I will be at DAiCON UCDavis this Saturday May 4th, 2013 in the Artist Alley. Like always, I will be selling prints and my book If you live around the area, or is a UCDavis student, come by and say hi! [link]
In other news, I will also be at Fanime, but the Fanime staff has banned me from selling my book in the Artist Alley because it wasn't technically self published. That means if you want to grab a copy of 1000 Words in a N California convention, Fanime is not the con for that. I will be selling the book at DAiCON as mentioned above, and also at Kintoki-con, and Anime Expo.
Alex has a plastic gun. Toby is going ARAFDHAJGJ. Robin is confused. Noting makes sense and all is right with the world.
The level of maturity is overwhelming.
They wanted to cosplay outerwear and underwear so they even made Vance and Frey's panties. Not only that, they also made extra ones for me to wear XD
Last but not least, amazing cosplay and photography by *KashinoRei and ~Andy-K. They are in Germany so I wasn't able to meet them at Sakura-con, but hopefully I'll be able to visit a European con in the future
It was great meeting everyone in San Francisco last time! I'll be there again this weekend from April 20th to 21st in lower floor of the Japan Town mall right next to the Kinokuniya book store (just like last time). The hours will be from 9:30AM to 7PM on both days. I'll be selling prints and books as usual Come by and hang out!
I can't wait to see all the beautiful yukata!
In completely unrelated news, I went to the bank yesterday to get a new debit card, and before I knew it, the bank teller was showing me a complete list of people who shared my name so I could pick out which one is me. The list showed all of their address and social security number.
WTF, bank?! If I were a criminal, I could have memorized some poor victim's info and gotten a new debit card to their account instead and stolen all of their money. I will never feel safe again ._.
I'm back from Sakura-Con! It was great meeting everyone! (will be sharing photos later)
In other news, I will be participating in ASKtheARTIST [link] interview this Saturday, April 6th, 2013 at 12pm PST. Come by and hang out in the dA chat room for a live interview and I will answer all of your questions
In unrelated news, I learned that I should butter a biscuit AFTER I toast it or else the butter will drip down the racks and set the toaster oven on fire...
I just found out that I will be attending Sakura-con [link] this weekend!
Due to some mistake by the convention's billing department, I was not informed that I got a booth until a few days ago, and after at lot of rescheduling, I'm happy to say that I can finally visit everyone in Washington for the first time!
Sakura-con will be held at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington, USA from March 29th - 31st. I will be in the Small Press area at table SP14 (highlighted bellow)
I will be selling posters and books like the images bellow. Prices are $8 for 18x27 inch, $7 for 12x18, $5 for 8x11, $3 for 3x5. There's also some mini prints for $1. The book will be $15. All signatures are free!
Come by and hang out! (I was feeding everyone carrots last time, but I might not have enough this time )
I don't really talk too much about my daily life on dA since I didn't want to spam everyone with constant horror stories of my time in the kitchen (which is why I do that on fb [link] instead) but today, I would like to share some of the extra "special" moments during my college life (even though I graduated already).
When upstairs neighbors are being very loud, the most effective method is to leave an angry coconut at their door
When life gives you pears, cut them into ducks and bake them into pizza~
When the Occupy movement swept through campus, make sure the fridge participates.
When assigned to go to a museum for Art History, take detailed notes of the kinky nipple biting eagles.
When roommate cooks something that cannot be described with words...
When the new apartment sink rage quits...
When I got the bright idea to create an aquaponics system in my bedroom... which later flooded the carpet... (Trust me, I'm an engineer artist.)
When I, genius extraordinaire, decided to pour hot oil back into the bottle to save oil but created modern art instead.
When walking by the dumpster resulted in getting pooped on by this little hummingbird defending her nest.
When life gives you tangerines, activate the ancient Chinese art of tangerine stacking which has been passed down through the Yan family for ~over 9000~ generations. To this day, whenever the harvest is bountiful, it is the duty of the first born child to take on the arduous task of stacking tangerines in honor of our ancestors.
Just kidding! Stacking tangerines is fun. I have no excuse.
...like an artist.
(and lastly, if you can stomach a video of my accidental elastic mashed potatoes... click here to view on fb [link] )
Hey guys! It was great meeting everyone in San Francisco last weekend!
