TTQ's Bog Blog

Tumblr

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Check out my latest exploits over on my Tumblr blog: nmallenart.tumblr.com

Tekkoshocon 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:36:00 +0000

It's almost Tekko time and once again this year my husband and I will be selling along side Dani Cat Designs in Artists Alley. The Ed Head will not be joining us as we've been taken over by frogs from space... no really...

"Attention Pekoponian worshipers of the Head that is Ed! We have taken capture of your beloved mascot and as such we are taking over the nmallenart.com art table this year at Tekkoshocon to raise proceeds for our impending invasion! Surrender you Gundam... I mean the planet! Buy our stuff! Support the Keronian takeover!"

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 03:41:00 +0000

2012 is almost over. Time is just flying by.

This year I hit the big three o, changed jobs, conquered the city, lost a loyal companion and made new friends. It was a year of ups and downs. Mostly ups, I can't complain. Life is ridiculous in a grand, beautiful and humorous way. I hope I still see the world the same way or better come next year. Here's hoping 2013 brings everyone more ups and less downs!

Wishing you a safe and happy new year!

Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 20:17:00 +0000

If you haven't played Thatgamecompany's emotion invoking game simply titled Journey. Stop everything you're doing and go play it now! No matter what type of gamer you are, you won't be sorry!

Journey, the third game by acclaimed indie developers thatgamecompany (presented by SCEA Santa Monica Studio), is "an anonymous online adventure" featuring breathtaking visuals, enchanting music, and innovative gameplay which translates into a truly beautiful gaming experience unlike any other.

Journey is available on PSN. The Collectors Edition which features a plethora of extras including Thatgamecompany's Flower and Flow is currently available for pre-order (via Amazon and GameStop) to be released on August 28th.

May the 4th be with you.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:08:00 +0000

Today is Star Wars Day, the Avengers Movie is out, tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day and the Super Moon will be back. It is a good weekend to be a geek.

While the extent of my Star Wars Day celebration consists of posting a youTube video of a Robot Chicken Star Wars clip on Facebook, I always have plans for Free Comic Book Day. This year I'll be visiting a comic shop I've never been to. Followed by a viewing of the Avengers movie and hopefully a photo shoot of the Super Moon. I can't wait!

For Free Comic Book Day, which occurs on the first Saturday every May, participating comic shops give free comics to anyone who visits their store and often promote other merchandise, sales and discounts.

Publishers specifically create books to be given away. I am always impressed with the selection of free titles. There really is something for everyone. Here are the previews for tomorrow's free books: http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/981

If you're reading this I hope you choose to participate. Don't be afraid to take the kids. I used to love to give extra books to my co-workers to take home to their kids!

Check out the Free Comic Book Day website to find a participating store near you.

The Skyward Sword

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Currently eating away my free time is The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword. I've been a big fan of the Legend of Zelda game series for a while now. In a closet somewhere in my house rests the golden cartridge of legend. We never beat that original game and my interests moved to Nintendo's first big competitor, SEGA. It wasn't until Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and the bonus collection that I really realized how great the series had become.

As the earliest story in the current Zelda continuity, Skyward Sword ties many of the more modern Zelda games together. So far it has proven to me to be a beautiful 25th Anniversary series celebration full of homages and Easter Eggs. But it's much more than just a milestone anniversary game. Artistically I think it's very sold. The game play is more fun than it is frustrating. The story and character development are right were they need to be. I haven't finished it yet. I won't say it is my favorite Zelda game so far because I don't know. But I do know even with the glitch controversy, it's a game worth experiencing and I'll probably be sad when it's over and beaten.

Adding Links to a blog post never made me smile so much. If you don't get it, you should be playing.

Birthday Brrrraains!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Recently I was asked to do a very special commission which I'm excited to finally share with everyone!

Like me, Asher is a huge Plants vs Zombies fan! His favorite zombie from the game, produced by PopCap, is the elusive and mysterious Yeti Zombie. I was asked to draw the Yeti Zombie for buttons in time for his birthday and right away I knew I had to make brain ice cream!

