I’ve seen this in a few other places, as well as at Bryan Lee O’Malley’s site, and since people often ask me about my process, I thought I’d do it too (and, it kind of makes up for a lack of real art to post).

My little LITTLE VERY LITTLE workspace. However small it is, I am so very grateful to even have a place to work with. ^__^;;;

My supplies storage space. …and Tarzan. <3

piggy/C. Ellis
Comics: NekoMachi, Yellow Ribbon, Call Me Sugar, Home, various other
Website: note.by-starlight.com
Making comics since year of: Uh….I’m old. So I don’t remember. But 2008ish was when I could say I could do this “professionally.” TTwTT
Art education/schools attended: 1 year only of Art Institute of California at San Francisco. Because I’m always poor. :P

Pencils: Just two tech pencils. One filled with non-repro blue lead, the other in a hard HB lead. I’m finding I really need nice, sharp lines (as opposed to using softer lead) because I easily get lost in them. For erasing, I’ll ONLY use Tombo Mono brand erasers. If I can’t use this, I just won’t erase. I’m THAT anal about it. *LOL* The ONLY reason I’ll even touch another type of eraser is because I’m figure drawing with charcoal (which actually doesn’t happen enough as it should).

Inks: I…..AM IN CONSTANT SEARCH of a proper ink to use. Specifically for comics, I think I’ve found my golden child. Pilot 製図用 (drafting) ink; OMFG I LOVE THIS STUFF SO BAD. I’m just sad it’s not water safe. ^__^;; And….it iggs me to heck and back that a 500yen bottle costs more than twice the price US. *sigh* Will also use Kaimei Sumi-e ink when I can find it (it’s so smooth). Also, have been using Dr. PH Martin’s Bombay India White, but will probably switch to their Pen White label. (btw, I HATE Deleter ink, a ABHOR Higgins. Just so we’re clear). *lol*

Brushes: I am very very very new to using brushes and am QUITE bad at it. ^__^;; As everyone says, it’s very hard to find a good brush, but I’ve been having okay results with Windsor Newton synth #3 (or whatever it is).

Pens: I’ve been using exclusively Japanese nibs; Tachikawa G-pen and Maru-pen. And only use Sakura Micron fineliners for borders. Using nibs makes me so happy because all the linewidth is basically done in one shot, unlike fineliners, where you have to double back if you want any kind of variety. :)

Paper: Deleter or IC brand manuscript paper works great for me. ^__^;; Or if I ABSOLUTELY have to, I’ll begrudgingly use Canson Bristol board (vellum). I’m really super crazy psycho anal about my paper. As far as size goes, it depends on the project. NekoMachi is done with a final print size of A5, my own projects are done with an output of A4….so…it’s really all over the place. :P

Lettering: I am waaaay to lazy to letter by hand, so into Photoshop or Illustrator does it go. O__O;; I would consider using a font of my own making, but…..my handwriting so SO bad, there’s no real reason for me to replicate it. ^__^;;;

My copic markers. I’ve been travelling a lot these past weeks so much of my stuff is still packed in suitcases here and there. Heehee. I <3 being on the move.

Color: Er….I actually don’t like coloring comics. :P I especially don’t like using Copics to do so, which is really odd. If I do, I’ll use watercolor (I’m so bad at it), Dr. Ph Martin Radiant Ink (also really bad at it, but it gives some really punch you in the teeth vibrant colors), or gouache (which I love…and is basically a thicker watercolor). If I had my way I’d be toning everything….TRADITIONALLY~!!! (I love to cut stuff).

Layout/ Composition: I do thumbnails in a sketchbook (usually separate from my normal drawing one). About 8thumb pages per sketchbook page. I do them small and quick. I also lay them out in two page spreads, as I think toooooo many people overlook that how a spread looks as a whole is a very important part of comic/layout composition. >__>;;;; People tell me that my paneling is really interesting, though I don’t think so. I guess it’s all the shoujo manga influence? :P I know I’ve got a lot to learn, especially when it comes to how layout influences pace….I guess with a 4koma like NekoMachi, I don’t have to worry much……or I have to over worry about it. HEE HEE.

Convention Sketches (when different from illustrations done in the studio): @)$(U&)@$#(%@)($#@)(#&~!!! I HATE IT~!!! XP~~~~~~

Tool timeline, starting from when you began drawing in any serious way until the present, and what spurred the changes: Waaaaaaaaaaaay back, I just used to use whatever I could get my hands on and didn’t really care because I couldn’t really afford much else. Until then, I experimented with a lot of different things, and have found that I prefer to use mostly Japanese made products—NOT because I’m some silly weeaboo trying to be like my fav. mangaka or whatever. It’s just what works the best for myself and my own preferences. For a long time I ONLY used a .005 Sakura Micron pen to ink with. This in turn caused me great physical pain from being hunched over a page and gripping so hard. So I re-tried nibs and won’t look back and it’s cut my time by at least half. For screentones, I just really love to cut things, so the process of doing so is cathartic.

