Marraphy's avatar

Marraphy

Rawb Herb
409 Watchers254 Deviations
51.6K
Pageviews
Marraphy's avatar
Marraphy

Whalefall Kickstarter!

3 min read

Hey! It’s time for my yearly deviantart update (if anyone’s still here!) and big news!


The game I’ve been Art Directing the past few years, Whalefall, has finally been publicly announced! 🥳 I’m so excited that I can finally talk and post all about it. My public art accounts have been sooo dry these past few years but that’s about to change! Check out the reveal trailer:

I art directed that! I‘m the character designer and I work with a bunch of super talented 2D and 3D artists and we are making an RPG that we’re really proud of! It’s been a pretty surreal experience and I’m excited to see where my career goes.

If you have a moment, please take a look at the game’s Kickstarter! :):) I talk about the game for 5 minutes and we have a ton of really cool backer rewards like a world map poster and tomato plushie! We’re at 20% funded so far, and if we get fully funded we’ll really be able to create the game we’re dreaming of.


Now that I can show what I’ve been working on, I plan to post the illustrations and concept art I‘ve made for the game! I posted some deviations of Coty, the protagonist:

Coty Bircann Portrait
Coty Model Sheet

More characters to come! (If you follow me on Twitter you’ll usually see them there first - that’s where I’m most active these days!)

Exciting career times! But exciting personal times too - I’ve been living with my partner and our cat for almost a year now. It’s the first serious long term relationship I’ve been in and so far it’s been super rewarding and has taught me so much about myself! Love them to pieces 💕

6ff3bafa-3c51-4298-9cf7-477b5e88c142

my bestie who loves to play string, Harley 💖


The only not-great things are that the pandemic and world events continue to be a nightmare, and I have a crippling anxiety disorder everyday! I will get stuck in a negative loop and just worry / be critical about everything and anything. The panic attacks can last for hours! I‘ve tried Lexapro, and thought maybe it wasn’t working well so I stopped. But I think I should go back on it or figure out another medication that might work. Also my therapist doesn’t really give me much advice so I might have to look for a CBT one :S If you guys struggle with mental illnesses don’t hesitate to find treatment! Meds and therapy can really improve your quality of life!


… Interesting note to end this on huh lol


But anyway. Check out my pride and joy, Whalefall. And if you’re still around reading this, say hello! I’d like to know what you’re watching/playing these days or just how it’s going in general! ❤️

Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Marraphy's avatar
Marraphy

2019 Life Update

7 min read
Hey ✌️ How are you guys doing? Anyone still here?

I am way more active on Twitter and Instagram in the art world these days, and would love it if you helped grow my audience there by giving me a follow / RT etc :3

Anywho, a lot has happened in the past year.

Videogame Career: Start!


So, the biggest news is that I got a job as a Concept Artist and Animator for an indie videogame studio (!!!) and so a lot of my art energy has been going towards that. The studio is called Whitethorn Digital, they're local, and they published a number of games and currently have two in development. One is a 3D JRPG called Whalefall, which is about the political fallout when magical sky whales crash to the earth's surface. I'm doing 2D art for it - character designs, dialogue portraits, UI stuff, etc. The other game is a Stardew-inspired game called Raspberry Coast which is all about fishing, town life, and romance. That one is all 2D, AND I am the lead artist! So I get free reign on the character designs, environments, etc. It's tons of fun. The only thing I'm a little apprehensive about is the animating part, but I'm sure it'll be a learning experience...

I'm really lucky to have gotten my leg in the industry; it's been my dream since I was born to work on cartoons / videogames and all of a sudden I'm doing it ? I wish I could tell you all a specific skill that I had or strategy that I used, but really I just was in the right place at the right time and was a good match with the studio's brand? A year ago I started going to a small weekly "Comic Artists" meetup in my city, and eventually some people from an indie game dev meetup group started coming, and then I joined their group, and then my soon-to-be-boss posted an ad in it. I guess the takeaway is networking. It's always good to expand your professional connections; not only can you make lifelong friends with some of those people, but you can also get critique/feedback on your work, find opportunities to showcase your own work, and of course maybe get jobs.

I'm still working at my psychology research job part-time : P It feels kind of.... bittersweet? to leave the research world forever. I spent 4 years getting that Psych degree and spent another 3 years working on mental health research, so a part of me doesn't want to completely let go.

