Happy Birthday to Meeeee

Oh, boy. These birthdays are coming waaay to fast. I've been told I'm a creepy kid. I now know why.

Freelancers Union

Finally got around to becoming a part of the Freelancers Union of New York City. Part in fact they offer affordable benefits.

Got more Magic Cards to be signed in the mail - the fan from Canada was really sweet. She sent me two thank you cards along with the cards. Never had that happen before.

A Fall Soiree

I'm attending a Client Banquet at my reps office tonight. Looking forward to meeting the art directors and art buyers (the two most powerful people in the advertising illustration business). Overall, it's been a very quiet two quarters this summer and fall. Hope I can finish off as much of the book projects before the industry gets back into full gear.

Getting colder all of a sudden, here in Jersey City. Gotta bundle up and dust off the portable heaters soon!

SVA Journal Interview

I've been asked to give an interview about the influence of Manga on art students. More details to follow.

My new business cards came in this week. I can't believe how long it's been the last time I had new cards made. Too long!

In the meanwhile...
GO BOSTON RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q and A

I recently got a good question from an attendee from Manga NEXT. With his permission, I thought it would be a good idea to share his question and my response.

Hello Mr.Okabayashi,
My question is how would one go about drawing blurred images in manga? I
apologize for taking up your time with this since I know you
must be busy, but I'd be grateful if you can give me a reply.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and hope to hear from
you soon.

-Carlos

P.S. I read your current entry on your blog and Death Note is a great manga work. Just as you keep progressing in the story be sure to know when to draw the line between supporting cleverness and true justice o_o

Hi Carlos,

Great meeting you at the convention.

To answer your question, I would say do the coolest thing and use the Gaussian blur tool or motion blur tool in photoshop. Just keep the setting fairly low.

Kensuke

Redesigning the Cover

Currently redesigning the cover for the Wiley Project. They're eight characters that need to be squeeezed on to a 6 by 9 inch space. Just think how many different character types the author had to come up with.

Rainy day in Jersey City with an overdose of humidity. These gloomy days make me remind myself how freelancing is never easy. Not for the faint of heart you guys out there who are thinking about doing it!

Finished the pencils for DS #1

Finally finishing off the pencils for the first issue of Deep Salvage. Not completely satisfied with the results - I'm still trying to get a better idea of all of the characters.

Blast from the Past.

Here's a photo from a Magic Signing event with fellow friends and colleague Thomas Gianni and Anthony Waters! The event was to commemorate the release of Cold Snap.

Late night at the Studio

Just came back from the studio. I'm in the process of trying to sort out all the contacts and addresses on my computer. What a mess - three years of unsorted junk! Can't seem to find that right "syncing" method between my mac computer and my hand held device (not that many software made for the mac I hear.)

Finished a draft for my new business card (another thing that's way over due!)

Death Note

It's been a while since I've read a manga title that I like. I picked up a copy of Death Note and fell in love with the story. My mother was the one who fist mentioned it to me. According to her students, there's a movie adaptation that posted on YouTube. I can't wait to watch it. By the way, the artwork is pretty awesome.

The pursuit of a new Mac!

I've been looking at upgrading my laptop very soon. There are a couple of options of either getting a intel chip macintosh laptop or getting that bulky tower. Either way, it looks like another huge investment. I just wish we could just get one computer which would self-evolve according to our needs. . . .

Yes, that would be just so nice!

Manga NEXT

Another panel event coming up this weekend! I've been invited to do several panel discussions at Manga NEXT Convention from Friday to Sunday. I'll be demonstrating on drawing from life as well as lectures on publishing your works. To learn more about this event, follow this link:
http://www.manganext.org/
I look forward to seeing you there!