Been a long while

Thanks to Deji's blog I can usually tell how long it's been since I've updated my blog. Her latest post inspired me to put up something that showed my improvement in VN sprite related art.

2008: This is when I first got my tablet. Messing around in Photoshop was fun, but it proved to be frustrating in its own right. It didn't have a nice fluid way to work with. In any case, it's still the first time I released a sprite and made a short kinetic novel using the sprite.

2008-2009: Started working on Stained One, but this is where it's obvious I am a lazy bum who doesn't know how to manage time with art. (Also Deji helped color this sprite that's why it looks very nice compared to the others). I was still struggling on how to color hair because my style and way of coloring kept changing like you wouldn't believe.

2009: /SCREAMS FOREVER

2009-2010: Okay, this is where I actually did stuff with CG and it looked okay. I was experimenting in Paint Tool SAI and it was wonderful. I loved the blending and adjusting of tools so much. And the hair on this looks GREAT! Problem-- the way I did it was too time consuming and argh.

2010: I drew a LOT this year and as you can tell I still have no idea what I want to do with hair and I have too many ideas I want to try out. Still, drawing is fun no matter how frustrating it can be and I honestly hope I will produce something of value in the near future :)

Black and White

Forest of Noir is a project that is going to help me practice my art and programming Ren'Py. It will be short. I will be working on this and juggling college at the same time. You won't see me putting up much progress posts until I do an obligatory once or twice a month post.

I will stop blathering and get some dinner and prepare my essay and then rest.

THIS. IS. COLLEGE. Where the VN side is

I think what I like about having a blog is that I have been, for the most part, faithful in updating with an image.

So yeah. College. Busy, busy, busy. I've had four exams in the past two weeks and I am exhausted and already I have gotten an email about signing up for spring classes. Geez. Real life stuff like this means that my fun in making VNs is halted because I see it as a low priority of what I have to get done. So no real progress has been made since I finished the Briar sprite.

Unfortunately, what I'm finding out as I keep drawing is that my style has been constantly changing. Or my coloring style at any rate. But I just keep drawing because if I stop and doubt, no progress of any kind will be made.

It will be hard to get back onto the VN wagon and find time to put more love into Magic Memoir, but by god will I try.

I need a writer

It's sort of a bad time to try and work on a visual novel when college is coming up soon. Gah. That and I think I really just need a writer who is superior to me to help me on this project. I love drawing more than writing even though drafting is also extremely fun.

But yeah, some promo art for the game and I'm planning on finishing up writing the prologue at least. I did finish the first guy's sprite, but now that I'm giving it another look, I really hate it so I'm planning to redo the whole thing.

Priorities, priorities...

New Project- Magic Memoir

A project where I actually want to finish since remaking Phase Shift is proving to be dull. =A= I AM SO INDECISIVE. But I've made progress on both side sprites for the main character and the main sprite for the first guy. Yup, lots of otome games this summer season, but the real test is to see if anyone will be able to release their games. Hopefully, one of them will be me.

A bump in the road

With school work, graduation, and college coming up, it's a wonder I have time to draw at all. In fact, that's all I've been doing instead of actually writing my script for Phase Shift.

It occurred to me that although I'm decent at writing, when it comes to visual novels, I'm much more adept at drawing. So far, it's my character sprite art that has shown improvement. Next, I would need to improve on larger CGs like the one above... CGs that express action, emotion, something happening basically. I still have a co-writer at least, but otherwise, you still have difficulties in making a VN without much incentive except for the fact that it's fun. And I do have fun drawing and coloring my own characters to make my own stories.

I'll just keep chugging along in any case. I've had some thoughts about helping out with other projects, but that will be put aside for now unless something comes up. I'll have more progress on Phase Shift next month.

Also, I should make my blog prettier instead of having this stupid plain white background. Bleh.

LOOK I'M DOING STUFF

and



It's a wonder I can finish these with a test coming up and my presentation to do on Tuesday. CAN THIS WEEK BE OVER YET. TAT

Once in the land of VNS...

I am strangely motivated to work for some odd reason. Two poses done for Ai Thao and one more is done with coloring, just needs eyes and expressions. Maybe I'm more cut out to be an artist than a writer, but I really do love writing as well.

There are going to be at least six new scenes in the remake of Phase Shift and one scene has already finished it's writing stage. Now to insert it into the script and switch around an old scene.

Weapon of Choice

It's always the second half of the year that's the busiest at school which is why I haven't been posting any progress lately with the remake of Phase Shift. Thankfully, I do have my friend helping me rewrite again so I'm awfully glad for that. I'm being a bit too ambitious again, however, since I am actually going to add event CGs to make this a more substantial story to read through. My CG skills aren't THAT top notch yet, but hopefully I can add the event CGs I want to the game.