End of Magical Hazel? 😱


So. This is kind of hard to talk about, but last year I decided to stop updating Hazel and put it on permanent hiatus. I know many of you kind of associate me with the character/comic and it's my thing, and I really loved it too but I knew I had to quit. I had a few reasons for this; the biggest was that it was simply too hard to stay on top of it while also working a full-time job. I had set a high standard for the art quality of the comic, so each page would literally take somewhere between 20-30 hours. It was just barely possible for me to do weekly when I worked part-time, but when I started working full-time my production on Hazel slowed down to a sad crawl. I was putting out a page once every... 4 months? and if I tried to rush a page out and it looked bad I would get discouraged. I wanted to make time to boost my portfolio with cool new pieces like The Storyteller and The Spirit Guardian but couldn't because Hazel ate up all of my free time. So, quitting it was a good decision because otherwise my portfolio might've been too weak to get the job I have now.

Not to bash on my own work, but I came up with the idea for Hazel in 2011 (Junior year of High school...) while I was obsessed with Madoka Magica and it shows. I minored in fiction writing in college, and current me isn't impressed by high school me's writing. I want to work on a story that's deeper and more meaningful. More personal. I have an idea for one in the works, tentatively called Blood Punk, about a blood-haired freedom fighter in a dystopian future world. Thematically, it's very different from what I normally do. Narratively, it's all stuff that I really want the world to know. It's still early in development, but I'm planning it to be a quick, sketchy black-and-white graphic novel that will (hopefully) be printed so I can sell it in local comic book stores. Follow me on Twitter / IG for the latest updates about it :3

A Couple of Zines


Are you guys familiar with zines? I think it's short for magazine. They are a collection of creative content, usually art but sometimes also writing, and they can be made by an individual or be a collection of art from a group of people. Earlier this year I tried boosting my portfolio by applying for community fanzines for series that I wanted to draw fanart for. I got into a Steven Universe zine that was sadly digital-PDF-only (I say sadly because the artists were all REALLY good! It would've sold a bunch of physical copies I bet). You can check out the piece I did for it here. I got into a Hollow Knight zine as a "pinch-hitter", which means I didn't make the cut but if one of the artists drops out you might be called on last-minute to fill in. I think that zine released? So I guess that opportunity has passed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ BUT I was straight-up accepted for a LoZ: Breath of the Wild zine that is planned for a physical release and I'm really excited about it. I love BOTW so much and have been dying to make something that does it justice. So look out for that! : )

I think it would cool to do my own self-published zine! When I have time...

Non-Art Life


N/A

Just kidding. I just recently signed a lease for my first single-bedroom apartment alone, with no roommates. I'm very excited. My roommate moved out last month, so I've already gotten used to it. It's great, but it had a learning curve as I figured out what the right balance of socializing vs social exhaustion is. If I don't plan any hang-outs, I'll get lonely, but if I hang out too much I'll get tired and unproductive. _(:3｣∠)_ Plus there's always the constant threat that dumb idiot me is gonna leave the stove on and burn the apartment down. oh well lol. It's also really expensive, but luckily I don't buy anything besides videogames and clothes LOL

Trying to get myself to play games that aren't Smash Ultimate and Hearthstone, because I play them way too much and they usually just make me upset. Slay the Spire is pretty fun, it's an RPG roguelike but with card game mechanics. Towerfall is SUPER fun to play with friends, it's an easy pick-up-and-play platforming brawler for up to 6 players. I'm starting to get back into Stardew and Minecraft, lol. Need to play Nier: Automata because everyone and their grandma says it slaps. I'm shaking with anticipation for Fire Emblem Three Houses, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pokemon Sw/Sh this year... thank you daddy Nintendo...

This got really long, but thank you if you were interested in reading! Feel free to talk to me or ask me any game dev related questions
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Marraphy's avatar
Marraphy

2018 Update - Career Stuff

3 min read
Hi!

Dunno if many people still follow me on here or w/e but I wanted to post a general life / career update for posterity. Journaling, if you will.

So in the past couple of years... I've graduated college with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology, and I've worked at a few research labs until I landed in the full-time research position I'm in today. It's a stable job (grant-funded until 2020), and the research is pretty important (one study could potentially save 15 years of treatment time for people with Bipolar Disorder who are misdiagnosed with Major Depression D: ). The job itself is.... eh, it doesn't suck, but it's not really want I want to be doing long-term. It's not a particularly hard job for me to do, and my supervisor/boss are very lax, and it comes with decent health insurance and other benefits. Financial stability -- finally! (After years of living on such a small food budget, it's amazing how weird it feels to just go out and get dinner somewhere).

