Raffle: 15k+ watchers TY - 30$ free comm raffle!

Journal Entry: Tue Jun 18, 2013, 7:10 AM

Hi everyone!

Today I reached 15k+ watchers. That's really nice having such a huge support from you guys, so I want to do this little raffle as a thank you to you. <3

My free time is really limited, so I we'll have only 1 winner this time though.

To join this raffle, you must:

Be a watcher. However, please DO NOT add watch me just because of this raffle. Only watch me if you like to follow me and my arts later on. This raffle's purpose is a thank you to my watchers, so I don't want it to stray away from that to getting more 'fake' watchers.
Add this journal to your Favourites, or one of your Collections. I will use Random.org to choose the winner from the Fav list.

That's all, you don't need to comment saying anything or do any other thing. C:

The winner will get:

A free commission from me of up to 30$ worth, of your desired character. (OC/ fanart)
Here's my current price list: (click here if you can't see the picture below)

--> So, (if your character is not so detailed) what you get can be either:

A full body basic sketch:

This style:

but full body, OR

A waist up advanced sketch:

This style:

OR

A head shot Refined black and white / Base colored sketch. (I don't really have good references for these types in my gallery but well, you can guess. >v<;

Or any other thing worths around 30$ from my price list. If your character is too detailed I may need to adjust what you'll get a bit, but we can discuss about that! <3

You can also pay the different amount to get a more advanced commission if you like. C:

This raffle will last for 3 days!

So you have till June 21st, 11:59PM (GMT+7) to sign up! <3

The winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

Thank you again for your support, and best of lucks! o/<3

88 Comments

Fan Art Contest!

by *BrianKesinger, 15 hours, 53 minutes ago
Journals / Personal

hi everyone! to show my appreciation for all the love here on deviant art i am holding an otto an victoria fan art contest. the grand prize will be a signed limited edition of my book with an original drawing included! submissions must be done by july 17th! that gives you a month. be creative and have fun! please tag "otto and victoria" and "brian kesinger" and make sure your your piece is appropriate for all ages!

64 Comments

Finding Wandering Inspiration Feature

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 9:03 PM

Profile | Gallery | Inbox

10 Comments

Mood: Love

5 Reasons you should learn photography manually!

Tue Jun 18, 2013, 8:00 AM

I once met someone who was determined not to use a D-SLR until he had mastered a Manual Camera first. I thought he was a bit stuck up, maybe a little arrogant of his own abilities too...but actually, he was right. You will not truly value Photography until you go right back to basics and learn how the legendary pros did it first. So here are five top reasons why you should teach yourself photography on a manual camera!

1) It's Cheap

Many people think that Film Photography is expensive. If you're going all out and developing your own photographs rather than taking the to a developer then it might well be expensive! However manual cameras are a dying breed and you can pick up most of the bits and pieces you need to get started, quite cheaply.

2) Manual Focus

It's the simplest reason, but it's so true. Manual Focus will save your life. Learning how to focus your camera the hard way will make you a much better Photographer in the long run.

3) Appreciate Modernisation

Spending hours in a darkroom can be fulfilling, I've done it, and I loved it. But it can also make you appreciate modern photography that much more. Yes it's great to use a manual camera here and there, but it's even better when you can just pick up, snap and post to instagram in a few short seconds. Yes, instagram! Manual Photography will make you appreciate what we have today, so much more.

4) Iso!

Most of the pros of using a manual camera are that it's not all done for you. How easy is it to whip your camera into Auto and let it do all the work? Too easy. With a manual camera, you have the same ISO throughout a roll so you need to get it right the first time in order to get the best exposure.

5) Cost Effective

Not only is it cheap, as mentioned in point number 1, but having a manual camera will not tempt you with all the awesome and fantastic upgrades, add ons and other bits and pieces that modern photography now has. You'll save money, AND be an awesome Photographer, what more could you want?!

Manual Photography isn't for everybody. I will say that you'll need a little more patience than usual and an interest in getting results. You'll have to plan carefully to ensure that you don't make mistakes as manual is unforgiving. But it's worth it, and if you fancy learning the basics then why not give it a go? Check out This article for more detailed tutorials.

13 Comments

OFFICIAL HOUSE OF HADES SNEAK PEAK

Journal Entry: Mon Jun 17, 2013, 10:55 PM

Mood: Excited
Listening to: pandora
Reading: re-reading MoA
Watching: DOOO WEEEEEEE OOOOOOO (you can guess)
Eating: PEACHES

OH MY GOD THERE IS A SNEAK PEAK TO THE FIRST CHAPTER OF HOUSE OF HADES THAT CAME IN THE E-BOOK VERSION OF SON OF SOBEK

What do you guys think? Feelings?

