New and Updates
It's been awhile since I've updated my DA. I'm more active on my Tumblr. I post WIPs of my work and some Art that I have not uploaded here. So if you like my work, please follow me on Tumblr. I still plan to upload my work here as well but I like the community on Tumblr better. I prefer the messaging system on DA better though, haha.
I've started papercrafting 360 degree books, inspired by Yusuke Oono- his work: link, that I would like to build as a side project during my free time. I posted some custom 360 degree books that I made for my friends as wedding presents. I want to make more story or fairytale themed books, I have one currently in the works: Nightmare Before Christmas. Eventually I would like to create some custom design books as commissions.
I still draw and design but it's been more towards the professional side, you can see more of my professional work here: link. I haven't been inspired to do any personal digital works lately, so I've been delving back to my traditional art roots. It's very refreshing and expensive, haha.
Thank you everyone, old and new, for continuing to like my work. If you would like to reach me, message or comment. I am also available on Tumblr: muenli.tumblr.com/
Review: Yiynova MSP19U+
If you own a Yiynova tablet or at least know about them, then you know that you should never download the drivers in the CD because it is outdated in comparison to the ones in the website and you also need to remove all of your Wacom tablet drivers. I own a Wacom CTE640 so this rule applies to me as well. Do not plug in the tablet before you download the drivers and remove the Wacom drivers. You will know it is successful when your computer asks you to reboot and the UC-logic driver desktop notification icon shows up once you plug the tablet in. Make sure to research whether your computer has a VGA port and whether it is compatible with the Yiynova's VGA cable. If it is not compatible, buy a VGA to USB converter. My laptop is an ASUS G55VW model so I already have a VGA port and it is compatible with the Yiynova's VGA cable (for those who need a reference). The cable also has a USB plug-in so have a free USB port close to your VGA port available. The tablet has a separate power cord that needs to be plugged in so it is imperative that you make preparations. This is a 19 inch tablet monitor that requires a lot of room and space for not only you but for the tablet as well. Similar to the newer versions of the U, the U+ has the VESA rest base that allows you to angle the monitor from a 15 to 90 degree tilt. There is a safety latch that needs to be pulled before adjusting the base.
The U+ has 8 express keys that are user programmable with most keyboard combinations with the ability to rename them as well. Unfortunately, these keys can only be set for one program at a time which is reasonable since no two design programs will have the same keyboard shortcuts. My only advice to resolve that issue is to change all of your keyboard shortcuts to be the same for every design program. Since Photoshop is my primary design program of use, most of the express keys are catered towards its keyboard shortcuts. I set up my Enter express key as Photoshop's Undo key with Ctrl Alt Z, the up express key with brush size increase, the down express key with brush size decrease, and so on and so forth. The symbols for the express keys cannot be changed and the actual buttons to press them are located at the back of the monitor.
To conclude this review, I am proud to say that the Yiynova MSP19U+ is a solid tablet that was able to withstand the forces of the train derailment. There were no physical or internal damages to the monitor or the pen. This is an amazing tablet that is a great alternative to the expensive Wacom Cintiq and performs perfectly for its purpose in digital design. As much as this tablet is durable, it remains to be seen whether it will outlast or live just as long as my Wacom CTE640 with the test of time. I would definitely recommend any Artist whether you are on a budget or exploring your options to consider the Yiynova MSP19U+.
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Interview with Kurunya (ShiroGames)
Following the success of your game: Evoland, was this your first successful game creation venture? Or were there others?
Actually I think this is the real first successful game I'm proud to say "Hey check it out, I worked on that one!!" because it was an amazing experience for me, working with a really small team, passionate about game development, from the very beginning to the end of the project. Everything went great, it took us only 4 months to get the job done and apparently people like what we did: that's what I call a success! I also worked for Ubisoft for 3 years as a concept artist on several projects (mostly scrapped), but I have to say, it was a disaster working for a big company, even though I was happy as hell when they first called me to join the team. It almost ruined the vision I had of games development... I mean, you are not really "useful" (for lack of a better word), you only have to do what the big boss likes and you can't even express yourself entirely as an artist. In fact, you are a small cog in the machine.
What made you decide to go beyond Evoland's initial contest entry for Ludum Dare into a fully commercialized game title?
Well, as I said, Shiro Games is a real young game company, and considering the success Nicolas (the developer who did the very first concept for the ludum dare competition) had with Evoland and the enthusiasm of so many players, we decided to make a full game out of it. It was also a great occasion to bond with the team, see what we can achieve together, how much we can commit ourselves in a concrete project.
Creating Evoland must have taken a lot of time, energy, effort and possibly money (blood, sweat and tears). How did you manage to keep yourself motivated especially during the 30 hour crunch that it took for you to complete Evoland for the contest, and before you released the game in Steam as well as through your website?
