Website Recommendation: Best Wuxia Website Online? VintageNinja

VintageNinja.net is a site with a TON of wuxia resources that are really amazing. Especially if you like to film, draw, write, read, or watch that sort of thing.

A Little Publicity

Wikipedia - Webcomics: ["web launch date ambiguous"] End Times: The Chronicles of Mono Jubei

The Webcomics List: End Times

The Webcomics Guide: End Times
[warning: gross ass NC-17 banner adds crop my comic for no apparent reason.]
[Spam polluting the page inappropriate for kids.]
[I did not approve]

Movin on Up....

Luminosity of The Setting Sun

My newest work. Yes, I do dabble in photography...if I'm inspired. This photo was taken at the foot of my front driveway.

Before I took the photo a strange luminous red-yellow light was illuminating my computer room window, blinds and everything. The whole window was literally glowing yellow, orange, and light red.

That's an amazing light shade! I hadn't really seen a glow like that too often before. It had just finished up with light rain, so the ground was wet, so I had to put some sandals on. So I walked through my front door out the garage, opened the garage door and noticed the sun was setting. I knew I had to capture it so I took a few photos of the sunset over my neighborhood that was illuminating the air.

Sunset + remainder of raincloud = THIS. An unusual sunset

[No doctoring required...]

To Become a Pokemon Master, One Must Train: Art Lessons and Anime Education

In the 90s and beginning of the 2000s - I trained and studied my ASS off.

As a kid in school, I read and watched and was a fan of and grew up on Indie comics like Bone and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac; Comic Strips like Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes; Imported Japanese untranslated manga magazines similar to Shonen Jump, that friends of my parents gave me, that I didn't know how to read by would constantly study the art of; Superheroes like Daredevil, Punisher, X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, and Battle Chasers by artists like Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, and Joe Mad; Cable Television Animation like The Simpsons, 90s Disney Afternoon, early formative Nicktoons, Batman, Dexter's Laboratory, Doug, Beavis & Butt-Head, Spawn Animated

Then came the 2000s when I took actual formal and less formal art lessons. I studied under 2 main art teachers, who were both locally renowned by the local Central and South Florida community: Rima Jabbur and Phil Ferretti. The lessons were structured differently for each teacher.

Rima's lessons were with other students, in an art studio setting at a local community college and a community program that still operates currently in Florida, the community college  being Valencia, in Orlando, and the Crealde School of Art, in Winter Park.

Phil's lesson's were kind of like having a sports trainer, except it was 1 on 1 training with drawing, and learning about how the animation industry and community works. Phil is the Tony Robbins of animation, and is quite famous and admired for that fact. 

I was trained actively in 2 seperate style early on at the ages of 17 and 18. Rima trained her students in humble photo realism and every form of classical painting known to man, no Photoshop or pencils for the most part. She had her students study the Masters of Renaissance and classical fine art; artists like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Vermeer, among others of that variety. Very serious, very epic and painstaking. All the drawings I did in her classes were done on paper that is almost as tall as I am (and I'm 6 feet tall).

Phil was more laid back. He was always calm, cool, and collected, and never lost his temper easily. He was very patient and encouraging and forgiving. He was less harsh in his critiques like Rima was. Phil trained at the School of Visual Arts, and taught himself a classical Warner Brothers, Disney, and Hannah Barbera influenced style

Neither of those teachers is much of a fan of anime or manga, nor will they ever be. That's just how they are.  But they taught me things like textures, perspective, anatomy, foreshortening, composition. I was raised in the most traditional of styles. Then the internet and Deviant Art came along sometime after art school at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, which I attended briefly. I've never had a mentor or teacher in anime and manga, with the exception of recently when I've gotten to interact with pros in anime and manga a bit more. It was quite a shift I had to make, switching from traditional classical and stylized fine art and classical design to a more Asian based composition and style. Being trained in the fundamentals of classical status quo art on all levels other than comics, is kind of like training as a classical pianist in music, and then choosing to become a progressive metal musician, INSTEAD of a classical pianist, because it speaks to your sense of structure, and well learned sense of the fundamentals and complexity. They look different on the surface, but structurally they have  a similar emphasis on fundamentals and complexity, knowing rhythm and instruments and melody and tempo and whatnot. That's the  best way I can think to describe what  being trained by a professional America animator from the 90s and a Fine Arts Master, but redirecting my talents into anime and manga and indie comics and indie noir anime is like. I enjoy the challenge of it. Of switching gears and seeing if I can. 

X-Y, Generation X, Generation Y. 1/4th Generation X, 3/4th Millennial

People who are turning 30 this year belong to both the Generation X and Generation Y, or Millennial demographic. Where's MY market pandering from advertisers?