Yours in demigodishness,

missmady

My Tumblr: [link]

40 Comments

Someone left $20 in an envelope at Fanime

Journal Entry: Mon Jun 17, 2013, 5:10 PM

''

Hey guys!

Fanime was amazing but it totally left me sick for weeks

after I got better, I went through the letters I got and found one that had nothing but $20 and a note describing one of my posters. It looked like someone made a mistake and accidentally gave me their money without getting a poster. I want to return that money so If it was you, please e-mail me at Yuumei.yan@gmail.com with your name and address.

In other news, I will be at Anime Expo at table A24 and A25

Hopefully the Knite books will be ready by then!

96 Comments

adios mafia...

Journal Entry: Mon Jun 17, 2013, 4:13 PM

Como el titulo lo dice mis niños, la mafia muere u v u

hace un tiempo atras llegamos en el consenso de que el grupo ya no daba para mas :c aparte que teniamos muchos problemas juntos u___u asi que por el bien de todos preferimos tomar esta opcion :c lo siento mucho todos :'c en especial para las niñas que habian entrado hace poco :'c lo sentimos, enserio D: y no se sientan culpable ni mucho menos pero ya que Wthe se fuera ya no era lo mismo :c aparte de los dramas internos y bleeeeeee'h :c solo les dire que de todos modos las quiero a pesar de lo poco que nos alcanzamos a conocer PERO eso no quitara el hecho de que aun podamos trabajar juntas :') para mi siempre sera un placer hacer dibujos con ustedes dos mis niñas x3 y otra cosa mas...

Dado que el grupo se disolvio, mizz, vika y yo decidimos abrir otro pero que será mas personalizado ya que las tres somos muy amigas u v u en este dudo muuucho que llegue a entrar alguien mas u v u porque las amigas no se reemplazan ni mucho menos, cierto niñas x3??

Y eso... los quiero mucho a todos y... Adios Mafia, fue genial ser el padrino mientras duro xD

104 Comments

Mood: Sentimental
Listening to: I Just Haven't Met You Yet By Michael Bublé

Selling Adoptables: Advice/Tips

Journal Entry: Tue Jun 18, 2013, 1:25 AM

o1. Design- Before anything, take a look at the adoptables that are popular or well known. Give yourself a little time to figure out what made them sell so quickly or for so high. If you're an adoptable buyer, this part may be a bit easier. Design what you yourself would buy....and heck, set your standards high and work to it little by little. Visual Kei, Lolitas, Shotas, Urban Wear, etc are themes that are common in the deviantart adoptable community ( So I'd start there if I were you ).

Pro Tip: Don't even try to give yourself excuses like-- "oh well, their adopts sell more cuz they're popular"....uh well DUH? People like that artist's work, so of course they'd be interested in their adoptables. They tend to sell a lot faster since a few steps in earning interested buyers was skipped, since the adopters were already there to begin with. Just because they're popular, it doesn't mean they're good at designing, so most of the time they struggle too.

o2. Colors- Oh gosh I really have to stress this. Drawing and sketching clothes will only get you so far. Colors are very important since many buyers are nitpicky with what they'd like their future oc to look. A visually appealing palette will attract buyers just as much ( or even more ) than the design itself. Some good websites for palettes are: Design Seeds, Colour Lovers, etc. Google the rest yourself, guys. Now after you've picked a decent palette-- THINK SUPER HARD ABOUT EACH COLORS USAGE ( or experiment like I do ). Sure, you've been given a great palette...but you can totally screw up a design by not using the colors correctly.

Pro Tip: Pastel and Muted Colors seem to do well in the adoptable community.

o3. Exposure- Before anything, don't expect to sell right off the bat. This is where exposure comes into the picture, you need to get a lot of watchers that know you'll be selling adoptables. There are a few ways to do this: Submit your adoptable deviations to Adoptable Groups, Adoptable Giveaways, Host Raffles, Ask a friend to feature you, etc. You can't sell anything if the people you're throwing your adopts at weren't interested in the first place. So I'd highly suggest doing any of these things.

Pro Tip: You don't have to fret over applying to "popular" or high standard Adoptable groups, just surf around for groups that have a good amount of watchers/members. Thats what really matters.

o4. Start off big/small - Its a matter of preference I suppose ( but I would suggest the latter) . Get your artwork out there and start off with slightly cheap prices...it's like commissions, you need to build interest before you go all out. If you're uncomfortable with that, set up an auction instead. You can set the price low, but don't expect to be rollin' in dough. If your buyers really want it, they'll fight for your design...but if they don't, you might not even go too far. Hence why you start small to get those interested watchers.

