Hellow, I thought it was time to update this journal of mine.

There's not thaaat much to talk about, but I have made a Blog @ Wordpress, so go check it out every once in a while, like, when you are really depressed and think about killing yourself - in situations like these its always a pleasure seeing someone worse of. But don't rely on that too much !
Nay, actually it will be kind of a place for me to dump my endless unfinished or too crappy-to-upload-on-DA-pictures and rant about all kinds of stuff.

AliTheBandit's Weblog: [link]



Aaaanyways, I recently saw Kung Fu Panda!!!
Man, it's a life changing experience XD !
Jack Black is becoming my new hero! Like always he sparkled with awesomeness - in this case, as a fat panda, which kinda suits him...
What the movie reminded me of a lot was One Piece... a furry kind of One Piece.
Apart from the dynamic, cartoony, dramatic style and the bombastic fights it also carried a similar, positive message. So yeah...
Huh, what? You haven't seen it yet?! Then go see in NOW, what if you suddenly die before watching it ?!?



On another note! I think I will upload the pages of Never Trust the Wizard on DA as well!! Unless you really, really don't want that... Which I doubt. RIGHT?

Okay, I'd like to end by recommending a swedish progressive rock band called Kaipa. They're just fundastic! Especially their early albums. Keep an eye out for them when you're in a music store - and if you don't mind listening to non-english stuff (yes, the vocals really sound quite weird at first XD).

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMIC / MANGA ARTISTS:

there are a lot of books on how to draw manga, etc. available on every corner nowadays, but honestly - most of them are worthless and written by money-hungry newbs. yes, chris, i'm looking at YOU XD !!

oh well, kidding aside, i want to use this journal to give you some recommendations for a couple of GOOD books.
these books are made by experts who know what they're talking about and not only are they highly informative, but also very enjoyable to read .

Scott McCloud:
one of the major comic theorists of our time. his books are made of win; comics about comics, so to say XD . you won't find so much content, so well presented anywhere else.
Understanding Comics [link]
this one can be described as a theoretical beginners course on comics, but its a really entertaining and fundamental one. a must for every comic artist.
Reinventing Comics [link]
his second book, its packed with infos and ideas on comics and the new potential computers and the internet offer for artists. not as amazing as Understanding Comics, but definitely worth reading.
Making Comics [link]
this is the friggin' bible of the how-to-draw-comics books!! it will tell you stuff which no other book mentions; important stuff! like always with McCloud its both fun to read and has infos worth gold!

Will Eisner:
Graphic Storytelling [link]
he has more books, but this is the one i have. its very, very useful to better understand things like paneling and well, storytelling. the advices he gives are quite basic, but eye-opening, you will itch to use them (if you didn't know them already )
i'm sure his other books are more than worth checking them out as well .

Akira Toriyama:
Drawing Mangas for Dummys (couldn't find it on amazon...)
this is the first how-to on mangas i ever read, and it really inspired me... its extremely practical and totally hilarious to read. its great for beginners and younger people.

Koji Aihara & Kentaro Takekuma:
Even Monkeys Can Draw Manga [link]
one of my favorites. its crazy! you won't find much of a practical advice on drawing here, but its shamelessly funny and terribly motivational XD ! it's not suited for kids, though


these are my favorites, if you know of similar books, i'd be happy to hear your recommendations... and i will update this list then .



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TUTORIALS:

a quick overview, so that you can easily find all my tuts so far

-NEW! Drawing Manga Pages[link] [link]

-NEW! Painting and Texturing with Watercolors[link] [link]

-Advanced Hands Tutorial [link]

--The Art of Paneling [link]

---How to Ink with a Nib Pen [link]

----How to Scan and Retouch a Page in PS [link]

-----Basics of drawing with Dramatic Light [link]

------Drawing different kinds of Eyes [link]

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other great tutorials on the web:

Manga-Revolution [link]

Deleter Manga-Drawing-Tutorials [link]

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My Online-Manga Warriors Guild [link]

My Affiliates; Be sure to keep an eye on them !


Sanguem Deus
this comic is still in its early stages, but the artwork looks great so far. keep an eye on it .


The Blessing
almost 100 pages and counting XD ! you'll quickly notice how sophisticated the artist is by reading this series!

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Clubs:


The Freelancers Comic Club