THIS! IS! AMATEUR COMIC ARTISTRY!

My little comics blog has hit 300 views today! So I had to commemorate with a botched and recycled 300 quote. Thank you everyone, for taking time out of your days to see my amateur comic artistry, and for all the support you give! Like I've said before; I wouldn't do it if you not for you guys. Woot!

Life's Little Pleasures

...Like heels.
Cameo appearances by panel:
First: new friend, Willow
Second: old friend, Mitch
Third (pictured left to right): older friend Jamie, my father, old friend Eric.
Last: Everyone.

Foiled Again

Curses!
It is impossible to win an argument against this man. (Being my father.)

Immortal Combat (Book spoilers warning!)

Idea for this comic prompted by Mortal Kombat and a friend of mine and I chatting last night about this father-son duo's crucible struggle. Yes, all these things happen in the book... including them smoking opium together.
Bonding at its finest.

Writing Pains

"A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people."
- Thomas Mann
You said it.

You Know You're Pale When...

To be fair, I do bring it upon myself.
On related note, my black Sharpies are dying. Thus, we have a green comic today.

Sinful Liaisons (NSFW)

NSFW means "not safe for work", for anyone wondering. Not that I consider this illustration raunchy or inappropriate, but some might. (Oh no, a woman's partially bare breast!)
Anyways- these are two book characters of mine; stole this snapshot from a scene involving the two of them after "relations" (insert pincer gestures in mind, because I did do pincers). I thought it might make a nice picture illustrating their sneaky romance/affair.
I also like that Amaya is cuddled against Abhi instead of the stereotypical other way around. I just love the two of them so much. They're the most interesting (to me) couple in the book, most likely because they're the most... unconventional. (Some of you know what I mean. Elbow-elbow-shush)

Saburo and Kawawelah

Two book characters of mine (from left to right), Saburo and Kawawelah. I don't think I've ever drawn Saburo with his dressings down; as one can see, he's heavily scarred. And Kawawelah... I don't think I've ever drawn her outside of cutesy cartoon form. Anyways, Saburo is a retired military officer (not why he's scarred, mind you) and soon-to-be-retired swords teacher for the village most of the book takes place in. Kawawelah was (past tense because she passed in the beginning of the book) his long-time fiancée. And, for anyone familiar with Hayaku, Kawawelah is his mother; that being said, Saburo is pretty much accepted as Hayaku's stepfather.
Saburo's face is scarred because of a house fire from... eh, twelve years ago? Sounds about right.
And Kawawelah, well... she's skinny because she's frequently ill. An unfortunate, vulnerable type to sickness.
Saburo's actually pretty popular with friends, now that I mention it... there's just something about him that drives them crazy. Pretty successful, considering he's only a secondary character.

Emperor And Reigning Two-Face.

A simple headshot of my book's other Amaya (though he'd rather you call him Aya), and dichotomous Emperor.
To sum him up... he's Amaya's father, has two personalities as clear as night and day, and is a proponent of the scowl and grumble method for life's annoyances. Primarily Amaya.
I might note that he and Amaya absolutely loathe each other. Even so, that's a poor understatement.

What I'm Told I Look Like, According By Hair Length.

First panel cameo: my sister, Amanda.
Second panel cameo: my brother, Josh.
Third panel cameo: my friend, Mitch.
Fourth panel cameo: the only person I trust to cut my hair, Sheila.

Procrastination

My usual morning routine, Golden Girls removed.

Jamie's Commission

Commissioned by my friend, Jamie. We heart Katamari!

Trial and Error

I am sad to say this happens quite frequently.

If I Could Choose My Physician

Chekov might not like Mccoy's sick bay, but I do!

Hitchcock was Right

Was reading up on crows the other day... nnng.

Alissa's Icon

Commissioned by my friend, Alissa.

Alisha's Icon

Commissioned by my friend, Alisha.

Carly's Icon

Commissioned by a friend for her various icons.
If you want a cartoon icon, let me know! I'd be happy to make one for you, too!

Kitchen Prowler

One part request from a friend (Carly) to be in a comic, one part what I imagine she'd do if she had a way to break into my house.
For reasons I don't fully understand, my food is sacrosanct among friends. When they visit, other friends don't gripe "Aw, you get to see Uly?" No. It's "Aw, you get Uly food?!"
Love you lot.

Eternal Struggle.

This is just a drawing of, from right to left respectively, Aya and Amaya. They're kinda pushing each other, trying to gain the upper hand, Aya more desperately. It's a constant chess match between the two of them in the book.
The other thing I thought would be interesting about this drawing is to showcase how similar they actually are. With their features, habits (smoking), etc... they are, after all, father and son. They're pretty duplicate, actually... which is one reason I suspect they butt heads so often. That, and there are grudges against the other on both sides.
I focused mostly on their expressions. Was aiming for a sense of tension, grudge, and power struggle.
It's most likely not the final version; I might redo it, with shading and whatnot.

