Secret Santa 2012 on SmackJeeves

I’ve always wanted to participate in a Secret Santa game. In fact, I went so far as to host one last year at Indie Komiks Manila because I’ve never gotten an invite to one myself. o(╥﹏╥)o

Well, this year, I found out that SmackJeeves has an annual Secret Santa event where anyone can sign up. And if someone happens to have gotten “scrooged” meaning they didn’t get a gift from their Secret Santa, Smack Santa and the Head Elves will hire a Gift Elf to draw for them! ヾ(･ω･*)ﾉ

I participated as a Secret Santa and Gift Elf just for the fun of it~ More work for me, but hey, no one wants to get scrooged over the holidays, right? ヽ(*^ｰ^)人(^ｰ^*)ノ

I don’t think anyone was able to tell these two artworks were done by the same person, haha! I wouldn’t have believed it either now that I think about it… （⌒▽⌒ゞ I’m a little sad that Marchen de Lune didn’t comment whether they liked my version of Krianos or not, but I’m also quite happy that my fellow Gift Elf, Bad Banana seemed really ecstatic about my version of Charlie! ヽ(≧∇≦)ノ

I almost didn’t draw Charlie for her because her webcomic is hardcore yaoi. (((( ;°Д°)))) But when I thought about it, it seems really disheartening to receive a fan art of someone else’s work when you were already scrooged! ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━ I think I was pretty lucky to have found Charlie in her tumblr. He seemed like an adorable guy, so I gave him a fluffy coat~ ╮(─▽─)╭

And so, Santa, I’ve been really good this year, but I found out I got scrooged too! (」゜ロ゜)」 Well, no matter, Santa got me Gift Elf and I am more than happy with what I got~

Because really, who would have thought of mixing all three of my series on SmackJeeves into one fantabulous fan art? Earthfield, that’s who! (´ω｀★) And it makes me wonder, did Jeremy follow Erin home? Maybe he was worried about her but decided she’ll be ok after getting off her stop, so he’s on his way home now.

Or they’re actually neighbors! That’s even better! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) ♫･*:.｡. .｡.:*･

Not a bad start for 2013. I’ve nearly forgotten how fulfilling it is to give a little love to a fellow artist. I think I’ll do a few more of those art trades. ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ

Mote-Mote: Page 17

And now we have come to the conclusion of Mote-Mote! Thank you so much for supporting this series! It was one heck of a ride, with dangerous procrastination levels that would have equaled to style-changes in between pages! @_@;;;

But is this really the end? Personally, I would love to draw more of Baku’s human form. Maybe he would meet up with Kuromi after she leaves the school?

In any case, is anyone interested in getting the copy-bon form of this series? As I’d expected, Mote-Mote didn’t sell very well in Komikon because not a lot of people know about this anime. ^^;;; But this is ok! Komikon was still quite an experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

So anyway, my sister is going the USA this December. This means I can ship stuff to the US (and possibly Canada) from the US! I’ve already got 4 packed away and ready. :D Although I still need to find out how much it will cost for shipping, the book itself is only US$1.50. ^_^

Feel free to comment or email me and let me know! Thanks guys! ♥

The Indies are Ready for Komikon 2011!

I was actually going to update about what I had to go through in preparing the original print outs for xeroxing, but this is much more exciting news~ ♥

I have in my possession, all 30 copies of Karma 2, Mote-Mote, and Renka-chan’s “Soul Dice”! They’re cut, stapled, and ready to be sold at Komikon this coming November 19!

Although I’m disappointed that I can’t splurge a little for colored covers, this will be a good “test run” for my first convention as a seller. >.<;;; Besides, black and white Mote-Mote turned out pretty well~

There’s a sneak peak into the Epilogue available in the independent manga. International readers don’t need to fret, because I will probably post these pages on site some day… not right away though, because I want to give the Komikon people their exclusivity. And speaking of exclusive, this Komikon version of Karma will replace all Japanese “Rei-nee”s and “Tori-nii”s with their Tagalog equivalent, “Ate Rei” and “Kuya Tori”!

Soul Dice's cover will not be in the catalogue given out at the Komikon, unfortunately, but with Lan looking so cute, I'm betting people will be fighting just to get this manga~ ♥ I’m now wondering if it was a good idea to just print 30 pieces of this book… but then again, I can only carry so much in my backpack. @_@;;;

This is one of my complaints about the xeroxing. >.>;;; What is with those blurred edges??? I thought the xerox machine would be able to cut it off cleanly, but apparently not! If I do sell these again, I will need to modify the original copies so that it will turn out better next time!

The other complaint? The sketches I added are not all clear! Some turned out alright, others didn't. ;_; S-sob... More modifications for next time, for sure!

