Going going more one step!

I've had a super fun week!

Because our friend Fran came from England, we all stayed at Cat and Jacks place. In the weekend we had stalls at the big nerd convention in Oslo, and during the week we've been drawing, having a barbeque, baked cake, been drunk and shopped.
I'll write some more about it later (I promise!) and post some pictures, but having fun wears you out and I'm tired now. Also, I have to pack up my shit, 'cause I'm still at Cats place, and it's like ten in the evening.
It doesn't get dark in Norway, but I should be getting home soon.

But! I will post the artsies I've been doing today and yesterday!
Fran helped me out with Photoshop, and also got me an updated version, and I feel like I'm finally making progress!
 I used some pictures I already had scannet in my computer.
 

The top one is a doll I made a mascot fom Frans stall, Pincandy. 

This one....

... I did today, and it's a little bit more advanced.
It's an early take on Kagerou, the main character of "The Garden Underground", which is the comic I'm planning to concentrate on when Like Totally is finished. Actually I'm already concentrating a lot on it.
I did make two versions of the drawing, one with the title in English as well, but then I didn't pay attentiopn while saving and I deleted it :p But who cares, right?

I get so impatient at the end of a digital drawing, I feel like I'm gonna explode! Everything takes so long!
But I'm finally really happy with the result. I know it's not anywhere near brilliant, but at least I feel that I can now do the things I initially wanted to use Photoshop for, which is things like simple dolls and character presentations.

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!

Stressful days

Yesterday my friend Jack and I went to a photo session. She had gotten an invite, and was asked to bring one friend for free styling and photographing.
I'm not very good with these things, I do take my own picture in the mirror all the time, but it's different when I'm only grinning at myself. But I need practice.
This was such an akward position, but actually turned out one of the best photoes. Now I just have to make my dad believe he's paying for my student loan when he pays the bill. Very very clever way of earning money, I have to say f^^

I was goint to Tegnekveld (the weekly meeting of comicers in Oslo), but turns out I'd forgotten to bring the comic I was working on, so we just went home to Jacks place and watched Harpers Island, when we weren't reading the news ofcourse.
After that I went to my moms place. Her boyfriend is away, though he's there in spirit:
He's from Iceland XD
Anyway, I'm here for a couple of days.

Today has been somehow stressing.
I feel tired, though I'm not sure why.
Ofcourse the whole thing that's happening in Japan is effecting me a lot. It was a shock to suddenly wake up to this, and I had a frantic couple of hours trying to get a hold of all my friends to find out if they were alive. The details were still very unclear then and I had no idea what had hit where or anything. I was told that cell phones were out of service a lot of places.
I heard from Sayaka, who could use the internet, and she also told me Mina was allright, though alone and kind of frantic. Couldn't get hold of Kibby, but after he finally came home. He'd had to walk, 'cause trains were not moving and his cell was out of service.
Also heard from my Norwegian friends, they were shook, but not hurt. Chris was already in an internet interview in the net news.
Some people answered on mixi, 'cause their phones were out but aparrently computers were working (this was after the main quake). I couldn't get a hold of Tomo, and when I called him I got an engaged signal, so I thought he was dead for sure for like three hours!
Togane, where our school is, is quite close to the ocean, we went there on our bikes the first summer we were there. The beach is really beautiful, and then me and a girl in my class nearly drowned. It's a place for surfing, the current is too strong for bathing, really.
Luckily, Tomo was allright too. He was cooped up at school, and he said there was "lots of water" but aparrently not inside or anything.
They had to stay there all night and sing cumbaya though, 'cause the trains weren't moving.
Uncle D told me Okinawa hadn't been affected at all, so no worrying for them. He also got in contact with the people from Rowthe, and it seems they were allright.
And finally Nuts answered me. He seemed to take things surprisingly chill, but then he always seems chilla bout everything.

There's nothing chill about the situation right now though. Chiba and Tokyo seems to be pretty safe from shaking and waves, and it's good to know that my friends won't be crushed by debris anytime soon, but it doesn't change the fact that people in the north are fighting for their lives. I also know some people who have family in the north.
I havn't been able to watch any of the videos, 'cause it really effects me a lot more than I had expected it to. I've always though I loved the people and the fun things, but really deep down I kind of hated the country. But seeing it being crushed to bits really digs me out inside...
Also, ofcourse, the nuclear threat goes for the entire country... I just have nothing to say about that, there is nothing to say right now.

Also, it's very stressing with all the negativity towards people who show support who are not "qualified" to. I know none of these things have been directed at me, since I've got so many personal ties in Japan, but as someone who has those ties I just wish everyone welcome right now. I've written more about this before, and I'm just not going to waste any more energy on it right now.

Also, I know it's ironically popular to be politically incorrect these days, but this is not ok to joke about yet. Humor is a good thing, but it is all about timing, and now is NOT the time.

For something completely different, here are a few of the pictures I did for a quarter piece for my brothers restaurant.


He wanted simple, so I tried it out. Not my strongest side, after all, but I'm quite happy^^
The scribbles are from the lyrics of the song Generation by 12012. It's really like a "new millenia" new year song, though it was out in like... 2008? :p
And this is where I post a youtube link, only I can't really find it. It's only an album track and not a single f^^;

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^^