your computer or from devices like the Kindle.

I just downloaded Chapter 1 of Land of Lions on my Kindle, and rest assured, you can read it fine at that size. (Our Kindle is the small version, too.) Here are some photos of what it looks like on the Kindle! Sorry about the creepy blue light. It's the book light.

Land of Lions eBooks
by Cassandra Jean

Land of Lions Ch. 1
Land of Lions Ch. 2
Land of Lions Ch. 3
Land of Lions Ch. 4
Land of Lions Ch. 5
Land of Lions Ch. 6
Land of Lions Ch. 7
Land of Lions Ch. 8
Land of Lions Ch. 9
Land of Lions Ch. 10
Land of Lions Ch. 11
Land of Lions Ch. 12
Land of Lions Ch. 13
Land of Lions Ch. 14
Land of Lions Ch. 15
Land of Lions Ch. 16
Land of Lions Ch. 17
Land of Lions Ch. 18
Land of Lions Ch. 19
Land of Lions Ch. 20
Land of Lions Ch. 21

Black-Eyed Susan eBooks
by Cassandra Jean

Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 1
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 2
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 3
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 4
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 5
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 6
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 7
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 8
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 9
Black-Eyed Susan Ch. 10

Mangamagazine.net Books on Amazon:

• Land of Lions
by Cassandra Jean

• Two Keys
by Chloe Chan & Aliena Shoemaker

• SIN
by Drake Tsui

Manuscript ch01.pp26-27

2011-12-24T12:08:00.002-08:00

Manuscript Copy: Planning Paper

Series: Vampire Fetish

Place: Chapter One, pages 26-27

Some Words:

Some people were curious about my drawing process. I've already waxed poetica about thumbnailing all over the place, successively getting bigger and more complicated as I work.

This is the last step before my finalized version. I do really, really quick mock-inks on manuscript paper. (You can probably tell the majority of this was drawn with Sharpies if you get in close.) Then I trace it onto clean bristol via lightbox using actual Ink.

The process speeds my progress in an almost contradictory manner. While some would immediately look at it and cry "too much time," the planning stage allows for such freedom and low-stress that it has sped my finalizing process up by a whole lot. I can work out where I want my blacks, tones, and sound effects as well. I might post some examples with handwritten notes later if I come across them. I already threw a lot of these away! XD

Anyhoo, always learning more and more, and I love it! I feel like I'm bombarded by opportunities to learn as of late, as I investigate old films and books about things that capture and expand my imagination...

**READ Up-to-Date @ MangaMagazine.net!

**VF Forum @ MangaMag Online

(c) Taylor Holt, LOOM 2011

WORKSPACE Pics

2011-12-24T12:08:00.001-08:00

This. Is my Giant Paper Organizer Erin found at a used office store. It is situated on my cheap Craigslist-bought, awesome, L-shaped desk. Why pay $200 for a wireframe at Office Depo when less than half of that can get me a giant wood desk if I frequent auctions, estate sales, and junk stores? My family is a giant mess of deal-finders. I never buy new. You can find giant desks for around $100 where I live. (I love the South.)

Close-up of labeled areas. I keep two "active" boxes for VF. That is, only the current chapter drafts and pages go in there.

Manilla Envelopes. Past & Future chapter manuscripts, thumbnails, etc go in their own manilla envelopes. This helps me stay ON TASK. Stay in the present. I will allow myself to work on future chapter manuscript pages, but only when the current "active" one is done. :)

Illustration Progression

2011-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Vampire Fetish Chapter 1 Illustration Progression

1. Thumbnail. Don't let your mind be shackled. Sketch freely. I did a thumbnail and slapped some colors over it, letting my brain talk more than my hands.

2. Mock. I taped some cheap manuscript paper together and did a mock version of my thumbnail, just to make sure it was jiving with what I have envisioned.

3. Character Lineart. I redrew the Lineart on a Larger Scale Piece of Strathmore Bristol. I scanned the character art to have it on file for safe-keeping, in case I'd like to use it for anything else later.