I enjoyed everything about this request, but when I received the photo this morning I was on top of the world. There's nothing like drawing for kids!

Otakon 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:24:00 +0000

This past weekend my husband and I drove to Baltimore for Otakon 2011.

It was my fourth trip and each year seems to get better and better. This year my goal was to meet Bob Shirohata, an Anime director who recently worked on the Anime adaption of my favorite web-comic, Hetalia. For those not in the Anime loop, it's hard to arrange for Japanese Anime industry professionals to attend conventions in the U.S. This was Shirohata's second U.S. convention and it was on our side of the country. I had to be there.

We arrived a little later than planned on Saturday morning, missing Shirohata's solo autograph session. Luckily we were just in time to get in line for the Hetalia Season Three Premiere which included a Q&A session with the Japanese and English voice actors and directors. It's always hard for us older fans to deal with the younger screaming fan-girl crowd, but I was able to endure and enjoyed all of the festivities provided by Funimation, the English distributor of the series. Charlene Ingram, the brand manager for Hetalia at Funimation, is my marketing hero. I love watching her use social media, rainbows and sparkles too keep us fans happy.

Saturday evening I finally had my chance to approach Shirohata at the Hetalia Cast signing. While waiting in line I saw Charlene looking in our direction. At last year's premiere of season two I hoped to have the chance to thank her for all of her hard work in person but she never got close enough for me to address her. She did manage to catch me watching her like a creeper when she took a photo of the crowd. I was so embarrassed when she posted the picture, even though she didn't point it out. I didn't want to repeat that so this year when I saw her looking our way I waved. She waved back with a smile then unexpectedly walked all the way back over to us. We talked for a bit and I finally had my chance to meet my girl crush in person and say thanks.

The wait didn't feel as long as it was. We were ushered in and managed to be in the third row of autograph seekers. I wanted everyone's autograph, but seeing Shirohata in person was something special. I had thought about what I wanted to say to him for days before we left for the convention. I wanted him to know that I was there because of him. I tweeted that I wanted to shake his hand, thank him, tell him that I loved watching his commentaries and that he has awesome hair. As the line moved I wondered if the man standing next to him was a translator. Did I mention Shirohata doesn't speak English? I quickly wondered what if he isn't a translator? What should I say? What about the cultural differences?

It was my turn and I handed Shirohata my copy of the Hetalia Animation Official Guide Book to sign. He threw me by saying "Hello." I don't know why it threw me. I know a few Japanese words, it's not at all surprising that he'd know an English greeting. I hesitated then made my decision and settled on telling him that I really enjoyed his commentaries that were subtitled extras on some of the DVDs. The next thing I knew the man next to him was translating and I smiled. I've never had my feelings translated to someone before and that really hit me in a profound way. He smiled and said Arigato. I wanted to say more, but did not want to hold up the line. I thanked him both in English and Japanese and moved along to greet the other guests.

I was casually cosplaying as the character France so I greeted the English voice actor who did his voice, J. Michael Tatum, with "Bonjour" which lead to him speaking to me in French and me staring like an idiot because I failed French in middle school. At least he joined me in the character's notorious "honhonhon" laugh. My husband, who does voices for fun, commented that he heard a lot of Maurice Chevailer in Tatum's version of France and got an amused response. He also teased Scott Freeman, who voiced Britain, about English food. I couldn't think of anything other than to tell Patrick Seitz (Germany), Scott Sager (Egypt/English Director) and Akira Sasanuma (Japanese voice actor for Austria) that I really enjoyed their work and thank you. I truly do love and appreciate everyone's hard work on the series.

I was on cloud nine the rest of the con. It might not seem like a big deal to most people but meeting the professionals that work so hard to entertain us and to have the chance to tell them how much their work means to us, how much they mean to us, will have me coming back to Otakon for years to come.

Funny Love

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:54:00 +0000

I've known of the South Korean cartoon character, Pucca, for a while. I'm not really sure why I waited so long to look into her story. Pepe Le Pew was never this charming.