A Writer's Stress

This drawing is of myself (with the coffee cup and glasses in the middle) surrounded by all my characters' chaos. This is pretty much how I feel every time I sit down and write: like they all come rushing for me, squabbling and causing trouble and demanding that I pay them attention. For that, I call them my kids. Haha.
Pictured from left to right...
Baala, fuming over Yusu.
Yusu, arguing with Aya.
Sarikah, enduring baby kicks.
Aya, arguing with Yusu.
Me, overwhelmed by all my characters' chaos.
Fadil, scolding Saburo.
Saburo, ignoring Fadil.
Amaya, being drunk and a manwhore.
Hayaku, being paranoid.
Aditi, upset with Saburo.
Random Royal Guard, trying to escape Amaya's clutches.
Lochan, sighing from afar over Amaya.
Random maid, hiding from Amaya.

Andrej Fever

I love Andrej Pejic to death. I go on forever about the reasons... but I'll save that for another time! Haha.
To those unfamiliar with Pejic, he's a Serbian male model who showcases both male and female fashions. Basically, he's an androgynous model for the fashion world and a rising role model for LGBT/etc communities.
My sentiments toward his possible sex change are actually pretty indifferent. I just don't think he'd look nice with huge breasts... biased as I may be, with my "flat" chest.

Meeting Michael Jackson.

I think the comic says everything.

Fun with Eyeliner

It saddens me to say that I actually did this one day. Haha.
References made, in order of appearance..
Through the Fire and Flames, Dragonforce. (what I sing in the shower...)
>Spock, Star Trek Original Series
>Cpt. Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Carribean series
>Twiggy Ramirez, Marilyn Manson (his eyebrows were like that on the album art for "Smells Like Children")
>Toki Wartooth, Metalocalypse
>Batman, Batman.
>Sesshomaru, Inuyasha
>Itachi, Naruto (I don't watch the show anymore, but the lines under his eyes always made me laugh.)
>Dani Filth, Cradle of Filth.
>Darth Maul, Star Wars series.
And Spock again.

Sleepless in Wisconsin

My friends are pretty familiar with this cycle. Normal, busy bee, hyper, emotional, edgy, chatterbox.

Unearthly Distractions

I shamelessly admit: I love me some half-Vulcan.

Father-Daughter Bonding.

This conversation actually happened. I kid you not. That being said, my father is wicked ace.

Zombie Blogs

So my Google Reader has become like my email: a million new things everyday. To clear up the clutter, I deleted one of my subscriptions. But... it kept. Coming. BACK.
Haha... if you look close, I put down actual blogs that I follow... in order of appearance...
>Cat vs. Human
> Coffee Party
>F--k Yeah, Andrej Pejic
>Cocamia
>Namja Idols (the zombie one)
>Irascible Poet
>Dueling Analogs
>Norway Post
>Sociological Images
>F--k Yeah, Tomek
Not listed: the other forty blogs I follow. *facepalm*

Night Vices

As much as I hate seeing him suffer, Amaya makes an interesting subject.
Look closely, and you may find all the wine bottles, two glasses, box of opium pills and the opium pipe in Amaya's bedroom. Oh, and that portrait in the back is one of Abhilasha.
It's like a sinister "I Spy" page.

A Happy Reunion

Hayaku's not one of my book characters often poked fun at. Most of you are familiar with my characters, but for those who aren't... as with Amaya and Abhilasha, Hayaku and Sarikah (the girl with short hair) are another of the three big couples in the book. To sum them up, Hayaku's a pariah (for being born illigetimate and growing up with a single mother) and Sarikah is a runaway princess. And the hands on her belly means she's expecting. So there! Them in a nutshell.
In this parallel-universe-from-the-book comic, Hayaku is granted a reunion with his father, Kuzma (who only has a name because some gossiper said it in an insult).
Cameo appearance by Isra, the spoiled horse they stole from Amaya.

Clover Tea's "Innana" and "Gopala"

Here, Innana is cornering farmer Gopala. This is from the short story, "Clover Tea".
You can read the short story if you head on over to the writing site I've got... www.wix.com/uliharp/ulysseslharp
...it's on an interactive book!

Clover Tea's "Innana"

This time, Innana has some tea. This is from the short story, "Clover Tea".
You can read the short story if you head on over to the writing site I've got... www.wix.com/uliharp/ulysseslharp
...it's on an interactive book!

Clover Tea's "Innana"

This is one of the illustrations to a short story I wrote a while back, titled "Clover Tea". The character (or plant, kinda) here is Innana, a forest spirit.
You can read the short story if you head on over to the writing site I've got... www.wix.com/uliharp/ulysseslharp
...it's on an interactive book! I love web page design.

