Hah!

I almost forgot to blog today, luckily I remembered so here it is~

Hmmm.... today's blog will be about one of the many artists who influenced me in High School.

Ben Caldwell is a cartoonist who has done toy design, animation development, and comic book illustrations! I remember my brother first introduced me to him when I was a freshman in high school. I've since then followed his blog religiously. His style is anatomically beautiful, expressive, and has a sense of design that is very elegant! I love the way he stylistically draws his bodies to look both anatomically correct and very cartoony. Definitely, he inspires me to play with proportions more.

Check out this blog here 

He is truly an inspirational figure in my art life. All cartoonist are, really. I find their art more fun to look at than anyone! Every time someone asks me who my favorite artists are, definitely him and Jen Wang are always the first two on my list. My third favorite artist is a Japanese artist who did an artbook called, "Orange." I cannot remember his name right now, but he will have his own post, soon! 

I am done talking for today. So until next time~ 

Updating from class!

I downloaded blogger for my iPhone! Now I can procrastinate even more in class! HO HO HO

No, that's not good.

Posting from the graaaave!

I'm so sleepy!!

I've been sabotaging myself by staying up late to watch We Got Married, haha. I sleep in the morning, go to school until seven (or ten, some times) before doing homework. I should go to bed around midnight but I always end up staying up a few extra hours watching shows on my laptop. Tisk. Tisk.

Well, anyways.

Here's what also kept me up, all these nights:



Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.


Peppermint Stalks from darian brenner on Vimeo.


MAMA BEAR from justin wallis on Vimeo.

I loooove short films like these! In my dream world I would be a stop motion animator who goes to CalARTS and is very happy.

In this universe I'm an illustration major who's an aspiring comic artist and attends a Cal State. Sigh. Well. I'm still happy haha.

But no, really, I am inspired a lot by music videos and short films. I think they are truly lovely. I'll post my favorites throughout this blog to share with any interested viewers. :)

Until next time~~

Thank you, my sweet Kohai!! :))

By Donguri 

Weee!!! Everyone come and see what my sweet Kohai from High School drew me for my birthday!! :))

I am so sorry I didn't get to see this until now, Tien!! I have been a bad senpai;; But I love this to bits and have been showing this off to my family members since seeing it haha. I love it so much!!

This is Kagura and Kamui from Gintama, by the way. I requested this as an art trade. I still need to finish coloring my side OTL;;;

I am so thankful to have received this. Let's draw together one day, okay Tien? We can meet up at a bookstore or something and just draw while catching up. :)

Yep yep, this has been the highlight of my week!

Follow up post!

Hello, hello!

So now I guess I'll post a bit about my art and hobbies, yay for being formal?! Or trying to.

So this is where I work, majority of the time:

My room doesn't have enough space for a desk, so I work at a small table in the hallway. From my tiny table to my room, there's a trail of extension cords for my desk light and laptop LOOLL <33

I'll also be working at my large kitchen table if I'm doing a comic, or in the garage if I'm painting. Or on the couch with a large clipboard if I want to watch a movie-- I'LL BASICALLY WORK ANYWHERE BUT MY BED.

My approach to sketching: 

Wait, I'm not even entirely sure why I have this section... loool;; My approach to sketching is like every other artist-- to organize events, thoughts, and subjects. 

I love, love sketching. I go through sketchbooks like they're nothing. I shamelessly sketch during lectures, lab time, and (if the situation is okay...) critiques. I'M SO BAD LOL. But I will respectfully put away my sketchbook if I feel it bothers my professors. So far none of them really had a problem. 

I know, one would expect my art to be better if I sketched this much, right? LOOOL

Well what I make up in sketching, I lack in discipline. A friendly way someone described it was, "You're just really passionate, Ava!!" HAHA. I seldom do finish pieces. It's why I've earned the reputation of a sketchbook artist as opposed to anything else.

Must. Work. Harder... 

My approach to comics: 

Gosh, here we go. Comics to me is just another tool for expressing messages, events, and entertainment. There are three things I appreciate in a comic and those are sympathetic characters, a wholesome story, and clear art. 