A few years back my boss went to a licensing expo and brought me back a Pucca bag. I was psyched that she saw this particular bag and thought of me. It is very much my style. Prior to that, I've seen Pucca charms show up at my local Anime conventions and Pucca was briefly mentioned in the original web version of the Hetalia manga. Still I was too preoccupied with other things to investigate.

A few months ago I came across Pucca's Kissing Game in the Wii Ware Store. It was described as an Interactive Cartoon. How could I resist? I purchased, played and started falling for Pucca. Shortly after my purchase, I Googled her, found myself on Wikipedia and was surprised to learn Pucca is currently owned by Disney. I investigated the brand website. It's not what I'm used to when it comes to cartoon websites, very focused on the brand and licensing. My investigation stopped there, until the other night when my husband and I teamed up to beat Pucca's Kisses Game. The next morning we were happily watching episodes on YouTube. That afternoon we started a new game on Pucca's Kisses Game.

I can't tell you how much I love it when simple concepts are done beautifully. The art style is tight, the story is there and anyone can enjoy it. The fact that Pucca and Garu, the love of her life, do not speak while the supporting cast does, is genius. It really adds to the feel of the cartoon. I highly recommend Pucca to anyone who enjoys short, cute, funny cartoons with a lot of heart. I love Pucca

Happy Birthday, Sonic!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:07:00 +0000

Today fans are celebrating 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog by looking back at the classic games we grew up with and looking forward to the upcoming release of Sonic Generations, a game which promises to be a beautiful homage to a character we know and love.

Anyone who knows me personally, knows how big of an influence Sonic was on me. Yet this is the first time I ever celebrated his birthday. I remember mentions of the tenth and fifteenth anniversary, the tenth anniversary statue is the pride of my Sonic collection, but never before have I been able to witness a celebration of this magnitude and I have another love of mine to thank for that: Social Media.

Social media and damn good brand managing and publicity, on SEGA's part, allowing insights into a company I've wanted to be a part of since I was a kid. I feel like I'm the one getting birthday presents! If you're a fan and not following SEGA on Twitter or Facebook, you should be!

Help me help @SEGA get #sonic20th trending on Twitter for the US. I am currently posting #thingssonictaughtme to share all the good vibes and positive messages that can be found in Sonic games and the music created for them.

Here's a shaky but fun fan video from Sonic Boom 2011 which is just a glimpse into the festivities held during E3.

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings & the Lost Ocean

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 May 2011 18:41:00 +0000

I don't know why I feel like I haven't played a video game in a long time. It certainly isn't true.

A few weeks ago I decided to resume playing Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. I bought it back in 2003 when it came out. Played it for a little while and got distracted by something I can't remember. I was impressed by the visuals and the unique turn based card game style battle system.

Surprisingly over the eight years Baten Kaitos sat dormant in my pile of games, the quality held up to the standards I remembered and appreciated. I did run into a few glitches and a boss battle that was less than fair but that hasn't stopped me. Interesting characters, stunning scenery and enjoyable game play outshines the typical cheesy voices and complicated storyline of a Anime style RPG. Someone somewhere along the line of production had a sense of humor that I get. Occasional notes on items and battle dialog make me laugh out loud.

I haven't beaten the game yet. I am not expecting anything amazing but I doubt a lame ending would take too much away from the things I really enjoyed so far.

Sadly in-game cut-scenes are not as pretty...

Tekkoshocon

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:23:00 +0000

Dani Cat Designs and NMALLENART.COM will return to Tekkoshocon this year. Look for us in Artists Alley near Manifested Dreams.

I will have new merchandise like jewelry and key chains as well as new paper wallets for gamers, otaku and comic book fans. The magnetic dress up dolls will return so stop by and put your favorite bishōnen in a dress or sailor fuku. Buttons are a staple of ours and of course get your photo taken with the Ed Head. The best photos will be featured on our Facebook page!

See you there!

Etsy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:14:00 +0000

A few months back I started selling art on Etsy.com. Etsy's mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Their vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice: Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade. How awesome is that? I'm hoping to do most of my holiday shopping on Etsy this year and you should too.

