Paper Dolls Part One: Miku Hatsune

Ever since I stumbled across paper doll artists Amy Earles, Cart Before the Horse, and The Filigree on etsy, I have been inspired to make paper dolls. Of course it took me about half a year to get around to trying it, and my first test subject was, of course, the legendary Miku Hatsune.

Yes I am shameless fangirl.

By the way, I’m not sorry.

My favorite Miku songs are Rolling Girl and Melt, in case anyone was curious.

Every day I lean more and more towards making paper craft my new hobby. But I don’t really have anything clever to say in this post, so I will just post my paper doll photos to amuse any poor soul who bothers to read my posts.

PROCESS FOR THE CURIOUS: This Miku paper doll is about 8″ high, was drawn by hand and then each part was mapped out on vellum. Afterwards it was scanned into my computer and colored mostly in Paint Tool SAI, then printed on 100lb cardstock.  Before she was assembled, I colored in the edges with black brush pen to hide the white edges.

I’m about 90% happy with this project, mainly because the holes on her “main” head are crooked, the way I did the arms only allows them to move so far and OMG her feet.  But as a test I think it was pretty good!  I also had to tweak my printer settings, as her hair kept printing out green.

She also comes with 4 interchangeable heads with different expressions. Quite possible a blank too. I may or may not offer her up as a donation download project, or I’ll wait until I’ve got something better.

Anyway, thanks for reading!  Enjoy the photos~ (more below vvvvv)

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Shade Master post: Character Designs

I apologize if you have seen these on tumblr already but this is my main blog so I figure why not? I have begun to draw up character designs for my big comic project, Shade Master, which I will probably work on behind the scenes while I work on GRS. I have no idea if it is going to be a webcomic, or if it will be complete this year, or any of the tiny important details. I am mostly just taking it in stride, working on it when the mood strikes me, or else it becomes this heavy weight on my shoulders. If you have followed me for a while (as in, a really long time) you are familiar with my character, Ajahli.  Shade Master is her main storyline, her CANON storyline.  Rin is her, but also not her, but also eventually her.  So, I guess enjoy these sneak peeks at what I’m working on…

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A post that consists primarily of instagrams

My life lately has slowly dissolved into this carousel of instagram photos, tumblr posts and the reading of fanfiction. But I think perhaps it would be a better idea to show the instagram photos instead~ WARNING: several Mikus ahead.

Story about a Bird

Okay so.. *cough* obviously this isnt the HIGH QUALITY of what I wanted to post here but eh, it’s a step up. I actually do enjoy traditional pencil work and I love SAI so it’s all good. Anyway, this is my first time doing this since I am going to post some writing with it.

This guy is a character I’ve had in my head a long while (I like white haired characters. shut up) but I’ve only really thought about giving him a story.  It’s kind of awkward for me because I have a few characters that already look like him and art like him and he is one of those characters that I’ve never really told anyone a lot about.  So uh… congrats? For being the first to read a bit about him??

He is a phoenix…of sorts. I don’t really have a name for him yet. (Well, I did but there’s a character in my webcomic with that name and I should probably give him something different to distinguish him).  He is sort of like another one of Ajah’s companions. In what life, I don’t know.  She has her main, canon story, but she is constantly going on adventures in my imagination. So maybe out of the hundreds of people she meets in her travels, he is one of them?  It also doesn’t help that he looks sort of like her maybe-boyfriend, Jakob. Maybe that can work to the story’s advantage. Hah.  I kind of imagine him having an English accent and constantly scolding Ajah for acting too wolfish and telling her that killing people is actually bad. (she has her priorities a little mixed up). But yeah, I guess we’ll find out in time. I’m probably going to be writing stories about Ajahli until I am old and on my deathbed. I will have to have that one child who carries on my stories and shit.

Anyway, onto the tidbit of story! It is a shitty first draft but hopefully you guys enjoy it anyway…

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Ajahli’s MTAC 2012 Con Report!

Wow okay it’s been forever since I last wrote an actual BLOG about stuff.  But I figured one was in order since I got back from MTAC two days ago!  It was pretty amazing, I had a table in the Artist’s Alley selling Grim Reaper School comics. There were so many amazing artists there!  I met a lot of cool people, I made some new fans and hopefully I got more followers for the webcomic!  I didn’t do as well as I did at Anime Blues last year, business wise, and my table was kind of off the beaten path from everyone else, but I tried to promote as much as I could!  I also went into it somewhat unprepared. I had my books but I didn’t have much new stuff (if you follow me on Facebook or twitter, or know me personally, you kind of know the whole issue I have been having with my artists block and life combination, but let’s not get into that!) . However!  I did walk around and talk to a lot of the artists, made small conversation with some, business conversation with others and I learned a lot from them in terms of what kind of things people like to sell or buy at cons, how to better display my stuff, other conventions to go to, that sort of thing.  So, in that respect, MTAC was SUPER successful, and I don’t regret going one bit. Hopefully I will be back next year, if conditions are in my favor, but it really pushed me to go all out for ABC this summer and continue to check into more local cons. I will say that my con coverage this year will be bigger than it has been the past couple years, but I will probably not attend more than these few until next year since I am going to England.

So, if you follow my work and would like to meet me at a con, this year I will definitely be at ABC this June, in Memphis, and I will probably go to the one day con, Hama-con (did I spell that right?) just to walk around and see what is going on.

Now that you have done a bit of light reading, here’s some photos! There were some AWESOME cosplays this year! Wow!  I’m definitely going to cosplay at future cons. (My lineup including Nezumi, from No.6, maybe Vocaloid or Mori Girl-which isn’t cosplay- and of course the typical GRS uniform~)

Apologies for some of these being blurry. My camera died so all I had was my phone :C

(I will also be uploading these to my Facebook Page. So feel free to tag them if you are in one!)

One thing I hope to look forward to someday are GRS cosplayers. If anyone ever comes to my table at a con, dressed as a GRS character or one of my characters, or in their GRS uniform, you get a free commission! Unfortunately everyone else failed their GRS tests this year except for this guy:

YEAH MAN. WE ARE TOTAL BADASSES~!

I also managed to make some art cards and work on commissions at my table! Yay!

Fiona and her commission :D

One example of few… the many artists I visited at the con~

and last, but not least…

My Miku army continues to grow…

Thanks to everyone who came out to see me at the con! You were all awesome and I can’t wait to go next year!  Hopefully I will see some of you again at Anime Blues this June!

Until next time!

~Ajah out

Omg we’re back!

Eeeheee new layout!! I’m so excited. I’m hoping with this layout there will be more things to do and I can actually USE my site instead of having it sit there like nothing.  This blog space will be mostly used for updates but I may use it for more if I see the opportunity. Project progress, or photo blogs, or just anything really. But I’ll try not to get too carried away.

Anyway, if the site is still open and this blog entry is still here, welcome!  This is my personal website with my gallery/portfolio and current works. I am a little unconventional when it comes to adhering to expectations. I just like to have fun with what I’m doing. My portfolio is also in the process of being rebuilt and added onto so, just navigate at your leisure!

Enjoy!

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