4. Lineart with Penciled Background. I scanned this in for fun. You can see my penciled background, with perspective lines included, in the background. This one has the perspective lines and careful drawing, unlike the thumbnail and mock manuscript, which was done loosely with freehand.

5. Lineart is Complete. Since this is going to be a colored illustration, the lineart is actually done with colored liners. It adds just the little pop you need to make it all jive.

6. Digital Computer Mock. If it works brightly, I know there's a good chance it will work when I blend it nicely. Plus, I get to try out Text Placement.

7. Marker Progression. Now I am coloring with Markers!

8. Painting. I'm a mixed media geek, so here's the painting part. I love watercolors.

9. Back to markering. I switch pretty regularly between markers and paint. Still a while to go before gouache and highlights, but we're getting there!

10. Background Bridge and Water Painted in. Now that the Water and Bridge has dried, we can start again darkening the buildings and soon we get to add lights!

11. FINIS!

Old Artwork Archive 1997, 2000, 2001, 2006.

2011-09-01T20:34:00.001-07:00

So. Remember the RETRO LOOM POST and the RAW SKETCHING POST? (If you don't, you can click the links to be taken to them and see my progress over the years.)

This is in the same spirit.

These are pictures that managed to SURVIVE. I hid a lot of my drawing as a child, so NO ONE WOULD SEE THEM NO ONE. So that means under mattresses, in the couch, in the attic, etc. The point is: they managed to survive yearly purging. Kept em outta pure luck, not sentimentality of my faves. I drew a lot. The yearly cleaning was to take everything down off my walls and out of my over-full closet and PURGE. :) I didn't feel sad or anything; it was just a ritual I had. I always figured I could draw better and newer and shinier things. I still feel today, mostly.

Starting at age 7, then visiting 4th and 5th grades, and then we jump to my Freshmen year.

1997

2000

2001

2006

Old Artwork Archive 2007.

2011-09-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

So. Remember the RETRO LOOM POST and the RAW SKETCHING POST? (If you don't, you can click the links to be taken to them and see my progress over the years.)

This is in the same spirit.

2007 was my Sophomore year of high school. It's a year that was HELL. I hated it. HATED.

2007

Old Artwork Archive 2008-2009.

2011-09-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

So. Remember the RETRO LOOM POST and the RAW SKETCHING POST? (If you don't, you can click the links to be taken to them and see my progress over the years.)

This is in the same spirit. I archived a Hell of a lot of old artwork on CD and parted ways with some of them so they didn't take up attic space. I figured I'd share my progress by year. I've always been a self-study in art. When people rag on people and classify them as self-taught or school-taught, I get so confused and wanna ask then, "Haven't you always been drawing and observing? Everyone is self-taught in a way, because if you're driven to draw, you've been doing it your whole life." Art is not something they teach in grade and high schools usually; only a handful of people are going to have the luxury of being taught their whole lives (and that doesn't make those people necessarily snobby; it makes them damn lucky!)

In short, my answer is always BOTH. Self-taught my whole life; taking advantage of the knowledge and connections that college gives.

This chronicles the years 2008 and 2009. 2008 was sooo busy since Junior year in high school is almost always loaded. 2009 was Senior year.

2008

2009

My Opa's Painting

2011-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

My Opa (German for grandfather; he was my GREAT grandfather) was an interesting figure. I know he was a scientist and wind tunnel expert, a boxer/fighter, and he also painted.

Anyway, when Oma (my great grandmother) passed away, Mom kept a lot of her crafts and such, and among them, as we were going through some baskets, we found a painting that Opa did. I though it was terribly adorable. It's a tiny thing, but it has a lot of character. I scanned it to archive it and decided to share!

I have no idea when this was painted. My grandmother was born to my Opa and Oma in 1938, but Opa died when she was in her teens, I believe. So this could have been done any time during his lifetime.