Pro Tip: I suggest starting off small, because it allows buyers to focus not on quantity but the quality of your designs. Which is what you should be aiming for, if you want to be successful.

o5. Quality- By slowing down at first and really taking the time to make sure the details of your design are clear and comprehensible, you'll definitely spark some interest. But this all depends on how much time you want to put into the adopt and how much you want back in return. So for newbies, I'd suggest somewhere in the middle.

Well thats it! Hope this makes sense to any of you, but I also expect you to work hard and figure out the gaps in my explanation yourself.

13 Comments

Cosplay photo blog for ToyCon 2013!

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 7:53 PM

ToyCon 2013!

So we went to Toycon last Saturday and as usual I... didn't really get to take pictures of toys and stuff. It was so crowded around the merchandise hall that I couldn't stop and take photos because people were constantly threading through and shoving. It was like a river of people with an actual current, hahah! Sometimes I'd find a friend to chat with but we'd eventually be pulled apart by the tide, it was kind of funny.

I wanted to wear something simple and comfortable so I posted on my Facebook that I would wear my old Ichigo cosplay in his Karakura High uniform. The Bleach manga is so crazy now that it just made me miss the days when Bleach was simple.

I think this is the last decent picture of myself that I have wearing this, and it was taken ages ago.

And here it is on me again, with a new wig, better contact lenses, better wig styling and cosplay makeup skills (somewhat), and Kon plush that was given to me as a present by one of my readers. I snapped this on my camera to check if my makeup and stuff looked alright on camera. And then I decided I needed to put more eyeliner, which you'll see after a couple of images below this.

The contact lenses I used are Jewel Hazel Brown from Alice and Rabbit's Shop

[link]

I posted this picture before leaving my house. I said that Heading over to ToyCon with my toy... Kon... pfffftttt
My friends want to maim me for my puns sometimes

Here's a reference image for this outfit. I had a shirt in a similar color but it doesn't have a white collar. Ah well, close enough for now! What's kind of funny is that we actually have Ichigo's bag by chance, which we used in this shoot:

It's with Kat ~moonlightflight though and I didn't get to borrow it from her in time, but for next time at least.

And here's the pic with MOAR EYELINER. For those of you who wanted to see what I did with eyeliner and stuff for Ichigo, here's a look at it. The way Ichigo's eyes are drawn, they kind of slant downwards at the outer corners so I pulled my liner down that way and used brown for the outer edges and for the bottom part. I like using brown nowadays for cosplay because it looks less stark than black, and if I had used black for everything I might have looked emo or something since the bottom part was lined and smudged out.

I used colored eyebrow mascara (yes there is such a thing) to make my eyebrows an orangeish light brown and also extended them in a way that I'd look perpetually grumpy like Ichigo, hahaha.

On to ToyCon! I'll be borrowing pictures from my friend Marko ~Happy-Hario and Peppy ~ninjapeps, which you can identify by their watermarks! The rest are just snapshots from my phone.

Since it is ToyCon, here are some toys: Pervert Woody harassing Mari Makinami

I'm happy I got to help with ~neko-panigiri Kat's toy haul by pointing her to Wakuwaku because I spotted this rare Nijiiro Kuma Kuma item and I remember she cosplayed that version of Ranka!

I always find the coolest random merch at Wakuwaku, you guys should check them out! Kuya Joma goes to Japan every now and then to stock up on items so there's often lots to see from figures, plushes, toys, J-music CDs, photobooks, doujins, dakimakuras, etc. They have a store at 2nd Floor FBR Arcade 317 Katipunan Avenue (the building with Yellow Cab)

SIE SIND DAS ESSEN UND WIR SIND DIE JÄGER
Eren Jaeger = Ed Elric. Seems legit if you think about it.

Amputee, driven to their purpose by losing their mother, missing father who knows something about the mystery of the plot...

I snapped a very few pictures of merch to show my friends who weren't there to ask if they wanted anything.

Like this giant Cake the Cat plush!

Or these Doctor Who shirts from Geekerie Shirts! I managed to grab one of the last TARDIS shirts for my friend.

There was this amazing Red Skull bust at Maxicollector. But if you look at him at a certain angle he's like, "How YOU doin'?"

