itlived

Hey there all my DA people! I know I don't do nearly enough journal entries on this site, but hey, at least you know that when I DO write in my journal on DeviantArt I really do mean it. So with that in mind, I wanted to thank all you great folks who made the launch of my new comic a successful one. Your faving of all the promotional art and steady feedback are really what has made working on the project rewarding from the beginning. I know I'm always thanking folks for things, but I just really appreciate any support I receive. I understand that people don't HAVE to help me, so when they do, I'm really grateful. My new comic "Frolic: A Fairy Tale" went online officially on Monday, November 5th, and I am most excited for what lies ahead. If you haven't yet, I really recommend checking it, especially if you've enjoyed my work in the past. Thanks for everything!



"Cast from out of her quiet dreams, a young doll named 'Frolic' finds herself waking to a twisted world inhabited by malevolent old toys, all of whom seem to want a piece of her. Now, with only her fading memories to guide her, she must find a way to escape this nightmare land, or fall prey to the terrible secrets that govern its darkest corners."

READ IT HERE: scenicfrolic.com

So I've made my recovery and have been doing lots of drawing, though mostly unfinished stuff, so it may be just a tiny bit longer before new art goes up in here.

Being outta commission gave me a good opportunity to catch up on some reading and art study, and man does that stuff help. I ended up having to cancel going to SPX because life happened, but that makes me all the more aggressive to try and get there next year. The next event I'll be at is Intervention, as a Guest (Darkstar has some blog entries on it). Check it out, it's a pretty cool show.

Other than that, I'm just generally happy to be back and working, and I really appreciate all the support you all have provided for me. I've had some serious rough patches this year, and the enthusiasm all of you bring into my life has really helped me move beyond things. It's really challenged me to really keep things alive on my DeviantArt end. I really do love the community of friends and fans here.

More soon. Thanks again for all you do.

So if you hadn't had the chance to check the news over at Darkstar, I went to my Doctor about some increasingly worsening joint-pains I was suffering from in my drawing hand/wrist/arm. Fortunately it's not Carpal Tunnel, or Rheumatoid Arthritis, but (not so fortunately) a heinous joint cramp that's been a year or so in the making. I've been told to give drawing a rest for a bit. This means my comic "Fajita" is on hiatus until I can make a decent recovery. I wanna already express my gratitude for how kind the readers have been in allowing me the time off. For my DA fans this doesn't mean anything particularly new since it's been ages since my last update (something that I should probably admit was due to the joint cramps preventing me from doing more than the day's share of comics), though when things finally do heal up, I really wanna practice some better drawing habits, which in turn should translate into my long-expected DeviantArt revitalization. That said, I'd like to extend a hearty thanks to all my watchers, new and longtime, for your patience. I love you, and all of the support you guys just will not stop giving. You folks are amazing, and I really don't know what I'd do without you. Many thanks!

P.S: As a last bit of unfortunate news, my plans to attend Otakon fell through this week. I really wanna apologize too, I know some of you were really looking forward to some quality chill time, but sometimes stuff just goes awry. I do however have plans to hit up some other cons in the Baltimore/DC area if that works out for you. For now, here's where I'm planning to be at:

SPX (Bethesda MD, September 15-16)
Just hanging around.

Intervention (Rockville MD, September 21-23)
Cool con. I'm a Guest there.

AnimeUSA (Washington Marriott Wardman Park, November 09-11)
Just chillin'. Still 50/50.

I always enjoy running into you guys.

It's February once again, so you know what that means.. KATSUCON! Mike and I will be hitting up National Harbor's Katsucon 18 on behalf of good ol' Team Darkstar once again this year, my friends. We'll be in the Artist's Alley dishing out awesomeness and rocking our Posters, Prints, and Comic books in the faces of passers-by!! If things are anything like last year, I look forward to perhaps running into some of you DA-folks and Fajita-readers who might already be in town for the weekend. I'll be more than happy to deal out Commissions or just talk.. and talk.. and talk.. and talk with you! I like talking.. With people, I mean. As opposed to, you know.. Not talking.

Also, I wanna give a great big, juicy, enthusiastic THANK YOU to all the beautiful new watchers that have popped onto my page these past few weeks. If it weren't for what you folks do by faving and subscribing to my artwork, I'd be next to nothing. Keep being incredible.

Lots of love like Always,
Ryan

Wait, what? 2011 is over already? But I was just getting started! Ah well.. By now I'm sure you guys know me well enough that you've noticed just how positively worked up I get when the New Year comes around, haha.

It's a time of year that means a lot to me, probably more than any other time. There's just something special about it, and not in a New-York-City-ball-dropping kinda way. New Year's reminds me of when I first set out to be a professional artist only 3 years ago. Coming off of some heavy emotional trauma, I sought refuge in my pursuit of the arts, namely the art of creating manga (or comics, whichever term you prefer). I remember the feeling, the excitement, the reckless sense of obsession that spurred me on with boldness into a field I really didn't know anything about.

I've been extremely blessed and fortunate to have met with such excellent people (both online and off) like yourselves who have always been there to encourage me along the way. I'm reminded of all the incredible opportunities that have come my way since I started this crazy expedition. There's been ups and downs, highs and lows, success and failure, but hey, it's all been amazing.

Those are the kind of feelings that well up within me this time of year. And I hope that perhaps to some degree, New Year's does the same for all of you. The concept of starting anew, and leaving the old behind is something I find incredibly moving, and then again, it's only natural.

It's been a full year, so I reckon it's time to start another one. Hope all of you have had a safe Holiday and continue on into a dazzling New Year.

Best of Luck,
Ryan