Artistic Hypocrisy

March 1, 2010

Happy March everyone!

It’s so wet, dark, gray and icky outside; I’m really looking forward to the lush colors of spring!  

This is also a great month for gamers like me, since a lot of high profile videogames are being released this month.  If you’ve been on my Facebook page recently, you know exactly which game I’m most excited about. \^o^

Anyway, I love videogames.  Gaming has been my favorite hobby since I was a young child.  Surprised?  Most people automatically think that reading manga is my favorite hobby, and while I do enjoy it greatly, I actually find that I prefer making manga over reading it, (a feeling that has become even stronger now that I’m working on it full time).  It seems like back when I was only a manga fan, I could just sit back and enjoy the stories and art stress free.  Now, whenever I read manga it almost feels like I’m studying it.  I concentrate more on the technical aspects of it: the style of the drawing, the thickness of the lines, the thickness of the screen tones, ect.  Then I start comparing the manga that I’m reading with my own, which can result in both good and bad self assessments. 

So now I purposely try not to read other artist’s manga (or western style comics) too often because I don’t want to be influenced by other people’s style.  Whenever I run into a snag or get a case of writer’s block, I’m forced to find my own creative solutions instead of simply regurgitating something that I read in another manga.  In fact, I haven’t read any manga since I started the project that I’m currently working on and I’ve found that my ideas have been much more creative and original then my past projects (when I was reading other manga regularly).

Some people say that American’s can’t create ‘Japanese manga,’ (a view in which I strongly disagree).  But in my heart, I don’t really care what label my readers will put on my work, whether it qualifies or not for the grand title of ‘manga.’  What I really care about is that each and every person who reads my work will get a piece of me, an original story that doesn’t represent American comics, or Japanese manga, but instead represents me, Mia Aruna.  I want my readers to feel the love, passion, laughter and tears that I put into each and every frame that I draw.  True art has no boundaries, no nationality, no cookie cutter categories.  True art springs from the heart, and the soul of the artist. 

…uhh, I didn’t mean to get that deep! ^_^   

Enjoy the March gaming everyone!                 

Seeking Liminality’s New Groove

February 08, 2010

I just designed the new Seeking Liminality Studio logo.  While it could evolve overtime, I thought this cute little winged heart does a great job symbolizing what Seeking Liminality stands for: love/passion and imagination/innovation.  Nifty huh?                   

Seeking Liminality Studio Updates

February 08, 2010

Happy February everyone!  I haven’t updated in a while so I thought I would just check in to let you know what’s going on. 

First , I’m working on the final draft of my manga.  It’s still a little too early in production to give any details about it, but as promised, once I’m (much) farther along I will post some previews.  Drawing the final is a long and slow process, partially because, well… I’m a one woman operation.  Some cartoonists like to take on assistants to help out with more tedious task like inking and toning.  But considering the CEO of Seeking Liminality Studios is a kitty cat, I have to do it all!  But to be perfectly honest, I prefer working alone. :)

Even though it’s too early to give away any plot details, I don’t think it would do any harm to leak a few publication details.  Thanks to nifty little gizmos like the Kindle and the iPad, I strongly believe that the future of print media lies in digital distribution.  So as a publisher, my main focus is to publish quality original digital manga.  Upon release, (unless there is some unforeseen disaster) my manga/graphic novel will be available via: Kindle, iPhone/iPod Touch, PC and MAC.  I would love to get it onto other mediums like the PSP, and DSi, but there is still some work to do before then.  *Sigh* someday…  

Anyway, even though my stories are technically graphic novels, I plan to publish them in an episodic fashion, much like manga is published in anthology magazines in Japan.  Digital comics are a quick form of entertainment, something you can read between classes in college or in the waiting room at the doctor’s office.  You don’t want them to be 300 page novels, unless you’re just begging for a serious case of pixel burn!  So I think short episodes are the perfect way to market digital manga.  The short episodic format will also make it available rather cheaply.  While I haven’t decided on the exact price just yet, it will be much lower than printed manga, which is perfect for the economically challenged literary.  It always annoys me when publishers try to charge print prices for digital goods.  

