Forgot your password?
Words of Wisdom from Space (Coyote)
These are the collected tweets of Nina Matsumoto, more frequently known as space coyote. For up-to-the-minute action, check out her twitter page. As the stuttery nature of multi-tweet statements is rather bothersome, I've added some punctuation and squished together tweets where needed.
Manga Pet Peeves
manga pet peeve #3 -- though this applies more to webcomics and OEL manga -- TOO MANY CHIBIS! instead of chibis, draw a funny facial expression/pose or a more creative type of "super deform". It will increase your art power
manga pet peeve #1: old people who look like young beautiful people with nasal labial folds and baggy eyes (common in shoujo mangas). Study old ppl! Look at famous stars past&present e.g. Clint Eastwood http://i37.tinypic.com/jtmf... features change subtly over time! we do more than simply wrinkle over time. Older people have fascinating faces and are fun to draw. Don't fall into the shoujo manga trap. we do more than simply wrinkle over time. Older people have fascinating faces and are fun to draw. Don't fall into the shoujo manga trap. I DO like shoujo manga, by the way. I just think it's ridiculous when a teenage girl's father looks like this: http://tinyurl.com/y96wmec
one of my biggest manga pet peeves: everyone looking exactly the same (save for different hair styles and clothes). I admire Yuusuke Murata of Eyeshield 21 for designing so many characters who all look very different from each other. aspiring manga artists: please study people! Real people! We are all built differently and our facial features are arranged in many ways!
On Equipment
I'm no tool geek but I swear by this mechanical pencil: Pilot's Dr. Grip http://tinyurl.com/lusxxw More lead is produced not just by clicking but by giving it a shake. Makes for non-interrupted drawing. The large grip is good for my wrist. the only problem: now every time I use a mechanical pencil, I shake it to try to get more lead out like a foolbeen using non-photo blue pencils for the pencil roughs in Last Airbender so far. Makes for much cleaner sketches! yes, I am ALWAYS behind when it comes to using the correct art tools. The entirety of Yokaiden vol 1 was inked using disposable pens. this is why you should never ask me for advice concerning comic tools. I am clueless.
Art Theft
why do people ask me permission to link to my pictures? "art theft" witch hunts have rendered people super paranoid about doing anything past looking at a picture online without permission. repost: my stance on "art theft" http://bit.ly/1vnnsdMisinterpretation
I think it's important to note Yokaiden isn't meant to be historically accurate much because it's the yokai that matters, not the setting. if I had to put up a caption at the beginning it would say "At some vague point in history, in some Japan-esque setting." I'm sure readers get the idea from all the anachronism! But then I've read reviews from people under the impression Yokaiden is a drama. I think it's safe to say my work pretty much never takes itself very seriously. Yokaiden is full of fairy tale tropes so the dark subject matters within are treated as lightheartedly as they are in fairy tales. One of the inspirations is "Shita-kiri Suzume": http://tinyurl.com/cftgqr
Personal Works versus Commissions
One thing I like
about Yokaiden: it is so very... "me" and true to the things I like.
This can be good and bad 'cause I have strange tastes but I'd rather be successful with a creation suited to my own tastes rather than someone else's, which is why I
don't ALWAYS enjoy doing commissions. Some clients have made me think
"if you don't like my style, why did you hire me..." Mind you, most of
my clients have been awesome and very fun and easy to work with and for
that I feel blessed! Sometimes I miss those daysmost of my life I have said "there are two things I can't draw: boats and monkeys". Now I'm having to draw a whole lotta boats
On being a professional
I was told I'd get the script for Last Airbender by the end of July. Then, the second week of August. But it hasn't come yet. Worried... I'm concerned about the increasing lack of time I'm being given to work on the Last Airbender comic"[A professional is] someone who has a deadline" -Naoki Urasawa
On being e-famous
I am wondering if I'll ever get to do an interview where the subject of Simpsonzu is never brought up...
I love meeting Saturnalia fans in person. Cool to know people have been following me for so long
Identity Crisis
Yokaiden 2 listed in this brochure: http://tinyurl.com/l6zdz5 "Story Locale: Japan Author Hometown: Japan" I am not from Japan >:Unor am I an "American author" which so many sites describe me as. Let it be known that I'm Canadian!
@debaoki I pronounce it "MANG-guh"
"ROUNDTABLE: What is Manga?" I can't say I agree with many of the things said here: http://tinyurl.com/ck5cas
"what's manga" discussions hurt my head because I'm Japanese but born in Canada so I'm always hovering in a grey area!
by some ppl's definitions, what I do can't be called manga. But... I kind of doubt I can market it as a non-manga comic. I'm not trying to emulate anything. I just do what I like and what comes naturally to me. I grew up reading manga so the style stuck with me. I've tried adopting a more western style before and it just wasn't fun.
if Americans had a kid in Japan, and said kid grew up there and drew American superhero style comics, is it manga
@aicnanime Can't we call everything comics? "Monster" is a Japanese comic. "Yokaiden" is a Japanese-style comic. Everybody's happy?
if I were born in Japan....would my comic be considered more manga then??!
haha, even in Vancouver '09, people still assume I'm from China. Mistake my nationality: fine. Assume I wasn't even born here: what?? reminds me of when I was in Japan and someone there asked if I'm half white
Money
Canada Council for the Arts rejected my travel grant request. Guess I won't get any reimbursement for my SDCC trip. I was warned that they're biased towards the "finer arts" like paintings and novels, so not too surprised, but still disappointing. also had to turn down a Bongo Comics job because I'm going to be busy with Airbender. All in all, a bad day for me in regards to moneyRandom
I don't like using hair dryers. I get nervous when I aim towards my head a vaguely gun-shaped tool that blasts scorching hot air
