Life Update #4

With finals coming up next week, my life is finally slowing down enough for me to post something.  So here before you is Life Update #4!

What I’m Reading:

If you’re a fan of Japanese manga, then you definitely need to read some Korean manhwa.  While they’re both very similar mediums, manhwas are read left to right instead of manga’s right to left, which makes it a little easier on a Westerner’s brain (unless you’re already used to reading manga).  One of my friends recently introduced me to manhwas by having me start reading one called “Cheese in the Trap.”

Oh.  Goodness.

It’s AMAZING!

If you’re interested in reading it, head over to this link to read the English fan translation.  It’s quite a fun and entertaining story.  I started it only a couple days ago, and I’m already halfway through Season 1.  This is definitely one that you’re gonna want to check out as soon as you can.

I also had a wonderful lunch meeting with the resident missionary at my school, and he suggested that I read a book called Harmony in Conflict, which is about Taiwanese culture (where he serves and where I’m considering working after graduation).  I haven’t picked it up from the library yet, but it’s very big so I’m honestly pretty excited about it.

What I’m Working On:

I know that my tagline for this blog is, “No, I won’t draw you.”  And I also know that that is exactly what I say to every person who has ever asked me to draw him; however, I just broke my usual refusal to draw “real life people” for school purposes.  See, each person in my Interactive Design class is supposed to build a website by the end of the semester.  Mine is almost done, but I noticed that I had a big empty space on my home page.  The site is dedicated to some of my best pieces of digital artwork, so I figured that I might as well make another piece to take up that empty home page space.  And with my excitement about BIGBANG’s two new singles (“Loser” and “Bae Bae”) nearly flooding out of me, I decided to forgo my usual refusal and draw a portrait of my favorite group member: Dae Sung.

I finished the sketch two days ago and have only gotten around to inking his head and hair so far, but I think he’s looking pretty good currently.  I’m also trying out a new technique for layering inks, so we’ll see how that works for me in the long run.  Below is a screenshot of the piece, which is being drawn using Manga Studio 5 EX (the pro version of Manga Studio).  I’ll post the final when I get it done.

What I’m Watching:

Currently I’m watching three new Korean dramas (I have a hard time just watching one at a time, ok?): Blood, Sensory Couple, and Jekyll, Hyde, and I.  I’m also watching an American football-themed anime called Eyeshield 21, which is surprisingly good.

What I’m Listening To:

I just recently discovered a Korean rock band called Royal Pirates.  Unfortunately they don’t dress up as steampunk pirates on-stage, but they do have some fun music.  The video below is of their song “Seoul Hillbilly,” which is one of my favorites.

So what have you guys been up to lately?  Are you all ready for finals, or should we just skip that week and go directly into summer?  😉

Hope all of your exams and summer job searches go well!  God bless you guys!

– Chrisi –