I asked Nicolas (the creator of Evoland) about that, he said "Drugs" aha.
But then he told me that :
"In order to successfully complete the Ludum Dare you need a lot of concentration. But doing the same thing such as programming can quickly turn into a loss of focus.
So every time I feel like I'm not advancing quick enough, I'm switching tasks: adding more gfxs, or working on sound, then returning to programming afterwards.
The fact that you have to complete the whole game by yourself in Ludum Dare allows that.
As for the complete version of Evoland, we used short iterations and focused on advancing the game as we did it.
This helped us keep the momentum but it was sometimes a bit hard to get the whole picture of the game."
The most important for me was the fact that each of us are passionate about creating games and also all that support of our community players on the facebook page (and later on Greenlight) helped a lot to keep us motivated through 4 months of development.
When you first started working in games, what was your job title? Can you tell me what your career path has been so far?
I first started working in the games industry during my last year in Art School, it was a small project and I worked on it as a freelance concept artist. It was very nice to work from home (very comfortable with flexible hours), and after that, I kept looking for freelance jobs only but it was hard to find good and regular clients.
Then I started to apply to various companies and Ubisoft called me back (!!), I was really happy to begin my real career as a concept artist in such a big videogame company! I worked there for 3 years, and I decided to leave in order to work as a freelancer again. It was a lot easier than before because when it says "Ubisoft" on your resume, a lot of people take you seriously.
And here I am, art director in a small company, and I love it!
What is your educational background? Are you more a 2D or 3D artist?
I went to an art school in France for three years (2004 - 2007) where I learned the basics of 3D modeling and animation. It was a good opportunity for me because I was more of a 2D artist but I had the feeling that 3D was going to be mandatory for any job in the artistic field!
And now I feel like "yay I made the right choice" because it happened to be a significant bonus on my resume for the job application as a concept artist. My former art director really appreciated the fact that I was able to understand technical constraints, or simply speak with the 3D artists/animators for a better workflow.
Your portfolio is amazing. It shows a wide range of conceptual character, illustration and graphic design. What is your design development process? Do you design your characters based on a story or does your story create the characters for you?
Thank you for the compliment! You have no idea how I feel every time people say they like my work that much, it's always a pleasure!
Most of the time, when I'm trying to draw something for me or at work, it just pops right out of my head. I don't think about something in particular, I just let my mind do the work for the early brush strokes (basic shapes etc). Then, when I feel like I'm getting somewhere, I do some research on the internet in order to be more accurate on the details (textures, shading, color palette).
I usually set the story of a character while drawing it, that way the tiniest details bring me new ideas for its background. For example : "Oh I'm going to dye her hair red, her mother might have been a witch and cursed her with her own blood" and so on, and so on (obviously, this is when I draw for me).
I like that because I am not initially constrained by a pre-defined story or the look of the character.
Art is a very competitive field especially in gaming. What kind of advice can you offer to many budding and aspiring artists who would like to enter the video game industry (such as myself)?
Actually, what makes you essential on a videogame project is your ability to be creative. You also have to show that you are strongly motivated and willing to learn constantly from others, especially if you're working in a small team. And of course your knowledge of videogames!
What are things that you feel are important for Artists to present or demonstrate in their portfolios when they apply for jobs in the video game industry? For example: Presentation of certain skills, concept design, resume highlights, etc.
This is a tough one.
"A great portfolio" is somehow a subjective statement, one guy will love it, and his workmate will say "meh", sadly.
If it were for me, I would say that I like when your portfolio shows works related to the job you're applying to. I've seen too many "character designers" when the application says "environment designer" for example, even if it's not a loss, I mean I usually bookmark every portfolio I find interesting for later use.
So, in my opinion, if you want to work as a character designer (i.e.) show people that THIS IS YOUR THING, because this is ALL you're going to do during the entire production. Remember that a recruiter will only take a peek at what he is ACTUALLY looking for, then he will close the email or website and might never open it again. You also have to show that you know what you're talking about, and you won't be taken seriously if your portfolio is too light.
As I like to say, for me, a great portfolio is like a reversed iceberg: 90% of what I'm looking for, and 10% of other stuff to show what you can do.
Even the most passionate artist will suffer from periods of burn out and art blocks. What keeps you driven throughout your artistic career (not necessarily in gaming)?
Whenever I have one of those art blocks, I like to look at other artists' illustrations, it's so motivating because I can't help telling myself that these guys had doubts too, they had bad-drawings days too, but they all got through that and here they are, blowing our minds and melting our eyes!
I love drawing, I love being creative, I love bringing ideas to life and sharing them with other people, I need all that. That's why I don't get stuck for too long when it happens to me.
What is your goal in your artistic career? Or have you already achieved it?
I have to say that I am really thriving since I work at Shiro Games as an art director, because this is something I always wanted to do since I was a child: creating games and having my word to say in the development process. Honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to find another job that brings me so much every day.
