Another question which I will briefly answer

According to my mom, since Pre-K, and I remember writing and illustrating my stories when I was about 5 or 6. But I thought the writing was just a hobby until high school.

And when that English teacher accused me of plagiarism after I turned in her synopsis assignment (you know I'm never forgetting that, right?), I knew that writing would become a part of my life just as much as my art.

Right now, if you're on my Instagram, I have been working on and posting sketch pages from a longtime story idea from 2000.

SUMMER TO WINTER(c) is a rambling saga in the life of a student who falls for her high school teacher. However, when they both meet years later, she as an adult, they fall for each other, she for the second time and he for the first.

The story will be organized as follows: Full-color front covers with Ohuhu and ShinArt Touch markers, first few interiors will be fully inked with full color and subsequent pages inked but gray-shade with gray markers.

I will be practicing with my new illustration software, Krita, on filters, effects, and how to do technical backgrounds. On advice from a former student that since I already take photos and screenshots as references, that I use free-stock photos as reference and alter in Krita.

I will continue to post my work-in-progress to the following Instagram: handdrawnbycarmenjr. I'm also actively looking a home for a handful of completed comics strips and as soon as I do, will shop this larger and longer story to those same publishing houses.

And, as always, dear readers, thank you for reading my blog and a Happy New Year to you all!

Front cover style

First 2-3 interior pages

All subsequent pages

It is INKTOBER time again!

I have been so sick, with the Hashimoto's, my vacation in Jamaica with mom, and trying to enjoy my birthday in September, that a longtime tweep had to remind me this blog hasn't been updated since August! So let me do a rundown of what I've been up to:
1. My "Summer to Winter" graphic novel is finally fully-forming. I'm drafting pieces that I later upload to Instagram that gets very positive feedback.
2. I've been chatting and lamenting in private chat with fellow writers.
3. I cosplayed and attended my first convention in a good long while.
4. I'm trying to research whether to host comics or send out to markets.
5. Re-evaluating what I'm doing for 2020.
6. Caught some kind of flu virus that didn't make me feel like I was going to be dead.
7. I completed the second story to my Scifi series! It follows after 'The Human Network', which is still available through Kyanite Publishing, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com (all links and their details are available on my other blog: The Angry Goblin on WordPress).
8. Another guild member and friend beta-read it and I made changes.
9. I'm also doing Inktober 2019, and I'm actually following the prompts this year! As soon as you finish this post, you can hop over to my Instagram: handdrawnbycarmenjr. Also, you can get a sneak-peek of my graphic novel in progress!

And now that things seemed to have returned to my kind of normal, I'll be blogging again.

Until next time, Dear Readers, be kind to yourselves and unwind.

New art coming up

Just completed the start of a collection of pencil drafts I've been meaning to duplicate on 100 lb. 9 x 12 paper for the longest time!
I inked and did a heavy pencil wash - that is when you use one of those think pencils - they don't have eraser tips - you do light or heavy on where you want creases, and other detailing.
Will have the final with story attached.

Work in Progress - Part 1

I finally completed an edit on half a chapter (the 1st draft handwritten in 1 of the 11 journals for this story!).

When I read the typed draft to my mom, I was shaking.

She told me what I read to her was plausible.. she enjoyed my word choices.. and that my details of the doctor's preparation before an exam was true to life..

Writer's note to self

When trying to figure out how to fit the Harlem Renaissance into my story, a thought came to me: most of those men and women DID NOT know they would become famous, that they would grow to be legends. Inspiration to future generations? No!
They simply wanted to elevate their art, and in so doing, elevate the Black race.
Once I figured THAT out, I am able to write and thread what became the stirrings of the Harlem Renaissance.

Dog novel & research has slowed to a crawl

I've reached journal #10 for the dog gangster story, writing time (which usually ran 3-5 pages a day) has slowed.
Also, researching has changed. I did commando-style skimming, flipping through certain chapters, trying to finish other chapters on a given topic.

Now, I do a more in-depth research, where I find time to read each reference as a novel.

Will have to shift my writing schedule. The new project started from last year March and it hasn't abated. Stay tune.
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