I still exist! ...and I'm still making stuff.

Alright... Let's catch some fish.

MousePaw has pretty much taken over my life... yes, it's true. Creating a game requires a lot of devotion! But in my spare time (weekends, pretty much) I still work on other things...

A Vocaloid Character Design Contest!

Yes, blog followers, by now you must know that I love Vocaloid a great deal... so when I heard about the "Everyone's Vocaloid Project" Character Design contest held by Yamaha, I had to try my hand at drawing up a character or two.

This one, Nocturne, is my first entry, but since there are no limits on entries I'll probably make another one (a guy) as well. :)

One-Wing 2011 - Finished at last.

It feels like months ago when I posted the pencil drawing which eventually led to this finished product. At first I attempted shading her in Photoshop like I did with my illustration of Len & Rin Kagamine. But no matter how many times I tried, I just wasn't satisfied with it...so I ended up going with a much simpler vectorized shading instead. ^^;

And that's what I've been working on.

Thanks for visiting; I'm really sorry I no longer update this blog nearly as much as I used to. I'm down from once a week to once a month if even...but yeah. At this time of my life, I have to keep myself busy or I'm afraid I'll become depressed or something. :/

What I'm Working On

Remember the days when I used to post something new once or twice a week?
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Those days are definately gone, but it's not because I'm producing less work than usual. I could still crank out a fully-rendered drawing a week. However, I've turned my focus to bigger projects - and lots of 'em! The only downside is the long periods of time where I have nothing to show.
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That's why I decided to make this special post to show a few bits and pieces of all my various projects right now. All of them are works in progress, but it should give a bit of an idea what I'm spending my time on lately.

I. MousePaw: Word4Word

Not surprisingly, a great deal of time is going into MousePaw Games' latest game project, Word4Word, an educational game that teaches English skills. The kindergarden version Beta is projected to be finished in August of 2011 (Just in time to give to schools for testing. :))
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I'm approaching the animation for the game by starting with the simplest things and working my way up. First on the list is the ambient animations, which basically have the characters staying in one place, but shifting around and blinking as part of the background while the player is doing something. I've uploaded two short clips to serve as examples:
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Here are Alicia and Rebekah in ambient:


And here they are again, but this time in scuba mode!

After the ambients are finished for every stage, I will move on to the exiting and entering animations - and then finally the action and lip-sync as the characters interact with one another and with the player.

II. Vocaloid Art: Len & Rin Kagamine, Append ver.

By now, most of my blog visitors probably know how much I love Vocaloid, the software which allows users to create songs with virtual vocalists.
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Len & Rin Kagamine were originally designed by character artist KEI, the same artist who designed my two favorite Vocaloid characters, Miku Hatsune and Luka Megurine. However, I did not love the Kagamines quite as much... that was until I saw their Append versions.
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Miku's Append version, which served as an add-on to the original program, adding 6 new variations of her voice, was released about half a year ago. Besides increasing the realism of the virtual voice, Miku Append also came with new box art featuring the character Miku in a much more "technological" design. Now, last December on the Kagamines' 2-year birthday, their own Append version was released. I was absolutely amazed by the new box art and knew from the moment I saw it that I would have to draw them myself, and soon.
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And so I began with Len:

This Vector drawing may seem nearly finished, but it actually has a long way to go. Firstly, I plan to take it into photoshop and paint on more dramatic shading. And secondly:

I have to add Rin!

Here is a rough idea of what the completed version will look like. Sing it, Kagamines!!!

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III. One-Wing 2011

Because it's just been too long since I've drawn my own character mascot... ^^;

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Right now she's only in rough pencil phase. Hopefully I will get more time to finish her soon...but it probably won't be until after I finish the Kagamines.

