Ask me anything.

Recent Responses

    1. Yuki S.
      hakailer 17 Nov 11

      I read all the way through Fishbones again today and there has definitely been improvement, even though you say you don't know how other artists get better. I love your work and also your style. It's very clean, yet original. Beautiful stuff, as always.

      I was wondering if I was getting worse on Fishbones, or have even been improving....but I'm happy to hear that you think so. Thank you, that made my day! (and just in time before I start inking the next Fishbones' page)

    2. Yuki S.
      hakailer 3 Nov 11

      Being a comic artist seems to require an understanding of a large range of perspectives, expressions, and settings. I can barely get the proportions of people right half of the time, much less at younger ages. How do you even begin to learn all that?

      I can't answer this very well since I am still struggling with every page of our webcomics. Most of the time, I try not to look at the pages I've done because the anatomy/proportions/faces of every character are terrible. I don't understand how other artists can keep getting better, or seem to draw a perfect page every time.

      I think most people start learning little by little as they begin making comics. I doubt most professionals have a good grasp of "everything". You simply have to begin somewhere and allow yourself to be imperfect, as long as you are trying your best and keep going. Somewhere along the line, you start to see what you need to do to get better. I hope that all makes sense.

    3. Yuki S.
      hakailer 1 Sep 11

      If I asked you to check out my deviant art...would you consider it?

      I would think about it, but I wouldn't check it.

    4. Yuki S.
      hakailer 30 Jul 11

      Thank you for your advice on drawing comics. I am determined to start a comic and finish it. I guess that's not a question, but I wanted to let you know your words inspire. Hmm. In your opinion, what is the silliest type of superhero origin story?

      I don't know about "types"....but I think the best ways that interests me are when superheros are made out of selfish convenience, or something not truly for justice. I guess that's too vague?

      I'm very happy to hear that my advice inspires you! I wish I can give something better that helps others improve, but I do think the best thing anyone can do is start and finish. I've seen countless artists not improve at all or move forward in their dreams, simply because they can't finish anything. Thank you again.

    5. Yuki S.
      hakailer 15 Jul 11

      Don't be sad about your art style. Fishbones looks amazing and I love you. How far are you expecting Gorge and Fishbones to go in terms of popularity and length?

      You are so sweet, thank you! That's a good question....

      Jisuk told me that since she's not done with "Fishbones", it would be an ongoing thing, and the first book is already very long. As for Gorge, we expect it to be around 100~200 pages. For popularity, since Jisuk herself has already been popular for a long, long time, I see "Fishbones" becoming a more popular in the future now that it's in comic form.

      As for "Gorge", both Emily (writer) and I are not very well known, so it's hard getting any readers right now. I hope we will be seeing more and more readers as we go on but to be honest, it's hard to see that comic getting popular as "Fishbones".

    6. Yuki S.
      hakailer responded to CrossNokuni 15 Jul 11

      ANy advice for people who want to start drawing comics? :D

      Start drawing comics, even if you think you're terrible, and then finish it.

    7. Yuki S.
      hakailer 14 Jul 11

      At what age did you start taking art seriously? And how long did it take you to get to a point (if you've gotten to it) where you were happy with your style/ability?

      I don't know if I ever took art seriously, as I don't practice, even now. I don't think I will ever get to a point of being happy with my art, as I always cringe at looking back to my own stuff, even in "Gorge" and "Fishbones". I think I need to take my time (if I ever get any) to practice and draw more slowly!

    8. Yuki S.
      hakailer 2 Jul 11

      when will seamus be coming in?

      I'm not the writer, so Jisuk should know the answer. Maybe you should ask her instead. However, I remember her telling me that Seamus won't be coming in for a long, long time.

    9. Yuki S.
      hakailer 16 Jun 11

      I've always thought of you as a boy, but then I realized that I have no evidence to base that off of, because I've never seen a picture of you, nor have I ever seen a pronoun used in affiliation with your name. If you don't mind, are you a girl or a boy?

