koteriink

The process of printing your book

Perhaps the most exciting part of making a graphic novel/ comic book is printing it. It can also be the most nerve-racking as you will have to cough up a pretty penny depending on the quality and quantity of your books.

Here are some things to keep in mind before printing your books. First and foremost, your pages need to have bleed included. This is generally 0.125" on each edge of the page. So if your book is going to be printed as an 8x10, then your canvas whil...

Kings of Nowhere Vol. 1 Variant Cover

As I prepare to launch the Volume 2 kickstarter, I have plans to introduce some new cool things, such as a variant cover to Volume 1.

I spent a while trying to figure out an idea for the cover, but only once I started listening to some hardcore final fantasy rock music did I get an idea for the sketch.

2021-08-28 17:57:09 +0000 UTC View Post

KON VOL.2 Front and Back Covers

As the second book comes to a close, I finally get to prepare the covers of the book. I did a ton of research before beginning the covers. At first I wanted to include many characters. Then I looked through covers that really stood out to me. I like seeing a character in front of a bold color. Not only that, but I like the character filling up most of the page. I'm really happy with the outcomes. Can't wait to work on the next cover!

Anatomy isn't THAT important

Coming from me, that might seem like an oxymoron. However, it's true. It was a mistake many of my peers and I made during our early years of anatomy training in college. We had just learned the bones and muscles and all of us were eager to demonstrate our understanding of what many would argue is the most important fundamental basic in visual artistry. But, the opposite was true - atleast for a while. Why? Well simply put, when one has no knowledge of anatomy, they try to draw what they see. ...

5 Dont's of Digital Art

I've discussed with a few artists on Discord about what I found to be the biggest mistakes I find artists displaying while drawing on a tablet. This applies to users of Procreate, Photoshop, Clip Studio, and just about any other art software.

1. Dont zoom in too much. This is perhaps the most common issue amongst digital artists. A mistake that I often committed. On paper, it's very easy to judge how far you need your face from the page. Details that aren't ...

Is it too late to get started?

You might be asking yourself this. I know I ask myself this question when it comes to other professions. It might seem ridiculous, but I sometimes wonder if it's too late for me to become a pretty good race-car driver. Nothing pro, obviously, but good enough to swing around a car freely without any worry. Even when picking up new sports, I'd ask, "Am I a little too old to even try and get good at this sport anymore?"

The plain answer is, no. It's actually never too late to get started...

And a pinch of color.

With some panels, I feel like I just have to add color even though most of the book is entirely black and white. My vision when it comes to colors is to use colors that look good with eachother. Blue and red is always a good bet. As you can see, I use different shades of blue and shades of red. I don't have to think so much and in the end I have something very visually striking.

2021-06-18 04:43:38 +0000 UTC View Post

Ask me anything, yo.

I often spend time thinking about what to share with you beautiful guys n' gals. I think, " What do I wish I knew when I was just a wee giraffe baby who dropped 6 feet onto my head during birth?" Or to lay it out more simply, what do I wish I knew when I was just starting out. So, instead of me writing about what I think you'd like to know, I want you to ask me what you'd like to know. It can be anything. "What helped you improve in art the most?" Or, "Why your feet look so ...

200 pages finished!

I've reached a milestone! KON Volume 2 has just reached its 200th page. It's hard to describe the feeling of seeing your pages stack up. Each page is over a day of work. Months of planning, and after years of repeating this cycle, a book is finally made. Honestly, I did not realise how long the process was going to be. I wouldn't have imagined making a book would take 2 years. Truth be told, I could finish it sooner, but I'd be dropping quality. With each new installment, I learn a couple new...

Place Your Eggs in One Basket (or try to)

There’s a reason you’re here on my Patreon. You like art. Hell, you might even say you love it. You might just like looking at good art, but chances are with you being here that you like to draw as well. You're a creator. You like turning blank pages into art pieces, and after having spoken with many of you on Discord, I now see some of you don't want art to just be a hobby, you'd like it to be your career. Now, how do we do that? Especially for those of you who are no longer i...

How to Approach Life Drawing *NSFW ( includes nudity)

Animation college for me, for the most part, was a waste of time. However, there were a few classes that really enhanced my abilities. I'll talk about those classes later, but for this lesson, we'll focus on life drawing. Life drawing class was perhaps the highest valued class by both teachers and students in animation. You needed to be proficient at life drawing if you wanted to be a storyboard artist, an animator, a character designer, a sculptor, you name it.  For the first 3 years, i...

Can you become gifted at art?

My girlfriend brought up a discussion about being gifted as an artist that I figure I'd share with you.

Talent is an interesting thing. For example. Kid A is a talented 5 year old who is drawing a tree next to Kid B, another 5 year old who isn't talented in art. Looking at both drawings, we see similar results. Have both kids draw a tree when they're 10, and you'll see a much greater distinction between both children's work, even if both kids were still drawing around the same amount i...

A Tip for Freehanding

I can attest much of my growth on instagram to my freehand drawing ability. With instagram, videos garner a wider audience. I dislike this fact, but it's the case and we gotta figure out how to use it to our advantage. I used to think I was good at freehand drawing when I was actually not, and now that I think I'm ok at it, I have undoubtedly improved.

When fans would ask me how they too can improve their freehands, I'd tell them to do their studies using the freehand method...

SSJ4 Hyper God Mode Step by Step

Before I begin any piece, I figure out what I'm going to draw. This is when I prefer pencil and paper.

I had been thinking of his look for a bit, so when it came time to draw, it was relatively simple. I wanted to draw him in a strong, aggressive, and very Wukong like stance.

2021-03-28 20:39:40 +0000 UTC View Post

New Painting Brush!

