Steem Cartoon : A Cartoonist's Life

in steem-cartoon •  7 years ago  (edited)

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This is me looking very weary in my singlet after a tiring day a few cups of coffee in my office cum studio in Multimedia University. I seem to be the only lecturer that likes to return at night and work till the morning. It is an old habit that is difficult to die amongst cartoonist. We are unable to concentrate in the daytime because you get many calls and messages and that disturbs you chain of thought.

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Manual Sketching


Almost a dead art in Malaysia. Every artist in order to save time will immediately resort to the Wacom and do a digital image, but for the traditionalist like myself and a few others especially @cartoonistpandan must put pen to paper. There is no better feeling than a direct contact.

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I learnt inking a traditional way. After a sketch is done, we will proceed to do the inking. It is an art, in fact a fast dying one. There are so many new techniques now that artists used by deploying the Photoshop. But, like I always believe there is more than one way of telling the same story, hence creativity is not bound by what we know, holding a pen and reducing it to a piece of paper. If time change, so must we.

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The box of watercolour will tell you whether you are old school or you belong to the new generation. This entire work that I spread on my work table are work created entire by hand, paper, ink and water colour. Nothing more. There is no technology or software involved.

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Once the entire process is completed, we sent the artwork for printing and this is a proud cartoonist with the normal printed media. Something that perhaps our new generation may not be familiar with. This prints are the prints that paid for my electricity bill, my petrol bills, my food and sent my children to school. I could not be more grateful to the people that gave me the opportunities.

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Digital Age


This is the world that is familiar to many. This is also the world that the current animators, illustrators and cartoonists are used to. It is the digital age. Well, I can't say all is bad, in fact by using technology we can save time and effort. The only thing is the entire idealisation comes from the slow process drawing the traditional way.

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Living by the Deadline


I really think besides earning money from Steemit, there is no job in the world that will say, do as you please. I live by a strict deadline and you can see how my calendar works out on a monthly basis. Life is always a mission of meeting deadlines. The stress of having to meet deadline makes the entire creative process stagnate. At least for me.

Why I Choose Steemit


Most of my steemit posts are creation that I did on the spot after my brain is fully stuffed with work related stuff. I need to break from the cycle and that is when I start caricaturing my friends and try entering contests. It gives me a break and a breath of fresh air.

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credit to @zomagic

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@nkkb That's cool traditionally combined with high tech.

Thanks @nkkb ... although I'm practising digital now... old school style still has a strong emotional attachment to me...

The positive side is that you are doing something which you are passionate about. I also work better after 5pm when there are less distraction.

yup... that is our therapy moment... spend our own private time doing what we love...

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

When I was still studying, I love doing my things at night too. Then after become mommy, terpaksa sleep early with my girls... LOL... Tertidur when accompany them to bed... But now since I promise myself must post once a day everyday, so if I haven't post that day, after my girls fall asleep, I will turn on my laptop to write my post. Sometimes I write with my phone if too lazy to on laptop...
Love all your cartoon! tip!

hahaha... thanks for the tip eliza...
Yup... i'm juggling too... luckily now I can draw fast... but the ideation process still took me quite a bit of time... tqvm for visiting... :)

Wow, those cartoon drawings and sketches are amazing...Really talented to produce such impressive work =)
I found your post so interesting, good information should be shared so your post has been Upvoted and Resteemed. Hope more people get to read your blog.

Wow!... thak you... appreciate the appreciation and wish you all the best!

only a pleasure, good content deserves to be recognised....hope more Steemians read your blog post

I have a feeling you're always in your office. Light's always on. Unless it's "someone else" in there. Lol.

Hahahaa... just warn you if you are staying late at night... "someone else' sometimes like knocking the door and 'hide'... its norm... happened to me a couple of times... hahaha...

Erkkk....

Wow... mr @sireh, you done so many drawings already. I guess, all kind of media. may be?

Learn to be flexible... If we hold many keys... we can open many doors... :)
If one door is locked... we still have many others... hahaha...

Best lahhh...thumbs up!!

timaseeh!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

This is a very quality posting that we've been waiting to read and upvote. Bravo bro @sireh ... you did so well and motivated others too. Good sketches and photos that never been disclosed to public. Honestly, your students will realise, how hard life is, as a lecturer, as well as a cartoonist, all in one instance.

