The Deviant Art’s Otaku Spot (THE DAOS!)
Issue Eleven: Anime Artist Tools

This week, the DAOS, will be honoring the requests of our second winner of the “Name the Topic” Contest and we will be talking about the tools of the anime artists, and how to find them!

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Reviews of the Week
By Mike our homie over at

Anime of the Week
Hellsing Ultimate, Volume 2
Three Volumes available from Geneon

Plot Summary: Vampires exist. It is the duty of Hellsing, a secret organization sponsored by the British government, to hide that frightening fact and protect the blissfully unaware populace. Along with its own personal army, Hellsing has secret weapons. Alucard, an incredibly powerful vampire, has been controlled by Hellsing for years. It is unclear if he dislikes being a servant to the Hellsing family, but he certainly enjoys his job as a vampire exterminator. Seras is a fledgling vampire and a former police officer. Although reluctant to embrace her new self, she is still a valuable member of the organization. Integra Hellsing, the current leader, is usually fully capable of fulfilling her duty, but lately, vampire activity has been on the rise. Unfortunately, the cause is more alarming than anything she could have imagined. A group long thought dead has been plotting in secret since their apparent destruction over 50 years ago. Plotting to plunge England, and perhaps the entire world, into war.

Pros to the Anime: The artwork is amazing. Fans of the manga will defiantly be thrilled with this installment of the Hellsing Ultimate series. It follows right along with the manga and I swear sometimes they just colored a panel and animated it. It is that good. The action is non-stop and the character development is executed to near perfection. I watched the dubbed version as opposed to the usual subbed since I was watching it with a friend and the voice actors they chose did a really good job. Be warned though, the characters have British accents. I know I should have seen this coming but for some reason I didn’t, it was a little off putting, but still done well. Oh, and there is a lot of blood, yeah.

Cons to the Anime: Not a whole lot to say here. I will say that I miss the opening tune from the anime, I love that song. Actually, the whole soundtrack seems to be missing that touch that made the anime so memorable. Maybe that’s just me. In addition, there were a few times that, even though I was watching it in English, I had to put subtitles on because the action was drowning out the voices. Once again, that may have just been me.

Damaged Thoughts: Hellsing is a fantastic series, all of it. Be it from the mangas to the anime and now the OVA. The art is astounding, the action is amazing and the story line just keeps you hooked. One of the best things about the OVA is that they made Seras not such a wimp like she was in the anime, she’s out there kicking butt just as hard. I love the scenes when her vampire skills awaken, she is just too awesome then. Also, the way they show her transition into the night world is something that you just can’t live with out seeing, it’s that excellent.

Manga Review of the Week
Shakugan no Shana Volume 2
Two Volumes published by Viz Media

Plot Summary: Yuji Sakai is beginning what he thinks will be the life of a normal high school student. But everything changes when he is drawn into the struggle between creatures from another world, the Crimson Denizens, and a girl, Shana. He has a crucial role to play in the conflict, despite the fact that… he is dead! (Taken from the back excerpt)

Pros to the Manga: Following the footsteps on the first volume, the artwork here is really wonderful. All the expressions are portrayed perfectly and the sequences are really easy to follow. Shakugan No Shana makes great use of the speech tails making it very simple to follow who is speaking and a lot of times uses different speech bubbles to signify the person (for example Alastor’s speech bubble is like a flame). The action is well done and very easy to follow making the scenes that much more enjoyable. The manga also mixes up the emotions of the story, sometimes it is quite funny while at other times it is deadly serious. They have done a great job of keeping this all in order and not overwhelming the reader with one emotion.

Cons to the Manga: I really hated the way it ended. Not because it left me hanging, I realize that this is necessary, but it really just ends. I couldn’t even find a ‘to be continued’ anywhere. It appears to just hop right into Shakugan no Shanatan leaving you to assume that the volume has ended. Very strange indeed. Though Shakugan no Shanatan is quite funny as well.

Damaged Thoughts: I loved it. Period. I laughed quite a bit at this. Shana munching on her melon bread is possible the funniest and cutest thing she does. Also, the story was quite easy to follow and it did a great job of keeping my attention for the next volume (which I hear no word of). The story line is really quite interesting (no, it’s not your typical hunt demons story) and the books do a great job of telling the story. Not going to lie, the best scene is when Shana is explaining melon bread at the store and everyone applauds her, which had me laughing so hard. I read it to my dad, it was lost on him.


