I graduated last month, so my PhD is over and done! I'm also going to Thailand in May for a holiday. I've also submitted 2 short stories to the publisher Viz, and while both were accepted, the editor thought one had better potential, so that's what I'm working on doing the storyboards for right now--a fantasy action-romance. The problem is the other story, which was actually a simplified version of "The Dreaming" v4-5. Doing this simplification process was a huge challenge for more than one reason, because after I submitted it and was accepted (if not approved, since I'm doing the other story), I went back and re-read all the layouts I did for "The Dreaming" v4-5 and realised... they weren't good. One thing about turning a 500pg story into a 50pg one is that you're forced to cut off all the boring bits and focus on the most exciting and emotional parts, and after I did that in the short story (and am happy with the results), I found that the long form version is... full of talking and exposition. The thing is, it's not a problem with the PLOT--the plot remains as intriguing as ever. It's a problem with EXECUTION. I realise that the plot for "The Dreaming" v4-5 is still good, but the WAY it was being told was NOT. The story as it is now sets up a mystery, but the revelations come at the end of the story when it should come at the midpoint. I've already storyboarded 250 pages of it, but having done the short story version, I now realise it needs to be completely junked and started over. So I'm back to square one on this--on writing paragraph summaries for a plot outline. However, I'm concentrating on the approved short story first. In other news, the Viz one-shot stories are now all available on Bookwalker, a Japanese ebookstore, and you can read mine here.
My short mystery manga "The Mystery Cases of Sister Holmes" is now up on Viz for you to read online. I worked with former Shonen Jump head editor-in-chief Hisashi Sasaki to produce (now at Viz's One-shots program), and you can read it here or on BookWalker.
All 3 volumes of "The Dreaming" is now available in print/ebook, via Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
It's also available to read onine from Global Comix, a wonderful creator-friendly e-comic site! Covers and revisions are listed here!
Free Reading: A short mystery story "The Mystery Cases of Sister Holmes" (67p) on Viz
In my third collaboration with Kookie Magazine, a magazine for girls aged 7-12+, I teamed up with aboriginal writer Gayle Kennedy to create a story about three young aboriginal girls. Main character Rosie, who has spina bifida and thus needs a wheelchair, and her cousins Daisy and Lily live a normal and active life, until something happens that has them fight for respect and their rights.
Some of the story illustrations I did for School Magazine! There’s more coming up, and it was lovely to work on. I get to experimental with different styles of art!
I’m an Australia Reads Ambassador for the 14th September 2021! Unfortunately, the COVID19 lockdown means that not a whole lot will be happening this front this year…
Manga caricatures for an illustration job I did. It’s always fun to do something like this.
The PaperCuts comics festival is launching in Adelaide in mid-September , and will feature a 1-day art exhibition featuring 50 artists from across Australia, including me. The theme is “Storytelling with a Stylus: Digital Comics Art“, and the event is FREE to attend. Check it out!
Award Shortlist: Hi all, my “Elizabeth I: Women Who Were Kings #3” was shortlisted for the 2021 Ledger Awards, which celebrates excellence in Australian comic arts. Congrats to the other shortlisted creators, and to the winner!
Manga Exhibition: I’m part of the National Cartoon Gallery and the Japanese Embassy’s “Manga Mania” exhibition in Coff’s Harbour. Running from 18th June to 15th August 2021, the exhibition features Australian and Japanese manga artists, and winning works from the 14th International Manga Awards. Check it out!
I did an interview for Inner West council, on women in gaming. Here, I talk about taking some of my skills and applying it to video game art. If you’re a comic book artist and am interested in wandering into video game art, this may be an interesting area for you to have a look into.