That is if school and entering college doesn't kill me first.

A Shift Backwards

I've been wondering for the past few weeks. Is it really worth it to work on Stained One? Would it be giving up if I set it aside for a while to rework on my first kinetic novel that is nearest to my heart?

Stained One is by far a more complex storyline then any ideas I've had. I have a complete outline of what is to happen in all six endings. But now I'm not only stuck writing wise, but art wise as well. It's not that I can't draw the girls or even the guys.

But I wonder if I even had a connection to my characters in the first place. I already had given them personalities, but... Maybe this whole time I thought they were developed fully, but they actually were far from that. I thought about it some more and I realized that the characters with the weakest personalities were the boys, Zac and Aiden. Emily is a dear, I love her character traits, but I never could focus on the boys like I could with the girls. And without a strong cast...

I really am way in over my head.

Ever since I released Phase Shift I've gotten rather positive responses, at least for the story and characterization. Now that I've improved on art, I would love to make a remake of it and expand on the story much more. I read the story on my own and realize how many nuances and little parts that seem to make the story worthwhile, something that will be difficult to reflect in Stained One. So I probably will go back to it and sculpt it lovingly into a more beautiful kinetic novel that I want it to be.

ART SPAM DUMP 2

I like putting pictures in my blog, so I'll put up pictures that I've been able to work on. My CGing has gotten WAY better.



Old character of mine that I wanted to doodle. She has a twin...



Who I frankly did not give any justice to. ;;



Quickly colored in this lineart I had months ago.



Gift for a friend.



An updated version of this picture. My first attempt at using a tablet. It hasn't even been a year since I've gotten my first tablet and I was able to improve leaps and bounds from that point.

I'll have another spam dumping tomorrow.

Falling over, getting back up

Been awhile since I've written in this huh? Not a surprise, but school has been kicking my butt horribly, so much so that I couldn't get the writing done for Crimson Midnight. No fancy language about this: I failed at finishing within the two month period. I probably was way in over my head when I thought I could get a full story done and I let down my dev team. *sigh*

(In other news, I got accepted into my first choice college and got all excellent grades last semester except for my government class. So RL itself is tough, but rewarding)

It's the experiences that count though.

Although it makes me think. Maybe I'm not suited for a writing position? I'm more of a co-writer. I mean, I RP in my spare time as a hobby along with drawing anime and manga. And maybe I'm not good at writing different branches of a story. I'm rather linear minded so to speak.

Even if I failed at finishing a project, there is always a good thing that comes out of the bad. I was able to write a more substantial piece of work even if it is unfinished. (It will be finished sometime in the future however) I'm learning how to brainstorm better thanks to working with other people and how to be more consistent in my writing. Collaborating with people is also an important skill that was put into practice.

Thankfully in life and in visual novels, failure is not the end unless you let it be. I'll be going back to the art production of Stained One before tackling the writing. In fact, that was what I should have been focusing on before being absorbed in my storyline for it. In any case, over the past two months my CGing has improved if the WIP above is any indication. I'm not backing off from making VNs yet!

Now to download the games that HAVE been finished for the two month challenge and write a letter and draw a sketch for Deji.

Jogging towards the finish line...

I'M ALIVE. And still writing and progress is being made for Crimson Midnight. Each day I am writing parts of the story so Chrono and Deji can look it over, give their inputs and then Chrono can convert the script for Ren Py'. Busy, busy, busy and I have finals this week not fun. *___*

But even with the worst obstacles, one must go on! Therefore, have a moe Robin in cute clothing stare at you while this blog begins to yellow with age after my sporadic VN progress report.

Route 1!

WHY MUST THIS MONTH BE SO BUSY IN SCHOOL. (Which is why I procrastinate on French homework by finishing this CG that did not take me too long surprisingly.)

Anyways, no matter how much school work looms on the horizon, I will not let that stop me from writing at LEAST one third of Tristan's route in Crimson Moon. GO GO GO

Run, run, run

Because I've been working on Crimson Midnight with Deji and Chrono, I have had absolutely no time to post in my blog!

/end lie.

No, I've had time, but I didn't have anything of real interest to put up and therefore I made this sketch just to make my blog look interesting. :B I'm about halfway done with the prologue for Crimson Midnight and planning to write half of one characters route next week or maybe the whole thing so I can work on the last route the following week and that's when I can make major revisions. I feel so blessed to be working with Deji who also gives me good tips on writing. It just reminds me how much I need to improve if I want to even get going with Stained One on my own.

I feel it's a good thing I'm working on Crimson Midnight as the writer. I have other people on the team depending on me. If I let them down, I'm letting myself down.

Anyways, enough rambling, I am finishing this.