Nigerian Fiction Has a New Banner ... and Other Art

So I finally put up the Adventure banner on Nigerian Fiction. I'd been procrastinating forever but I completed it and put it up. It's not my favourite banner (Mellowyel also didn't like it and pointed out that it looked too bland and needed more detail - I agree) but at least now it's out of my way and I can work on other things. Maybe later on I'll go back to it and add more detail, but right now I'm just thankful it's done.

Here's the rough work in graphite

Inking done

Cleaned up

You can view the final banner on the Nigerian Fiction website

I have a million different things in my sketchbooks that I just work on now and again, so some of these are old but I'm uploading them now before I procrastinate again.

This is a self portrait I did a while ago of what I wore to class that day.

When it comes to America's freezing weather, comfort trumps style .. any day.

Experimenting with a new style of inking/colouring where you don't show depth on certain parts of the drawing but instead flat ink them black

I did this a while back. I wanted to try a more manga-like style of drawing eyes (basically freakin' HUGE eyes) so I did this girl.

In case you're wondering why the drawing is blue, I bought a new drawing pencil that's really a special Non-Photo Blue colour pencil. It's what professional artists use to make rough drafts and you can ink over it but when you photocopy or scan the drawing, only the black ink is picked up by the scanner and the blue doesn't appear at all.

Pretty cool huh?

Mine are Prismacolor Verithin Bleu Inactinique Non-Photo Blue pencils.

Adding hair

Full body

Close up

Clothes added

I had to adjust the sleeves

Inking done and signature added

I love, love these bigger eyes. I kind of messed up her lip while inking though.

Coloured with Copics!! ^_^ 

But I messed up her right (your left) thigh! T_T

I was trying out a new technique for making the body look oily/shiny by leaving certain highlighted portions white, but I think my hand slipped or something because I accidentally shaded over the part that was meant to be white.

This was a serious case of oversabi houseboy with the Copics.

Totally Random: I got a really cute day planner for next year!! ^_^

I actually did this drawing for Mellowyel on her birthday but I never showed it to her (or maybe I did). She loves music so I wanted to do something music themed. It's the same girl from the last drawing (the one with the messed up thigh). It's a fusion of tradition and modern so I've got her playing an Oboaka ( traditional Igbo thumb piano) that's hooked up to giant headphones.

                                               (source)

This is one type of traditional Igbo thumb piano. 

Sorry I couldn't find a larger sized image.

(source)

These are modern versions of the thumb piano from Burkina Faso

Ink

Colour

These are new. I did them in printmaking class today because I couldn't think of anything to draw for my prints.Also, I was bored. But I'm sad because my eraser is missing and that means that I wasn't able to clean my ink!!

In progress

Inking complete

I have a management exam in the morning and I haven't studied. I see an all-nighter in my future. FML.

Thanksgiving Break and Movie Madness

Happy Monday everyone!!!

I've gone white! I hope you like it because this blog's new look is here to stay. I think that the transition from mostly black and other dark colours to white is fitting as my blog was originally my outlet for all the dark emotions I had trouble dealing with. It's still my outlet but I'm working on other ways to process my feelings so that I can have more positive social interactions instead of scaring and alienating people. I'm trying to be more upbeat and work through my struggles with depression, and though I'm having a little difficulty adjusting to all the blinding white, I must admit, I like it, I do.

Thanksgiving break just officially ended, and as I always do with every big holiday, I made a long list of things I was going to accomplish over the break since I wasn't going anywhere, and managed to complete a total of zero items on my to-do list. One day I will overcome procrastination.....tomorrow.

The poll to name the Yoruba Girl drawing is over and drum roll please..... Our Yoruba Girl's new name is...

Anike

Thanks to everyone who voted, sorry if the name you were rooting for didn't win (I wanted Ireti but I got outvoted.)

I am so sad because IT SNOWED YESTERDAY!!!!! I hate the snow. I cannot express with words how much I detest snow. Yes, it's pretty, and it sparkles, and it flutters so delicately through the air but it's also wet, and cold, and makes a horrible mess when it mixes with mud. I guess winter, the nemesis of all Nigerians is officially here. My winter survival plan involves staying inside and hugging the heater, but I bought snow boots just in case.

Speaking of which, I didn't buy anything this Black Friday. Probably because I'm broke. I have no money management skills so thank you my dear parents because money management is genetic (or at least that's the story I'm sticking with so I can blame my perpetual lack of funds on someone other than myself).

I'm saving up for next Black Friday starting now, but steeply-discounted holiday or not, if there are two things I must buy in the coming year by hook or by crook it's these two:

A totally tricked out HP dm4t (because my current HP pavilion is literally falling apart. Like bits and pieces randomly break off and things rattle)

A Wacom Cintiq 12wx ( I desperately need this for drawing - pity it costs more than a school bus full of children)

I've been meaning to ask - Did anyone go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? How was it? I wanted to go but I couldn't find anyone to go with me (also it was too cold and I was broke...again). I haven't been to see a movie in ages, but I have been watching the new AMC series about zombies called The Walking Dead. At first I was really really apprehensive about watching it because one thing I do NOT do is scary stuff. Any kind of horror or thriller will have me scared shitless for months complete with terrible nightmares so I just respect myself and stay away from anything remotely scary but my Art professor was raving about it in class and she made it sound so interesting that I decided to give it a try.

Turns out, it was based on a graphic novel (it gets major points for this), and it's really amazing. I'm completely hooked to the show although it's really really scary and I find myself checking the bathroom suspiciously before I go in, but I'm looking forward to watching the next episode so bad! Plus, I am so glad I watched this show because I discovered the gorgeousness that is Steve Yeun!!

