Hello everyone, this could be my last journal entry for the next 2-6 months so I'll try to extrapolate on a few things...  Yes, I'm off to Basic Training today which means I probably won't be able to read your replies or responses to this particular journal entry, or entries, or on my art pieces in general.  But I encourage you to comment and respond if you must because once I'm back I will get back to you (depending on the nature of the comment, of course).  Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the GLS prologue before the weeks end and I'm fairly early in the stages, but I'll continue to work on it once I'm back... :)  But, I do have panels that are nearing their final form just so you know that I'm not jerking you around... XD  They're far from finished or finalized and STILL require tinkering...  I'd feel bad if I left you all with nothing so here are the links:  http://s1193.photobucket.com/user/Jkuraah19/media/ScreenShot2013-05-13at74639AM.png.html , http://s1193.photobucket.com/user/Jkuraah19/media/ScreenShot2013-05-13at74514AM.png.html?sort=3&o=2 , and http://s1193.photobucket.com/user/Jkuraah19/media/ScreenShot2013-05-13at74542AM.png.html?sort=3&o=1.  So on and so, I don't have much time left so I have to cut this entry short...  Wish me luck!

It's about that time again...or rather it's over due, which it is.  Hello everyone!

It's been well over two months since my last journal entry so I'll give you all some updates on the latest happenings regarding my goals as well as some imminent changes to my plans.    For one, I'm in my third month of school and my semester will end in about two months in early May.  The year is pushing along pretty fast.  I've also successfully enlisted into the Army and will begin BT in May.  I made sure that I wouldn't be able to head off until the middle of May after my college semester has ended.  As well, I've decided to do active duty as opposed to mere reserves.  The pay grade will be far greater and will help me accomplish more goals in terms of finances.  I'll have up to 9 weeks of BT and 9 weeks of advanced, so altogether I'll likely be living away from home over 4 months if they're consecutive.  But for the time being I'm finishing up my first semester.  As for the job I'll be getting/MOS, it's not a combat job (though it's naive to believe one is completely "safe" just because they don't have a combat job).  I won't be receiving info where I'll be deployed after Basic so I can only talk about what I know at the present.  Considering...it's great to know if all things go as planned, I'll have a secure source of income.  I've already started conditioning so I've already got quite a lot to look forward to this year.

In other news, I  got a wacom 22HD early in February thanks to my brother so I have something more advanced than the yiynova MSP19 I purchased last year (though the yiynova tablet is still fantastic).  I've been improving my craft with sketch book pro and manga studio 5 and indeed will be sharing more concept art and reference sheets I've made in the none-too-distant future.

As for GLS, I'm still in the designing stages which may be unfortunate to some but I want to be as thorough as I can...  I've (still) been researching page layout and storyboards and have discovered many great articles and in particular, a great youtube channel that goes into digital comic book making...  I'm not sure if I've talked about them in a past journal but here's a link to their YT channel, Mangachasers: http://www.youtube.com/user/mangachasers?feature=watch .  They do very intuitive tutorials using their characters Sen and Kai in video presentations that often utilize sketch book pro and Manga studio (EX 4), such as this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nlkNZDh4sY about making a manga (or more accurately, the making of a manga page).  I don't always take time to promote people, so if you're also in the beginning stages of developing your own comic/series and and need something more, per se, visually enticing to help guide you don't stray too far from their channel!  They also have versions of their comic/manga online in the form of presentation type videos so that may be fun to some of you.

More on GLS:  I wasn't  able to get to GLS outline chapter 100 by the end of last year but at the moment I'm on chapter 93's outline (which is the longest yet, nearly 18 pages worth of content for me to work from in the future!).  I intend to get to chapter 100's outline by the middle of March.  I've added some of the concept art for GLS to the facebook page which may stay exclusively there for the time being, so here's a link to some of it: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=341137095990372&set=a.332765036827578.64474.262236027213813&type=1&theater & https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=341137452657003&set=a.332765036827578.64474.262236027213813&type=1&theater

The first GLS FB page link leads to the frontward view of the character's faces and their designs as currently updated.  From left to right: Jeremiah, Raseph, Gheena, and Hemif, the main Jkuheeroes.  The second link leads to the Jkuheeroe cadets, from left to right: Edja, Roxanna, Marcus, Edja.  I also have some QR codes I've made leading to the GLS FB page and Mangamagazine that I will be sharing at some point in the near future.  So on and so, don't feel shy about giving the page a like, here: https://www.facebook.com/GodlikeStrength and sharing if and whenever.  It would help me out...

Regarding project TOTA, it's moving along smoothly.  I intend to finish outlining by the end of March and well into early April.  Beyond that, there's not much to say. 

There's also news regarding Whytmanga and his comic/manga Apple Black.  I know it doesn't always seem relevant to me or my goals in talking about others on first glance, but I simply like pointing out talent and great people out there.  Anyhow, according to his latest video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ItOzcCHLQ he has finished Apple Black (chapter one, anyway) and intends to submit it to publishers very soon which is pretty awesome!  With that said, it could be as much as a month before we get any word on what's to come next.  It causes me to reflect on where I could go/be with GLS someday if I just keep pushing.  Let's all wish him luck and our support in all his efforts.  But not only because he's a lone individual working to bring his project(s) to light, but also because his plight is the same as many of us out there who want to get our stories out there.  So on and so, there's still a lot for me to get done as well, so I'll keep my head up.