One Thing That They'll Never Touch, My Holy Memory. No Not My Memory

NOW TAKE ME BACK
TAKE ME BACK
TAKE ME BACK
TAKE ME BACK
TAKE ME BACK
TAKE ME BACK
TAKE ME BACK
SAN SIMEON
SAN SIMEON
SAN SIMEON
SAN SIMEON
SAN SIMEON
SAN SIMEON!

Meeting Japan-Based Professional Animator and Cartoonist Changed My Life....!

I didn't think anything could possibly get me back into watching anime again, UNTIL I was online and got to meet (well, online anyway) some of the people in Japan who  get to make anime for a living. I haven't seen every anime show they've made, but that is what YouTube browsing is for. Getting to interact with famous anime and manga people online who live in Japan feels like an honor.

It changed my life for the better and motivated me to get back into drawing and watching anime and reading and drawing manga. The current American scene for the most part is incredibly uninspiring. Good thing there's Asia and Europe to escape to in the mail and online! Asia and Europe truly are the saviors of future comics and animation.

I (Tyler Durden) Say, LICENSE EVERYTHING! LICENSE EVERY FRIGGIN ANIME WE CAN GET OUR FILTHY AMERICAN HANDS ON!!! ONLINE, ON SCREEN, AND IN PRINT!!!! 

HISTORY AND SUPERFANS WILL THANK YOU IF THE AMERICAN INDUSTRY DOESN'T

The more choice of quality entertainment multimedia there is everywhere, the better. There's no reason it needs to be hoarded by Toonami, Adult Swim, and no one else. EVERYONE  needs to see this stuff! It's amazing and it deserves to be seen. Wow I'm in a good mood.

Japanese artist, when they actually reached out to me, with few exceptions, has never really happened before on this tangible of a level. The difference is night and day. You feel cleaner when you correspond with Japan and Tokyo and Europe somehow. American mainstream can be so muddy it makes you feel grimy, smelly, and dirty all over. America makes you feel like you're rolling around in your own body waste or something. Yes, the American market is indeed that nasty in reality. Japan and Europe are a clean sweet smelling shower by comparison. Just, cleaner. No stank, Less mud to wallow in. Such a breath of fresh air...

Thank you...

Post-IT Note:

Speaking as a fan-turned-semi-pro, I can honestly say interaction and involvement with the industry itself of anime and manga is important. Just because fans are in America and animators are in Japan doesn't mean we all shouldn't share insights and correspond and talk to each other. Asking questions, small talk, insights on the industry itself, etc. Be it publicly at cons and on message boards and twitter, or privately, by IM and email. I've done all of the above throughout my career. And yes, feeling involved in the industry you love, meeting your heroes (if your lucky enough to, the last one isn't guaranteed) is important. It keeps artists motivated and happy to interact with, talk to, correspond with, write to, trade ideas with, show artwork and writing to, and genuinely communicate with, working pros. This keeps the industry alive. As long as people are nice to each other and not hypercompetitive, sadistically envious, anonymous and nasty, it isn't a problem..Communication gives fans and aspiring professionals hope. You genuinely will find you want to watch the anime and manga made by the people you meet online.

Because believe me, I know what it feels like to be ignored, to be passed over, to  be looked down upon, to not be involved, or treated like you are invisible and don't matter or effect things, like you're NOT important or an annoying pest no one likes, who isn't popular in ANY circles. I know what that kind of person feels like. I've been there myself plenty of times. It's the worst feeling in the world (10,000 worse than any form of awkward encounter, embarrassment, confrontation, or humiliation and degradation), feeling cut off from the industry. No young artists or writer DESERVES a fate like that, being isolated and excluded. The point is to make more artists and writers feel special and involved. Like they have an impact and influence on things, even if it's not blatantly stated, if you give a man his due, HE'LL know it, if not anyone else.

I speak for a lot of fans when I say...

Bottom line, in my case, the less attachment to and involvement I feel in the anime and manga community, the less motivated I am to draw read and watch.

The more involved I am, the happier I am to work for you or anyone else, or at least be an active contributor.

You don't have to HAVE a million bucks just to FEEL LIKE a million bucks. You just need mentorship and feedback.

Bottom line, communication builds vitality, especially for creative spirits. You can have all the power, strength and raw talent in the world, but as I found out, it can end up meaning nothing and doing nothing much without the power of communication with other creative types at the same level, and vitality. Spiritual vitality is an important part of the creative lifestyle. Not always being alone or in solitude helps, whether your communicating with friends or online. Fatigue, and lack of Vitality, is a side effect of depression. I've gotten plenty depressed at times, but mostly it was the times I LOST my vitality.