No, the dress won't be transparent in the finished version. :P

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I'm also doing a little bit more internship work for Shine Global in NY... however, I am not allowed to post any work online. But that is what I am working on! Please come back soon to see all of these projects once they are finished. :)

One-Wing & Flutter

Likely you've noticed One-Wing's Gallery has a new banner!
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The art featured is my first step into an entire new way of making art - illustrating with vectors. The drawing was created entirely out of vectors, then taken into photoshop for finishing. So what do you think about the look?? Here is the full drawing:

Click for full size

Personally, I'm pleased with the result and excited to pursue this new style further.
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Here is the vector drawing before taken into photoshop:

About the characters featured: Obviously you all know One-Wing, the mascot of this website. But a few of you might recognize her little friend as well. It's Flutter, my own personal character from the MousePaw game series. I would have had to make a vector of her anyway, so why not include her in this new experiment?
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Comments and critiques welcome. I know that since I'm starting something new, I still have a lot of things to work on, so I'd love to hear what you guys think I could fix. :3

One-Wing Art DEMO REEL 1.0 !

Today, One-Wing's Gallery turns One-Year Old!! My very first post, "Introducting One-Wing," appeared on exactly this day, May 3, 2009.
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That being said, how appropriate is it that one year later, I post the culmination of all my works, a 3-minute video clip of all my best in art and animation? And so, here it is... I've posted two previews for you, and now it's the whole thing. Click the screenshot to head on over to youtube and enjoy. :)

Or you can click here.

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Keep in mind that this is only version 1.0, there will be many many versions to follow as I continue to make more works and update my reel with them.

The first change will no doubt be the replacing of one or both of the flash clips at the end, as they are too similar! I intend to make lots more flash projects over the summer :D

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Now you guys, I want your feedback now more than ever before! This is what I'm going to show to potential employers and I need as much critique as possible to make it the best I can. Have at it! Does the music bug you? Are the transitions too fast? Should I show more things? Less things?

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Thank you so much for giving me a reason to post all my works online for an entire year. I will do my best to continue to post quality work for you guys.

Demo Reel Sneak Preview - Animated Chibis!

Well I'm still working away on my demo reel but I thought I'd show you guys a little piece of it. These five flash animations loop in the corner of the screen as other art of the character climbs up the page. They're really short but they are designed to play over and over and over again. :3 -

So anyhow, they're kind of cute :3 Enjoy.

One-Wing:

Elhiroth:

Moon Dancer & Dusk:

Falling Leaves:

Ruka & Ryru:

Coming Soon: DEMO REEL!

Most people who know me are aware that the majority of my time right now is going toward my demo reel. But when I tell them this, they don't really know what to imagine. So I thought I'd provide a sneak preview via some screenshots I took of the reel.
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For those who don't know, a demo reel is a short, 1-3 minute clip that showcases the best work of an artist and/or animator - it's like a portfolio in video form.
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Here is a screenshot which shows the three parts I'm including in my demo reel. These three bars appear on the screen one by one, and then the selected one turns a different color (much like a dvd menu).
The character design section is what I'm working on right now. Here's a few screenshots:

As you can see, there is three parts to this shot. On the far left is the character turnaround, which loops between a front view, a quarter view, and a side view. On the far right is an animated flash character. These characters are on a "wheel" and rotate in and out. When selected, their animation loops over and over again a few times while the other art is being shown. In the middle is a fully-rendered drawing of the character, which slowly scrolls up in the background.

Here is another example.
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So yeah, that is what is occupying most of my time. I'll still have some new art for you guys though, as well, so keep stopping by. :3

Poll Results: Winning Color Scheme

Last month, I asked you all which color scheme you liked best on One-Wing. I was very pleased by the turnout; it was a close run but 26% of the votes went to the winning color scheme, Black & Red (Dark Rose One-Wing).
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And so I made some new art of her!

Likely you all have noticed this artwork other places as well...

I also printed this work out on posterboard and submitted it to the Juried Student Art Show here at the college I'm attending - soon I'll find out if I made it in.

Thank you everyone for your votes!!!