I’ve also noticed that the older I get, and the more I get paid to do things, the more anal and bitchy I get about the supplies I use. I’ve always been kindof that way, but recently it pisses me off more when people tell me I HAVE to be using this thing or I’m only using that thing because it’s Japanese (or something). Uh NO~! I like what I like because I’ve TRIED IT, LIKED IT, and IT WORKS FOR ME~! Sorry if it’s not the same for you. So get off mah lawn….damn whippersnappers. D: I’ve also become evangelical about certain brands; the Pilot seizuyou ink, for one, mono erasers for another, Tachikawa, Canson Mi-Tientes, etc…..and others can burn for all I care……..is this a sign of old age? :P

What tools you’d never use, and why: Uh……I’d like to think I’d try everything at least once. *LOL* But I can say with certainty that I’ll NEVER use an American brand of nib pen again. ^__^;;; They suck so bad, omg, I can’t even tell you.

Because I move so frequently (at least once per year), these types of things tend to change with my environment. So who knows, in another few months, I may have to do this all over again. ^__^;;;; I look forward to it~!!!!!
(Yes, piggy is an eternal vagabond).

Uhuuu. Cable’s been out for most of the week (just got it back on), took a new medication and ended up sleeping through Monday and Tuesday (was quite a surprise to wake up Wednesday morning~!), missed all of NekoMachi all week. ………need to get out.

…was going to be a gift for Kaiousei, but…….I will do something different (and with references~!). :P

…it’s all nonsense. O_O;;;;

Having one of “Those” days, art wise. *lol* Recently, the type of ink I switched to decided to want to NOT be water/alcohol safe anymore (Dr. Ph Martin Bombay India for those curious)….at least the black one. *sigh* After many illustrations and practice runs that were just fine, too. >__>;; I’m going to have to re-do a couple of commissions/illustrations now, because of this, and it makes me quite………..yeah. You know. X3

Anyways, the above is from awhile ago. Just some random crap.

And Nino, because he’s the most Amazing kitty in the whole wide world~! <3
*nerd*

Oh maaaaan, have I had a huge bout of Art ADD. O__O;; So here’s a small mashup of things that I’ve been able to do (that I’m allowed to show) for the past little while. Uhm…..yeah. I love love love the summer time, and the heat, and being warm. But for some reason, I’m wanting to make a trip up to the snow (haven’t been snowboarding since C-chan~!!). Well, I’ll worry about that when it gets colder and I inevitably get more grumpy. :P

This design eventually got scrapped, so I can show it publicly. Thanks to those of you who helped me work on it. ^__^;;

Halfsize sketch; don’t know if I want to finish it. :P

My comic thumbnails can get pretty convoluted. XD So long as I can understand it……(most times I can’t, ahah).



I think I want to play with her a lot more.

I….NEEED to make at least one more trip to the beach this year. (hopefully more). But this made me very happy. You have no clue. TT3TT

BIG MONSTER KUMO~!!! UWAAAAAAAAAH~!!

Ohhhh….got to see cute little racing piggies at the Fair. O__O:;;;; SO CUTE SO CUTE SOOO CUTE~!!!!

Spent the past few weeks away from home, but still worked for most of that time. ^__^;;; I’m still away from home, technically, so I’ve yet to mail out commissions and what not (sorry~!!). Should be home in a couple more days. *sigh*

I’m very tired. Of a lot of things. I’m grateful for a couple of people these past few weeks who’ve allowed me to take a break of sorts and….sort myself out. XD So, you know who you are, THANK YOU~!!! <3 But I come back to it, artistically, and I'm like.....O__O;;;;;; I don't know. I'm too tired to explain.

And of course, I don't have any new art that I can really show. So you get screenshots of a commercial work. :3

I’ve had this certain song on repeat for awhile, trying to figure out how to mesh its theme with a short story I want to draw. I didn’t expect it (the song) to feel this painful, but there’s a definite emotion there. Heheh. It’s a good thing, though. :) There’s lots of things I want to do in the coming month. A really awesome contest I want to enter, and a few things I need to get sent off for people to see.

Let’s start changing things starry eyed piggy girl. O__O;;; Only you can take care of yourself, dummy dummy pig. You’ve got lots to do~!!