Thank you again Kurunya for allowing me the honor to interview you and taking the time to answer my interview questions despite your busy schedule. I look forward in supporting yours and Shiro Games future endeavors~
*WARNING* Long Post Ahead!
4 years later, I was severely broken, anti-social, depressed and suicidal. I stopped producing art, logging on DeviantArt and quit Gaia Online. I graduated barely from the Registered Nursing program at my local college being told that no one would hire us because the country suddenly decided that they did not want Associate Degree nurses. Our entire graduating class could not find a job for 6 months while 2012- 2013 graduating classes found a job within 1-3 months. During those 6 months, I worked as a cashier at Michaels and eventually managed to find a web design internship. At one point, I had 3 jobs while going back to school.
What happened? How did I suddenly fall from having a potential future to what I was now? My parents found out about my 'exploits' and told me that I was not going to be successful in art. They forced me to give up my full ride scholarship otherwise they would deport me out of the United States since I was not a citizen yet. After crying a sea of tears, multiple suicide attempts and strings of curses, I fulfilled my parents' desire became a RN and died as an individual and an artist. Somehow I managed to double major and also graduate with my Associate's degree in Graphic Design. Though it was not of any consolation because in California no one wanted an Associate's in Art.
2 years later, here I am now. I am a few months away from graduation again but this time with my Bachelor's in Multimedia Design and Development. Producing art with nothing to show for and lurking DeviantArt. I have been struggling with Art Block for 2 years, barely getting out of it now. My recovery has been very slow. I am still fighting my depression but this time I am more positive and hopeful for my future. I am also not alone, I have a boyfriend who has been very supportive of me and have met friends who plan to work alongside with me in our love of gaming in the near future. I started playing games again and beta testing them as well. I occasionally receive beta testing invites from companies but I am more conservative with my choices. I am trying to be more social again but that area has been literally shot severely. My parents still are not supportive of me. My mom recently called me a whore because I wanted to quit the medical field for Art. I am no longer in good terms with my parents, and they have threatened to disown me as well if I do not find a good art job, equivalent or more to how much I get paid as a RN, within one month after I graduate. There is so much more shit involved with my parents but I am going to end it with that.
I know there really is no point in sharing my story to strangers, much less even posting it for the world to see. It may even be my downfall later in the future, who knows. *shrugs* I am trying to convince myself right now on why I should or should not post this. I guess in a way I owe it to the people who were my friends online after I went on hiatus for such a long time. It also took a lot of courage for me to write this, my boyfriend even suggested that I start blogging to help me come out. To be honest, I don't know if I will really be active on DeviantArt anymore. I was never interested in the popularity contests, memes and what have you. I drew what I want and was interested in. I only joined DA back then to help protect my work from art theft for my Gaia and RL commissions, but now it doesn't matter anymore. It got stolen no matter what I did. One of my artworks was even sold as an iPhone cover on eBay without my knowledge. I am only remembered for my past successes here through Gaia Online and my doujinshi experiment. I even tried to rejoin Gaia Online but everything has changed, including the community. Most if not all my friends are gone. I am going to try to be more active on Tumblr, I am revamping it right now and trying to pick out a theme to design my graphics.
I can't go back to the past or the person who I once was. I can only embrace what I am now and continue walking towards the future. I have time before I graduate so hopefully, I will have a new portfolio filled with amazing, personal artworks and projects. I am excited for the new me. My fortune cookie said that I was going to have many opportunities and changes in the near future! Lol. I am looking forward to it!
Thank you all for being patient, sorry for the long post and to my watchers for this spam. I'm going back to my corner with my games now, lol. EVOLAND FTW~!!!
RL Commissions
- DO NOT steal or claim any graphics or artworks I have made.
- Please send payment either before or after I show you a WIP of your commission.
- First come, first serve. One commission = 1 slot.
- I accept payments through credit cards, debit cards, paypal accounts, e-check, checks via paypal USD, slow mail (at your caution and discretion).
You, the commissioner have the right to ask me to give you a WIP of your picture anytime especially when the timeline of completion has been extended. You, the commissioner have the right to ask me when your commission will be completed especially when the timeline of completion has been extended. You are allowed to make changes to your commission as long as I have not colored it yet. I need to know ahead of time your preferred image size especially if you are going to use your commission in forums, journals, etc. 
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- Note or email me the details of your commission such as the reference image or text, pose, theme, etc.
- Once accepted, send payment (half or full) after I show you a WIP of your commission or beforehand. I will not continue with your commission if you have not started sending me your payment. If you have chosen to send in half of the payment, I expect the other half once I have completed your commission. WIPs are provided regardless of payment choices.
- I will send the original size of your commission and any requested image size changes. You are free to also request for the .psd file of your commission.