Signing at the Book Expo in NYC

Weather is getting hotter here in Jersey City. The studio renovation is coming to an end (finally!) I'll be doing a book signing at the National Book Expo at Jacob Javits Convention Center tomorrow (Friday) from 2-3pm. Anyone in the area, please come on by and say hello!!

Revamping my studio

Finished with some storyboards for LG Electronics yesterday and the day before. Had to do 28 frames! Unghh. So today I'm taking some time off to revamp my studio. It really needs a major make over! I also need to make sure that if or when guests come over, the place doesn't look like all hell just broke loose. Paper and drawings are everywhere right now.

Signing at Borders / Manhattan

Another great Monday morning. Working on location right now doing story boards for Brand Buzz Ad Agency. I'll be doing a store signing this Sunday from 7pm at Borders Bookstores Kips Bay. They're located on 32nd Street and 2nd Avenue. Come drop by and say high!

Signing at Barnes and Noble at Princeton Market Fair

Just came back from Chicago. I will be doing a signing at Princeton Market Fair this Saturday the 19th from 2pm. I think it will last for a couple of hours. Here's the address:

Barnes and Noble Princeton
3535 US Route 1 South
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-716-1570

Please come by and say hi!

Signing at Barnes and Noble at Wheaton, Illinois

Well this month is signing month. I'm kicking off with an evening at Barnes and Noble in Wheaton, Illinois. It's on the 11th starting at 7p.m. (a Friday). I'll post details within the next couple of days. Other dates include another Barnes and Noble in Princeton Market Fair, NJ, and Borders in Manhattan. Just finished off some designs for Camel. I just came across an interesting article about the specific brand I was illustrating for. 5 Senetors are saying that they company is targeting teenage girls. Stay tuned. . . .

MFD Hits Germany and France!

Exciting news today. I just got a letter from Wiley saying that Manga for Dummies has been selected to be translated and published in German and French! More information to follow.

Johnny Hart Passes Away

Hats off to Johnny Hart (creator and artist of "B.C."). He passed away on Easter weekend. He was one of the few Christian cartoonists in the main stream syndications who had the guts to include Christian themes into his works. The last strip which was on Easter day was very touching and witty. I'm sure he's drawing like crazy in heaven as we speak. God bless you, Johnny.

Pig under the Weather

Feeling a bit under the weather as I'm struggling with trying to learn the Manga Studio software. Ironically, while the difficult and tedious tasks are made easy with this software, the more simpler tasks I take for granted are frustratingly hard to accomplish. But then again, I'm sure this is somthing we all identify with.

Quick Reminder of Store Signing

Hello, Good People.
Reminding everyone I will be doing a store signing tonight from 7 - 9 pm at the Chicklet Book Store in Hillsborough, NJ at 381 Triangle Road. Call 908-359-2790 for information. Tomorrow, I'll be at Glen Echo Books at Princeton, 14 Nassau Street from 2-4pm. Call 609-921-2268 for information.

Digital Inks

Deadlines are never ending as usual. On the side, I'm finally finding my way into getting the digital inking/painting results I want using Painter and Photoshop combined. I'm planning on getting the upgrade, Painter 10. I'm curious to see what new features this version has in stock. Stay tuned for example posts. I'm really excited about the marker felt tip in particular.

Pittsburgh Comicon

I'm attending Pittsburgh Comicon next month in April 27th -29th. For more information, visit http://www.pittsburghcomicon.com/. This is the 4th time I'm attending this convention. I like going to these smaller shows because it's more laid back which generally allows me to talk to other artists on the floor.

March Book Store Signing Dates!

I'll be signing copies of Manga for Dummies on March 30th (Friday Evening 7pm to 9pm) at:

Chicklet Books
381 Triangle Rd
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
908-359-2790
www.chickletbooks.com

On March 31st (Saturday Afternoon 2pm to 4pm)

Glen Echo Books
14 Nassau St
Princeton, NJ 08542
609-921-2268

BONUS CHAPTER NOW AVAILABLE

Due to the large amount of contents of the book, some of the material had to be omitted. However, you can now visit the following link by copying and pasting the following link into your internet browser. This chapter is about self-promoting your manga creation.

http://media.wiley.com/assets/1152/60/Bonus_Chapter01.pdf

New post @ Manga for Dummies Blog

I've posted a topic up for discussion about "what is Manga"? You can joing the discussion here at mangafordummies.blogspot.com.

Working on Tiki Road cover.

I'm almost done working on Tiki Road cover. Tiki Road is a project I've been working with writer, Sal Cipriano (Bio Boy - Speak Easy Comics). You can see the character sketches at my studio website, www.piggybackstudios.com. I'll post it here as well as comicspace.com. when I'm finished.

Manga for Dummies Blogspot Created

Just letting everyone know I've opened a blogspot to address comments based on "Manga for Dummies." Visit the following www.mangafordummies.blogspot.com.

Javacomics.com Updated

A modified and improved java website is now up. I hope to add more features in the upcoming months, but I wanted to put something different up as soon as I could.

Comicspace.com

I recently signed up for comicspace.com. My writer and friend has told me that it's basically the myspace version for comic book artists and fans. My user name is kensuke. I'll be posting images of works from Tiki Road there soon.

Manga for Dummies is now available.

I just got word that Manga for Dummies is now available at Amazon as well as bookstores (earlier than I anticipated).

Portfolio Website Updated

My professional illustration portfolio website has been updated. Visit www.piggybackstudios.com.