Nana took after him in terms of arts and painting. When my Nana (grandmother) speaks of him, I can still tell she was a major, "Daddy's Girl." She still keeps the box that held his oil paints (it looks well used with paints all over). She's given me everything in terms of her paints and such, but when she came across the box, she clutched it to her chest and smelled it and said, "This was my father's. I have to keep it." So sweet. I'm glad to have found this painting.

Watercolor. Not sure if this was done in his early, middle, or latter years.

Color Theory Squares

2011-05-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Restricted Color Usage -- Abstract Assignments.

Old Sketch: On the Bright Side, Greyrune

2011-04-01T16:42:00.001-07:00

I found an old sketch while spring cleaning today. Haha!

What I Got for My Brithday!

2011-02-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

See this? Right in the middle is my special Brownie. Why is it special? Because it's GLUTEN-FREE! AND my friend Jessica sent it to me in the mail! It arrive today. Isn't it to teeny and cute? It looks right at home next to my piggy bank (with birthday money in it) and my colorful data box and the picture of Jude that Samantha sent me!

PLUG:

And here is the book Sam sent me. It's really cool, and it ties in with my future career, too. I have an interest in commercial packaging, like what kinds of colors and designs and textures appeal to a wide audience, so this really interests me and delights me. She kept teasing me trying to make me guess what it was, so it was a total surprise when it arrived in the mail!

And here's the inside of it. Nifty, huh? I've been carting this thing around and looking at it between classes.

PLUG:

And here's what Erin got for me. Something I've really been wanting. It's illustration books by Toshihiro Kawamoto. He worked on lots of stuff that you've probably heard of, like Gundam Stardust Memory, Cowboy Bebop, and Wolf's Rain. My point is that he's a good designer, and it's exciting to have some high-quality books with his work in them. :D

Gundam Stardust Memory. I think I love his illustrations of this the best. SO emotive! :D

And the infamous "Spike is so cool and lonely" picture. :D

White Christmas of 2010

2010-12-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

High Emotions Run High

2010-12-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

Technical illustration with a bit of messed-up fun in the wee hours of the morning.

Printmaking Wrap-Up

2010-12-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Some useless photography from my last week of hell this semester.

I thought my heart was gonna fall outta my ass at this point.

I was stuck doing a lot of these at home without a real press. Thank you, spoon power.

I made a mess.

Some of us didn't have a care in the world.

Lazing by the fire.

The carving design I wound up going with. I didn't like my previous ones.

It was past midnight.

Prints on the awesome quality paper called construction paper.

Twiggy stayed dutifully at my side, urging me with love beams in her eyes to retire to couch to cuddle.

My hands and feet

2010-11-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

This is my hand! It is small, but strong and solid. First is a sketch, second one is an exercise where it was all one continuous line; AKA do not pick up your pencil! And we were allowed to add in skin folds and stuff after we were able to capture the shape. Pretty nifty exercise if you ask me.

My feet are sooo funny looking. I'm flat footed - hardly any arch....and I can snap my toes. @_@ After I was done drawing, I kinda sat back and went, "Is that seriously how my foot looks?!" *glances down* "Yup. Darn."

Principles of Practice.

2010-11-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

I think the best way to understand when it comes to utilizing value and color is to actually get out paints and do them yourself. Somehow mixing and laying them down commits to memory these principles in a way entirely different than simply reading them in a book. Does this make me old-fashioned? I don't know. Most art pieces I look at digitally seem to lack efficient contrast, especially when it comes to the human figure. So I like revisiting value and color to remind myself of these basic things.

Of all the exercises, I think I would choose to do this one a hundred times.

And something about doing up the color yourself... I just love it.

Some harmonies and a stuck-on dissonance. I need to work with dissonance more often.

More Blast from the Past!

2010-11-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

Back with more high school art. The first is for a chemistry class. You can see where I started practicing all my hand-done effects there. It's all by hand, and mostly just me playing. Boy does old Avagadro look pretty stupid there! It actually kinda looks like the pictures I researched of him, though.

Next is another quick doodle in the corner of my notes. It was a scrap I found ripped in the pile of papers. I left the tear and notes for character.