Hoorah! A new brush for Procreate. This time, not for line-work, but for coloring and painting.  Before I got into digital art, one of my favorite mediums to use was oil pastel. The main thing I enjoyed about it was how opaque it was, but nonetheless, it was easy to blend. My brush may be digital, but it acts very similar. 

HOW TO USE
Leave the brush at 100% opacity. All the artworks you find in this post were made entirely using the Koteri Pastel at 100%. ...

The Concept of Leveling Up

I was scrolling through instagram and I came across a very talented animator's work. His name is adriengromelle. The animation was brief and simple. It was the muscles of the back flexing, and it was showcased with incredible simplicity and somehow managed to show all the essential details. Someone commented "how long did it take you?", To which Adrien replied, "2 hours." The commenter then replied that it would take them a week to replicate the same thing. Adrien clarified that he's studied ...

KON Worldbuilding + Game update

As I work on the comic and board game, I thought I might as well share some things with you that I've been sharing with the team at Level52 Studios.

A large aspect of KON is Breath. As we progress through the story, more will be uncovered about Breath and how it's used.

2021-02-25 03:10:40 +0000 UTC View Post

Kings of Nowhere the Game

When I was 8 years old, some kid showed me a Yugioh magic card. It was the first time my immigrant ass saw cards that weren't used to play Go-Fish. Soon enough, the Yugioh craze took over, but I was too young to buy any. So my friend and I would head over to the library and create our own by drawing on card sized pieces of paper. At first it was fun. We had strong cards and our weak cards had abilities that could hold their own. After 150 cards down the road however, we hit what is called a P...

Why you don't like your art + perspective practice

Does this sound familiar? You get inspired by some high level artist, then, you spend hours on something with high hopes, and once it’s finished, you look at it and you just go… meh. You might know what I’m talking about. You gotta ask yourself. What makes a piece of art good? It’s similar to what makes a song any good. You want to keep replaying it and listening to it. Good art keeps you looking for longer. Has you coming back to look at it. 

Sometimes you just want to dra...

New tutorials coming February

Sup y’all. I’m currently working on 2 YouTube videos, each with their own Patreon lessons. The first one is about how to make your art more enjoyable to look at. You know, getting that person scrolling to stop and admire your work for that extra 10 seconds. This includes creating strong backgrounds and learning how to utilize perspective. The second video and lesson is about colouring and using light to enhance your art. I got a lot ahead of me, but I’m confident you’re gonna love it!...

Roronoa Zatoichi process

Hey peeps. I'll be sharing my process here. Timelapse are cool but what helps alot is understanding where each step begins and ends so you're not just aimlessly wandering around a drawing waiting for it to finish.

Step 1: Rough stage

Using small thumbnails, quickly get down ideas. Do not spend more than 5-10 minutes on each. It's gotta be quick so t...

Chapter Title Cards

Every chapter of this volume begins with a title card. I place four panels in there to give you clues for what to expect. Once I complete the final chapter, chapter 8, I will then create the final title card. 50 more pages till I'm finished!

2B and 4H Pencil Brushes!

Note: Update your iPad and Procreate before installing brushes. Install using Chrome or Safari (Try both if one isn't working). Once installed on the iPad, the brushes will automatically export to Procreate.

Two new brushes that are perfect for sketching. The 2B pencil came to fruition after I spent hours using the Apple Notes pencil. I thought, "Damn, this is nearly perfect. I wish I had a brush like this on Procreate." And so, I began experimenting ...

How I set up a comic page + creating a panel

Hey peeps. This is a long one, but I think it'll help you out, especially if you're interested in beginning your own comic. I forgot to mention it in the video, but my pages are 7.25" x 10.25" @300dpi. That's the size in which I print. You can choose whatever size you like as long as you add bleed.  Enjoy the rest of the video.

How to Draw Fabric Folds and Drapery

I've done a clothing tutorial before, but I've updated many aspects and have developed it further.

Things to keep in mind as you draw clothing

• How loose or tight is the character's clothing? As you can see in my lesson, folds form either at the seam or at the point of tension depending on that crucial note.
• Is the fabric relaxed, or is it being pulled. Generally, if the arm or leg is being bent, the point of tension is at the armpit/ elbow area or t...
  2020-12-21 22:51:20 +0000 UTC View Post

Discord Link

Some of you are having issues connecting to my Discord channel; so here is some help.

https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/212052266-Get-my-Discord-role

Follow this to get access to the Discord. Discord links expire after 24 hours which is annoying, so I hope the link helps you out!

Comic Brush Set

This is a re-upload. Same brushes as before. I just want to make it easier for the newcomers to find.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Do not attempt to open the brush files using Safari. Chrome will work.
Open this browser on your iPad and download.
Update your iPad and Procreate to the newest version.
Once downloaded on the iPad, the brush files will be found in Procreate.

There are three brushes attached.

2020-12-01 21:06:57 +0000 UTC View Post

Nearing the End!

The final boss battles are about to begin. 70 pages till I finish. Still months away from finishing but feels good to know I'm headed for Homebase. I'm also about to drop another Youtube video in a couple days so be on the lookout!

Koteri Kollege Lesson 3: The Body

Welcome to the final anatomy lesson for Koteri Kollege. After this lesson, we will focus more on how to use this knowledge to create dynamic posing for action scenes, and natural poses to convey characters in day to day life. If you've been paying close attention, you've noticed the past 2 lessons follow a 3 step regiment. First, we study the bones to understand the underlying structure of our characters. Next, we study muscl...

KON Ch. 7 Pg. 143

Figuring out how to show speed through all the background elements. Whether that is speed lines on the ground, or the clouds and lights all rushing in the direction of the cars. It's fun figuring this stuff out. Lots of trial runs.