Opallene

I used to maintain a strict separation between my 2D and 3D fan tributes, but now I've decided to publish some of my favorite cosplays from over the years here on DeviantArt.  I've come to realize that all of these things are important parts of my artistic expression.  There are probably more to come, so stay tuned if you are interested.  I hope you'll forgive me (and call me out??) if I stray into tackiness (It's so easy to do that with photographs, especially those of oneself).

Well, what can really be said?  I thought about joining the chorus in response to the recent terrorist attack in Paris, because the freedom of the press (and especially of cartooning) is near and dear to me, as it is to many.  One major obstacle: Everything really clever and powerful has already been penned in the past week or so (Oh, and to keep my Humble Hat on, I'd like to point out that I probably -- no, definitely -- couldn't have come up with material that good anyway...).

Then I remembered that I am -- Sort of, in a past life -- a published editorial cartoonist in my own right.  I illustrated pro-bono for my university's student-run newspaper for a year in graduate school.  (Had I been a bit more confident and proactive earlier on, I would've been doing it for as many years as possible -- But it took until my final year to work up enough sense to march into that office and sign myself up.  It was an amazing opportunity, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.)

So I finally took the time to upload every last one of those illustrations here to DeviantArt, after years of meaning to but never quite getting around to it.  If you're interested, they live in their own folder within my gallery.  As some background: Each of these was created to accompany a particular opinion piece written by one of the editorial staff's contributors.  I did not choose the topics, but I did my best to enhance the written content.  So if some of these fail to stand alone effectively, that would be why.  Also, since the topic selections were not mine, any opinions conveyed by the illustrations themselves may or may not reflect my own opinions.  If you're wondering, though, there was not a single topic I turned down...(Viva Charlie Hebdo!)~

I'll be selling some art this weekend at Anime Central in Rosemont, Illinois.  Come stop by my booth (Opallene Dreams, E24)!  You know...If you want to...  

Greetings!  Let the rejoicing be heard in the streets; DeviantArt now allows username changes.  (I kind of hope a rep is reading, because: Do you hear that, DeviantArt?  That's one of the major reasons I stayed away for so long!)  You may see pieces in this gallery signed "Aoi Umi" or "Aurorawolf" (former usernames from former lives) or even "E.D." (my real initials).  I'm reviving this DA account because I'm back on a fanart kick and I still like my old pieces enough to be associated with them.  So please look, enjoy...Welcome!

If you came here from the Sketchbook Project, allow me to point you over to my new blog/website.  This space here (DeviantArt) contains mainly anime fanart, but also some photography (which I might migrate over there eventually).