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L'Arc doujin-making Process Jan 2003 article written by hidoko Matsumoto Foreword:
Mission Statement :-P According to elitist authorities, AEP (Art Elective Prog), is a sort of arty farty thingy in Singapore directed to create "future leaders sympathetic to the arts"... What the hell. With my personality I'll probably end up joining SDP and being banished to Malaysia. Anyhow, we're supposed to get A in art (and at least in another subject), or risk getting slaughtered by the art teachers AND the system. The Good Thing is... We're allowed to do things other than sit our asses down and draw! Well, we're supposed to do that, but think of the larger picture: A BEAUTIFUL L'Arc DOUJIN! Well, consisting of Sakura and Tetsu and Hyde, and mild ST/HT hints... Not like you can go all-out yaoi (well, I have a hunch that the examiner might be Christian, and already I have sort of blasphemies in there). The story is that of the Ghost and the Doll. It's available somewhere in the fanfic site, if you look hard enough. I'm not gonna spoonfeed you, you know! ;-P 09 Jan 2003. Last week, I went back to school with a phrase in mind: "Er, Mrs N_, I'm sooo sorry I don't have anything!" Well, she did get pissed (who wouldn't?) but H2O runs out of the body pretty fast, and anyway I sort of promised to make up for it. Point being... I never did any other homework! Coz I was working except for the last two weeks, when I was lazing around swatting bedbugs... Well, which is not good! Considering that I am an A level student, it is really NoT GooD! And there are idiots who run around with noses buried in books--- freeeeki. So, here I go, slacking away, and suddenly school comes and smack me in the face again. Actually, it stares at me in the mornings with its face real close, so when I wake up I go "YAaahhh!!" (Garfield). The Demerit is basically I have no time for Lit or Fanfics (To hell with Econs). Writing is my LIFE! You hear me? But the Merit is, after hours of slave labour, my art actually improved! Well, it's still not that great, but at least it is beginning to look like some humanoid. Actually, I hate art like hell. I dare say I don't enjoy drawing-- the only reason I do it is because I can't do anything else. But I suppose if it weren't representational and lifelike, then I could probably lapse into a sort of fanfic-like state of fantasy. But another merit is... I get to plaster my HP with fanart, while actually doing Official Work! Wow! This is a dream like never before! If only writing fanfics could be Literature as well... Le Sigh. You can't have the best of both worlds. But anyway, all the while procrastinating and stuff, I actually managed to, while looking at Clamp's stuff, get 16 layout out as of now. If my brain doesn't shut down I'm gonna attempt 4 more (which is insane, at this hour, but due today, which is belated and just about as insane). Now, drawing from magazines isn't really that easy. First, they have lots of different hair! Goddamn! Well, it's not like I don't enjoy it, but there's only so many pictures of them in one hairstyle. I suppose a bit-o imagination could do the trick. Second-- they look the same! Either it's the same strain of genes, or it's the same plastic surgeon who did their faces. Double-eyelids, sharp nose, sharp chin, lower jaw protruding... Well, I suppose the lower jaw could be attributed to them (asians) being of a more troglodytic race... But it lapses into a problem that manga artists seldom resolve: characters look the same if not for the hair! *growl* Now THIS can't be resolved. *shrug* Another problem is that... Hyde always looks constipated! And I don't have enough pictures of Sakura. So basically in magazines you have the same angles of the same expression, or different angles of constipated expression... Except in rare occasions when he smiles *ever* so slightly (oops, don't kill me). For Tetchan it's slightly better. He's too adorable! He smiles, does that cute action, blah... Anyway, it also has to do with the fact that I don't have many magazines. Sigh. I think I have to go back to work. At any rate, I'm gonna be 18 in March! Hurrah! That means I can get a tetsu tattoo (when I'm 21, I'll get the wings tattoo). Interestingly enough, in Clover, there's this thing about having wings that can't fly. It's a sort of mourning. But the problem is that Clover's in Japanese and my stuff's in English, so I end up thinking in Japanese (which is bad). Er. And then I get stuck trying to think of what the hell they'd say. Luckily enough, last year I met this guy who's been in an art school. A really intelligent freak, so he could be my mentor (so long as he gets his hands off me)... At any rate, I have a hunch that I AM A BORN POET! Yaah! My god! My writing is so poetic in that piece. Er, riiiight. Sorry, this insanity is creeping in again. Can't think. Brain... Shuts down. Night. 10 Jan 2003. Today the Heads of Department came to have a little tete-a-tete with us... Goddamnit! He might as well run for presidency! "Remember, we're not spying on you, we're just checking on your progress. It is for YOUR own good." He might as well say, "Remember, we're not trying to hurt you, we're just trying to see how many punches your face can take before it caves in. It is for the foundation of humanity"! He is so well adapted at it he might as well go and rival with GCT ! (Not Grand Cross Tour, lah...) And at that rate, he would never get sued for slander, too! And they were like, Remember, you're the "cream of the crop", blah blah blah... @_@...and I can't even paint... T_T The bad thing about being in some stupid art program is this: all the shit gets stuffed up yours, and everyone starts being mean. And you have no time for anything else. Apparently, we're supposed to start on the project by 30 Jan... And I've only done 2 pages! Yaaah! I'm DEAD! Do you know how long I take to paint a bloody 2x7inch picture? Even if it's Tetsu?! And I bullshited enough to convince the Mrs N_ that blank spaces are necessary-- muwahahaha! (to hide the fact, that is, that I'm lazy and just want to draw less^_^;) 17 Jan 2003. Okay... I'm not sure who'd actually be interested in this, since I'm not that good an artist (I think), and anyway, it seems a tad too self-centered for me to actually write this, much less think people will read it. Food for thought, but since it's halfway through... HECK! There's always archival purposes ^_^ (yay!). Arrgh! Mrs N_ told me to add a background... which is a problem because it's supposed to be a LIMBO! How stupid is that? Why is it that of all art teachers I must get a female version of Mr G__ to replace him? Growl. I hate Mrs N_. She's so useless! Like Mr G__, except when Mr G__ became dictatorial. And Mr G__ attempted to crack lame jokes but Mrs N_ just seems to have something stuck up hers. Anyway, so far so good. Ms T__ ROCKS! I wish she is in charge of me. Today she dropped by and conversed with me about how the A levels go, so basically, I'm supposed to do this this this so that the examiners will actually see that I have given it much thought (which I haven't). Stuff to do: themes, character associations, character relationships. Plot et cetera are more or less done. Some of the prep work will be posted on the fanart section (by hidoko, of course). The limbo reflects the initial
state in which a human soul resides, and since people just drop by, it
reflects the modern friendship since people just drop by coincidentally
(Randy, St Nick and Chrystal). The Angel and Demon ordeal is a simplified
comment on status quo and cliches, while the Doll is an initial comfort
of delusion (?-> Not sure). The Ghost is the soul, the protagonist, and
the reason it is not all weepy is partly because Hyde is not all weepy
in his photoshoots and looks constipated half the time. I have a constipated
Ghost! Yay!