Issue Eleven: Anime Artist Tools!

Are you a traditional anime artist that wants to go digital? Or a digital anime artist who wants to know what kind of non-digital art supplies to use for commissions? Or, do you just want to know where to go and how much you should expect to spend? Well artists, thanks to suggestion about anime artist mediums and the tools necessary, it is our hope that we can at least point artists in the right direction.

Traditional Artists
For those who don’t know, traditional artists, are those who still use the old school ways of creating artwork. Pens, pencils, paint, canvas, and paper. These types of artists, are usually the starting grounds for all artists, regardless of where you eventually end up. And many artists stay this way.

Copic--Copic, is the newest line of markers and pencils to hit the market. Artists all over the world are beginning to eat up Copic art products for it‘s depth and variety of colors. The only problem with this line, is that Copics are insanely expensive, and are even harder to find as well. Your best chance of acquiring these at a “decent” rate, are by heading to your computer and shopping around on the internet.

Prismacolor--While Prismacolor is also pretty expensive, you can find them at any major art and craft store in the world. Many artists use Prismacolor because of its range of colors and the fact that they have dual tipped markers. (Meaning they have one end as wide tip and the other end as a fine tip.) Also, if you look right as well, you can also find Prismacolor on sale at many stores. So shop around!

Statedtler--This line, is used mostly with professional drafters and interior designers for it’s cleanliness in lines and production. You can usually also find this line in any major art/craft store. But James and I both highly recommend their Statedtler Color Pencils. They are awesome!

Itoya--They are only really well known for their fine-tipped black ink pens. James has told me, that they are worth the $5 a pen price tag. But that’s also exactly, what they are. Expensive. We recommend all artists to buy just one pen and decide for you.

Sakura--Hailing from Northern California USA, Sakura art products are amazing! James and I both recommend them for any detailing as well as any scrap booking/stencil work you wanna do. However, be ready to pay a good price for them. Get the starter packs if you can, they are worth their weight because the ink cartilages are not only refillable, but pretty loaded to begin with.

Lumocolor--This line is also used with many professionals. Lumocolors are a little harder to find, but if you can get your hands on a black Lumocolor pen, buy as many of them as you can. They are wonderful for detailing.

Faber-Castell--This line is one of the oldest lines ever. My father personally used Faber-Castell pencils and markers in the 60‘s for his artwork. Their best products however are their oil pastels and acrylic paints. (Although it’s extremely expensive.)

Stanford--However, for many of us artists who are looking for a cheap traditional ink to use, we recommend Stanford. Never heard of them? You might have heard of them as their other name: SHARPIES. Sharpies have been around almost 25 years, and they are now a household name. But what many artists don’t realize, that if you use the right paper, and don’t press seriously too hard, they make a great art medium! Also really great for custom button making. ^_^ we recommend Stanford for those who need to make a jump from Rose Art and Crayola and don‘t have a whole lot of cash. Be sure to work in a ventilated area, the smell of those markers are horrendous.

Digital Artists
Photoshop alone, has caused a huge digital revolution amongst all artists, of all medias. Digital art programs, give us the ability to make anything we want, and be able to clean up any of our lines and mistakes without leaving a weird residue or causing a re-do of the work.

The Big Art Program Names:

Photoshop: With two different versions, what do you pick?
CS Version-- The professional version. SUPER EXPENSIVE. Buy CS versions if you are a pro.

Elements-This is the watered down version of Photoshop. It’s also more user-friendly, great for all starting digital artists.

Corel Paint-Shop: Great program for those who are pro artists that don’t have the money to buy CS Photoshop. Corel is great for work that is created from scratch. And is much more user friendly that adobe when in comes to layers and vector graphics.

Open Canvas: This program was once free and its specialty was its tracing program. Tracing is still its specialty, but now, it’s much cleaner with a more options on the depth and level of the medium you wish to use.

Tablets For All Artists:

WACOM!!! --The Wacom Tablets, are all digital artists’ best friends. They are a decent price for a good quality project. No it’s not super awesomeness perfection, but at $50-90 dollars a pop (At the lower end of their product line), they last a really good long time for all artists who are wishing to go digital.