Lastly is Roka and Seria from Rainshadow. I remember thinking that before I begin drawing them, I should see what kinds of faces they make.

Old Artwork Digging

2010-11-17T02:42:00.000-08:00

Most of my artwork and concept sketches I have filed into specific binders w/tabbed sections based on area of art or the story it goes with. Most of my old art and art from high school has been chunked. Not because I hate my old art or anything but for the sake of space. See, I doodle compulsively. Even getting rid of so much, I am still overflowing!

So, it's a necessity for someone like me. I meet people who "never throw away their art," but if I kept every sketch, I'd probably get arrested by Earth-911 for being such a tree killer. I need to "go green" by sketching on the computer, I guess. Anyhoo, here's a bit of my old artwork. I guess I'll post it now and again to store it here so I can part with it in real life.

Yeah, this was originally on the back of my notebook. I just kept gradually adding random people and effects.

I thought this was really interesting. I was *supposed* to be writing one of those busy-work diary entries at the beginning of English class, and I got distracted. Notice how diary entry quickly goes to me observing my classmates and their funny body language. XD

I'm working on your chibis!

2010-08-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

I'm workin on them!

UPDATE!
TOP LEFT. Nikkibuu. Eirnin.
TOP RIGHT. Jazeki. Chloe ANNE DAVIS (Gawd. I'm so stupid at night. It's cause I know a Chloe Anderson IRL).
BOTTOM LEFT. Ruskyi47. Mortimer.
BOTTOM RIGHT. Redsun2002. Sailor Redsun.

TOP LEFT. Hitagashi. Logos.
TOP RIGHT. Wishmonster. MIRANELLA (NOT Teresa. Teresa is Selena Loong's Character).
BOTTOM LEFT. SasukeSharingan007. Neko Diaries.
BOTTOM RIGHT. Kep. Everett.

^_^

Chloe avatar.

2010-07-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

I made a Chloe avatar.

Love, Annotated (c) Jazeki.

LA Sketch!

2010-07-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The finished version I never showed you.

Thumbnail I'm doing for Jazeki's Love, Annotated.

This is how my drawings start out; at least the planning anyway. Very, very rough - but geared towards concept to see if I like it or not.

Manga-Apps Mascots!

2010-06-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Quick Sketch of the manga apps characters! Here's the raw sketch where you can see me testing out all the little colors and stuff on the sides. XD

Epic Week of of Watercolor

2010-06-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

My week of watercolor classes in over now. I am sad. I wish I had jut one more week with the wonderful teacher, Stan Miller.

It was a load of fun. I feel like I learned a lot. I want to finish up the few paintings I started and then go back to black-and-white value studies. I wanna do it the right way, and Mr. Stan Miller recommends working with B&W value first! So, this is what I shall do! <3

Below is the sketch I did (taped off of course) that I will finish soon.

Practicing Watercolor Techniques

2010-06-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm recommending this man to everyone: Stan Miller. http://www.stanmiller.net/ He is the most fantastic teacher I've ever met and if you ever get the chance to either learn under him in a course or see him in person, just drop everything and go!

Below is a small page of technique practice. I'm learning so much!

The Blind Seer Commission

2010-05-10T20:37:00.001-07:00

Here is a preliminary sketch design of the commission I'm doing for SpaceDonkey after he donated to Manga-Apps to help it become a supergroup! Awaiting his feedback and finalization. Any comments about it/changes are welcome, man! As soon as I get the ok from you, I'll draw her dynamically and with color. Let me know if you want any specific colors! Warm color scheme? Violet tones? Blue tones? Black-and-red?

UPDATE: Final drawing with color.

Two-Page Spread

2010-03-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

First-ever two page spread. It killed me. It was hard. It sucked the life out of me. Drained me. I did take a lot longer than usual, and I think it was mostly the planning and stuff. And I hate drawing audiences....and I was doing it in the middle of the night like a half-crazed artist zombie idiot thing. YEAH!