I snapped Miguel

posing with it and added some stickers to make Red Skull more fab

Here is Miguel being super manly with Zod

I am so done with this

We were hoping to see some Man of Steel costumes and were stoked that it was Wreidyl as Zod and Monette as Faora! (Their page: MonetteAndWreidylCosplay on FB) We admire their work and they looked fantastic!

We also ran into Spider-Dan! It was only proper that they take a Spidey-style selfie, hahah

Before leaving the convention hall to take a break, I was lucky enough to run into Dan, who came all the way from Canada! She sent me a message on my Tumblr that she'd be at ToyCon and hoped to at least take a photo with me and we actually crossed paths in the chaos of that crowd! She was super cool and sweet and gave us MLP trading cards

Emperor Donrobert and Dom

as fanboying Chi-Fu, with Marko's elite photo editing skillzzzz
I suggested we start doing this pose with cosplayers and Dom and Marko have taken a LOT of shots like this HAHAH

I was subjected to it as well

Kevin of geekev.com/~kevmark77 as the dashing Mr. Stark

Of course he had to get the Chi-Fu treatment

Even Ryan ~chaoslithe as Khal Drogo was not spared from it

Jewel of Chesto Shirts, however

...would not simply accept being made the Emperor

Spider-Dan vs. SpiDom-Man!

Then even MORE Chi-Fu pics!

This isn't even all of them okay hahahahahah

Here are some of my favorite costumes from Toycon!

Prince of Persia wall-jumping action!

Alvin *TheALVINtaker IS GONNA WRECK IT!

Sage Kabuto by Markee ~shinobimarkee (look at the cute snake!) who was Orochimaru in my previous journal entry — Sasuke's Picture Diary

Khal Drogo and Jon Snow cosplay by Ryan and Fred!

Kawaiilossal Titan!

If I saw that looking down at me over the wall...

Coke-lossal Titan

I don't know anymore, you give it a name

We ducked into Starbucks to refresh ourselves because it was nearby and we were meeting more friends there. Got a frap so I could legitimately say "I ARRIVED 15 MINUTES LATE WITH STARBUCKS" The barista didn't ask for my real name and this is what they wrote on the cup. Awesome!

Since there is always a lot of us hanging out, we've made a game of trying to take self-portraits in which the whole group fits in the frame. This started due to doing this with *viospace hahah! (We miss you, Vio bb~)

This is when I was like I AM HOLDING MY PHONE SO AWKWARDLY OH GOD I'M GONNA DROP IT
Luckily I didn't

This one kind of worked I guess

Charmie's version

Good guys with grumpy faces! Hahah!! So glad Alvin finally got to do this cosplay! When we watched the movie, we couldn't help seeing the resemblance, and we even gave him a Wreck-It Ralph toy on his birthday to encourage him to go for it!

Dom

, carrying his spanking new Play Arts Raiden around like a BJD hahahah

Aki ~Hana181 is Derp Strider. The number of decent pictures we have together is zero.

We were discussing new gadgets, and the 2013 Mac Pro came up. Then we noticed something beside us that looked a lot like it.

I'M SQUIRTLE. SQUIRTLE SQUIRT
Dirk does not approve

Some food pictures just because. Spicy tuna salad is one of my favorite things.

Katsu curry ramen which made me inordinately happy because of the naruto (fishcake) which a lot of places don't bother with

Dinnerrrrrr group shot! It was our first decent meal of the day over which we did more hanging out and stalking Gerard Way on Vine

The previous photo was taken by everyone's favorite titan photographer, who can take overhead shots with ease because of his height. Kel got this picture of him doing his creeper smile.

And then I turned it into this:

Shingeki no Kyojin everywhere, man. Even my friend who wasn't cosplaying was jokingly asked if he was from SnK. So we put together this ghetto-ass 3DMG made of laptop bags and he took Aki's sword and I did this on my SnK app

Took more phone pics before leaviiiing. I'm not tall like Erving but I managed somehow. Except for the other half of Resh's face I'm sorry

With darling Charmie ~yaoiangel14

With my home bro and someone's hand

With Rayson (who has a new shirtttt), Erving and Pretty-chan

Before heading hope, we dropped by Jamba Juice because I wanted a smoothie, and when the guy at the counter asked for my name, his buddy who was making the drinks went up to him and said "DON'T YOU KNOW? That's Ichigo!!" Fun day!

Story of my life upon getting home. SOB. Post-con blues.
(The household disorder on the second frame is kind of accurate too because I left when I was in the middle of rearranging my room.)
Ah well, we'll see each other again soon enough!

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