In other news, there's a great new program for comic artists that I would like to share. It's part of Tapastic's Primetime Publishing Program (PPP) that pays comic artists based on the amount of page views they generate. If you are a comic artist, then you can make some extra money doing what you love. If you're not a comic artist, you can still check out all the cool webcomics on Tapastic.com and help support the artists that way
Okay, crazy stuff! Apparently there was a huge misunderstanding and I was just informed by my publisher that I DO have a table at Anime On Display [link] I will be in the Dealer's Room at table X. However, I ALSO have a table inside the 1st floor of the Japan Town Mall near the Kinokuniya bookstore. I already promised people who don't have a badge for AOD that they can hang out at the table near the bookstore but I also have to be inside the AOD dealer's room as well...
Since I can't be at 2 places at once, I will take turns visiting both tables:
On Saturday the 16th, I will be at the table near the Kinokuniya from 10AM to 2PM, then I will be at AOD's dealer's room from 2-6:30 PM.
On Sunday the 17th, I will be at AOD from 10 AM to 2PM, then at Kinokuniya from 2PM to 6PM.
All the posters and books will be sold at both tables so it doesn't matter where you visit. But if you want to get stuff signed or just hang out, please go follow the schedule above. I'm really sorry for this confusion and mess. Why must convention times always be so crazy ;_;
Original post: Hey guys!
As I mentioned in one of my posts, I will be at the Anime and Art Festival this Feburary 16-17, 2013 in Japan Town, San Francisco ( which is at the same time and general location as AOD/Anime On Display). We couldn't get a table at AOD in time so I will be selling prints and books on the lower floor next to the Kinokuniya Book store. Since the table is inside the Japan Town Mall and not actually part of AOD, you don't need to buy a badge to visit. If you're in the area, drop by and hang out!
New location! Please read the updated journal instead [link]
Hey guys!
As I mentioned in one of my posts, I will be at the Anime and Art Festival this Feburary 16-17, 2013 in Japan Town, San Francisco ( which is at the same time and general location as AOD/Anime On Display). We couldn't get a table at AOD in time so I will be selling prints and books on the lower floor next to the Kinokuniya Book store. Since the table is inside the Japan Town Mall and not actually part of AOD, you don't need to buy a badge to visit. If you're in the area, drop by and hang out!
My friend shared this video to warn other artists about how she was taken advantage of, and I believe this is a very important message that every artist should hear.
I've lost count of how many times someone, be it a big corporation or an individual, have asked me to illustrate for them for free. It will always go something like this "You draw this for us, and we will include your name in the credits. That's good publicity for you!" as if such a pathetic offer holds any merit.
There was one specific case where a guy wanted to use my drawing as a book cover but didn't want to pay. He said he might print up to 50,000 books, so that's like an amazing offer of 50,000 views for me right? Wrong. 50,000 is nothing. We live in the information revolution. Don't forget we have places like Deviantart, tumblr, and all those social networking sites. Sharing art, like sharing any information, has never been easier. You don't have to degrade yourself for some disrespectful publisher to get you art seen.
I know many young artists feel insecure about themselves. Being an artist is not a profession that easily guarantees employment, but that doesn't mean you should let others take advantage of you. Don't work for free to get "experience" or "publicity". The only time you should be working for free is for yourself, friends, or a charity. And by working for yourself I mean work on your own projects. If you're not getting paid either way, then draw what you want, not what others want. At least this way, the name you built is for yourself, not whatever company that's just using you.
For example, when I drew my first comic, 1000 Words and posted it online for everyone to read for free, I didn't get a single penny, but I gained a lot of viewers. And that was real publicity where my name is the creator's name, not some tiny add in amongst of a list of helpers. I did the same with my other comics, projects I wanted to draw, and it wasn't long before publishers started contacting me. Now that little flash comic I posted online years ago can be ordered on Amazon [link] And honestly, we don't even need publishers anymore since it's so easy to self publish these days. Just post your work online, and if enough people like it, then use Kickstarter to get your work published.
So respect yourself. Charge for what your're worth. Take commissions and make sure you get paid enough for it. If you're working on anything for free to gain publicity, make sure it's your own projects or a charity you believe in. Right now, the mentality of those people who believe we are worthless persists because we don't stand up for ourselves. When one artist rejects them for not paying, they'll just go to another artist until they find one with low self-esteem. Don't be that one low self-esteemed artist who lets them keep that kind of mentality. No body goes to a lawyer, doctor, etc expecting their services to be free, so why should they expect that of us?