Please visit my store http://www.etsy.com/shop/nmallenart and check out all the great items other Etsy sellers have to offer!

It's Yard Sale Season...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:25:00 +0000

...and I can't help myself. Yard/Garage Sales, Flea Markets & Thrift Stores are great for art inspiration.

You could stumble across a unique item that demands you start yet another craft project or maybe the finishing touch for your current project will find you. Regardless, it's worth a look. So if you pass a sale, take a moment out of your day and stop. Who knows what treasure you may find.

This year I brought home a handwritten recipe book, an old copy of The How And Why Wonder Book of Guns (Wonder Books, Inc. 1963) which has great illustrations, a desk-top easel to display my new art book, a wall mirror with cork board to display some of my costume jewelry as well as a few creative shelving solutions.

Soon I'll have my own sale in effort to make more room for next year's finds.

My Ed Head

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:43:00 +0000

This year at Tekkoshocon I decided to start a new tradition. Become a fan of "My Ed Head" on Facebook and check out this year's most comical convention photos.

April Fools and the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:56:00 +0000

I really appreciate how so many internet entities use the opportunity of April Fools Day to play with their websites. It shows a comical and creative side that we don't always see. Here are a few from today that I find amusing.

Google is notorious for playing along, this year they've changed their name to Topeka.
deviantArt changed their users icons again this year to one of several "Team" somethings from Twilight or Lady Gaga. I think the icon swap they pulled two years ago was funnier.
LiveJournal says that their beloved mascot, Frank the goat, has been asked to star in an upcoming 3D movie about a goat and his lawyer: Frank & Stein. I don't know about you, but I'd go see it.
IGN released a fake movie trailer for the popular video game series Halo. A few years ago the did one for Zelda.

I don't see anything from Twitter or Facebook yet, but it's early. If you're looking for more April Fools Day Internet Pranks? Check out: http://twitter.com/AprFoolsDay

Superman Sells for $1.5M

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:42:00 +0000

Today ComicConnect.com sold a copy of the 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 (which was the debut of Superman) for $1.5 million.

I like comics. I like comics a lot. Still I can't understand in this economy who can justify spending that much on a comic. Yes, I understand it's the holy grail of comics, but look around at the world right now. Can you honestly say that if you had $1.5 million to spare you'd spend it this way?

I would like to see a comic like that sold to a museum, money donated to some charity for the arts or something. Then again if I was the seller, would I want to part with any of that money? I could fix my house, get real health insurance for me, my family and friends, invest and probably still have something to donate.

I guess $1.5 million is a drop in the bucket these days, but I know a lot of people that could really use an extra $1, $5, $10, $20 just to get bills paid or put towards medication and food. I'd like to hear that someone did something charitable from this transaction. I'd like to see more news stories about the comic community striving to make a difference in the lives of others.

Eddie Is Dead?!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:55:00 +0000

When I saw the news that teen idol Corey Haim passed away my mind started spinning. I couldn't place him.

I've never been very good with movie or music trivia. I can't really name celebrities unless they are super iconic or I become a big fan of their work. I'm not proud of this so in order to broaden my trivia horizon I had to look him up.

That's when I found something I recognized but wasn't expecting. Corey starred in a full motion SEGA game called Double Switch. A game I wouldn't have bought but it just so happened to come with my SEGA CD. This person everyone else knew as Corey I knew as Eddie.

I never beat the game and didn't find out until today that Eddie wasn't the good guy he appeared to be. I'm sad. I liked Eddie. I wanted to help him. Even if this wasn't one of my favorite games I felt attached to the character as I played. These days I try to do my homework to discover the people behind the characters I enjoy. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner Corey. Thanks for the memory.

I need to go back and play this game. I am now aware that R. Lee Ermey was in it as well.

Tekkoshocon VIII

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:58:00 +0000

Dani Cat Designs and NMALLENART.COM will return to Tekkoshocon this year. Look for us in Artists Alley near Manifested Dreams. I may need to leave with an Octobloop this year :3 More info as the event approaches.

