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comic
portfolio maarialaurinen.com
twitter @maariamph
e-mail maaria.laurinen@gmail.com
tags
#FAQ #phantomland #original works #fanart
Posts tagged ask maaria
thank you so much for drawing connies eyebrows thicker in your second drawing!!! as a south asian girl who learned to accept their hairy eyebrows its heartwarming :')
Ah yeah, I didn’t use refs so I forgot the eyebrows first time, sorry about that. Glad you like the art!!
As a large bodied man, i worry people are going to be afraid of me because of how I look. Seeing Steven interpreted as a gentle giant means so much. He looks a lot like me, and I'm so happy that I feel like crying. Thank you...
Haha you’re welcome! If his parents are anything to go by, he’s likely to grow up really tall and heavy. People keep mentioning that episode where Steven ages rapidly but I think that‘s just him shapeshifting and not an accurate prediction of the future.
Although grandpa Steven DOES seem to have Rose’s curls which I find delightful
I don't have any way to translate it--is the Japanese faithful to what we'd expect, or does it have a secret April Fools message? :o
The Japanese is legit! As legit as I could make it anyway, I’m not fluent by any means
ジェム☆日記スティーブン・ユニバース “Gem ☆ Diary Steven Universe”, Came up with the title so it would seem separate from the source material, à la Powerpuff Girls Z
地球を守るクリスタル・ジェムになって見せる！“Watch me become a Crystal Gem who protects Earth!”, just a generic catchphrase that’s common in promo art
Looks like people are getting their panties in a twist over your SU fanart. I reeeeeeeally hope you don't get anon hate over this, and if you do, don't respond. Wait for this to blow over. Some of these people are extremely vicious, and engaging with them would not be wise.
Yeaaaah I did expect some amount of hate alright. I thought the joke here was pretty obvious but there’s always that percentage of people who completely miss the point and go batshit crazy in my inbox
DISCLAIMER: Just to be clear, yes, the image is intentionally tasteless because I’m poking fun at the anime industry (and perhaps the perverted side of SU fandom as well). Steven Universe is one of my favorite shows at the moment and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it :)
Hi Maaria, I'm curious- what is your technique for writing the chapters of your stories? Like before the drawing and inking- do you write out the /full/ chapter (or three or so) and then draw them out?
Hi! Thanks, that’s a good question. I already sorta covered this in the FAQ but might as well go into more detail
I start out with a general idea of what’s going to happen in each chapter and try to write down most of it before I start thumbnailing. Emphasis on “most of it” - if I have every detail already set in stone when I begin sketching and inking, it’ll start to feel stale and boring. Flexibility is more appealing to me. The story evolves in my head constantly so there’s a whole buch of stuff I’ve added or changed on the fly, sometimes at the last minute even.
This episode with the mafia kids for example I originally estimated to be just one chapter (40-60 pages) long, but ended up writing so much material it had to be split into a two-parter, and now it’s actually becoming a three-parter! It transformed from simple action shenanigans into something more meaningful and exposition-y, which I felt was an improvement but demanded a lot more pages to really work the way I wanted.
Basically this is why having complete creative freedom is awesome. You can just mess around behind the scenes as much as you want, doesn’t matter as long as the pages get drawn on time hahaha
Hi! I think your comic making seems really professional. Especially the marginals, which I have no idea about. Could you explain/show your knowledge and methods when it comes to marginals?
Hi and thank you!
You can draw your comic any way you like, but if you want to print the stuff, just make the margins wide enough. The edges of the page will be cropped off in print, marked here with red, usually 2-5mm depending on your printhouse. Make sure not to draw/write anything important in the danger zone
I want to see Jon's and Chie's reactions to if they switched bodies. :D
Haha I could probably write an entire episode about this scenario but there’s no time to draw all of it
Nov 12, you posted draw this again. Would you mind trying to tell main reasons why you feel like 2014 is better for you? Why so much change in style? I'm trying to analyze your style and not in anyway disrespect you.
Interesting question, thanks. 08 version I made simply to demonstrate technical skill and it’s already decent enough that I didn’t need to improve the pose or anatomy a second time. In the 14 version I figured I should tackle the design aspects instead. Don’t get me wrong, I still like cel-shaded anime stuff but doing it a third time might’ve been dull (or maybe not??? Maybe I’ll have to try once again haha)
Basically I feel 08 and 14 are both alright drawings but 14 shows progress in character design, colors and composition. Those are super important for an artist to learn but I guess they’re harder to recognize, what with being more subjective than a standard “how do body parts work” type of thing
it is your BIRTHDAY!!!! CONGRATULATIONS! keep making awesome comics and perfect art, I wish for you a thousand kilos of inspiration.
