PART TIME SHUFFLE

With another down in the books, I have to say that I truly enjoyed @AnimeNYC this year—and while I definitely enjoyed the inaugural event last year it’s safe to say that each year improves on the previous.

As someone who isn’t a regular within the con-circuit, I was pleasantly surprised with just how many people showed to my table to find out more about @PartTimeShuffle. The internet is a big place and with so many talented creatives putting their work out there, you can easily get lost in the ether of so much content but this past weekend showed me that people really are paying attention and I can’t express enough about how grateful I am for the support.

There’s nothing quite like meeting with your fans, but more importantly, understanding that they understand your work. 2018 was the year that vaporwave fans and fighting game fans were out in full force showing love for PTS, something that before I moved to New York I don’t think I really thought would happen. I don’t have the hugest following in the world but my fans mean a lot to me in regards to this project and seeing the fanbase grow only inspires me to put my all into everything that is Part Time Shuffle. Everything.

The most recent chapter was my biggest one yet, closing in on nearly 50 pages…who knows? Maybe there might be an even bigger chapter to come :p

I’m absolutely looking forward to Anime NYC 2019!

And with that, I’m gonna enjoy some relaxation…for once.

- Note: For those that have been asking about online store purchases…expect an announcement next week!

While I’m not quick to throw a tutorial out there for anyone, I get asked to show some semblance of process with my comic/illustration work. I’m usually hesitant to for silly reasons but will be quick to point out how awesome it is to see the energy on other fellow artists’ work.

It’s silly.

My fellow “Dong-seng” (동생 ) Mackenzi Ko sort of challenged me to cut the silliness out and show some stuff, so that’s what I’m doing. We inspire each other enough to push our work as far as we can within the limits of a dayjob, so I figure this challenge will be fun too.

If anything, I’m hoping to show that any art really comes from some bit of careful planning and that no piece starts out looking neat and tight. No one person draws exactly the same as we all reach our conclusions based on our own visual language but one thing is for sure.

We all start somewhere.

Hopefully this inspires someone to work through the muddiness that art can be sometimes…just like your favorite animator, illustrator, or comic artist does.

For my own visual clarity, I don’t always start with a blank (white) file. I used to and after a while it just didn’t work out for me. I sketch with brighter colors for this same reason, blocking in masses with white since it works within the medium I’m creating. This also helps me understand how blocks of negative and active space work out in a page or an illustration, compositionally.

While all of my notes aren’t present here, there’s a lot of problem-solving that happens with any image in comics or animation. Expressing what you need and want in these early stages prevents needless frustration with the end result. It’s the kind of patience that really didn’t grow on me until I worked digitally.

I can’t express this more but just remember that everyone is different. Sometimes, once I get the basic understanding of where I want things to be I start finalizing. The power of digital is what it is, since I can easily attack a noticeable issue without too much consequence. Normally, I wait and actually do all parts of the process in order with each panel. With this page, I wasn’t with the shits, I guess.

I wanted to get right to it. Again, That’s the power of Ctrl+Z.

With Part Time Shuffle, I tend to wear a lot of hats. There’s a lot that I want to do with this project—and despite the challenges or being a creative with goals specifically regarding original content.

// SHUFFLE  FIGHTER ZERO...TWO!// 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

If there’s a place I’ve been a bit absent from its definitely Tumblr. So much has happened within 2016 and 2017 regarding this project and Tephlon Funk that I haven’t really thought too much about Tumblr but I’m hoping to change that this year!  The intention was to finish this piece right before midnight, but after cleaning my apartment all day, and running some last minute errands I didn't get a chance to finish this until a little later today? Ha, so I guess this is technically the last illustration of 2017-INTO 2018?  Anyways, when I sat down and started roughing this out--I thought about how in general its safe to say that 2017 has been a tumultuous year for a lot of us for a lot of different reasons and while there’s definitely some resilience to consider here--a lot of us are just...tired.  I wanted to show that in a way with the main character from Part Time Shuffle and another accompanying character. In terms of practicality, I thought, “ Well. Jacinda’s hair is pretty short...let’s put her into the mix! I can draw her pretty fast!” 

Then I realized, that if there’s anyone that Meiko would turn up with or want to hang out with, Jacinda The Knife would be up there on the list (considering I was just too tired to draw Aishah’s hair last night :p).  The concept of taking a load off and having a moment to just kick back unapologetically was really the foundation here for this illy. Meiko has always been a character that is outwardly unapologetically Meiko, regardless of what its about. Her troubles dealing with debt to the yakuza, her (supposedly unconventional body-type), whether she looks silly or not...are all things that she doesn’t give a fuck about. There’s no such thing as an unflattering photo for Meiko.  It wasn’t about trying to make her look as cool as possible here--I just wanted to draw Meiko being silly and having a good time. She doesn’t care that her shirt got pushed up a little bit over her stomach. She’s living her life to the fullest...getting in her stride, even!  Plus, drawing Meiko is always fun. Getting a chance to show how volumetric her arms are is my jam!  Jacinda The Knife is a character, I haven't said too many things about but let’s just say she’s got her hand in Part Time Shuffle and another series planned...more on that later!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to take a moment to give a special thanks to all of the fans and support we've received here at the Part Time Shuffle Facebook Page! Its been a long journey so far but the growth in our audience hasn't gone unnoticed by the Part Time Shuffle Team and we want to make you know how much we appreciate that!

From all of us here, thank you so much and we hope you're enjoying your holiday!

Happy Holidays from everyone at Part Time Shuffle!

For those that may not know, the FINAL version of Diary of a Soulful Kunoichi is out at Storenvy!

Link to the store is here!

www.storenvy.com/stores/394986-part-time-shuffle