      It's okay! To be honest, I tried not to reveal my sex because there were problems I have continuously encountered over the internet when I let someone know of my gender. Lately, I have revealed that I am a girl. However, even offline, I still get asked what my sex is. Lately, it's getting rather annoying...(not you, of course).

    10. Yuki S.
      hakailer 16 Jun 11

      Was Okinawa your first choice when moving to Japan?

      Not really a choice, but in a way, yes. Okinawa is where my family lives. It is also where they were hiring with good jobs. I love it here!

    11. Yuki S.
      hakailer 16 Jun 11

      Is it ever difficult to draw for someone else's writing/storyline/characters? I would imagine there's worry about capturing the right idea, no?

      Yes, it can be difficult. For "Gorge", I have all the freedom to draw the comic however I want to so it's easy. With "Fishbones", I have to fix some pages for the writer's liking. I also have to change my style a lot so it can be similar to Jisuk's style. I still have a lot to get used to!

    12. Yuki S.
      hakailer 31 May 11

      why is there a red piano?

      It's an icon I drew for my Tegaki Blog account. There is no deep meaning as to why I used it for my Formspring account.

    13. Yuki S.
      hakailer 25 May 11

      You said you're an assistant teacher, right? What grades do you teach?

      Currently, I teach 3~6th graders. From October, 1st and 2nd graders start their lessons, too.

    14. Yuki S.
      hakailer 20 May 11

      May I ask how you ink? Do you use a pen, or do you do it digitally? If you do it digitally, what program do you use?

      I ink digitally. I use SAI for Fishbones and DELETER ComicWork for Gorge.

    15. Yuki S.
      hakailer 19 May 11

      Did you ever picture yourself doing what you do now when you started college?

      I'm not quite sure, to be honest. I'm not surprised that I now make comics and have a temporary teaching job, but I didn't know what I wanted or needed to do after college.

    16. Yuki S.
      hakailer 18 May 11

      Do you have any tips or advice for keeping motivated while working on so many comic book pages? Also, around how long does it take you to finish a page?

      Strict expectation (deadlines) keeps me going, but mostly knowing that we get readers encourages me to work, even when I'm tired from work. Comments, basically, for both "Gorge" and "Fishbones". I'm not sure how long it takes me to do a page, but for Fishbones I take 2+ hours on sketch and two hours or less to ink. For Gorge, I take 3+ hours to sketch and 3 + hours to ink. It really depends on how detailed each page is. Vague, I know...

    17. Yuki S.
      hakailer 18 May 11

      who's your favorite character in fishbones?

      Paul, one of the bullies in the first chapter, and Seamus. not in particular order; I love them both.

    18. Yuki S.
      hakailer 18 May 11

      May I ask what ALT program you are currently working for?

      I'm in AET (Assistant English Teacher) Program in Naha, Okinawa. I'm not really sure if each ALT program have their own name...

    19. Yuki S.
      hakailer 17 May 11

      whaaattt is your job that it gets you up at 6am? Or are you just a fastidious morning showerer?

      I'm an assistant English teacher at two elementary schools in Okinawa.

    20. Yuki S.
      hakailer 17 May 11

      if ferris lost a bet, would he rather get a mohawk or eat a cooked rat?

      Ferris is not my character (he belongs to Jisuk), so I can't tell you. However, I can't really see him getting a mohawk, even if he wanted to. I mean his hair is too short. What is he going to do, shave all of his hair except in the middle? Then he'll just end up being Aang from "Avatar: The Last Air Bender". ....well, that totally didn't answer your question (one paragraph later).

hakailer

Yuki S.
hakailer

Yuki S.’s Bio

Naha, Okinawa

Illustrator for:
http://fishbonescomic.com/
http://www.gorgecomic.net/

Creator of Pumpking the Testloid:
http://www.youtube.com/user/hakailer