But until next time……sleep. TT3TT

Still don’t have any new art or sketchies to show, I’m very sorry. Still trying to get everything done, still waiting on new markers (eeep~!), still waiting for the end of the month. *lol*

Was browsing (and purging) some very old art files leftover on my old HD and came across a lot of stuff that made me go, “…….” Haha, I hadn’t seen them for a very long time~!!! XD

Out of any of my art, past or present, this is probably *the* most sentimental/meaningful (I generally don’t get too attached to my drawings). Hee hee. I remember using my roommate’s pc to get this done, rush rush rushing to get it done because I had to get to work (I really miss living in SF)…feeling all sorts of squishy things. I remember only being able to describe that feeling as having a belly full of curry and hot soba…something I ate A LOT of back then, because of my job. :P

Same girl as in the above pic, Starla. I distinctly remember being extremely frustrated while doing this doodle for various waffle-y reasons. XDDDD I really miss hanging out and talking with Dominique as much as I did back then. And if I remember correctly, around that time was the last time I’ve been to the beach properly. For shame, piggy~!! FOR SHAME~!!! D:< (I'll be remedying that rather soon, so it's all good).

A “test” page from an oooooold online comic I used to have. ^__^;;; I think about these two characters a lot, oddly enough, even though I never draw them anymore. People used to tell me that the trouble they would get into was “too far-fetched” yet they were things that actually happened in the lives of myself and the people I based the characters on. The story wasn’t called ‘It’s MY life~!’ for no reason. :P Haha, that’s a life long long dead by now. *sigh*

Starla, again. :) I gave this pic to an old girlfriend of mine from artschool (whom I lost touch with unfortunately…..need to look her up ‘cuz she was awesome)…and I also based a super giant cardboard shoe (a design class final exam) from the design of her outfit (blue, feathers, and straps~!! Haaaa, I wonder how I got such a good grade on that POS shoe?). Good times~!!!

It’s funny, sometimes…taking a trip through memories. More still how an image instantly brings back vivid emotions. I’m a person who tries not to look back at things that’ve happened in life but sometimes it’s not ALL bad, and I’m kind of glad I didn’t forget about these particular pics.

Of course, we won’t talk at all about how I haven’t improved AT ALL since these times. HAHAHAH~!!! *cries like a schoolboy*

Ahh, let’s get back to work~!! *hup hup*

Seriously, this is why there hasn’t been any new art or why it’s taken me so long to get back to certain people. ^__^;;;; I’ve been drawing non-stop for a couple weeks now, but this is the first time in a VERY LONG time that I’ve even been able to touch my sketchie. *lol*

I didn’t even know what day this was until I had to name the jpg file. XD All I can seem to keep track of is ‘oh sh*t it’s the end of the month, bills are due, and I need to get paid.’ Plus, ‘oh crap oh crap oh crap I need to finish all this stuff on top of all that other stuff and *finally* give these people their stuff……’

It’s all good though. It feels good. It feels really good. Plus, the weather is FINALLY turning hot (and it’s HUMID TOO WOO HOO).

So like, yeah. Please wait for me. XDDDDD

Just a SMALL handful of stuff that I’ve been needing to finish and some already done. Tonight’s a sleepless night for me. Hee hee. One of many ahead~! Yay. :D

Y’know, I thought it was weird the very first time I heard it, but the ‘new’ remix of Hikki’s Beautiful World is pretty damn neat. :P Uh….yeah. (We all know I <3 Hikki).

I….had something else I needed to say. …..but I completely blanked on it just now. TT3TT
Thank you for bearing with my slow-wittedness. *cry*

So…like….I saw this floating around the net on a podcast website (I forget which, so the credits for this image is theirs, just so we know). It’s the weekly schedule of a certain well published manga author in Japan.

I will let you know RIGHT NOW that this gives me so much full on lady wood like you have NO IDEA~!!! O__O;;

I don’t know if it’s the insanity of the thing (I mean, really, 3HOURS ONLY for free time outside of sleep), or the fact that I’m odd and get the oddest sense of motivation from seeing/hearing others’ work habits/process….maybe it’s the validation from myself saying that I need to stop being a whineybitch about things and get to work. :P

But I do know there’s that little Barney Stinson in my head quietly saying “Challenge Accepted~!” (though maybe to not such a degree).

My goodness, if something like this is all it takes for me to get hot in a biscuit for making comics..then…..then why can’t I get it up everyday? *sigh*

In other news, I *really* need to buy a desk to work on. TT__TT It’s hard because my living situation is still in flux (HAHA~!!) and bound to change at any given notice (not to mention there is NO space for any extra things here)…..but it’s really really really difficult, as well, to work in a non work space. Hmmm….

My mom’s cat Weasley wanted to help me out with drawing Kitty from NekoMachi. I love using analog screentones~!!! <3

Line art that I was not happy with, and as soon as I started to color it, I tore it up and threw it out. :) Will probably re-try the concept later….

Just a random image to take a break from other paid work. I really don’t like it and am very close to ripping it apart, as well. :/
You can see the finished version on DA:

Unloved… by =bybystarlight on deviantART

My poor, pathetic workspace (ie: my bed). I never really realized how inhibitive it is to NOT be able to work in a comfortable place. *sigh* Soon soon……*cry*

Weasley, again, because he’s awesome. And….believe it or not, in this picture, he was dead to the world asleep. XD