Either way though, I got these exactly one week before Komikon starts. Not bad, considering I’m releasing 2 books and working on Mist. T-then again, Mist is late this week, so I’m wondering… if joining Komikon will cost me my job. >.>;;; Wah! I hope not! ;~;

Ok, I really need to sleep. I’ve had this flu all week long, and working so hard is really not healthy. @~@;;; Good night guys! See you at Komikon! *^_^*

Komikon: Mote-Mote Sneak Peek!

I've finally finished Mote-Mote! x3 All the pages have been printed out, but there’s a minor correction in the copyright page. x.x;;; I don’t understand why I always catch wrong spellings and grammar errors only after I’m printed the page out. It’s a wee bit frustrating. :/

Here's a sneak peek at the extras I'll be adding to the copy-bon~

That's a really old sketch, but I loved how it turned out~ I’ve been meaning to color this since forever, but there’s no way I can do it now. ;_; I’m way behind schedule for Mist’s pages and Karma’s page layouts! Not to mention that my hand is already dying…

I need to find a good place to xerox my copy-bon. Maybe I can test it in copytrade or something… National Bookstore is a good bet for quality copies, but it’s expensive. ;_; I want to bring down the prices for my books… low-budget and all that.

Ok, back to work now! …or maybe I’ll snack on that caramel pudding. I’m hungry… x~x;;;

Komikon 2011

It's pretty much official, so I guess I can make an announcement here. :3

I will be part of November 19th’s Independent Komiks Tiangge in Komikon! For now, I will be releasing 2 books, Mote-Mote and Karma: Ai (Karma Chapter 2)!

I know, I know, both are available to read for free online, but I will be adding some special extras for the indies.

For Mote-Mote, there will be several Onegai My Melody fan arts that I have never posted online. I will try to add a few more pages to the finished doujin, but this is more or less the basic idea of what to expect when you buy it as an indie.

For Karma, it may be renamed “Karma: Ai”. The reason I am doing this is because I want to turn Karma into a series of short stories for indies. Each will have it's own subtitle, but all of them will have “Karma” somewhere on it. :) And because this is my original work, I will be including an epilogue to what is available online. I’m not sure if I’m going to post the epilogue online anymore, but we’ll see!

There will also be material from the original chapter 2 drawings. I used A.illusions characters for this version, but in the original, there were 4 characters specifically created for Karma.

Needless to say, I’m very nervous about participating in Komikon. This will be my first Komikon as an indie seller, so… I’m kinda worried! What if no one buys my books? What if people get irritated that they could read it online anyway? What if I get lost on the way to the Bayanihan Center? What if I don’t finish these on time??? ;u;

Ah well… I will do my best! I hope to see you guys at the Komikon! >.<;;;

100 Araw ng Komiks: Interview Meme/Q&A by Columbia Kho

Hey, guys! We’re having an “Interview Meme” over at 100 Araw ng Komiks, so I thought I’d just share mine over here. :D Forgive the lengthy post~ but do read on if you’re interested! :3 I’ll translate the Tagalog questions into English for those who can’t understand Tagalog~

About Me: My name is Columbia Kho, an amateur manga artist dreaming of becoming a pro!

Tungkol saan yung unang komiks na ginawa mo?
* What is your first comics about?

Karma is about angels. The first story was an experimental, short-story I drew for a call for submissions on Culture Crash, a local comic/manga magazine. Alas, it was never published, but it was a good learning experience for me~

What is your favorite medium? Tools of the trade?

Watercolor and color pencils! I love drawing in a sort of “pastel” effect, but because of time constraints, I’ve had to color in Photoshop for most of my paid commissions. ^^;

Describe your drawing style in 3 words

Shoujo/Shounen Manga. x.x;;; I tried to change said-style for my thesis, but… I don’t know, drawing in Manga/Anime style always makes me very happy.

Mote-Mote: Page 16

I'm sorry, but I am giggling incessantly over my own cheesiness. Technically, this is also Mallory’s cheesiness, but what the hey-

This is such a typical, shoujo manga storyline. I’m kind of glad I got to draw this scene, because Hiiragi blushing? That never happened in the anime did it? xD

Not counting that new year’s(?) episode though… the one with Hiiragi in a kimono and ponytailed hair? I’m pretty sure he sorta blushed then, but I can’t remember now. I should have downloaded the entire series! ;u;

Anyway, I just finished Karma: Chapter 2 and now I’m wrapping up Mote-Mote too. I hope this drive continues so I can get on with A.illusions already!

…I really need to practice drawing kisses. This looks so awkward somehow. ;u;

Back to sleep for me! Hope you guys enjoyed this page! ^^

Mote-Mote: Page 15

After abandoning putting this manga on extending hiatus, a new page! And it looks… extremely underwhelming, IDK. ;o;

You could say I had art-block on this for… forever! I had started on this page last February and only managed to add the finish touches today.

I’m not really sure why… but I guess I wanted someone to feel better. I recently found out someone I know was going through a really tough time, and I guess this is my way of hoping they will be alright.

