Seminar and semi-new comic project

So, it's been a while again. If it's any comfort I don't really have much time to update my Norwegian blogs these days. I've got so much to do, and when I'm really busy I always start wanting to do other things. So then I have to make time to do both the other things AND the things I'm supposed to do :p

Last weekend I went to that seminar for Egmont, which is probably the biggest publishing company that do comics in Norway (actually, that doesn't say much, because allthough we are rumored to be the second most comic-reading country in the world -guess who number one is- it's mostly comic strips and humor, mostly in the funny pages).

We had a course with Norways number one Donald Duck artist, Arild Midthun, who is always delightfully dedicated :D I don't agree with absolutely everything he sais, but he is remarkable, and have probably been the biggest influence on my comicing, out of the "teachers and mentors" I have had through the years.

He tought us about processes, what's important and what we shouldn't emphasize so much on (which is also a very important lesson), and he thought us about scanning. There was a lot of talk about colouring settings and things, which doesn't apply to me much, since I have no big ambitions about making comics in colour, but since I'm learning Photoshop, it was still usefull.

And then he gave us some candid inside-information about just how much controll Disney demands over absolutely every detail in the Donald Duck comics published in Norway XD

After that each of the participants had their comics thoroughly dissecated on a big screen. The people who mostly talked, ofcourse, were Alild and the editors.

Some of the critique was kind of harh, but I didn't feel hurt by any of it, actually. Allthough listening to the others I was terrified of what they would say when they got to mine.

I had brought "Skinnene Synger" (Singing Railwaytracks, ?) and a new short story I did for this months Bobla, called "Nå sees vi aldri mer" (Now we'll never meet again).

I realize I have to get less lazy with drawings. I often feel that since I make like 6-7 drawings (panels) in ONE page, each and every one of them can't be perfect, but especially with a 9-pager, why shouldn't they?

One person also told me that sometimes she didn't really know whether it was alright to laugh at my humor or not, because the rest of the content seemed so serious. I wouldn't really know what to do about that. This is the style I write, and the pieces of the story comes to me very naturally. After it's written down I choose what to cut and what to keep, ofcourse, but I don't want to make it ALL serious. They described my comics as "poetic" all the time, which makes me really really happy, but it's not what I've really tried to go for. I've just written the stories, without really categorizing. The humour is there for the people who see it (and I'm glad to see that peole who don't know me also get it), but if you don't understand when it's supposed to be funny, you can still enjoy it.

I was also told by one of the editors that the ending of Skinnene synger didn't have a strong enough point to prove why the characters acted the way they did. At first I though "Damn, he's right". I thought I'd been too into the universe of this story (talk more about it futher down) and didn't consider the reader. But thinking more about it I think he's overthinking it. The factor of the unknown (which he congratulated me on earlier in the story) challanges the reader to imagine it. Using very big words here:p

Why would people act this way just because of that poster, right?

Ok, sorry, talking a lot about a comic that I havn't translated yet.

So anyway, good advice. Some of it that I'll take, some of it that I probably won't.

It was also really nice to get to know these editors, finally! This will make it a lot easier to send them mails and stuff, and maybe harder for them to ignore us XD

I don't think they're scary anymore at all, they were really nice people!

And afterwards we went out to a pub, and got free food and drink on the companys bill :D

Got to talk alot with the other participants. I only slightly knew one of them from before, and it was surprising how much fun we had. Comicers are often quite awkward people, me included, but in a pub situation I'm not just a comicer anymore.

We were three girls, out of ten people, and only me and ONE of them made non-humours serieses. Unfortunately the two other girls were very shy. They didn't drink alcohol (not a bad thing, but you know) and they could hardly eat the food they ordered. Much less make conversation. It's too bad, 'cause I would love to have gotten to know them.

Everyone else had prepared portopholios though... All I had was some originals to Like Totally, that I'd brought in case I had time to draw :p

BUT! One of the editors was very interested in seeing the script for the stroy that I made Skinnene Synger out from, so I guess I will send it to her.

The story is about a future where musicians have gone on a strike and music has become so taboo that noone listens to it. Our main character, Kagerou, quit his band because of the "revolution", but is now completely miserable.

He discovers that a work buddy listens to music and gets really angry, but Lynx takes him to an underground live house and tries to get him back into music.

 There is a group called the Winniepeg-organisation, who made up a bunch of laws and who helps people remember why music is wrong. And then there are the people at the live house, who refuse to live without music, but who stay hidden. Kagerou is kind of in the middle.

 Lol, just getting in to Copic markers, these are still just sketches.

I'm kinda nervous about sending the script, first of all 'cause it's kind of a crazy story, but hey, it's fantasy right? Secondly, I've never written a script for anyone to see except myself. I don't like showing things to people before it's done. A comic just doesn't look very good when it's only in words and not in pictures, I don't write down all the descriptions and details that are gonna be in the pictures, so it's just actiona and dialogue. Kind of looks like really bad literature or fanfiction :p
But I am gonna send it! Can't miss up on this chance.

