Reflecting on 2007, Welcoming 2008!
Nemu has a new friend!
Greetings everyone!
Happy New Year!
2007 has been such a wonderful year for nemu*nemu! KS and I both hit many mini milestones and have plans for many more in 2008! Since our debut in 2006, we have both been working hard day-and-night to maintain our schedules and prepare for our events. It hasn't been easy, but we feel it has been completely worthwhile!
Here are some of our highlights of 2007!- nemu*nemu Book 1 - Outlining our first year of strips, this has been a big milestone for the both of us! We were both working full-time and had little extra time to spare to keep up with our schedules. Book 1 documented the beginnings of our comic - getting to know the characters, plotting out their world, finding my artistic "sweet-spot" in drawing. Despite some mishaps and mistakes (which are all too human, really), I still think our first book captures that feeling of wonder and whimsy of everyday life!
- Our Convention Debut - This was an amazing show of effort for both of us! Pulling together a booth-full of goods, meeting our readers and finding new fans - it was exhilarating, exciting, and at times, hair-raising. Although I had sold art in various artist alleys at past conventions, this was my first time as a vendor. We had a great time and look forward to more!
- Reaching Strip #200 - This is more of a personal milestone for me - getting to strip #200 has been a challenge~ After we finished Chapter 12, we decided to make the switch to color (for many different reasons). My coloring skills were rusty and inking was definitely not my forte. I've spent most of the year fine-tuning my process and I feel I have reached a point where I've streamlined things and am still happy with the results~!
- Nemu & Anpan - With a lot of help from "Twinkle" Furuichi, KS and I made one dream a reality! Completed just in time for Kawaii Kon '07, 25 SETS of Nemu and Anpan debuted for sale. For me, it felt like my pups just jumped straight out of our book and into reality. They are about as close to what I imagined our boys would be in looks, size, and shape! I'm sad to say that we're down to one last Anpan - the rest have been adopted into loving families. We're so happy they were so well received!
- Sugary Serials - Something that started very early on in the year came to fruition this Autumn. Working with comic artists from all over, we had this wonderful opportunity to create a 3-part comic story that will be published in early 2008! I'm so happy we had a chance to become acquainted with these fellow artists, as their talent for storytelling and art (in kid-friendly comics to boot!) are worth checking out~!
- Going Full-Time - After 2+ years of working full-time (and then some), I have decided to take the leap at making comics my full-time job. It hasn't been easy and I had my share of mishaps from the get-go, but I think I've finally started to settle into a daily routine! I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but this experience has been eye-opening~!
- KimonoKitsy Studios, joining forces! - (a.k.a. "getting married") After meeting in late 2005 and started collaborating (a.k.a. dating) in early 2006, we finally got married on Halloween of 2007! It has been a pretty smooth transition from day one and married life feels very comfortable for the both of us! We take each day at a time and look forward to all that'll come our way!
- New Toys! - To add to my hardware collection, we invested in a few new things to help us get our work done! Recently, I wrote about my brand new Wacom Cintiq 20WSX, but on top of that, a few new toys came in for Christmas! Courtesy of Ryan #03 & LC, we received a brand new Apple Wireless Keyboard - Aluminum Edition
! (Hurray! No cords!), while Ryan S. grabbed a Griffin PowerMate
Needless to say, it was a pretty eventful year and we're definitely looking forward to what 2008 will bring!
Here's some things in the works:
1) Kawaii Kon 2008 - We are confirmed to attend and will be located in the dealer's room again!
2) Book 2 - Will be ready by April! (We're working hard to make sure this happens!)
3) Secret Projects - More info will be released as we get closer to the date~!
4) Plotting to extend our convention runs - still in early planning stages, but starting to solidify!
Here's hoping for the best!
I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve/Day! I know I'll be celebrating with family and possibly the Kouhaku Utagassen on KIKU-TV!
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