*For anyone who reads this entry, note that this was posted a week ago on my deviant art*

Hey every person who decides to read this entry... :/

Sorry for those of you who are awaiting content from me or are generally missing any discussion on my part.  Life hit, and I feel I owe those listening a little input on what's been up of late.  Here I go:

Well, for starters, back in mid-October my father surprise-visited from Michigan and we just hung out over the week.  As usual, it was a fun and enlightening experience.  I won't go into too much detail beyond that.  Afterwards, a greater event occurred during Halloween.  One of our dogs, who had been pregnant for a long-while, had puppies.  She had up to 10 of them, though we lost two over the course of a day and-a-half unfortunately...   I wasn't shocked, but generally when there's such a large litter death tends to happen.  The current batch is eight-strong and they are happy and healthy.  Today, some of them have just begun to open their eyes so that's a fine development to say the least.  As for other news, I've been studying to take the ASVAB and will retake the practice test on November 18th (so wish me luck)!  I took it while my father was in town last month but I didn't exactly pass... I scored a 19, and the minimum is 31 for the kind of test I took.  So I've been researching and studying in order to be better prepared for it, though it isn't uncommon for someone to fail it more than once.-___-  I'm interested in joining the army reserve, beyond servitude to a country, there are benefits to be had (especially financially) that could really help with my current situation and really help me get out there in the world (jobs are currently hard to come by where I live, and my family doesn't really have a steady mode of transportation at the moment...  so I'm assessing viable options in order to make me more successful, er, more prone to success in the future.  If I'm able to enroll before the end of the year, I get to stay local given that it is the reserves and only have to attend 2 times out of a month, unless I willingly volunteer...  All this is true to my knowledge, that is, unless I have come across some misinformation.  Of course, I don't just want to join just for benefits, but perhaps to challenge myself in more than one way.  Challenging myself to step out from a more sheltered, reseved (no pun intended) life and get away from home far more often.

Lastly, I've applied for a local college and did pretty well on the placement test.  I've got my finances taken care of for the most part, but I still haven't chosen a major.  On my slate, there is one last this regarding applying for the school.  The two majors I'm currently interested in pursuing at the local college are an Associates in arts (which would require me to transfer to a grad school upon graduation to finish/further my degree) and Computer technology (Bachelors).  Recently I've found this website called codeacademy.com that teaches people computer programming for free online.  I'm a visual-tactile learner (generally, I learn best by practical usage of skills and demonstration) so it's helpful wherein I learn about lines of code like:  console.log("Jefferson is an idiot".length > 10);  .  That line of code was an example of javascript, just basic stuff anyway.  I've been playing around with the idea  of eventually being able to code my own mobile applications for platforms such as android.  It never hurts to add more than one skill under my belt for the future.  I'm the kind of person who enjoys the world of electronics, but every so often, I wonder, "How exactly does this thing work.".  Anyway, I look forward to going back to school next year since I graduated high school in 2011.  I applied for an art school in Colorado last year and "virtually" attended but it didn't go so well (online courses don't click with me, and it was expensive as heck!)  Things don't always go the way you want in life, of course, I'm young so there's plenty of times for errors, though I'm not saying there weren't any benefits from the experiences I had last year.  So on so, that's about it when it comes to personal news.  Oh, and another dog we had was hit by a car and killed   I don't speak often about my pets or my other pursuits besides art, but I'll just say that a sibling of mine drove out of the yard in the night and didn't bother to close the gate as we often advice him to.  Not blaming him, but accidents happen when you least expect them to, and I'm not omnipresent.  Feelings of loss and unawareness I personally fell are inspirations for a creators greatest pieces.  When making comic book stories and novels in the general sense, you become an orator with absolute control and absolute awareness and insights into worlds unseen to others.  Perhaps many people besides myself write fiction because deep down we wish for the power to control the world and events around us?  Does that make any sense?  Bah, just my rambling! XD

As for GLS, which some of you reading are definitely interested in hearing about, yes, I'm still making it but have had to put it on the back-burner for a while.  I wish I could honor my commitments better but sometimes the environment you currently dwell in effects your drive and ability to work on certain projects if you get what I mean...  If joining any group or organization could make me "better", in these areas, I'd gladly stick with them if their cause was just and not inherently dogmatic.  But if you're belonging to such a group, and became completely un-skeptic, would you still be able to recognize your own dogma?  With that said, forgive me for my excuses.  But alas, babysteps I shall take, I hope to have something to show for by the end of November, though I won't promise anything.  Perhaps getting into a new environment is exactly what I need right now to push harder than I have before? I don't exactly have a "studio", though an easy retort is that there people who started off with far less things.    But sooner or later, I'll start up writing up Sequence 0-2 if I can' get more chapter outline done in the mean-time.  Thanks everyone who decided to give this a read!  And perhaps some advice would be nice if anyone has the time when making an decisions similar to mine.