Lastly, remember why you became an artist. It's probably not for the money, it's to bring your own visions to life. Don't let the anxiety of finding a job get in the way of that. Do what you love, work on it passionately, and share your work with the world. Once enough people have seen your passion, and it will take a few years so start early and be patient, then the money problem will solve itself.
Hey guys! I had a great time at SacAnime but while I was there, I saw a vendor's booth called Hidden Supplies selling *sakimichan's Kakashi painting
I asked her if she gave permission for this or not, and sure enough, she didn't. I think it's safe to say that the rest of the $25 mats sold at the booth were also using stolen art, but I don't recognize any of the artists. Here are some photos of the booth and all the mats are also listed on their website [link]. Please take a look and report the images you recognize to the respective artists so that they may take the proper legal actions against these these people. Thank you!
The full shipment of 1000 Words has arrived! Now you can order the books at Amazon [link] or at 4DE.com [link]
For those who can make it to the SacAnime convention in Sacramento, California this Jan 4-6th 2013, we will also be selling the books plus other prints in the Exhibitor Hall at booth B20! [link] Come by and check us out! (And it's the Vendors section, not Artist Alley because we couldn't get a table in time )
Thank you all for the amazing support for this book. If you have ordered anything from the 4DE.com and have not received your shipment yet, please e-mail sales@4DE.com and they will help you
Hey guys, it has come to my attention that a lot of people still have not received their 1000 Words book orders, or even some Knite products. There was a huge delay with the book due to printing issues, but all the books should have been mailed out a long time ago which means if you still have not received your order, something might be wrong. The case is especially true for people living in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. It's possible that some orders are delayed in transit or lost due to the storm. But no need to worry, we will make sure you get your order
4DE (the company that handles all sales of 1000 Words and Knite) have posted an update on what to do if you order has not arrived it. Please read it here [link]
If you have any other questions about your order, please e-mail sales@4DE.com
Lastly, I hate to say this but please do not ask me about your order information. I am just the artist and do not handle sales and do not have access to your tracking information at all. Even if you do ask me, all I can do is tell you to e-mail sales@4DE.com instead. However, if 4DE did not respond to your e-mail for whatever reason or they have not been properly helpful, please do tell me at yuumei.yan@gmail.com and I will make sure that they get your message.
There seems to be a glitch that won't let a majority of my watchers get notified of my updates. I noticed this after posting and realizing there is significantly reduced traffic. I logged into my other account and sure enough, the newest update did not appear in the other account's inbox. Some people have reported receiving the update, while many others reported not receiving it. I decided to make sure and made a poll asking people if they received the lasted drawing in their inbox, and guess what? There's another glitch affecting the polls so most people aren't getting notified of the poll either... =_= Or at least the newest poll is not showing up in my other account either. I wonder if people will even see this journal?
I already reported the bug, but if people can see this journal, I'm curious if anyone is experiencing similar problems? I remember years back there was a bug that only affected people with a certain amount of watchers which means some artists won't be affected by the bug while others can't get through to many of their watchers...
Also, I guess it's kinda pointless to ask here, since the people who see this journal are the very few who aren't affected by the glitch. Everyone on my fb is telling how they didn't receive updates to anything.
First, thank you all for the support about the Comic Con panels, and thank you, dA, for giving me the opportunity to do so!
Speaking of panels, I will be giving another one about how anime and art can be more than just pretty pictures, but also a powerful mechanism of change. I will talk about how I first started doing activist art, finding inspiration, and how that evolved into my life's career. I will also be talking about how you can easily take action with nothing but the will of your imagination.
The panel will be held at Cal Anime Destiny [link] a small one day (and super cheap) anime convention held at my university When I'm not panelling, you can find me in the Artist Alley (the AA is small, so I'll be easy to find ). The con is this October 13th at MLK Student Union on the University of California Berkeley campus 10 AM—7 PM (more info here [link] )
Hey guys! This might be a bit of a weird journal, but a friend and I are working on a cool project and we need an electrical engineer or EECS major to help us. We will, of course, pay you for your time, so if you are interested in working with us, and would like to know the details of this project, please e-mail us at submissionsmanager@gmail.com
Hey guys! It's been a while and I haven't been too active on dA this past month but here's the journal to keep you all updated:
I've been busy speeding up the schedule so I can release my next webcomic, Fisheye Placebo as soon as possible. The current release date is set to early 2013.