But if you’re old school and still prefer cuddling up by the fire with a good (paper) book, then I have good news for you too.  Once enough episodes have been published via digital distribution, the episodes will be re-released (probably with some sort of bonus), in printed graphic novel format that will be available (one again, unless there are some sort of complications) at Amazon.com. 

As for a release date, I have a general idea of when the first episode should be on sale, but I would rather wait until I’m much farther into production to give an official date.  I don’t want to set myself up for delays and disappointment later on.  So let’s just leave it at, Release Date: TBA, for now okay! 

Cheers! ^_^             

The Role of an Artist

January 6, 2010

Last night on “AC 360” (that’s CNN for those who don’t know) there was a wonderful interview with the creator of the Segway.  Mr. Segway (because I don’t remember his name) talked about the importance of innovation, and how America’s future as a world leader depends on getting our young people interested in math, science and technology. 

This got me thinking: we always hear about the importance of science and math but what role does art and literature play?

Let’s be honest, as much as I love technology and innovation; I suck at math and science!  My brain just doesn’t function and a numerical way.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have anything important to contribute to the world.

Mr. Segway has big dreams and an even bigger imagination.  I remember him mentioning at one point that his dream invention would be a time machine.  While he didn’t think time travel would be a reality in his lifetime, he seemed to believe in his heart that someday it will be possible.  To be a true innovator, bold ideas and endless imagination are the key ingredients to creating new technology and ultimately a better world.  And I feel that imaginative art and storytelling are the foundations of innovation. 

Art makes people dream, it helps people to see beyond the scope of what’s currently possible and dream of pushing the limits of creativity.  Art inspires people to imagine new worlds, new possibilities and makes innovators ask; “what if?”  What if a robot like in the “Jetsons” could really clean my house?  And then the Roomba was born.  Or, what if I could make a real portable communicator like in “Star Trek?”  Here comes the cell phones! 

So yes, advancing in science, math and technology is important to America's, or rather the world’s future, but don’t overlook the fact that art, music, literature and design are equally important.  Someone needs to make sure that people like Mr. Segway never stop dreaming and that imagination never fades, and that task lies with us, the artist.

Write on my friends, write on!  ^_^

Wishing you a belated Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas from Seeking Liminality Studio! I hope you have a holly jolly Christmas and an even jollier new year!

~ Peace and Love from Mia Aruna

Give Thanks!

November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us (um… actually just Whiskers and I) at Seeking Liminality Studio!

This year I’m thankful to everyone who has been supportive of my dreams! Cheers!

Six Steps to Produce Great Manga and Comics!

November 26, 2009

I just realized that I gave a long speech about drafting manga but I never talked about the other steps involved. Every artist has their own style of production but this is how I role:

1 Brain Storming: When I get an idea for a new story I spend some time jotting down all my ideas regarding possible plots, character names and personalities, settings, themes, titles, you get the idea. Most of this will change when I actually write the story, but the act of physically writing stuff down helps me to generate more ideas.

2 Initial Character Designs: I design my main characters for the first time.

3 Script: After I get my initial ideas organized I write out the story for the first chapter in script format.

4 Draft/revise script: I draft the manga by drawing according to the scripts. Being able to see my scripts in graphical form actually helps me judge just how good (or bad) my script really is. Sometimes what sounded good as text looks really dumb when it’s actually drawn out. I actually rewrote my current project three times before I was really satisfied. Even if you don’t have to rewrite the whole scrip, you’ll probably find yourself revising it quite a bit as you go along. By the time I finished my draft my script had grown about four pages.

5 Final Character Designs: As I draw the draft I tend to get new ideas about improving the design of my characters. So after the draft is complete, I finalize the character and setting designs. (I’m on this step right now).

6. Final manuscript: Using the draft as a guide, I redraw the manga using my very best art skills. This is the version that will be sold.

You don’t have to use these steps exactly, experiment and find the production style that works for you. But try not to cut corners, take your time and put a lot of love and care into your work. I believe skill alone doesn’t make art beautiful; it’s the love that the artist puts into their work that really makes it shine!

That’s all for now, peace out fiends!