 Only it's not completely finished yet... I've been writing like crazy.

This is a doodle I did during the seminar. It's of two of the characters from another story I'm writing.

 Seems it's not going to be these guys who take over after Like Totally is done after all.
Here's another drawing form the story:

Artsy fartsy news!

As usual, sorry for not updating more, but I can assure you that not much is going on these days. I think I'm generally less happy than I've been in years, but let's not dwell on that! Let's go to the news, because they're the good kind!

First of all, I got a mail from the Kemi-people (that's the all Scandinavian comic contest I entered a while back), saying that I got 4.th place!
I didn't even know they had a 4.th XD But I'm really happy!
It doesn, unfortunately mean, that I won't be able to post "Skinnene Synger" (The Tracks are singing ?:P) for you here, which is really a shame, 'cause it's probobly one of the best comics I ever have and ever will make, at least theme-and story vice.

But! it does mean that it will be printed in something called the Kemi competition anthology, and also I will receive some tax free mooneys (゜▽、゜)
Maybe it'll be translated into english, I don't know. One of the criteria was that the series be in a Nordig language, but the price ceremony or whatever is in Finland.
Too bad it would cost me most of my prize money to go, I've never been to Finland before.

Second, this:

No news really, just a drawing I finished yeasterday that I was quite happy with. Since it's kind of small for my exhibition in May (A4), I think I'll bring it to Desu-con (anime convention) this year, if we do realize our plans of having a stand there this year. We meaning Cat and I.

Third, this:

Also just a drawing I finished that I wanted to show off. God I love pencils! Why did I kind of forget how fabulous pencils are, all by themselves!?
This picture is A3, and I am planning to bring to the exhibition, though I'm not sure the general art people in my part of the country are into this kind of thing.
I've been hung up on twisted angels, right. Still am ^^ And I tried to incorporate it with visual kei, but I realized it's kind of hard, since I'm not much into the classic visual kei anymore. I was really happy with it anyway though.

Last post on the agenda today, and this is something you might actually be interested in :p
I finally got around to making a blog for Like Totally Teenage Lovers!

The plan was to make it in Comicpress, but the fact is that I'm an idiot when it comes to computers, and even following the tutorials I couldn't make it happen, so until I have the time to sit down and have friend teach me the knacks, it will be another blogspot blog:
http://liekttly.blogspot.com

Followers and comments are very much apreciated! Also, tell all your friends, ofcourse :p
I also changed the posting date to Tuesday, by the way. That's the same day that I update the original(Norwegian) comic, so it'll be a bit more routine...ish.

So! See ya! Got tons to do right now^o^/

All apologies

Hi! So sorry for not being a very active blogger lately. Even less than ususal actually :p
It seems the book that I'm illustrating for finally came through, so I have to work hard on finishing this. I really hope it works out this time, and I get as much money for it as I want. That will fix a lot of my problems for a certain matter.
Also, I kinda left my camera on the train the other day, and I don't like blogging without pictures. I called the lost and found though, and they've got it, so it's all alright :D

And here are the pages for this week. I'm actually publishing them on time, well, it's still Thursday in Norway^^
Hope you like it!

I'm working on setting up a page for this comic now, using a system that will make it easier to read. By suggestion from my friend Fran :D
Only I'm a retard when it comes to computers, so I'll have to get someone to help me woth it over the weekend.
Back to my busy busy life! Almost finished with todays illustration, and I actually feel like staying up all night cartooning, but we'll see about that :p

Like Totally Teenage Lovers 11-12

I didn't forget!
Ok, I did forget. Maybe Thursday is a very bad day for publishing, since I always seem to forget. Bayme I should change it to Thuesday, which is the same day I publish the new pages on my Norwegian blog, that would make it easier to remember both ^^
Anyway, here's the next two pages of Like Totally teenage lovers. Page 12 really didn't pose any problems on the translating part:p Hope you like them!


I am now just inking page 40 and 41, so I'm about half way through the story. I can't believe how long it's taken me XD Will try to work faster in the future, all though there are loooots of things to do!

Just got the message that the childrens books I've been working on illustrations for will be published, but we don't have much time... at the same time, I've got an exhibition to make another 7 images for, need to finish the piece for my bros restaurant, and also make a 10 pager by the end of this month, that I havn't even started sketching for ...

Anyway, the trip to Japan in May is cancelled, which is probably for the best. Right now we need to focus on helping out there, and I don't think going there on vacation will be helping out much. That and, if there is a risk of radiation I wouldn't be doing me or my future children any favours.
I've been doing a little volunteering for the Red Cross, wish I had time to do more right now!

