CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

<shameless plug, I know>

I know a few of you have heard me planning a waitress manga for some time now, and I finally got the ball rolling, with some much needed encouragement from Ink, Shi-Hi, Gypsy...and mostly Ink.

So without further ado: http://www.lobster.christianmanga.com

Comments and suggestions very much appriciated. ^^ </shameless self-plug>

I will definatly keep an eye on this. Great job.
If only I could draw that well...
I understand the teror of the part time job. I don't work anywhere as hectic as a resteraunt but my work defenetly has its moments.

BTW: I don't think Layout'er is a word...

Thanks Kenshin! It's encouraging to think someone thinks my art is good. O.o;;

Yeah, working in a restaraunt can be a real stresser. Although now that I've worked a few nights by myself, among other things, I've found that busy nights don't freak me out as much anymore. It has its ups, downs, and crazy hilarious moments--all of which I hope to capture. ^^ Thanks for the feedback Kenshin!

p.s. yeah I know layout'er isn't a word, but I couldn't think of a better one. Besides, why should I be limited to the words Noah Webster knew, right?

Agreed. Webster don't now everything

Hey, good work. It looks nice. You might, however, want to check the Calbhach and MyrrhLynn links. They are loading "http://www.lobster.christianmanga.com/www.myrrhlynn.net" instead of "www.myrrhlynn.net".

I think this is going to be lotsa fun! LOL While I was never a waitress, I used to work as a grill cook in a university cafeteria and learnt to make pancakes, burgers, wraps, omelettes and stuff like that. Work in the restaurant is crazy! Don't sweat over the art, Ash. You'll learn along the way and the most important thing is you take that first step and start somewhere. Anyway, who said you couldn't always go back and do some editing?


EDIT: Comment time! Hope you find these suggestions useful and encouraging since that's the whole point anyway. ^_^

1st pg: There's a red spot on your cheek in the first page. Was that intended? Apart from that, I think the colors are just fine. Wow...I can't believe you've decided to make colored pages, that's a whole lot of work.

2nd pg: If you don't want the pencil lines to be apparent, try to increase the contrast function. I started off using pencils in my manga but eventually switched to pens for the sake of uniformity. Most of my single piece artworks are in pencils but I "constrasted" them so much that they look like inks so that's another option.

Unless you intended this, try to make the lines straighter such as the door, shelves etc.

For the "whack" part, perhaps you could more lines/star-like outline to make the impact stronger. Ack...this is really hard to describe. Sorry ^_^;; Do you know what I'm trying to say?

Oh how funny. Yes, this inforces in my mind why I will try to avoid waitressing. Me, in high stress situations= major klutz.

Can't wait to see more!

UC wrote:Hey, good work. It looks nice. You might, however, want to check the Calbhach and MyrrhLynn links. They are loading "http://www.lobster.christianmanga.com/www.myrrhlynn.net" instead of "www.myrrhlynn.net".

Ack! *kicks frontpage* Thanks for pointing that out.

Mave wrote:1st pg: There's a red spot on your cheek in the first page. Was that intended? Apart from that, I think the colors are just fine. Wow...I can't believe you've decided to make colored pages, that's a whole lot of work.

Well, I just wanted the cover page (and maybe a few more character sketches if I ever feel like it) to be in color. The red spot is intentional yes--it was supposed to be a mouth. >.< Guess I'll go back and shade it a little better to make that more apparhent.

2nd pg: If you don't want the pencil lines to be apparent, try to increase the contrast function. I started off using pencils in my manga but eventually switched to pens for the sake of uniformity. Most of my single piece artworks are in pencils but I "constrasted" them so much that they look like inks so that's another option.

Like I wrote in the commentary, I really messed this scan up and I plan on much better looking ones in the future. I have a nice set of ink pens, but I'm brand new so my lines are still a little uneven. I originally scanned this in while it was pencil shaded and THEN attempted to shade it in photoshop, which was a huge mistake. Next issue (which I'm about to start on) is going to be much smoother.As you said it's a learning process, so I hope to get much better over time. ^^

Unless you intended this, try to make the lines straighter such as the door, shelves etc.

Oh how you tempt me to say it was intentional. XD Nah, that was part of the messed up scanning job. >.<

For the "whack" part, perhaps you could more lines/star-like outline to make the impact stronger. Ack...this is really hard to describe. Sorry ^_^]
Yes, I understood. I studied some manga I had for that scene, but nothing was really from the right angle so I had to make it up. Comment noted though, and a very useful one since poor Ash will be running into a lot of things.

Osaka wrote:Yes, this inforces in my mind why I will try to avoid waitressing. Me, in high stress situations= major klutz.

*laughs* This wasn't meant to discourage you Osaka! Yes, waiting tables can be REALLY stressful. But it can be really rewarding too, especially counting a pocketful of cash at the end of the night, or sharing some laughs with friends/customers. It's not a bad job--it only has the POTENTIAL to be bad. ^^;

Thank you for all the comments and support, everyone. I really appriciate it.

Perhaps a good word would be "layout designer."[/insufferable pedant]

[quote="Ashley"]It's not a bad job--it only has the POTENTIAL to be bad. ^^]

A potential that I have fully realized! My restaurant days are far behind me but if the first issue is any indication I will be nodding with recognition a lot more than I'd like.

I don't have much to add to the suggestions already given, so I'll just say that I gave it a read and will be coming back in the future. Keep it up.

FYI, I updated again today. May be the last one for a while...because although I have plenty of ideas, I want to practice a little more before I release anything new. Also, gotta savor what's left of Christmas break.

These are great Ash! And I hear ya on the "dude" Thing. With my hair...I get miss things everyonce in a while at work from old people...once I turn and they see the goatee they usually stutter.

Hey, another comic. That was fast, so I won't mind if it is a bit longer before you update further. Eventually, you are going to need a way to go to specific comics instead of just going through in a linear fashion, but right now that shouldn't be a problem.

Cap'n Crack wrote:Perhaps a good word would be "layout designer."[/insufferable pedant]

While we've opened the door to pedantry, I may as well point out that is a good phrase.

uc pseudonym wrote:While we've opened the door to pedantry, I may as well point out that is a good phrase.

*Sits down with popcorn* Oooooooh, UC's pullin' out the itilicized phrases! This is gonna be good! I bet someone's gonna pull out a full fledged CLAUSE before this confrontation's over with!

On a purely related note, I thought second one was awesome, Ashley! But I feel sorry for yur poor co-worker. My fast-food days were pretty bad, but atleast I was never mistaken for a guy!