I will probably have a new poll for this month so keep watch for that :)

edit: I am sad that it will not let you click and enlarge the pic for some reason, so here's the full version. Please look at this guys. http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk222/elusive_dreams/Blog/DarkRoseOneWing1.png

POLL: One-Wing's Color Scheme

Notice something new??
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That's right, One-Wing's Gallery now features a poll! If you haven't noticed yet, right on the sidebar along with the blog archive and info about me, there's a spot where you can answer a question. The question is: What color scheme do you like best on One-Wing?
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I had quite a bit of fun playing around with different color schemes for my mascot/muse. Each took careful thought and consideration, and in the end, I think each of them have a certain appeal.
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But now I turn to you, my blog visitors... which one do you prefer? Here are your 6 options:


One-Wing's Original Color Scheme (Purple/Pink/Blue)

"Dark Rose" One-Wing (black/red)

"Prismatic" One-Wing (Cyan/Yellow/Magenta/Black) (Hehe, guess where I got those colors...)

"Elegant Wish" One-Wing (Maroon/Purple)

"Graceful Melody" One-Wing (Teal/Orange)"Shining Angel" One-Wing (white/gold)
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Again, the poll is right over there ----->

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote! ^.^

One-Wing 2010

It's about time I made another drawing of this site's mascot.
How does she look? I think she turned out quite alright, myself.
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A side note: People have been asking me, 'Why does she have just one wing?' I know I answered this in my very first post here, but since then, I've thought of a better answer.
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So why just one wing for my character mascot? It is because, firstly, I realize that I am a flawed human being: no matter what, my art will never be as good as I want it to be. I will never be able to recreate the image I see in my mind with 100% accuracy. And so, just like a bird with just one wing, I cannot ascend by my efforts alone.
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However, I'm not alone. I have the people who take the time to look at my art and give comments, critique, etc - this is of utmost importance to me. (Thank you. :)) I also have the guidance of my Master, Lord Jesus, who enabled me to create all these things, and it is for His glory that I make them. These things serve as my second, albeit invisible, wing, and provide flight for me.
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Thank you for taking the time to read my explanation. If you haven't already done so, please take a look at the post that accompanies this one and vote on which color scheme you like best on One-Wing. :)

One-Wing Cosplay Series #4 - Remilia

And One-Wing dresses up again, this time as Touhou's Remilia Scarlet. Though I know very little about the games, I confess that I love Remilia's design very much and had to depict One-Wing in her outfit. Remilia is the first character One-Wing has dressed as that really has wings -- and so I depicted her with a wing that looked like Remilia's rather than her usual feathered wing.
And of course she had to have a mischievous expression to match. :)

[50th post!] One-Wing Cosplay Series #3 - Miku

50 Posts!!!!!
To celebrate, I decided to return to a series of drawings I began awhile ago, all which can be found here on my blog, of my muse One-Wing dressing up as various anime characters.
#1= Shinku from Rozen Maiden
#2= Saber from Fate/Stay Night
And now here's #3 = Miku from Vocaloid
I actually drew One-Wing as Miku around the same time as the other two but did not get around to coloring it until just yesterday. And even though I didn't spend all that much time on it, I think it looks pretty nice.
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I admit it, I LOVE Miku. I have definately caught Miku fever just like half of the otaku community. I even have a plushie of her now, and listen to her music about 25% of the time (which is a lot considering how much I listen to music). This just goes to show how far a good character concept and design can go. I hope that someday maybe people will love my characters too - though their popularity will very likely not be as HUGE as Miku's. Hehe.
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With Christmas break on its way, I am about to have a lot of time on my hands. And that means I'll be making a lot of art. And that means I'll be posting a lot of art. So come and visit often this Holiday season :)

edit - Apparently only 48 posts are listed on my blog page. That probably means I deleted 2 but they are still counted in my main count. Awww. Well I still am going to keep this labeled as the 50th. :P

Final Two Chibis (for a while)

Here we have two more little mini-characters made in flash, which will make appearances in my character-art book.
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Not shockingly, of course, the first one is One-Wing herself...
Hm, who is this one though? Not sure I know who this character is... though upon close inspection... is that a plushie of Miku Hatsune she's holding...? Hmmmm...
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Anyhow, that's the end of the chibis for awhile, though I might make some more just for fun. And I will be posing/animating these guys eventually too. But they take a long time to build!

Book Cover Complete!

In case you all forgot why I was making those chibis...
My cover is done at last! And I'm really excited about how it turned out. I managed to have all the characters on the cover that I plan to feature art & bios in my book. What do you think?
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I still have two more chibis to come though. And other art to show! Please visit again soon.