That means Knite had to slow down a bit since it's difficult to work on 2 projects at once. However, I still aim to update Knite ch5 beta strips around once a week. You may have noticed that in the past, I posted Knite in full chapter flash format, but I really enjoyed posting beta pages on my account since this allowed more audience interaction. The problem was switching between accounts was too much pain, and updating several pages a day flooded people's accounts. In the end, I decided to post strips on this account instead. The strips will only be posted once a week so if you don't want to be spoiled, just ignore the strips
In other news, I have several other social networking/media accounts for various things, but I never fully explained the purpose of each, so here is the list:
Facebook (Yuumei page) this is where I post a lot of work in progress sketches, character design doodles, and other miscellaneous art stuff that I don't always post on dA like this dragon fox design for example:
Facebook (Wenqing Yan account) this was actually my private fb account for real life friends, but about a year ago, fb magically advertised my account on other people's walls without my knowledge or consent. I received so any friend requests in a few days that I gave up on the privacy and made it public. This account is where I talk about random daily life, post photos of bedheads and mustache related material that friends keep giving me. This is also where I interact with the role players. A while back, someone made a Kai fb account, and from there, it exploded into hundreds of role playing accounts for all Knite, Fisheye Placebo, and other story characters. If you're interested in joining this fun community of crazy people, you'll find them on my fb account XD My friend made these mustache cupcakes for me
Tumblr Very similar to the Yuumei fb page where I post WIP and design sketches. My close friends are all tumblr addicts and I was compelled to get one XD
Twitter All of my dA updates are twitted, but I don't really post WIP or sketches up there. However Twitter is where I do most of my hacker stalking lol if you look at the list of accounts that I follow, 95% of them belong to hacker groups talking about their latest victories. (I'm doing this as part of my research for Fisheye Placebo which is a cyber punk story)
Anipan I just got this a few days ago so there's not much in my gallery yet, but it's basically an English version of Pixiv or Anime only version of Deviantart. I discovered a lot of amazing anime artists on there and I would definitely recommend it for anime fans.
One last thing, anyone who has pre-ordered the 1000 Words book and still have not received the book yet, I've explained in this journal why there was such a huge delay [link] Since the first batch of books they sent us were substandard, we had to reprint everything and that took a long time. The new batch is currently being held at customs and we will get them signed and mailed out as soon as customs release them. If you have any questions about the book's status, please e-mail them to sales@4de.com Please do not ask me about it because I am just the artist, I do not handle the sales myself and can't help you. Please contact the publisher at sales@4de.com instead.
Thank you so much for your constant support and patience!
Hey guys! As you may have heard already, I will be participating in 3 panels hosted by dA at San Diego Comic Con! Besides the panels listed bellow, I will also be at the 4th Dimension Entertainment booth # 5536 in the IP Pavillion from time to time to sign Knite posters
The first one is on Thursday, July 12th from 3 - 4 PM called "Living and creating in the deviantART world" and it will be a semi tutorial styled panel answering many of the common questions that people have asked me such as how to get started, where to find inspirations, and how make new discoveries. I will also be doing a Q&A at the end
Right afterwards from 4 - 5 PM on the same day is the "Don't break in, break out!" panel about the new world of publishing with the advent of social media such as dA. This panel will feature seasoned professionals like =DeevElliott and *MrBabyTattoo as well as newbies to publishing like myself, not to mention our favorite journal writer, $techgnotic.
Finally, on Saturday, July 14th from noon - 1 PM, I will be part of the "Supercharge your deviantART profile like the masters" panel with and moderated by +spyed. We will be showing you how to optimize your dA profile to show off the best of your work
*PixieCold's journal about quitting dA. Though you may not read this, the journal's information and requests for help will eventually soon affect you as well. If you have already read it, then never mind.*
yuumei, you know, youre my #1 idol for real. i feel horribly sorry that you had to go thru so much pain, and burden, especially as a kid. but youre a really strong person to me and i really just admire you SO much, and ill keep praying for you.stay happy!
<3 
Sta.sh
If you live around the area, or is a UCDavis student, come by and say hi! 
)
On Saturday the 16th, I will be at the table near the Kinokuniya from 10AM to 2PM, then I will be at AOD's dealer's room from 2-6:30 PM. 
On Sunday the 17th, I will be at AOD from 10 AM to 2PM, then at Kinokuniya from 2PM to 6PM. 
My friend made these mustache cupcakes for me 
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