nuclear waste aerobics
If you have a question, check out FAQ tag first
comic
portfolio maarialaurinen.com
twitter @maariamph
e-mail maaria.laurinen@gmail.com
tags
#FAQ #phantomland #original works #fanart
Fandomsecret: I partake in social gatherings where people draw together but I never ever draw anything good there. I wish I could though
Anyway here’s a teenage jon and a fish
The only commission I drew at Tracon :D Memokkeen originally wanted leppu to draw her OC Zaimas but she was absent from our table so I got asked to take the job instead and I was like OKAY and sure, it was fun to draw a badass warrior chick in bikini armor haha
Taking a picture of this thing before it falls apart. I’ve caught the cats trying to eat it
Around two years ago Leppu nicked a poster from a local video rental and we ended up hanging it on the bathroom door so you could look at Robert Pattinson’s giant happy face while pooping. Gradually we started adding stuff to it and it kinda got out of hand
Contributors to this abomination include myself and leppu, muura, ella, anniina and likely some other cool mofos I don’t remember atm
travelernot-deactivated20130212 asked:
You should definitely sell these dress-up paper dolls about Phantomland characters. I can just imagine myself trying different fancy outfits on Jon.. oh, wait. I just got the feeling the outfit choices would be extremely one-sided.
Oh I see A CLEVER PLOY TO MAKE ME DRAW JON IN HIS UNDERWEAR
What kind of tablet do you use?
Just some tiny & ancient model of Wacom intuos. It doesn’t really matter what brand you use, to my knowledge they all work nicely :)
Tracon aftermath
Once again a huge thank you, Tracon was quite excellent! I had a surprisingly fun time sitting at the AA table and my comics and prints sold a lot better than expected as well. Even the posters were popular enough that I’ve got the printing costs already covered. Awww yisssssss
And super duper special thanks to the few of you who stuck with me long enough to give feedback about Phantomland, telling me what you thought about the story and characters and how much you’re looking forward to part four, cheering me on with the project and WHOA SUCH KIND WORDS what is going on?? So many people actually coming up to me to speak their minds? You guys have no idea how much that means to me…..;;;;;;;
A few people also asked me when #4 will be out and sadly I can’t give you a reliable estimate since I’m only starting to draw it, but you’re giving me a mad motivation boost to work harder on it!
So there’s a Jamaican-Argentinian-American guy called Felipe Smith who somehow became a legit manga artist in Japan for a legit Japanese publisher. His debut work there, Peepo Choo is BRILLIANT and I love it so I need to promote it.
The plot is hard to summarize because it has several characters doing their own thing simultaneously, but the underlying theme are the cultural differences and misconceptions between Japan & America. The protagonist is an American otaku kid who travels to Japan believing it to be a nerdy wonderland. Another main character is a psychotic yakuza dude who adores American gangstas and wants to be just like them. Wacky hijinks ensue.
The best thing about this work is that while the presentation is very loyal to the manga format, the substance itself is something only a gaijin could have pulled off. It’s an expertly written story with a really vulgar and mischievous tone. There’s some pretty interesting commentary on how weird and fucked up both the Japanese and Americans are in their own ways. There’s also loads of sex and violence included that get extremely graphic (warning: may gross out some readers), but it’s nevertheless a fun and exciting read all the way through.
The art is super expressive and has some of the most hilarious caricatures I’ve ever seen. Rarely do I giggle at a comic for the drawings alone. One thing that sticks out to me, though, is the unbelievable anatomy of the ladies that left me wondering if the massive boobs count as a joke in and of itself. Surprisingly there’s a clear moral lesson against sexism in the story so I guess I’m ok with the representations.
Sadly this thing lasts for only three books and while the ending is alright, it’s wrapped up with the kind of haste that maybe suggests the manga got cancelled before it’s time. I hope Smith gets to make a sequel sometime in the future.
If you like manga but look for something particularly wild and funny and different, get your hands on Peepo Choo!
Just remembered that I could totally order some Cypress textile badges! Ideally they would look exactly like the ones they wear in canon. Wouldn’t be too expensive either. Anyone interested?
There are several options on what goes behind it: either blank fabric, glue, iron-on glue, or a magnet surface. What would you guys like the most?
THEY ARE PRETTY NICE. The paper is a bit lighter than I thought but at least it should stick to a wall easily.
These babies will be sold at Tracon! I’ll look into my options if anyone from abroad might want one. Kinda tricky since it’s so big.
Postures… I don’t usually think about them much. Most of my characters tend to carry themselves in a more or less dignified stance, though I’ve had this idea that Jon gets kinda crooked when he’s up to no good
hello miss maaria! sorry to bug you but would you mind explaining the main characters' from phantomland's body-types? i was just curious about it; i don't know why, but i like to know all the details about character appearances for some reason huuhehehhahehu
Well that was a nice little exercise. Ideally they should look like this but it’s difficult and I tend to draw the skinny ones too meaty and vice-versa!
I kinda regret that I don’t have chubby characters. Planning to fix that eventually :’)