Q&A

[svetlania]

Comments

[ext_317013]

Approximately how long does it take you to draw a normal manga page?

[svetlania]

A medium-difficulty page (with several character close-ups and some moderate background shots):
--pencils are 1-2 hours
--inks 2-3 hours
--tones 20 min to an hour

A high-difficulty page (with complex background shots, full character group shots and/or specific special effects):
--pencils 2-4 hours
--inks 3-6 hours
--tones 1-2 hours

Colour pages--10-14 hours (I am really slow with colour...)

It should be noted that most of Nightschool and Dramacon was toned by a good friend of mine J. Dee DuPuy!! She is awesome and really saved my deadlines a lot of times with her work on those.

[ext_317013]

Okay, thanks! Now I can tell my friend that my slow pace is normal XDDD Although the gift is 4 months overdue ...

things

[ext_317015]

kyle here, that random kid at 2010 mays london MCM expo
and i has several questions for you miss svetlana
1: did you enjoy my pocky i got you, (hope you noticed the reference)
2:are you attending next may's (2011) london MCM expo
3: will you marry m-forget that one
4:what is the future of dramacon? itd be nice to see new charecters and their first convention experience
5:how awesome would it be if nightschool/dramacon became a anime? and what VA's would u choose to potray your charecters if you had the final say

(sorry for so many questions :P )

Re: things

[svetlania]

1: Hi, Kyle, I loved the pocky, thank you! Much-needed sugar!
2: Nope, I'll be in Rochester and Toronto in May (please see my website)
3: D-didn't quite catch that :D;;;
4: This comment might shed some light!
5: It would be very awesome!! I actually have next to zero knowledge of voice actors, so I'm the wrong person to ask about the voices, alas! Sorry this doesn't help OTZ

Q&A

[anonymous]

Hi, Svet!

My sister and I are big fans, we just finished Nightschool v. 4, and it was great! I can't wait until you continue it (but no pressure!) I think you did a really good job of finishing up the plot, but still leaving it somewhat "open." Good job!

Question: What kind of materials/software/etc.. do you use for your manga?

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

Re: Q&A

[svetlania]

Thank you very much :D I'm really itching to continue it, I hope it's soon!

My work materials:

Thumbnails--printer paper, regular mechanical pencil (B or 2B), and I print about 6 mini templates on the paper so I keep the page proportions right

Pencils--I scan my thumbs as greyscale, then enlarge each and insert them into a layered template file I have built in Photoshop (so that I can be mindful of the safety margin and bleed, etc. as I sketch). I do pencils digitally, in Photoshop, with just a regular stock brush, in black. Then I convert them to really light blue and print them out with a regular colour inkjet on A4 doujinshi paper (I buy this brand hereInks--I ink directly over the printed blueline with Pigma Micron pens (sizes 05, 02, 01), Staedler pen (005) and Neopiko-Line-2 pen (003--for the really fine lines). I also use the Pentel pocket brush a lot

[psychoe]

Hi Svet, big admirer of your body of work and appreciate your taking time to answer questions!

I'm afraid mine are fairly technical right now since I'm interested in submitting work for Yen Press's new talent search. I'd like to pick your brain on a few things. :3

1. What's your process for sizing pages and making sure you draw within the live area of your given printing specs? Do you print out the dimensions on paper in advance or draw them out manually for each page? I'm developing my own but wonder if I can streamline it a little more.

2. What tools do you use to ink your work? Liner pens, nibs, brushpens?

3. Do you prefer inking your speech bubbles in and do you ever encounter any disadvantages to this approach?

Lastly, how was the Artist Retreat? I heard Katie (@ktshy) had a fantastic time and hope you had a similar experience. :)

Thanks!

[cetriya]

now that you mention it, I'd like to know what their bleed size is too since they didnt bother to post it on the site

[psychoe]

I assumed their "page size" was where we'd draw the bleeds to but you're right, they don't really say that. The live area 4'x 8' feels pretty tight, too. I've left questions addressing this but they haven't gotten back to me.

[psychoe]

I *think* it's because the magazine is now an e-zine; online, so there's no cutting specs needed.

I have been curious about this for a bit...and some other stuff :D

[ext_317026]

Why didnt you draw the scene where the hunters time was stolen ever in the books ?!!!!!!!!!!! ;.;

Also why in the fourth book did u stop doing the detail of a sohrems face and just do whited out eyes with lines all over the face?!!!! u totally ruined some of the sohrems mysticalness ;_;

Last thing: Please explain y this last of this story arc?!!!!! Alex still has curse and they havent solved the sohrem problem yet!!!!!!!!!!! if this really is the end could u please drop some hints about the next one? O.O (hopeful)

Re: I have been curious about this for a bit...and some other stuff :D

[svetlania]

Scene with Hunters' time being stolen--I like it better left to the imagination.
Whited out eyes with lines over face--also a personal artistic choice.
As for the last question--all that will be explained in later books :) This is not the end of the series, it will continue at a later date (please see my afterword in book 4 for details.)

Re: I have been curious about this for a bit...and some other stuff :D

[ext_317026]

I did see it i am just asking y u ending the story arc now........ ;__;
and in book 4 u didnt give any clues about new story arcs from the nightschool world ;o;.......please give me some sort of clue as to the next one!!!!!!!!!