He's Korean and he plays a pizza delivery-boy named Glen that knows how to outsmart the zombies and all through I found myself biting my nails and whispering "Please don't let Glen die! Please don't let Glen die!" over and over again. Then I entered full stalker mode and followed him on Twitter. (No, I am not ashamed. I am a PROUD stalker of Steve Yeun).

Yes, that is indeed a crossbow

Glen

By the way, Yeun is not the only hot Korean man I'm stalking these days. I'm getting ready to watch Ninja Assassin which stars Rain (a sexy Korean singer). From the trailer it looks like it'll be a great action film (I love action films, especially Asian ones) so I can't wait.

Rain's acting seems solid and I heard there's a black female lead in this too, but I'm very disappointed in Rain for promoting bleaching creams so maybe I shouldn't support him by watching his movie after all?

Nigerian Fiction Hit 200 Members Last Night!!

Thank you so much guys!!

Keep writing stories and remember: Reviews are Fuel

http://www.nigerianfiction.com

p.s.

I have also completed the new banner for the site which will go up by the end of this week. I haven't done the final ink so I'm going to try to do it tonight or if I'm too sleepy, tomorrow. 

If you'd like me to post the step-by-step for this drawing, let me know. The site is far from finished as there's so much artwork I have to do and drawing takes time. I cranked this out in two hours last night because I had completely forgotten that I had to do a new banner (besides I'd been spending all my time working on the OTHER banner).

I know it's taking a while and Nigerian Fiction is sort of like a construction zone but please bear with me. Those of you who are on the site and have stories and review stories are amazing. I know a lot of people haven't been there in a while, so please visit and read the new stories and most importantly, if you like a story, always, always leave a review - you have no idea how much it means to authors, and don't forget to add it to your Favourites so that you'll get a notification if the author adds a new chapter or updates.

Will do a huge photo dump soon so keep an eye out.

Naming Ceremony Vote

A lot of things happened this week and I should have put up some posts but I'm just lazy so please forgive me. I'll do a post this weekend I promise.

In the mean time, LET'S DO SOMETHING FUN!!!

Quite a few names have been suggested for my Yoruba Girl drawing, so please cast your vote on the poll to the right to choose a name for her.

May the best name win ^_^

Voting ends after a week. (so next week Sunday)

NSFW: So I found an interesting Igbo artifact

Say it with me:

Igbo people are heavily in denial

Work In Progress: Yoruba Girl

I hate to do super complicated drawings but I have to challenge myself more. This isn't complete. I still have to draw the designs on her clothes and the motifs on the fan. I'm very happy about this drawing because I sketched it last night when I was supposed to be studying for my Management exam and I didn't use any kind of image references. I didn't look at anything; I drew it completely from my head. I just pulled out my sketchbook because I was fed up with studying and drew this on the fly in about ten minutes flat. Today I did the inking, and I just finished the preliminary ink.

This was the drawing earlier today:

So, for all my Yoruba friends and all the Yoruba members of Blogsville - here's a Yoruba girl trying on her Igbo best friend's clothes. ^_^

Update:  NakedSha said we should name her so please make suggestions

What should her name be?

Post your suggestions below (Yoruba names only please ^_^)

Meme Day 2: Letter to My Crush

So here is the second letter in this meme series that I am doing. I thought very hard about this letter and I had to accept some unpleasant truths and be completely honest with myself. Although I probably will never give it to him, it felt really really good when I was done writing this letter and I feel a huge weight has been lifted off my chest.

Now on to the letter. Please click to enlarge if you cannot read it. Again I apologise for my shoddy handwriting.

And so that story ends 

(Don't worry, I'm happy that our relationship is over. I think I learned the lessons I needed to learn from this one and I'm trying very hard to move on.... and succeeding! I need to be by myself for a bit and learn to just let go and live.)

Currently Reading

I just got these yesterday and I'm glad I did because from the first few pages I'm already hooked! My weekend is looking up already. Thank God it's Friday people!!! ^_^

I Got a New Phone

Yay!!! I'm a proud Blackberry owner! After years of resisting and sticking to Nokia N-series, I've finally switched.

I got the newest Blackberry (it just came out on Sunday) primarily because it's a flip phone. I adore flip phones and I hate everything else (bar phones, touchscreen phones, slide phones, etc). That's why I stuck to my N93i for so long - because it was an amazing flip phone besides having other great features.

My phone arrived this morning although I bought it the day it came out and I can already see why people call this thing the CRACKBerry. I've been staring at its screen all day long today doing all sorts of things. (I can't believe there is no BLOGGER app for Blackberry - it's so unfair). As most of you know I've had major phone issues for a long time now (I keep destroying my phones) so I'm relieved to finally have reliable communication reinstated.

Anyway, here's my new phone: The Blackberry Style 9670:

It has an external display which is really handy for seeing who's calling before answering

Open - it's enormous - just how I like my flip phones

Next to my friend's Bold for some size perspective

Closed it's almost the same size as the Bold

I would have gotten the Bold but then this came along at the right moment and I was so excited when I saw it was a flip phone. I'm so glad I waited and didn't get the Bold over the summer.

Now if only Google would work on that Blogger app.

Meme Day 1: Letter to My Best Friend

A while back I said I would do this meme, so here is my first letter, a letter to my best friend Mellowyel/Multi who blogs at Mixtapes and Liner Notes.

Click to enlarge if you can't read it. Sorry my handwriting sometimes sucks.

Aww, my signature got cut off.

Damn you scanner!!

*shakes fist angrily*