This wasn’t on the original script, but I wanted it to be somewhat more dramatic. That 3rd panel on the middle though… reminds me of Severus Snape. *A*;;; I’m a Harry Potter fan, and I read all 7 books, so I guess maybe that line was subconsciously stuck in my brain?

Anyway, hope you guys like it! :)

Karma: Chapter 2 is Now on Smack Jeeves!

I know, I know, there’s nothing new with this comic, but apparently, Renka-chan is having a hard time viewing the comic from the Great Firewall of China! *A*;;;

The thing was, “Karma” is fairly common for a title of a webcomic! There were a few already on Smack Jeeves, and so, with the dilemma of the Great Firewall, I decided to use the Chinese translation of Karma: 因果報應 / Yinguo Baoying or “Yin Guo” for short!

So yes, I am the one who is cross-posting Karma on SJ! If you’re also having trouble with the comment system here on my site, feel free to share your thoughts on SJ! Pages will probably be added once or twice a day~

Now to get ack to finishing some pages for Mist so I can work on Mote-Mote and Palisay at Sumbling! *A*;;;

Another Webcomic?

One would think, now that I’m working on finishing Karma, Mote-Mote, A.illusions, and Mist that I’d stop taking commissions. I mean, any sane person would do that right?

Someone call the looney bin, because I’m also working on “Puerto de Vigilante” (working title) because of patriotism and loyalty to my country.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to order about 2 trucks of coffee.

Mote-Mote: Page 14

This page has been sitting on my hard drive since last year..! Argh… it’s funny how I have to update the copyright on the bottom right from 2010 to 2011! ~_~;;; But for those you thought I was done with Mote-Mote, here is the latest update!

The party Kurumi Nui (Kuromi) mentions is the one that occurred during the first season of Onegai My Melody. She ran off because the spell she casted on herself was wearing off, and if she didn’t get back on time, she would turn into the appearance she hated most, and that was a Baku! Haha~! ♥

I have 3 manga’s that I’m working on right now… I wonder if I should finish Mote-Mote first before I continue with A.illusions? Mote-Mote’s almost at the end after all, so… hm…

For new readers, head on over to the Manga Page to read the entire webcomic~ ♥

My Christmas Art Trade Event

For those of you who don’t have a deviant art account and/or are not watching me there, I have news~

From now until December 16, draw me a fanart, fanfiction, or fanwork of any of my original works with the theme “SNOW” and you will get something from me in return. The basic idea is a Christmas exchange gift event; make my Christmas wish come true by give me fanworks, and I will match it by giving you an artwork!

You can gather more information in my deviant art journal. Oh, and in case you’re not a deviant art member but still want to participate, then you can email me your entries in kurohiko at gmail dot com!

Have fun guys! Happy Christmas! ^_^

Mote-Mote

An Introduction to Mote-Mote

Hiiragi Keiichi is Yumegaoka's youngest violin virtuoso who has everything anyone could ever dream of; looks, talent, fame, fortune... but there was something missing. Something that Yumeno Uta, seemed to always have.

"Mote-Mote", which literally means "Lady's Man", takes place some time during the first season of Onegai My Melody; after his party where he met a mysterious girl named Kurumi Nui. Like a Cinderella in black, who is she, and why did she have to leave him so suddenly? And why in the world can't he get the plain, girl-next-door, Yumeno-kun out of his mind? Was it because Uta was the dream partner of the one who stood between him and the musical piece no mortal has ever played or heard, or could this be love? But which girl will he choose in the end?

Based on role-play logs written by Columbia Kho and Mallory Haslage, who writes as Hiiragi Keiichi and Hiiragi Jun. Mote-Mote come about from boredom and artist block. The idea for the doujin came about on April of 2009 and the first illustration (which is now used for the cover) came out a month after.

This is the first doujinshi I've ever truly visualized in finished pages since the others are left in forgotten sketchbooks as well as a few notebooks. I needed a break from A.illusions and that's why I decided to go ahead with this as I adore the series very much.

Mote-Mote will ~hopefully~ be updated every 5th day of the month (that is, on the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, and 30th)! Subscribe to my RSS feed, Blogger Follower, or Email news-listing found at the bottom of this site to make sure you won't miss a page!

I hope everyone enjoys this one shot doujin! Thank you so much to all my readers for all your support. I promise I will continue to work hard and bring out the next chapter of my original series soon... may it be A.illusions or, who knows? Maybe Karma will finally get its second chapter!

Be sure to watch out for Mote-Mote which premiers December 5, 2009!
Click Here to Start Reading!

Doujinshi Gallery: Mote-Mote

A concept title page for "Mote-Mote" or "Lady's Man". The doujinshi is about Hiiragi's dilemma on falling in love with 2 very different girls. Sadly, he ended up with either one of them in the original series.