My latest project: Hooked On You

These has been some interesting past months, finishing projects and starting new ones!

I finally got the Japanese version of Circus Romantique off to my contact at Ribbon magzine, and she recieved it last week, gave me some pointers and gave it to the one in charge of the monthly rookie competition. She said they will have their meeting on the 2nd of December, but the artists won't be notified before the 10th of December. So I'll just have to wait... But as soon as I know something, I'll tell you how it went!

But I'm not slacking off! There's so many more stories I was to tell, and I'm allready starting a new short story, that will be (just like Circus Romantique was) printed in the next Nosebleed Studio anthology, as well as sent to Ribbon.

This is the main character, Mina.

She's a talkative vegetarian mermaid.

The story pretty much resembles most mermaid-meet-human stories, except the mermaids are cruel hunters and the main character is is a vegetarian one. There's a purpose for that; I want to use that as a pretext to discuss vegetarianism. She's against eating meat, but her sisters are bloodthirsty human hunters.

Right now, the script and the layout sketches are done (kick-started this project at a 24-hour drawing challange with my sister Catarina and some friends) and right now I'm working on translating the dialogues to Japanese.
With Circus Romantique I had lots and lots of help from other people with the translation, and I don't want to be such a burden again. I felt kinda lazy letting them do all the work. This time I'd like to try it for my self, and it accually goes pretty well!

I accually regret sending Circus Romantique a little, because Hooked On You feels much better. I feel I have a better vision with this one, both story and style-wise.

I'll update with more WIPs when I have started drawing, so that you can follow the process.


Oh!! And I have also finally gotten Mjau! a Facebook-page!
Please, like it here:
Mjau Manga on Facebook

Klara, färdiga, Manga!

Detta är kanske i senaste laget, men jag har lovat att informera om en mangatävling som är på gång i detta nu.

"Klara, färdiga, MANGA!" är en ny svensk mangatävling som hålls av det nystartade mangaförlaget Wasabi Press.

Tävlingen har olika kategorier och en första- och andraplatsvinnare kommer utses i varje kategori, och vinna pengar och priser från sponsörerna (mangaböker och prylar). Vinnarna utses av en jury bestående av mig, Åsa Ekström, Fredrik Strömberg (Ordförande i Seriefrämjandet) och Elise Rosberg (Chefsredaktör på Wasabi Press). Vinnarna kommer publiceras i en supersnygg antologi till april 2012 som kommer delas ut gratis till alla bibliotek och seriebutiker samt på mangamässor runt om i landet.
Och jag ber om ursäkt för den sena informationen, för deadline är 5:e december. Kom igen, börja RITA!

Elise är en av de mangavänner jag haft längst (vi träffades i Malmöfestivalens Mangatält 2004 tror jag) och det är så kul att spåna idéer med henne. Vi är farliga ihop... Så nu har vi såklart gjort det fatala misstaget och börjat spåna på en massa storslagna planer, som vi tyvärr kommer hålla hemliga en tid framöver, men som förhoppningsvis kommer till våren de med! Mer information då...

Jag lovade er ett inlägg om mina kommande projekt... Det får bli i nästa inlägg, och då på engelska så att alla förstår. Men jag kan ge er lite ledtrådar: sjöjungfrur och svärds-prinsessor...

Mer om det snart!

I've been doing stuff...

Hey, I have to begin with defending my lack of activity here!
It's not like I have been doing nothing, so let's do some reporting...

First:
ISV 2011 (28-30th of October)
This is the most important childrens comic festival in Malmö, and me and my friends in Nosebleed Studio had to be there, to represent! We sold our books in the market and also held a 'Drawing Battle', where the winner received a Deluxe Bag with our latest anthology and an awesome bag, poster, postcards and badge!

Photo by Anna Åhlén

Mjau! was popular among the kids, and I'm so glad for that. It makes me all warm and happy inside when I hear or see people (young and old) that appreciate what I create.
I participated in the project 'Livsviktig Konst' ('Vital Art') at the festival, where artists made artworks that later would be sold at an auction to give money to children in the Horn of Africa. Here's the picture I made for the auktion, drawing it live in front of an audience.


As soon as we got back home, I got myself to finishing a project that have been hanging over me like a dark cloud for some time now...
It is the Japanese version of my manga Circus Romantique. It's a project I started in Spring 2010 when I went to Japan and got a meeting with a Japanese editor at Ribon magazine (one of the biggest shojo manga magaziens in Japan). I had e-mail correspondance with the editor and developed the story and drew it for the Nosebleed Studio 5 Years Jubilee Anthology, but had to later redo the screen tones because for the format differences... (Ribon is B-size)

Cover of the Japanese version

This project would not have been possible if it wasn't for a bunch of warm hearted and lovely friends around me, that helped me with the translation and proof-reading:
First of all to Kristina and Johan and Elise that have helped me with correcting my e-mails. Without that help I would probalby have embarrased myself alot! Thank you!!
A huge thank you to Simon Lundström for the translation of the 32-page manga. He didn't just translate, but accualy but a lot of character into the dialogues, things I would just dream about. Thank you!!!
And thanks to everyone that proof-read the manga, and especially to Akio-san, whom as a native Japanese could give a lot of essential input. Thank you!!!

So, on monday the 14th of November 2011, I picked up my manga from the print shop and sent it to a Japanese manga magazine for the first time in my life with hope and dreams of one day being accepted for publication. I don't expect it now, but this is a first step...

Right before that, Nosebleed Studio went to J-popCon in Denmark in 11-13th of November. It is the biggest manga convention in Denmark, and they also host the Danish selection to the World Cosplay Summit, so they attract a lot of awesome cosplayers.
We met a lot of interesting people, many artists both from Denmark and from other countries, because the con in visited by more people from the continent than the Swedish cons are.

And...
This past week, I have been working as a teacher at the Comic Art School (Serieskolan) in Malmö. It's fun to be back, and to teach again at the school. I used to be the teacher during the summer course, but had to say no when I got more commissioned work as an artist.
The class was so fun to work with! Becasue this was their 'Manga Week', I was affraid that there would be people complaining because they don't like manga, but all of them was open minded and gave it a shot! Yaaay!! Thank you ~
Also, it's fun that most of them are girls! Only 5 guys in a class of 24! Wow!

So, a lot of working and finally finishing stuff, feels great!
Now it's time for some new projects... More about that in my next entry!