The THEME of the phot (which I'm trying to get at) will be companionship, solitude, hope of companionship, and the desire to exceed boundaries or challenge status quo with companions (the role which companions play in encouraging the challenge?). Other than practical reasons, I suppose the way the characters are should actually be given a reason so that I can get a B++ grade for prep work. EAck (eek+ack). I HATE academic art. Okay dokie. Ghost (hyde): Ambivalent (I love this word), Androgynous, Asexual, Western solitary (self-centered?), Blank Slate Devil (sakura): Dark, Heavy (mood), Somewhat masculine in nature (Defiant), Cynical, Desires to be loved and understood, Uncanny, Sincere but Overall Misunderstood (by the audience's society) Angel (tetsu): Fluffy, Lovely, Somewhat feminine & childlike in nature (Gentle and Tame), Androgynous (for the overall theme of the initial, pure state of ambivalence), Loving, Caring, Somewhat gullible, Sincere Doll (little tetsu): Always there, Androgynous (duh), Fluffy, Cute, Sincere, Needy, Totally dependant, Blank Slate (will add more when I think come back after meeting St Nick. Hopefully he'll keep his hands to himself.) 18 Jan 2003 (3:29AM) JUN said that if a mangaka was really good, with her help translating maybe we could break into the Japanese doujin market. However, this will have no YAOI scenes inside and is not explicitly YAOI/Shounen Ai; it aims to explore themes for an examination and is not solely for mindless fandom. Therefore, this will not work! Yay! And that's besides the fact that my skills aren't that great (it's slightly better than most English doujin artists, but compared to Jap Doujin artists it's SHIT! Muwahaha!), it's also that it's overseas shipping + the Japanese can be really xenophobic at times (sweeping statement)... So what the hell. FORGET IT! So far I have also considered submitting it to Slave Labour Graphics as alternative comics, but really, the idea is a bit far fetched as of right now when nothing much except layouts and storylines are confirmed. Making commercial plans are never going to work (insofar as I think). I wish I could go to the San Diego comicon! *sob* If only I didn't live in a country where there are no subcultures! *SOB!!!* *kicks Singapore* But... *_____* If only! If only one day when I can become the next Dave McKean! (dream on, man, dream on!) P/S: St Nick said that the newer version is slightly better than the first one (it's an improvement!). I think I kinda know what he means by a good artist and a poor artist, but I belong to the "mindless" poor artist category so far. Oops. 22 Jan 2003 (7:49 PM) This entry will probably
be the last entry. You see, since my the teacher last year is taken over
by Mrs N_, and Mrs N_ is lousy, a domineering Ms T__ took over me (I think,
since she's the only one who gives me long talks and instructions). Ms
T__ wants me to create new characters out of smoke and people around me
rather than beautiful beautiful tetsu. But I must say I am not happy about the change. I do not like to think much as an artist, or as a writer. I would rather not think much about anything else, especially those around me, since I write and draw to escape from where I am. But at any rate, sigh, this is probably the last time when I'll have 4 fanart in a month that is so highly finished (apart from the Andy Warhol style one^_^;)... Well, compared to my usual style anyway. Having art as one subject is like taking 2 subjects simultaneously with lots of homework thrown in. Art is Arrrgh. So! Farewell to doujinshi. Maybe after my A's, I will get to do it again. A dream (It'll forever remain a dream, because I'll never have money to go overseas) would be to go to San Diego Comicon and get SLG (or some other ones) to read some stuff. Maybe DC? I WANNA MEET JHONEN VASQUEZ! (*_*) (although, I'm so shy I'll really just lurk in a corner) In the unlikely case where anyone is still interested in my future endeavours on this comic project, then please visit my Blog. I will keep it under "Misc", captioned "tsubasa ga hoshii" (I want wings). Don't worry about the Jap captions; it's all in English other than that. Farewell, L'Arc doujin! Farewell, farewell! With thine green trees and thine lovely tetsu-- farewell! (Romantic style) I'll end with a joke from Foxtrot. I'm starting to adore that comic strip.^^ Panel 1
This is hilarious, especially since one of my fave movies is American History X ^.^ |