Visiting the Music Room

I poke fun at Amaya a lot, so a serious depiction of him every now and again is a breath of fresh, albeit depressing air.
This is how imagine he spends most of his nights. Bitter and tipsy.
I set him in the music room... a significant place in the book. The place holds a lot of memories for him. Just thought it might make an interesting drawing.
On a second note, I've gone mad with crosshatching.

Princess Kennings-would-love-your-name?

A frontal view of our violinist and introvert, Abhilasha. (Abhi for short-remember that.) Her name is even more a mouthful than our reigning diva (eye roll... that would be Amaya.)... Princess Abhilasha Ta'al Aalya. Remove "the twelfth" from Amaya's title, and hers beats him by two syllables.

My new Facebook icon.

Seriously speaking, this drawing was intentionally dramatic. It's the third panel of "In the Heat of the Night"... where the intro before the comical part was drama-injected for a funnier fall. Anyways, it's so ridiculously dramatic, it makes me laugh every time I see it. Hence, "Impact" font and botched quote from Dark Knight. Because it's ridiculous. And my new Facebook icon.

True-blood-fever! (Guitar twangs)

First things first; appreciative nod toward Ted Nugent.
Secondly; I know this has nothing to do with the book or my monotonous life, but I do love me some Trueblood.
Commissioned by a friend; shoutout to Bri.

Detox, Amaya-style.

That being said, he's going to need some new hobbies.
I especially felt bad for the last thing being taken away. I know there's nothing Prince Pansexual enjoys more than a maid and fair-haired guard with evening tea. But, what Yusu wants, Yusu gets...
(Yusu being his father's mistress and palace busybody)

Female Character flowchart.

The second flowchart for my characters. The females. That wraps it up then- we've got both sexes (and Prince Metropancake) covered.
(Prince Metropancake nickname accredited to Carly. Not that I understand the pancake part, but the alliteration...)

Male Character Flowchart.

Just thought it'd be funny. And help educate everyone on the characters. Haha.
Either way, this one's for the boys...

Prince Your-name-is-long-and-full-of-alliteration?

Character headshot: just plain ol' Amaya. Prince Amaya Ta'al Aalya the Twelfth, to be exact. Ugh, what a mouthful. Thank god subjects can just say "mi'lord?".

In The Heat of the Night

Two things.
One, the cross-hatching in panel four took for-damn-ever.
Two, this is the story behind this particular (and my new favorite) comic:
What happened in the fourth panel (the mid-act conversation) didn't actually take place in the book, but a friend and I were chatting about Abhilasha's sterility and it made me think what might have happened the first time she and Amaya... well, you know. I imagined it would be something like that... totally hilarious.
The first three panels (dramaticized as they may be), however, are straight from the book. Quoted and all.
The last one, half and half. She really said that; he only thought it. Hehe.

Leech In Spider's Clothing

One of those few inspired by my life and not the book. Story behind it is...
On Sunday, I went to get some coffee from beside the sink, when I noticed a spider hanging out by the drain. He walked around a bit, and later in the day, just stayed there. The next day, I expected him gone, but he wasn't. That day, he hung by on the side. Well, I'd never seen a spider hang around that long before, but I didn't think much of it then.
Now... it's Thursday, and that little bugger is still hanging out by the drain. I've been avoiding him all week, using only the opposite sink, actively avoiding him when filling water for coffee... but I swear, if he's not gone by tomorrow, I'm grabbing the dustpan and shooing him outside.

He Seems Normal.

I love Shahrokh (the brother) to death. He's so funny.
Oh, and Aya. To quote a friend... "Oh Aya, you douche."

She Knows You're Lying.

Amaya and Yusu have a strange friendship. On again, off again... it's a constant circle. Mostly Amaya running away from Yusu's bloodhound instinct. It doesn't matter how many times he denies it: she knows he loved her. Haha.

Quality Father-Son Time.

Oh, Aya and Amaya... the two of them are at each other's throats as regularly as the sun sets. As for their father-son time, this is the best it gets.

Who Can Crush A Prince's Artistic Spirit?

Empress Baala, that's who. She just doesn't appreciate music because she's a bit of an airhead... and a bitch. Nnng.

Amaya's Habits

I was curious to know how many times we've seen Amaya do something depraved or wicked. So, I skimmed the first 400-so pages and got a rough estimate. That's right, rough estimate. These numbers may be too low.
Snicker. And think... he's still got half a plot to do more wicked things.

Apology Not Accepted.

Aya and Yusu routinely make me laugh. I need to have more comics poking fun at them and their very argumentative relationship. And Aya... Aya, you are terrible at this.

Amaya... Androgynous?

Some of the other characters... okay, one of the other characters (I'm looking at you, imaginary Aya) likes to poke fun at Amaya by calling him effeminate. Teasing the way he stands, mocking how he holds cigarettes... stuff like that. Which made me question if other people see Amaya as between the genders. Which, in turn, made me think... I do believe he's fairly androgynous.
So this was just a humorous faux-chart for my pondering.