Thanks @abgmie ... yup! textbook knowledges and years of experiences are best combined in order to face the reality... i love to learn by doing...

abang sireh seorang yang bersemangat...semoga diberi kesihatan kerana suka menolong sahabat

Reality bites my fren..but we have to get through with it..feel you bro.. :)

The world is evolving... be prepared... kiamat dah dekat... hahaha...

Actually its kind of fun. @cartoonistpandan dah guna wacom tablet belum? best rupanya ha ha

hahah..masih oldskool in drawing but for coloring terpaksa pakai digital.tunggu masa sesuai je nak blast wacom bro..eekekeke

Yay for old school drawing! =)
If you are going to do digital, have you tried out Krita? It also has animation features. Available on Windows, Mac and Linux... and is 100% free because it is Open Source.

Thanks! Great info... will try it out...

I love your work! As a writer, I also like to just sit down with a pen and paper and no distractions and let things flow. Later I'll put it in my laptop and give it to the digital world. Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff. :)

Hi @thegalavantgirl ... tqvm for visiting...
I realized that you're also a blogger and a photographer... what a cool stuff you had...
Followed you back... honored and glad to be surrounded by creative people...

terbaik la sir! very very nice!

Haha... thanks akmal...

U r my idol bro @sireh .. keep posting.. i too wanna learn ur technique.. :)

Thank you... once in a while, I will be sharing my design methods... stay tuned... hahaa

Really there are so many things common in artists .......i guess i am calling myself one :).....
It is really good to work at night ......even when i start working on anything i prefer to start it after 11.....becoz at night ...really no one there to disturb you..not even the enviornmental distortions....(except dogs if present in vicinity)
....
I am good at doing stuff with graphite on paper....i wanted to learn about digital art....but i think it will take some time to get in there.....anyways ....steemit platform helps alot.....

Yup! We live in the same pattern here...

If you good at it traditionally you're on your half way... digital platform is only a medium and a powerful tool for artists... but we still need a creative people behind these tools... learning the techcniques only took you a few week... learning how to be creative is a different game...

Basically i am good at black and white.....i only use graphite pencils for sketching...not good at colouring stuff....but yes being creative is totally a different game.....
Keep bringing stuff like this....it is encouraging.....😋

Awesome post! I too prefer sketching/drawing on paper (tp x pandai ink kan.. hehehe ;p)

You only need passion and practices... 😊

WOW, @sireh didn't know you are pioneer in Malaysia comic industry, I really want to meet you if possible and to learn more the knowledge from your experience you got. I am very impressive your job. Will buy your comic to support you on book store .

No... I'm not the pioneer... there are many greats before me... I'm just helping them to turn their arts into digital... with the platform like steemit... it's possible to see we all been sharing our arts in the same platform... that is my dream and so far it goes in the right direction...

Geez, I just got distracted by so many monitors! Do not know how you can create traditional while having all that around. I too prefer traditional and have not been trained in digital. I am self taught and only started no more than two years ago, due to health reasons only. I have seen many "create" digitally and admit that's what I consider graphic arts instead (this too I learned at 15 years old). I don't like anything premade, unless I made it, otherwise it's graphic arts. I do not use templates, photoshop or anything. Unless, on the rare occasion that it is an actual graphic design.

Nice seeing your work space. If I had to live off art, I would, but right now I'd die of hunger. Just saving penny to penny here on Steemit at least doing what I love from my bed.

I've been doing traditional for the past 20 years... it's hard to get rid an old habit... but digital helps me to work faster... its fun when you know how to handle all those buttons...

LOL

It's great to see that you still work at the ''old way''. And agree with you, there is no feeling but when you have paper and pencil in hand, but as you said, we live in a new age @sireh :)

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

yup... indeed... personally, love to do it traditionally...
but we have to be practical... digital helps to deliver faster... and with some filters and tricks...
the output surprises me sometimes...

Great post! I too work in both the traditional and digital realm. Very rarely do I finish an illustration without using pen and paper alongside Photoshop.

That being said, there's nothing more satisfying than holding a freshly inked piece of work in my hands. Digital inking just doesn't capture the same spirit for me.

Wonderful work, keep it up!

Thank you... when we put a stop to learning new things... we will not discover our true potential... digital is just a medium... a powerful one... same like pens, brushes and pencils... the true talent is the person who handles it...

respek bro @sireh