But like I said, it's not what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. Heck, I don't want to be here still by the time this position ends in 2020. I want to make art. It's what I've always known I wanted to do, but the whole reason I didn't go to art school and seriously pursue it was because everyone was saying "That's your dream job, not your real job" or "There's too much competition" (Later I learned that there's "too much competition" for most jobs?? I still got rejected from multiple research positions). I still don't think I want to go to art school; I've already got a big government debt on my back for the first school I went to, so I'd rather just do the work in my free time, make my own connections, and do it myself. I've seen other people do it this way, and it works! As long as you have the drive to make it work.

So that's pretty much what I've been doing. I try to fill any free time I get with drawing. Most of that time is spent on Hazel... which is another whole story, but ideally I'd like to start using that free time for more portfolio-building and social media presence soon. My entire portfolio is out of date... some of my best work is from 5 years ago... but if I spend a year just working on things that would make my portfolio look nice, that would really boost my chances of getting into the field that I want to be in. I encourage others to do the same! If you want an art job then make art nonstop! It was really hard for me to follow that advice in the past, and I'd just waste all my free time playing videogames, but somehow a fierce motivation has come over me, and I'm ready to grab hold of it.

And that's where I'm at. I've been posting art over on my new instagram every week, and posting on twitter and tumblr as well. Hazel is still chugging along, a few pages left until the end of the first chapter, and I've got ideas for a bunch of other projects I'd like to work on too. I've also been trying to eat healthier! I've been having a Soylent every morning for breakfast, they're surprisingly good!!
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Marraphy's avatar
Marraphy

Commissions Closed

1 min read
I’m available for commissions while I search for a full-time job! 😁
Edit: FULL TIME JOB GET!





More Info:

  • These are character commissions with no / very simple bkgs
  • An additional character is the same price as the base commission, because you’re essentially commissioning twice. I will offer a discount for those who commission more than once, though!
  • I’m okay drawing light gore/NSFW - just ask!
  • Please provide visual references! Character design is an entirely different type of commission~!
  • ETA: 3-10 days
  • Orders < $40: Pay up front; Orders > $40: Pay half-now, half-later is OK
  • I have Paypal and Venmo!
  • I’ve done commissions since 2011 - I’ll work closely with you to make sure I get it right!

Contact:


Email - rawbhuerbin@gmail.com
or PM me on Tumblr, Twitter, Deviantart
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Marraphy's avatar
Marraphy

Life Updates -I'm interested in doing another OCT!

2 min read
Hey folks, it's been a while. here's some updates:

  • My webcomic, Magical Hazel has been going strong since the relaunch! I'm really excited to get to the end of this first Illusion Zone. Check it out if you like nerdy things and magical girl aesthetics!
  • I graduated from college! O: I'm super happy about that but also low key concerned about what I'm gonna do with my future and very high key anxious about being able to pay my rent hahaha. Magical Hazel has a Patreon here where you can see exclusive storyboards, concept art, and more™
  • Just as a reminder, I am most active on my Twitter and Tumblr.

Also, some of you started following me because of a few OCTs I entered / tried to enter back in 2011. After.... 5 years, I really want to get into one again! They've always been really great experiences, and this one in particular I keep finding myself getting loads of ideas for that I wanna draw/write. I'm excited to start coming up with characters!

"But Rawb, how will you do your main comic, Magical Hazel, while also doing an OCT AND balancing your part-time job at a psychology research lab?"

I just will! Granted, I'll probably be waaayyy more loose with my art for OCTs so that I have time to finish the comics, but it should still look okay. Like I said, it's been 5 years man. I gotta do it! So yeah, that stuff will all be posted here on deviantart for you guys, so look forward to that! I'm going to give it my best story-telling efforts!

Thanks for reading!

TLDR;



Click here to start reading Magical Hazel



Click here to go to Hazel's Patreon page and get to see more exclusive storyboards like this!

Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
1
23
21Next
Featured

Whalefall Kickstarter! by Marraphy, journal

2019 Life Update by Marraphy, journal

2018 Update - Career Stuff by Marraphy, journal

Commissions Closed by Marraphy, journal

Life Updates -I'm interested in doing another OCT! by Marraphy, journal