For me, characters are just as important as the story. In my head, they are sort of like the first impression of a comic. I shamelessly admit I'll pick up a comic if I think the person on the cover "looks cool". Characters are the greatest way to touch the viewers, if they are written well enough. My brother says that as long as the characters are likable, you could have the most boring storyline and people will still read it. I believe that. So I'll always work on character development the most in the story. 

(It bothers me the most when characters don't serve a purpose in the story. You will hear me complain time and time again about "throw away" characters. It's just a huge pet peeve of mine.)

A complete story is good, but I'm not one to angrily point out every plot hole. It's like the old fairy tale about the woman who lives in the shoe, when the situation is right, you just have to accept something with no question. My stories have some unexplained quirks and thats what I find attractive about them. There are just some things that can't be explained, you know??

This isn't to say I forgive every story. I dislike rushed endings, unresolved conflicts, and seemingly lazy solutions. I try my best to avoid these by working backwards in my story-- from ending to beginning. This method is good for eliminating most plot errors and inconsistencies. 

Clear art. In comics, especially, art should be able to convey a scene in less than three seconds. It's sad, but not many people will take the time to appreciate how well you drew the details on the shoes or hair. Some people might, and that's good! But otherwise, I think panels should be simple and clean (like the song). 

Well, this is easier said than done. I still have a lot to work on regarding storytelling in graphic novels. For example, my panels are okay, but I feel they could be stronger. My inconsistencies in drawing characters are my downfall. My backgrounds also leave less to be desired. 

I will work harder!! 

Anyways, I hope this was fun to read. If it seemed like I was tooting my own horn at any parts, I assure you it wasn't my intention. 

Thank you for reading! 

first post

Hello!

I am going to start up this blog-thing-a-majigger, once and for all!!

I will start with a proper post about myself.

Hello, my name is Ava Ngoc Nguyen. When pronounced in a certain way, my middle name means, "sweet" in Vietnamese! Pretty cool, huh? I think so. My hobbies are watching short films, animations, and stop motion animation. I want to start a miniature collection. I love doll houses. Other things I enjoy are reading, writing, and eating!

I go to Cal State Fullerton and plan on graduating in May 2013. My major is art in illustration. My goal in life is to be a graphic novelist. I like both American comics and Japanese Manga, but I don't have goals to work in DC or Marvel, or to go to Japan and live out my otaku dreams. I just want to draw independent comics. I have a friend named Lawler and together we'll change the world. Yep, that's our dream.

This blog is for sharing my inspirations, progress, and (hopefully!) achievements. On the side bar, one can find links to some artists that I find inspirational. With that said, thank you for reading!

Sincerely,

AVA SWEET NGUYEN

Shojo Review Dump: Kamisama Hajimemashita, Ashita no Ousama, and Kokoro Botan

Now, I'm positively addicted to shojo mangas, I'm not sure if I'm as well read as some, but I definitely know I've started and finished on a lot of series I found to be memorable. So I decided to do this sort of bi weekly review dump of shojo mangas I frequently check on.

*These are a few of my favorite reads, but I will be dis-including titles such as: Hana Yori Dango, Nana, Kodocha no Omocha... etc. Because those series are so long and epic I'm bit intimidated haha

Review Dump: Shojo Manga Pt. 1

1. Kamisama Hajimemashita (Comedy, Fantasy, Ongoing): Currently, my favorite ongoing manga. It's a really easy read. The art style is almost cartoon-y but with a very shojo- esque feel. Art and story by Suzuki, Julietta.

