Rocket Punching His Way Into Your Heart!

I really like it when someone pulls up a drawing I did for them ages ago, whether it was a commission or a gift, and they’re like “This is still one of my favorites” or “I still really like this one”. It’s a nice feeling knowing people really appreciate your stuff in a timeless kind of way, you know? 

Do you have any tips on dealing with idea-based art block? I can draw fine, but I have trouble thinking of what to draw, and end up procrastinating far too much, affecting the final product. What should I do?

I’m probably not a great person to ask about advice for this. Although when I’m having a block of any kind, I find changing my brush settings to a different one is enough to get me going again most of the time.

I’ve been talking about DBZ with a few folk lately and I remembered the whole Dragonball AF thing. For the uninitiated, Dragonball AF was a rumored sequel to Dragonball GT. Turns out, it was actually a fan made doujin (roughly the Japanese equivalent to indie work)! However, at the time, a lot of us were kids and we thought “Wow this is both well drawn and in Japanese, it has to be official!”. 

Anyway that’s not the kicker. The kicker is, fast forward to now, the official hand picked artist for Dragonball Super’s manga is no other than Toyataro, creator of said fancomic 

He was so damn dedicated to Dragonball he became an official source for it and I find that really awesome!! 

xenagoat

reblogged

your post:

What are some of your favorite aesthetics/design…

I personally like characters who wear big, elaborate, flowy outfits. Really regal or traditional stuff, especially with…

#long post

That’s good stuff! I can see the appeal. I sometimes get in the mood for flowy elegant things too, like this piece by Rikose. The horse guy is really cool looking!

If I could afford a custom OST for Werewolf Hostclub, I would probably want a 90s anime style OST in the vain of Yu Yu Hakusho’s or Tenchi Muyo’s OST.

I’m feeling nostalgic this morning. 

In case you’re wondering how the supermoon affects Vinny, he just gets unmanageably fluffy and poofy.

I was asked by someone who wishes to stay anonymous for tips on learning Japanese. For starters, I myself am only just starting as well! So I’m not the best person for in-depth help on the subject, but I can point you to a starting line, at least. 

The best starting point is to learn Hiragana and Katakana! My advice might sound a bit strange, but learn how to read them before you learn how to write them. I say this because learning how to write kana is really time consuming and yields little benefit if you’re not living in Japan. Instead, by learning how to read Japanese, you’ll also be able to type it which is much more important these days! 

As for where to learn how to read Hiragana and Katakana, I HIGHLY recommend using the mnemonics method. A mnemonic is a memory association that lets your brain remember something better. 

If you have a few bucks to spare, Dr. Moku on Android and iOS is absolutely amazing. I learned how to read hiragana and katakana in about an hour’s time each with it. Granted, I live in Japan so my surroundings constantly reinforce what I learn, so that’s a factor to consider. Still, it’s a very helpful app. 

If you don’t have that to spare, Tofugu has an awesome free tutorial on learning with mnemonics! 

Hiragana

Katakana 

As for basic grammar and kanji, I’m afraid I can’t really help you much with that other than learn Kanji as soon as you can. The sooner you learn kanji, the better!  A method people seem to love is the book series “Remember The Kanji”. I have a copy but haven’t dug into it yet. Also, there’s a Chrome extension called Rikaikun (Rikaichan on Firefox) that gives you the meaning of Japanese words on the spot when you hover over them. 

People often ask why we have to learn kanji. The thing is, without kanji, yoursentenceswilllooklikethisinjapanese. It’s also efficient because one character expresses an entire concept. Either way, it’s hella important to your vocabulary.  

Most people recommend the Genki books for basic grammar, but that can get expensive. It’s a great book though. I’ve been using Human Japanese on Android which approaches teaching in a very warm and approachable manner. I’ve been quite happy with it. There’s also an extremely popular free grammar guide called Tae Kim’s Japanese Grammar Guide, which I believe is also available as a digital textbook on the iOS and Android stores. 

If you want tangible indications for how you’re progressing, the Japanese government has an exam called the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). One’s skill is measured on a scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Some people study for the exam as a starting point. I’m not sure how effective that is personally, but it’s something. 

Hope that helps you! 

About my last reblog. I’m someone who identifies as pansexual. I’m Dominican + Puerto Rican, and have also questioned my gender identity multiple times (and sometimes still do). I know what everyone must be feeling right now. I don’t have many words that haven’t been said, but if anyone needs to vent, I’m around. 

Si tienes que hablar con migo en español, puedes tambien. 

If you could get your story/comic/etc animated by a studio, and you had a good budget, which studio would you pick? 

I’d go with Studio Trigger (Little Witch Academia, Kill la Kill) or CoMix Wave Film (5 Centimeters Per Second, Your Name) depending on the type of story.

so, would you rather sleep with your head on a chuby belly, or between the pecs?

On a chubby belly, absolutely!!!

But pecs aren’t bad ether.