Blog

Pro Love

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:27:58 -0700

Disclaimer: I’m about to become politically involved. Now’s your chance to navigate away from this page if you’re not in the mood. <3

The most exciting thing about making my comics is the response that they get from people around the world. I’ve gotten emails from people using languages I’d never heard of, I’ve shipped prints and pins to countries in every continent except Antarctica, and at conventions, all kinds of different people come up and let me know that they relate to Pon & Zi, all in the same way.

I did not choose not to assign Pon and Zi genders because they’re secretly both boys or both girls, because they’re not. I left their genders unassigned because the underlying theme of the comic is that love is a universal language. I’ve proven it.

The response that the comics have brought has been overwhelming. I’m THRILLED that so many thousands of people have something so positive in common, that they all immediately identify with the feeling of love.

So now, living in a country with a failing economy, threatened by terrorist activity, and living on a polluted planet running low on natural resources, I see no logic in denying people the right to love, when we could be focusing our efforts to deny instead the progress of war, pollution, poverty, hunger, terrorism, abuse, etc.

The following note, written by Steven Tylor O’Connor, is circulating on Facebook. If you’ve got a spare minute, please read the information and help protect love by filing a complaint with the form and information provided.

<3

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Maine is raising money to enact Maine's version of Prop 8 this November.

First off, a religion which promotes love is trying to enshrine hate into a state constitution, but more important, as a church, they receive special benefits from the US Government, including being tax exempt. Here is the problem, they aren't allowed to get involved in lobbying Washington or getting involved in political campaigns.

Well, they decided that they are above that little rule, and ran a separate collection to raise money. Read the news article here: http://www.wmtw.com/mostpopular/20899670/detail.html

What can we do about it? File a complaint with the IRS. All it takes is 5 minutes (because I've done all the work for you) and a stamp.

Feel free to read this for more information:
http://bostonskeptics.com/?p=417

Here is where you can get the complaint form:
Go to http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf

Save the PDF file to your computer, and then fill out the first page. If you’d like to be sent a letter confirming the receipt of your complaint, be sure to fill out the contact information. If you’d like to remain anonymous, you can use “anonymous” instead of your name.

This is the information you’ll need for the first part of the first page. The EIN is CRUCIAL so don’t forget it.

NAME: Catholic Foundaition of Maine (Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland)
Street Address: 510 Ocean Ave Portland, ME 04104
Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 77-061-2679

Make sure to re-save the document with the information you’ve added, and then email it to:

eoclass@irs.gov

Convention Updates

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 12:55:43 -0700

Hey guys. I apologize for being absent for so long. Things have been a little bit crazy on my end since before FanimeCon in San Jose, which was amazing. (The picture above is of me and the best friend, Danielle, hanging out in the hotel room after just arriving in San Jose. I drove all the way up from Los Angeles.) Anyway, it was SO awesome to meet so many people, take a million pictures, and sign a billion prints. I’ll definitely be back next year.

Anime Expo, here in Los Angeles, is the next convention I’ll have a booth at. I’ll be in the Dealers Hall once again, so come say hello if you’re planning on attending. As the people who came to my booth at FanimeCon are probably well aware of, I’m really really shy, but I like to meet new people. <3

I’m about to upload one of several new comics to the gallery, and I’ll have a new one up every few days between now and AX, which runs from July 2nd - 5th. I’m working simultaneously on several new ones not only to have more prints available at future conventions, but mostly because I have a new reason to be drawing them. <33333

Thanks again for all of your support!

A Video Interview

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:15:16 -0700

The friendly people at College Web Magazine decided to do a video interview with me at my booth at AnimeExpo last summer. They told me it’d be posted online, but I forgot the address because being in front of the camera made me kind of nervous and I had other things to think about. But today I randomly stumbled upon the page and was like HEYTHATSME. Hahaha.

Sooo this is really embarrassing but I thought I’d post a link anyway. (Click the image!) I think I want to bleach my hair and get my ears gauged again. I miss my white mohawk down the back. : / Suggestions?

