slr2moons

I do believe it's time for a shigoto update, hmm? Though there isn't much actual news to report!

( Current status of Captive, Clay, Nana, Naruto, New Titles 5 and 6, and Skip. )

If you read through everything above, this does mean that at the moment, all I have to letter is Nana and Skip! It feels so weird. O.o Both vols are completely pre-lettered too, so I've been working on my art and stories instead. I didn't post it here, but the rough "blue line" of the human main character from my manga short story is up on my Deviant Art account! 100% SFW. I will be posting the final version here. Perhaps in a few days!

On a side note, at my last Sci-Fi book club meeting, I learned that a small group of professional writers meet a couple times a month to write together. New--serious writers--are welcome to join them. One of those authors is in the book club group. I'm trying to work up the nerve to invite myself. I mean, I'm writing a graphic novel. Does that count? Will the cool kids let me play with them?? O.o *fidgets* I'd so dearly love to have IRL writing friends, but I dunno how they'd feel about the whole graphic novel angle and being unpublished for my own work and not intending to actually publish-publish my first original story anyway since I plan to post it as a web comic and I'm nervous but would love to go MY INSECURITIES, LET ME SHOW YOU THEM. *hides*

I just ordered myself a portable air conditioner for my apartment. Now, you might be thinking I'm a wuss for needing one, but it isn't really for me. It's for my computers. Last weekend, the temperature reached the mid 80s. Even with my windows open and THREE fans going, it was HOT in my bedroom/office. I have a large window that faces west and receives direct sunlight from 3PM to sunset. I think you will all agree that $400 for an air conditioner is much cheaper than $2,000 for two new computers, hmmmm? I'm going to have to visit a hardware store to get the exhaust hose hooked up to my apartment complex's specifications. I'm sure it will be worth the trouble in the end. I need Hoth (what I named the AC. Geek points for you if you get it! :B ) here ASAP, as it's supposed to hit the mid 80s again in about a week. :P~~~

Today I was sent the raw tiffs for Naruto 46, which means I can start the conversion. I don't have the changes from mag-to-GN yet, but I can definitely take a bite out of the grunt work. Transferring the type, tweaking for placement and kerning (space between letters), and of course the size reduction, since GN pages are 66% the size of the mag ones. The FX also have to be shrunk to fit, and I can copy and shrink the 5% of mag background touchup I can use for the GN. Every little bit helps, hmm?

One spot of good luck is that the mag pages don't have floating type (when you have type placed directly over the background, not in a word bubble) as part of the image. So I can copy the mag page background from underneath the mag type and paste it onto the GN page--where the floating type IS part of the image. Tweak for size and rotation and we're good to go--unless there's screen tone involved. In which case, at least I can trace the line art from the pasted bit. Again, every little bit helps.

I also have corrections for Natsume 1's first half. First volumes always have tons of changes b/c the various editors who read it are extra nit- picky. Looks like I'll be tweaking a third of the pages. Let us hope they're mostly easy text tweaks!

I'd best run. I should be working instead of blogging. --;;;

As expected, script for the 2nd half of Natsume v1 arrived yesterday. This means I have four simultaneous titles again. Wheee! *waves goodbye to her spare time*

No, this isn't the start of a bout of Work Hell, but it could turn into one if I'm not careful. I have enough buffer on Clay, Nana and Skip that I don't have to letter like crazy, but the approach of Naruto 46 is ever in my mind. The month of July will be dedicated to that book, so I must keep as much buffer for Nana and Skip as I can. (Clay will be done by then, but I could likely have the next vols of Nana and Skip.)

I was hoping to go see Star Trek and X Men, but I shall have to pass. I have plans this weekend and my book club meeting next week, but odds are good those will be the only time off I can take. Once Clay (due June 15th) and Skip (due 3rd) are done, then I can maybe go out more often. More likely I'll spend the extra time resting so I can keep up the pace. :P

I must remember, though, that L-chan is flying up to visit me for about four days in early June. And R-chan is driving over a few weeks later. I have to retain buffer for their visits so I won't be a terribly boring hostess.

The danger will be burnout. I can't afford to go zombie and fall behind. That would not be good at all. :\ I suspect it's fortunate I'm about to start making my own cold-brewed coffee. Much cheaper than paying for Starbucks, no? And I won't lose 20 minutes of work time commuting back and forth! Caffeine is my friend. *hugs it*

I doubt I'll be able to touch my doujinshi for at least two weeks, which makes me sad. I gotta pay the bills, though! *still has those mothy pockets, epsecially after paying for Seth*

 

( Hair--a challenge for s2m to render prettily. )

On work news, I'll finish Nana 18 tomorrow, three weeks early. Since I already have script and tiffs for 19, I'll just dive right in. No news on Skip 20 or Clay 15, but I'm sure they're coming. Natsume, the new title, is progressing nicely. I don't have a logo yet, but I'm almost through with the first chapter. This title really is more simple than Honey and Captive. It's slightly less complicated, BUT! The FX are almost all black scribbles. Seriously. Honey and Captive made me switch styles constantly--black scribbles, black block, white block, pattern scribbles, white block half-filled with pattern, calligraphy-style. vibratey, jagged, etc etc etc. Not so with Natsume. Hmm.

Fangirl break: my Japanese tanko of Natsume vol 1 has an obi about the anime. And KYAAA!! X3 Ishida Akira-sama is in it!!! Kyaaa kyaa!!! I've been downloading the series without watching for fear of spoilers, but you can bet I'm going to keep an ear out for my fave seiyuu once I fire it up. *swoons into his sexy voice*

( Ah, the price of civilization... )

The rest of page 3 calls!!! WHAT am I going to do with the background....?? ( Backgrounds: something else I suck at and thus avoid.) Drawing scenery is boooooring....

EDIT to fix my math, which is also not something I'm too great at. Nrrgh.

I just started the GN conversion for Naruto vol 45. I don't have the changes yet between mag and GN, but I'm hoping it's a safe gamble I won't have to go back and change too much. I've pre-lettered through page 12, and my comment in my previous post was right: I am completely lost! XD And also... SPOILERS LIEK WHOA!!! *headdesk* Since when did THIS happen, guys?? *pokes the characters in question* You all look so weird!! Kishimoto-sensei, you have some 'splainin' to do...

I won't get much use out of the tag for New Title 4, since the license was announced by Viz at the big anime con that just happened last weekend in New York. So, minna! The true identity for New Title 4 is....*drumroll*

Natsume's Book of Friends! aka Natsume Yuuchinchou. *applauds* I should begin lettering sometime around the Ides of March. A large portion of the FX in this book are creepy in the traditional Japanese sense, meaning wavery black ink hiragana. Mimicing that style for their English equivalents will be very good practice for me and my calligraphy skills. Ohh yeah! XD

Now guys, a quick request. I know some of you read scanlations of my titles the moment they are available from Japan, and some (like me) watch anime eps the same way. But not everyone who reads this blog does so. I formally request that when you comment about something fresh from Japan, or something where the English release is far behind the Japanese one (Natsume, for example), you do not say anything spoilery. If you do--and I'd rather you avoid it--please warn for it and place it in white type. If you don't, then I'm going to screen your comment so you won't spoil anyone who might see it. And I'll probably shake my finger at you, too.

So if you decide to guess what I'm frantic about in my bit of Naruto freakout above, please don't. Okay?? If I had learned these two particular spoilers outside of work, I would have been PISSED. Please be considerate and remember not everyone can or wants to be on top of things from Japan. Sankyuu.

Back to work for me. After I have a few more days of Naruto conversion under my belt, I'll tell you guys how it's going. ^^V