News
August 27th, 2010
I thought that Comic Con this last July would be my big convention trip of the year. We're not exactly rolling in money etc. But now my webcomic friends have talked me into going to the New England Webcomics Weekend and I fully anticipate this being even better than the giant event down in San Diego. It's a much smaller convention but it focuses on the community I'm most interested in: Webcomics! Evidently last year tickets sold out long before the show so buy yours soon if you plan to attend!
News
August 20th, 2010
I've been browsing through my last high school yearbook in preparation for my ten year reunion tomorrow. The few friends I've kept in touch with live far away and probably won't be there so now I'm racking my brain, trying to remember old acquaintances. Who are all these people? I suspect tomorrow will be embarrassing.
Speaking of embarrassing, the seniors of my class got a chance to include some words of wisdom in the yearbook. Evidently I submitted, "What could possibly happen next? W.+C.P, H.N." Aha ha ha~ What is that crazy punctuation at the end there? Some long forgotten inside joke?
News
August 13th, 2010
I used to aspire to be one of those artists who'd draw live online with Ustream or Livestream and get hundreds of watchers but recently that's changed. As my friend Ran put it, live casting in a group is so much more fun. I've been drawing live online with a group of people for a couple weeks now on tinychat and while the screens aren't as big as those other services, I love the ease of use and casual atmosphere. There's less pressure on one person to entertain the masses, there's a group of peers to get feedback from, and watchers and artists drop in whenever they feel like it. No scheduling required!
If you'd like to join me and other great artists, visit our tinychat room called Let's Draw Stuff. There's a password to keep out random perverts but it's easy to remember: omgcomics. I'm usually around during the day from Mondays through Thursdays as I work on comics and other projects.
News
August 6th, 2010
I forgot to share the sketches I received at San Diego Comic Con with you last week. This is one of the best parts of purchasing comics from creators in person. Some of them are fast enough at doodles that they can add one to the inside cover and make your book unique and awesome. I still am much too slow at drawing my characters to manage this but hopefully by the time I am ready to table at a convention, I'll be fast enough!
Jake Parker, Kazu Kibuishi, Ben Costa, Dave Kellet
Kris Straub, William Stout
News
July 30th, 2010
Despite this being a nifty cool, landmark page (#100!) I had a really hard time getting it done. I spent most of this week daydreaming about how awesome San Diego Comic Con was.
It was my first time attending this enormous con so I wasn't expecting the cattle-like treatment of crowds or the extravagant marketing. I had heard that the bigger industries had moved in and were overshadowing the original comic focus of the convention but it was still pretty amazing to see. TV and movies definitely had center-stage.
But I was able to meet some people I knew from online and meet new ones. Buying comics directly from the creators was really fun since many of them would add a sketch to the inside cover. I bought two prints, one dinosaur book, and seven comic books I've been meaning to read. My favorite acquisition is definitely the dinosaur book "Dinosaur Discoveries" by William Stout. His creatures and backgrounds are amazing. I plan to study how he draws rocks and trees.
I'm also really glad we got to spend a few days exploring the city. Mainly because the zoo had amazing jungle plants that I took a bunch of reference photos of. Coronado and the Gaslamp quarter were really neat neighborhoods too. Even if I don't get a chance to attend Comic Con again, I would love to do more sight seeing in San Diego.
News
July 23rd, 2010
Right now (if this thing updates properly) I'm wandering around the San Diego Comic Con, probably spending too much money. I've been longing to attend this event for many years. Even if it's a surprising bore, browsing other people's art gets me fired up to refine my cartooning.
Though lately I feel like I'm making good progress at improving my art. Today's page is significantly more complex than anything I made for the last chapter. My coloring has gotten more prismatic, I've started rough shading and adding textures, and I'm learning new approaches to penciling digitally. Now to master these techniques before I pile on more challenges...
News
July 16th, 2010
I got some exciting gifts for my birthday this week: a beautiful fan art of Lae by Ange Story, a watercolor of me by Jeremy Creecy, and a fan cake of the jungle in Sweet and Sour Grapes by my ambitious sisters! I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by all this crazy talent. 
Next week I will be attending the gargantuan geek mecca known as the San Diego Comic Con. It's my first time attending ever and I will probably be completely overwhelmed. I've been scribbling as fast as I can now to get next week's comic done early so the site will update even without me. Look forward to the first (real) page of chapter 3!
News
July 9th, 2010
I've slowly been expanding my presence online and joining new social networks. Deviant Art is my latest addition. It took a lot longer than I thought it would to settle into this giant online art community but I'm pleased with the result. It's a nice place to stash my non-ssgrapes and non-canon artwork. If you missed the seasonal vote-incentives I had up for a few holidays you can now see them in my deviant art gallery.
News
July 2nd, 2010
My husband, Andrew, has been polishing the website for me lately. Can you tell? The gallery has been straightened up, comic navigation is hopefully clearer, and the top of the page got new buttons. Additionally, the ad box is now bigger and there's navigation at the bottom of the page for your convenience. Good job, Andrew! I'll probably think of more changes to make soon!
News
June 25th, 2010
Two days ago I attended Meredith Gran's Portland book signing in her studio across town. Her new book, There Are No Stars in Brooklyn, came out beautifully and I highly recommend it. The studio was an inspiring sight for me as well. It was basically a garage full of awesome. Will I one day be able to make enough money off of comicking to be able to justify that sort of expense? It's another goal to aim for.
Also in attendance were David Malki and Kris Straub, two other cartoonists I admire. They are a lot taller wandering around a book signing than seated over a convention table. The two did a live performance of their audio show, Tweet Me Harder, and acted just as I imagined they would. David made lots of animated gestures and Kris was reserved and chill. They made my husband eat expired Japanese pickles as well as entertain us for an hour so A+ to them!
Oh, and Kris gets an extra gold star for remembering me from a convention I attended in 2009. He even remembered what we talked about! Meanwhile I forget the faces of people I met yesterday...