***Here's the TONED & LETTERED version of the comic spread!

Progression

2010-03-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my sister takes snapshots of me as I work, so today I dragged a few of them off my camera memory and put them side-by-side. This is the last page of chapter two, and though it was a very simple page, I had a lot of FUN doing it. Got a bit messy with the ink though. Oh, well. Whiteout and digital cleanup FTW.

More Raw Sketching with Comments

2010-03-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

So I am posting these so as not to lose them. This is a not-so retro Loom post. i was all set to start this one (Rainshadow) last year, 2009, in January. Then my softball coach went crazy, and I tried to start again in summer. And then...I started drawing Vampire Fetish and got side-tracked. >.>

RETRO LOOM

2010-03-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

RETRO LOOM POST. Images have comments and the year. How far I've come...

Rainshadow Sketch

2010-03-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Mock-up character design for the prologue of Rainshadow. This guy is (tentatively) Anwar, a guy who basically sees how ugly his social class is, and decides to leave it behind. In a nutshell...

Planning the Little Bits

2010-03-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

You probably can't tell what's going on at all...

...but I can.

Take a trip into my brain with this sketch. It's a childhood story about Jude, Tony, and a bully named Dick (Richard). This is how I plan. ^_^ The first stage anyway, followed by the later paneling stage... :D

This will be a special "bite-size" mini-chapter after the current chapter 3.

Old Miraj Sketches

2010-03-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a old sketch I did after reading nejibana's Miraj. My mind was all in a jumble. It totally sucked me in to it's world. Jano looks cute dressed like a boy, but Keain looks kinda stupid dressed like Aladdin.

Younger Selves

2010-02-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Here's some raw stupid sketches...of mine. I do this too often without finishing much of anything. Anyway, it's lots of the characters in their younger forms. As a young, toothless Tony will be appearing in the first "bite-size" mini-chapter, I was playing around with the looks... And then I was playing around with the teenage designs for the back story. Jude looks like a hobo, hahaha! :D

Totoba Sketch

2010-02-25T15:45:00.001-08:00

Hi there! I see I've convinced some of you to click "Follow." Or maybe I bribed you, or threatened you. Who knows? To answer some comments, my clay I used below is indeed called Sculpey, and I baked it in my oven! (I bought it at Hobby Lobby.) And I may indeed wind up drawing Jude as Schrodinger. I was unfamiliar with the character, but at the comments I had to look it up on Youtube. What an impossibly rabid little guy!

Today, here's a tiny sketch from the rough old, falling-apart sketchbook of mine. This is from a story called Totoba, which I've written but yet to start. I love it quite a lot. It draws a bit of inspiration from nomadic Native American life and features a runaway young girl named Nory seeking her childhood friend, whom is rumored to have become a war chief in the southern districts. In this sketch is Nory and an annoying boy named Yahto, who followed her on her quest!

Hellsing meets Vampire Fetish

2010-02-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

Hellsing meets Vampire Fetish

Sketch Post. This is rough and flawed. I sort of sketched a (really short) Tony in the background last minute. It's a joke where Jude is dressed as Seras Victoria from Hellsing and Tony is dressed as Father Anderson. :D

Fun with Clay

2010-02-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

I did this out of clay - it was my first go at it! It's kids clay, and it's really fun to play with! It was an assignment in high school last April. To make it, I first made a base out of wire and then I built up the clay around the base. I had a time limit, so I didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted to on her...only a few hours. I was so mad when I baked her. I didn't make her sturdy enough, so she got a bit warped and bent over after being subjected to that extreme heat.

Still, it was a very fun experience and I'd like to try again sometime. Perhaps I should take my time to make a good base and carefully mold it. I can make a clay Jude! Art is such a bang.

Welcome to my Sketch Blog

2010-02-22T18:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my sketch and random picture blog! I want to post works-in-progress and sketches or all types in this journal. From time to time, I'll say a thing or two about them, offering up my failures, mistakes, and corrections! My name is Taylor, and in art community forums, I go by Loom, because I tend to be a looming figure behind my classmates without meaning to (I violate the laws of personal space), and the feral artist, as I was a real country kid who ran wild in the wilderness.