Like Totally. Page 9 and 10.

Here are the next two pages.


I have sprained my thumb, I'm not kidding >_< Except for that there are various things going on in my life right now, maybe I will post about it tomorrow, or in the weekend^^

Like Totally Teenage Thursday!

It's Like Totally Teenage Thursday! I realize though that it kinda depends on where you are in the world wether it's Thursday or not, but I can only do as much ^^
Gahh, paint has fucked up some of the lines, I have got to start doing the editing in Photoshop but it's just such a pain -_-;
Here are todays pages anyway, hope you enjoy them!


So, Magpie. In the Norwegian version his name is Kråka, which mean s crow, but it didn't have the right ring in English...
It's supposed to be something that can be said in a soft pet namey way, but which really is a kind of uncute and odd thing to petname your baby.
If nayone has any suggestions though, I am willing to hear them ^-^

I didn't forget!

I just didn't know what day of the week it was! No, for real...
Anyway, sorry I'm late. And here's yesterdays Like Totally.
Just a little note: This is the title page, and it might seem a bit odd when you read the story two pages in a week, but if you read it all together (like it's made for you to do) it's not that odd^^


Presenting Minami Imai ^-^
Thanks for reading, I promise not to be late next week!

Like Totally Teenage lovers page 3-4

Time for the next two pages of "Like Totally Teenage lovers"!
You might notice that the font have changed, that's just 'cause I kinda can't remember what font I used the last time, and I can't find it :p
If you happen to know the name of that font, please tell me. Also, feel free to tell me what you think of this one. I wanted one that's kind og freehand-ish, but also easy to read. Is this too "fancy"?



Yes, ehmm. I do hate it when I read a magazine and the machine text is just pasted on top of something. I'm talking about the panel where he reads the phone mail. Originally, ofcourse, it was written in angle with the phone screen, in Norwegian, but since I am now just editing on the computer and I'm too lazy and low tech to really learn how to do the angle-writing thing f^^; Hope you forgive me, and please notice how I have bothered to make the letters two size bigger for each line. See? I care!
Also, the * indicates the untranslated bit in the last panel. As I went about writing this in Norwegian, I aim at an audience who doesn't nesescarily inderstand Japanese, so everything of importance (like the language settings on his phone) I do in Norwegian. I can't stand when people just assume that the audience knows Japanese or French for that matter.
Anyway, I didn't want to go in and fidget with something that's so much part of the artwork, so I made a little shortcut.
Again, hope you enjoyed this, and feel free to look up the earlier pages by looking up the tag #likttly
More to come next week!

A little sumthin' sumthin' for Valentine

Made a little Valentine thing, with characters from "Like Totally..."
I hardly ever do this, but I guess I should. Get some practice on drawing my characters, since I'll be back to drawing it from this week on, because I've finished the contest series^^
This little ditty has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story. It's the first time I draw these characters for almost three months but I think I've got them down.
Hope you like it :p
Happy merry V-day everyone!

Like Totally Teenage Lovers introduction

I decided to start translating my comic "Like Totally Teenage Lovers". It's one I'm currently drawing and running on my Norwegian art blog as well. It's the first time I try running a comic before I've finished it (well, since I started these blogs anyway), and I'm pretty determined to do it right. The story and sketching is mostly finished (except for a few tweeks), and it will be at a total of around 80 pages, which probably don't sound like much, but to me it's the longest project I've attempted since I got serious. I try not to be too ambitious, seeing as I use a lot of time on my comics. A lot of time on drawing, but also on writing and sketching.
Unfortionately I've had to have a little break while I went to Japan, and now while drawing an entry for a contest. Most likely that will be done this week, and I'll keep drawing Like Totally next week^^

A little introduction
"Like Totally Teenage Lovers" is a drama, the main character is Akira Ishiguro, who randomly meets an old classmate, during another boring summer vacation. Various things will force him to grab himself by the neck and take some actions, and will make him think through a few things about himself and his life. There's also a little mystery involved^^
While writing it the title was "Babysitter", but it sounds kinda kinky and also lame in Norwegian, so I decided to name it after a line in a song by my favourite band, 12012. The song's called "Secret Festival", and don't bother listening for that lyric because it's completely indecipherable XD
The characters are not teenagers anymore, but the idea fits a lot of things in the comic, so I jsut fell in love with this title.
Story was thought out and mostly written over the summer I lived in my boyfriends apartment in Japan, and most of the simple dialogue was thought out in Japanese and then translated into Norwegian. To translate it into English I've tried to go back to the lines I originally thought out in Japanese, to make it less processed (or whatever :p).

I'll try to post up every Thursday from now on^^
Sorry about any poor English that might come in the future, and commenting is much appreciated, all though just reading it (and telling your friends!!) is even more important to me!
Wow, that was a lot of talk. So I'll start out with the first two pages.