One-Wing Cover Art (*HIGH QUALITY*)

Presenting what might just be the most beautiful image I have ever drawn...
This lovely image of my beautiful One-Wing is what will eventually serve as the cover for my artbook. It is not finished, however - what I plan to have happen is that from One-Wing's hand emerges a lot of "chibi" (small) versions of some of my other characters, floating into the air as though they are being brought to life by her.
And of course my "One-Wing Art" logo will adorn the top.

Here is a closer-up shot so you can take a look at the detail (click to enlarge):

And just for fun, here is an image of the shading alone, which in itself is quite lovely.

Soon to come: More Moon Dancer art, because my mind is fully immersed in that world right now.

Keep checking; I will be posting more high-quality images like this one now that my skills are improving.

One-Wing Logo Animation

It has been awhile since I've uploaded an animation. But here's another one of my flash works - a short animation of my One-Wing Art logo. I might feature this at the beginning of all my animated works in the future.
Comments very much appreciated, as always!


Yes, I did animate 6 different individual strands of hair separately to make them blow in the wind. In case you were wondering. ;)

Concept Sketches - One-Wing

Here's a whole bunch of pencil-y sketches of One-Wing, exploring the facets of her character. I really like the last one - the sketch of her profile- so I might just ink & color that one. We'll see.

*Special* One-Wing Cosplay Series #2 - Saber

Here is the second drawing out of six from the One-Wing Cosplay series, where I depict my muse dressing up as some of my favorite characters in anime.

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And this one happens to be my very favorite anime character of all, Saber from the awesome series Fate/Stay Night. Saber is a knight and a Servant summoned to protect the series' main character, Shirou.

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This outfit I have One-Wing depicted in is the dress that Saber wears beneath her armor (for those of you who have seen F/SN but did not recognize it). It is my favorite of all of Saber's apparel and that is why I chose to draw One-Wing in it.

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Again, this was another fun drawing to make! The only not-so-fun part about it was as I was coloring it in Photoshop, the program closed suddenly and of course I hadn't saved at all - so I had to start completely over again. Needless to say, I saved every other minute the second time around. ;)

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If you haven't already, make sure you go see the first drawing in this series, where One-Wing dresses up like Shinku from Rozen Maiden! ^.^ Just click the words "special feature" in this post's annotations.

One-Wing Logo and Turnaround

Here we have a post with a bunch of art involving none other than this site's mascot, my pretty muse One-Wing.
These are for my portfolio seminar class - and also my porfolio (obviously). The first is a logo which I will use for myself (though I may make other drafts of it later). The second is a turnaround- that is, 3 different views of the character - 1 front, 1 quarter, and 1 side.

Right now I am working on an animated version of the logo in flash. That will be posted when finished, of course!

*Special* One-Wing Cosplay Series #1 - Shinku

Time for a special treat. (At least, I find it to be so.)
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As you might imagine, I have been slaving away on Covenant Chapter Two, which now has an official release date - Saturday, September 5 (!!!) - but I don't like just working on just one thing or I tend to tire of it.
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And so, I've decided to put together a fun series of drawings on the side. The story behind them is this: One-Wing is, as said in my introductory post, my muse: she gets credit for all of my inspiration, ideas, creativity, etc. And one major source of inspiration for me is anime. So, to represent this - and to have a lot of fun - I've decided to draw One-Wing dressing up as six different anime characters.
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So here we have One-Wing dressed as the uber-kawaii living doll Shinku from the anime series Rozen Maiden. Just adorable <3
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This was lots of fun for me (as well as a refreshing escape from Covenant for a little bit) and I look forward to drawing the other five of this cute series.

Pink-haired Characters

Just a drawing I decided to throw together one day at 2 am as it occured to me that two characters that I really love the design of both have pink hair...and hey, so does my muse.
So here they are together: Luka Megurine (Vocaloid), One-Wing, and Signum (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha).
Such pretty characters... I will probably be drawing them again sometime.

And I'm really not that into pink! Oh well...hehe.