Thank you anon, that’s super kind of you! I’m hoping to make this a productive and inspired year as well. Glad to know someone looks forward to it.
Anonymous said: I ADORE your art and I get really inspired whenever I read Phantomland - your skill and dedication really are worth recognition and I love reading the comic over and over again. I also fear I have a crush on Jon..
Reading it several times even!! I admire your dedication, thank you so much, it means a lot to me. And welcome to the club with the rest of our Jon fans hahaha…. I feel he’s gotten even more popular now that Nirvana Jon (Jorvana) got introduced
Anonymous said: I once saw a picture of Amber smiling with another guy and had mistaken that for Elias. I thought that’s why they work together with Jon until I realized that was someone else. So how did Amber and Elias end up working for him?
This guy? I didn’t figure he’d look much like Elias at all, but I guess they have pretty similar facial hair! Welp I was thinking of redesigning the character anyway…
Thanks, that’s a good question though. It’s a complicated story how the trio got together. Officially Elias was hired as Jon’s personal medic while Amber showed up to be a “trophy wife”, but it’s not the whole truth and they’re maintaining this facade to keep a low profile. There’s more interesting stuff going on behind the scenes, though it’s spoiler territory so I’ll keep my mouth shuuuut
Oh I love those "Draw this again" pictures. I don't know, it's some kind of weird fetish. Love to draw them too. I vaguely remember that someone told you the 2002 version looked better? When you posted that 2008 remake on DA? Was it just some weeaboo or did more than one people say that? :D
Eeeh there’s always someone who likes the old version better, but that’s alright… I guess some people tend to be most impressed by intricate details or realistic anatomy because those things require practice and discipline. Useful stuff to learn but I don’t think they make everything awesome by default; it’s not the tools but how you use them, etc.
Hey maaria. I know you probably get these a lot but I know how much they would mean to me to get so here it goes. You’ve inspired me so much. I’ve always been so afraid. So worried about not being good enough. Not being noticed. But after reading and watching you online for so long I realized I shouldn’t be afraid. I know what I want to be and what I want to become. Seeing you work so hard everyday. Never letting anyone get to you or discourage you. You have no idea how much that means to me. Your Art, story, and characters are all an inspiration and motivator. I know I still have so much to learn about art and I still have a long way to go until I’m even close to where I want to be. I just want to say thank you. Even though you unknowingly did so, you’ve really saved me from giving up.
(left out your name in case you prefer that)
Hello! Truth be told I’m such a private person online that it’s actually kinda rare for strangers to open up to me like this. But I really appreciate hearing your thoughts, without it I would’ve had no idea there’s a person like you out there.
I feel really honored that I’ve been an inspiration to someone, that’s just about the best flattery I can think of. Thank you so much for following my blog. I hope you realize, though, that what you see on the internet is only the “highlights reel” of anyone’s life. I may have gotten this far with my artwork but it hasn’t been an easy journey, I too have my share of struggles and insecurities that strike me down sometimes. Everyone has, it’s perfectly normal. But all that pain is absolutely worth it because at the end of the day, creating a thing of your own is AMAZING and a talent that’s always worth cultivating no matter what!
Useful advice I heard sometime, can’t remember from whom: if you don’t like your own art, it means your taste is good but your skill hasn’t caught up to that level yet. Basically you’ve already got what it takes - just figure out the specifics of what you want to learn and keep trying until you get there. I’ve never met a talented artist who isn’t super critical of themselves, it’s a good thing, you’re on the right track. Keep being awesome!!
Hi. Are you a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist? I've been following your comic since the first page and i remember that your drawings reminded me of those of Arakawa-sensei. I think that's what called my attention at first. Your amazing drawings! Then i got into the comic and i could see your own, awesome style; I started to know the characters and i realized i was completely lost. I just want you to know that i really really really admire you very much.
Not the first time I’ve been asked this haha… but yes! I was a loyal reader of FMA during it’s entire run and it made a huge impression on me. It’s really fun and charming but also dark and serious, I enjoy that kind of mix when it’s done right, and I suppose I’m aiming for the same feel with Phantomland.
But thank you, I’m really glad you can appreciate my work for it’s own merits! Thanks for sticking around as a long-time reader and of course look forward to future updates! :)
Hiii, how'd you react if somebody draw porn comics with Jon? Because he looks kinda hot in the flashback... >3<
I used to feel uncomfortable about Phantomland porn but nowadays I’m more flattered by it than anything! So yeah, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART BRAVE ANON AND DRAW ALL THE SMUT IT YEARNS FOR. I hope you’ll show it to me!