World Hetalia Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:46:00 +0000

Never before have I seen a phenomenon like Hidekaz Himaruya's manga/anime series, Axis Powers Hetalia.

What started as a Japanese web comic depicting a satire of history, culture and world events is now a published manga and anime series. That's pretty awesome in itself, however thanks to very active fans and the powers of the internet the popularity of this series has skyrocketed.

With the exception of some Korean protesters, people across the globe have lovingly adopted the characters which represent the many nations that make up our world. The result? October 24th is World Hetalia Day. According to the event's facebook page (so far) 28 countries are celebrating in 104 different locations. 104 separate events on the same day to celebrate Hetalia.

What makes it so amazing? Neither the manga nor the anime have been released in the U.S. as of yet. Manga strips were posted online and a translated by fans. The anime was released over cellphones and the internet, subtitles were made available by fans. The fact that fans and the powers of the internet took this series to the level of a world wide celebrated holiday is what makes it so amazing to me.

I'll be celebrating tomorrow too. Click here for the directory of public event locations.

Cartoon Network Goes Live Action

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:41:00 +0000

Cartoon Network is promoting it's summer lineup and I don't like what I see. Four new live action reality shows have been announced and none of them have anything to do with the animation industry!

Show number one, The Outsiders, is basically a teen version of Ghost Hunters or Paranormal State. Show number two, Survive This, is obviously a teen rendition of Survivor. Show number three, Brain Rush, is a trivia show that looks like Cash Cab but with teens and rollercoasters. Last but not least show number four, Destroy Build Destroy, is a Discovery Channel-esque show where teams of teens build and destroy stuff.

Hmm there seems to be a trend here. Obviously Cartoon Network is trying to expand it's teen audience. I guess Adult Swin just isn't cutting it. If that's the case why couldn't they have put more focus on getting the rights to air popular new anime or developing high quality cartoons like Total Drama Action and 6teen?

If they really had to go the reality/game show route why couldn't they have done one for animators where the winner gets a job at a real studio or maybe a contract to produce their cartoon as a Cartoon Network Original? How about behind the scenes programming of how cartoons are made these days? Interview big names in the industry from animators to voice actors and send some cameras overseas to where all the tweens are produced. Where's the all cartoon trivia game show? There are so many great options for this avenue.

I guess what bothers me most about all of this has been bothering me since Adult Swim started airing shows with poor quality production. With a name like Cartoon Network they should strive to be the best in the field of art and animation. Focus on reputation and quality. Ratings are important, but so is the legacy of animation.

Doodle 4 Google: Time to Vote

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:25:00 +0000

Help select Google's National Finalists from their 40 Regional Winners.

Kawaii Not

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:34:00 +0000

My friends and I discovered Kawaii Not last weekend on a trip to Barnes & Noble. "The comic for cute gone bad" by Meghan Murphy is a four panel webcomic that features inanimate objects with cute faces that say and do things that just don't seem right.

What a great concept! Check out more comics at kawaiinot.com.

Google Image Search: With COLOR!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:01:00 +0000

I just happened to notice today that Google Image Search now lets your search for images of a specific color. How awesome is that?

I have no idea when this happened, but I just felt I had to make a note of it.

Try it out! http://images.google.com/imghp?hl=en

Tegaki vs. Oekaki

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:28:00 +0000

So I am experimenting with a Tegaki E blog. For some reason I expected it to be more advanced than my old Oekaki board. So far I'm not that impressed...

Don't get me wrong, the whole concept of a doodle blog is awesome. I love the idea that people can respond to your art with more art. It seems like a great medium for role playing artists like myself, if you have someone to draw with, that is.

Still the actual Tegaki tools are basic. You can zoom, but you can't scroll. You can pick colors from a large pallette, but there's no paint bucket. You can change opacity but there is no watercolor brush. Everything is on a single layer and there is no mask mode. At least you can save and retouch your work.

Basic advise for anyone who wants to use an internet based drawing program: Take screenshots often!

If you want to look me up on Tegaki, I don't really have anything up yet. But you can find me here. http://www.unowen.net/tegaki/uentries.php?u=62488