UC Logic/Digi Pro- While Wacom’s are the tablets to go, James is the proud owner of a clear UC Logic tablet. He loves how smooth the movements are and how the digital pressure (how intense the lines you make. The more pressure, the thicker the lines.)


The Awesome Places To Get Them All:
While there are so many awesome art websites where you can purchase art supplies. Still some of the cheapest places to buy them are your own personal local art stores. Many online stores sell the items at a discount, but by the time you pay tax, shipping and handling, you have officially spent at least the list price on buying the pieces. Unfortunately, the more specific the pieces, the more expensive they are going to be. Copic, Prismacolor and Lumocolors, will usually cost you the most, but they usually come with an assortment of colors, and the ink lasts for a good quantity of time. Especially for those who only do artwork on the side or work only on a commissions-only work.

Many stores like Michaels, JoAnn’s Fabrics, Paperchase, and Papyrus have many awesome good quality supplies. And these same stores also have coupons and sales on these items sometimes as well. So you have to watch for their sales, cause they usually mean, that you can at least buy food and art supplies. For those on a budget, Target has great paper and organizing prices, and Wal-Mart is good at selling the basics down at an affordable rate (44 cents for Apple Barrel Paint! YAH!).

Staff’s Online Store Picks:
[link] -- The internet web portal to buying stuff!
[link] -- James’ Favorite art supplies
[link] --- JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts Store
[link] -- Michaels Art and Crafts

Whatever you decide, be sure to shop around. I know many artists don’t have the time to shop, but trust us, it’s in your best interest, to take the time and look around. You won’t end up paying more than you would have if you had just taken some extra time.

We hope that this small tutorial, will help those move in the right direction. Shop around and good luck!!

See you next week!
~Miss Red Rose~

Upcoming Releases: Remember that all release dates and actual prices vary from seller to seller, so remember to look around okay? Good Otakus..

Upcoming DVD Releases for 10/30/2007
Air (DVD 3 of 4)
Angel's Feather (Sub.DVD)
B'tX (DVD 5)
Basilisk - Scrolls of Blood (DVD 1 of 6)
Basilisk - Spoils of War (DVD 2 of 6)
Bleach - DVD Box Set 1 (DVD)
Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins - Ultimate Edition (DVD)
Fighting Spirit - DVD Collection 1 (DVD 1 of 2)
Fighting Spirit - DVD Collection 2 (DVD 2 of 2)
Hi no Tori - Persistence of Time (DVD 1)
Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy (DVD)
One Piece (Dub.DVD 11)

Upcoming Manga Releases for 10/30/2007
Air Gear (G.novel 6)
Alive [Tadashi Kawashima] (G.novel 2
Eureka Seven: Gravity Boys & Lifting Girl (G.novel 2)
Kitchen Princess (G.novel 4)
Mushishi (G.novel 4)
MW (G.novel)
Neconoclasm (G.novel 1)
Nodame Cantabile (G.novel 11)
Parasyte (G.novel 3)
Pichi Pichi Pitch (G.novel 7)
The Ice Wanderer (G.novel)
Tsubasa, RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (G.novel 15)

A Kiss For My Prince (G.novel 3)
Canon (G.novel 3)
Cantarella (G.novel 9)
Chun Rhang Yhur Jhun (G.novel 4)
Cipher (G.novel 9)
Dear Myself: World's End (G.novel)
Gon (G.novel 2)
Her Majesty’s Dog - (G.novel 7)
High School Girls (2nd Ed) (G.novel 1)
High School Girls (2nd Ed) (G.novel 3)
Hikkatsu! (G.novel 2)
I Hate You More than Anyone (G.novel 2)
I, Otaku: Struggle in Akihabara (G.novel 1)
King of the Lamp (G.novel)
Presents (G.novel 1)
Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning (G.novel 1)
Street Fighter: Sakura Ganbaru! (G.novel 2)
Sweety (G.novel 3)
Tetragrammaton Labyrinth (G.novel 2)
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls - Revenge of the Hori Clan (G.novel 1)
Translucent (G.novel 2)
Venus Versus Virus (G.novel 2)
VS (G.novel 6)
Yotsuba&! (G.novel 5)
Zombie-Loan (G.novel 1)