• Summary: Momozono Nanao is left homeless after her dad ditches her (yet again). Finding herself at a park, Nanao meets a strange man who offers his temple to her as a home. However, upon the temple, Nanao realizes she not only inherits the temple, but the role as a Land God as well as the responsibilities that come with it.
• Heroine: Momozono Nanao is a good heroine. She is selfless, honest, and knows when to be defiant. She's more of a character of justice; usually fighting for the best for her temple in the chapters.
• Love Interest: Her familiar, Tomoe, is a cat spirit who dislikes Nanao from the beginning. Although he betrays her in the beginning, one can see how loyal he is to his duties both as Nanao's right hand man and as the temple's guardian. His manipulative, but loyal character plays very well with Nanao, making them both a bit unforgettable.
• Love Rival: Outside the school and demon fangirls, there hasn't been a real rival against Nanao for Tomoe's love until recently. For now, I know she is a human of great importance to Tomoe although I understand she is no longer living, her presence causes some sadness and curiosity in Nanao. There is also the snake familiar who lives in the temple with Tomoe and Nanao, who battles for the latter's affections.

***TL;DR: Currently, this manga doesn't show any real, epic storyline, rather little arcs that matures the character's relationship. There is no major villain, and sooner or later every one comes at peace with one another. It's a very light hearted and enjoyable manga to get into.

2. Ashita no Ousama (Slice of real life, Josei, Completed): I was IN LOVE with this comic. It is just so refreshing via character development, art style, and setting. I recommend this series to every one if you're looking for an original story. Art and story are by Emiko Yachi.

• Summary: Sasaya Yuu is a college student who quickly finds her calling in stage performing and later, script writing. She joins a local theater and learns the ups and downs to the show business, as well as becoming closer to rising performance star, Ishii Touya.
• Heroine: Yuu, like all characters in this story, has both faults and flaws that make her character relate-able. Her passion and honesty gives the traits as a heroine, but impatience towards her dream and naivety that is limiting to her goals makes Yuu's battle more engaging. I believe her to be a heroine that stands on her own.
• Love Interest: First impression of Ishii Touya is that he is just TOO EFFING COOL. Cool, talented, and good looking; he seems to be the perfect love interest for a shojo. However, Touya is still faltering between that line of stage and tv acting and becomes frustrated several times throughout the series when he feels he's disappointed himself. It's very touching to watch his character grow and also how he and Yuu develop respect for each other (among other things).
• Love Rival: Touya's manager, Kina, is the rival for Touya's love. Her and Touya have a history and although that is over and done with, one sees that Kina tries to repair what they once shared. She's very dependable and looks for the best in Touya's future, landing him roles on a TV series. There is also a rival actor for Yuu's affections that appears in the last few chapters.

***TL;DR: Optimistically moving, this series focuses more on being passionate and following your dreams. Although there is a love story, it isn't a big part of the moral. All the character support and motivate each other as well as deal with their own issues. Y'ALL SHOULD READ THIS MANGA.

3. Kokoro Botan (Comedy, School Life, Ongoing): I started and caught up with this series just last night. There were times when reading that I wanted to scream, "STORY OF MY LIFE". It's a relatively feel good manga that often leaves each chapter ending with a nice conclusion.

• Summary: The story follows Kasuga Niina and her "trial" relationship with Koha Eito. However, the smiling boy seems to be playing more with Niina's feelings rather than developing feelings for her.
• Heroine: Clumsy, tactless, and and definitely, gullible; those would probably be the words I use to describe Niina. Although she is very cute, her actions seem a bit desperate at times and some what clingy. It isn't so annoying because it plays very well with Koga's character.
• Love Interest: Koga isn't as mean as one expects him to be when first reading the synopsis. He is more like a teasing, curious observer. Most of the time he leads Niina on, but always means well for her in the end.
• Love Rival: There is an upperclassman who fights for Koga's affections, but she doesn't last for no more than a chapter. There is also Niina's classmate (I cannot remember the name right now..) who is flirts with her in every chapter. The series is still only ten chapters long so it's hard to really pin point a love rival;;

*** TL;DR: This series could still use some work. Although the story is simple, it is not touching enough to really be a "feel good" series, nor does it have a compelling story line. I feel like Koga's fondness for Niina isn't convincing. Niina's persistence for Koga and her insecurities are well done, however. WE WILL SEE HOW THIS SERIES PROGRESSES.

AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REVIEW DUMP PART ONE~~