Ready, setttttt.....

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 15:41:20 -0800

Okay so since mentioning that I’ll be making original Pon&Zi sketchpages available for purchase in time for Valentines Day, I’ve gotten a handful of people sending emails asking for more information.

I’ve been rather busy lately, and haven’t been able to get sketchpages done as fast as I’d like. I’ve got several started, and plan to finish FIVE to post for sale at 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, February 5th in the ‘Shop’ section of this site. As I said, more than five people are already waiting for these sketchpages to go up, and since they’re originals, obviously only the first 5 people will get them.

Each original sketchpage will be done on heavyweight 11x17” marker paper, and on each sketchpage, I will draw between 4 and 5 Pon&Zi scenes, and of those, one will be inked and colored in Copic marker.

Each sketchpage will be priced at US$80.00, and will include the cost of RUSH shipping to ensure delivery in time for Valentines Day.

Google Checkout will be used to process the payment for each order. At 4:00pm PST on Feb 5th, I will post preview scans of each sketchpage, and at 5:00pm of the same day (an hour later), I will add a Google Checkout “Buy it Now” button to each preview scan. To purchase a sketchpage, click the “Buy it Now” button and enter your shipping and payment information and submit it. As soon as each print sells, I will manually remove it from the shop page. I have to manually accept payment for each order, so if more than one person attempts to purchase the same sketchpage before it is taken down and marked as sold, I will accept the order which was submitted first, and only that person will be charged. Any others will be notified that the print has already been sold, and their card will not be charged.

Each sketchpage will be shipped in a mailing tube for protection and even before I accept payment, I’m required to provide a tracking number.

Busy busy busy

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:16:21 -0800

It’s been too long since I’ve updated, so I thought I’d fill a blog with unimportant news just to be able to say I wasn’t slacking.

This will be my third week at Art Center and I’m actually handling my work load really well, I think. We haven’t really finished any projects yet, but I’m learning. I’m surprised to actually have time to work on sideprojects still, and that’s what this blog is about.

First off, I’ve got ummm seven-ish self-assigned just for fun illustrations going all at once right now, and I’m excited about all of them. I said in my last blog that I’d try to post a photo of the dead seahorse I painted on my wooden artbox, so that’s what that is in the picture. I’m painting my friend Elizabeth on red oak, and continuing to play with transparency and opacity with that one. As much as I love using acrylic glazes on wood, I don’t want to get stuck doing only that, so I’m trying out new things like colored pencil on wood, and using illustration board instead. For our first two major projects in class, we have to use illustration board and I used to hate it, so I’m making an effort to learn to love it. But yeah, the drawing of the nautilus in the photo is done in colored pencil on poplar, and I’ve barely started it. I want to draw other things in blue and white and then use opaque, bright pink acrylic to lay a non-related line drawing on top of it all. February is upon us, so I’m also working on the Drinks of the Month illustration for work, as well as a drawing I’m printing on pretty Valentine’s Day cards for my friends because I’m a nerd like that.

On top of those things, I’ve been working on getting work done to be printed in a collaborative top secret art book with two of my intimidating, excessively talented friends, AND I was just invited to contribute one drawing to an art book being sold to benefit the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Stay tuned for more updates on those.

Finally, a TON of people have been sending me emails to ask if buying signed original drawings of Pon and Zi is at all possible. I’m holding on to all of the original lineart for all of the comics I’ve posted online, but I’m working on cranking out a handful of 11x17” sketchpages to sell here. Each page will include 3-4 pencil sketches and one original inked or inked&colored drawing. I’m going to try to get 10 finished this week to post on February first, so that if any of you are interested in getting one for a Valentine’s Day present, you can try to get one before they’re gone and I can have it shipped same day to get it to you in time. I know of at least 7 people who are interested already, so if you’re also interested, be ready to jump on it as soon as they go up. There will only be one of each, obviously, and I might not have the chance to make more sketchpages until after V-day.

On a less relevant note, the Moving Units concert last night was awesome. If you have the chance to see them live, do it.

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