Hi, I'm Lumi

Weight of Expectations - Short ComicA young boy struggles to deal with feelings of inadequacy as his father gives his attention to his percieved better twin brother. He vents out these feelings to his mother.I made this comic in my Portfolio class during my final semester attending Bossier Community College in 2024. When it came to working on this comic, I spent roughly a month in pre-planning. The final product took a couple of weeks for storyboarding, sketching, and finalizing every part of this comic.

• Overview
• Script

SkillsUSA Pin DesignSkillsUSA is a workforce development organization for students. These are the submission I sent in for the Louisiana SkillsUSA 2024 Post-Secondary.The theme I went for with both my pin designs is 'natural beauty'. I used a willow tree to represent the swamps and bayous we have here in Louisiana. I also used colors that are associated with Louisiana: purple, gold, green, red, and blue.I redid my earlier pin to reduce clutter and make it more interesting. I also thought it would be easier to make copies of the same kind of pin if I changed the design.

The Scott HouseholdThe Scott family are a family of fox beasts that have a tumultuous history of familial struggles. From father-abusing-sons to womanizing men to alcoholics, each generation of Scottsmen passes on their trauma to the next. This particular drawing explores Todd's earliest childhood with his neurotic father (Stanley) and obsessive mother (Liliana).Almost every two years, I redraw this image of these characters. I get really experimental with the backgrounds, composition, and lighting. I utilize subtle details as well to showcase a story within the same image. Details such as expressions, body language, and background details. It's one of my favorite pieces to redraw, giving me the most opportunity to see my growth as an artist.

In the latest drawing from this year, I wanted to focus the most on eye contact and expressions. Specifically in terms of where everyone's eyes are in terms of each other and Todd. Liliana only has eyes for Stanley and Stanley keeps his gaze away from her and their son. Neither parents have their eyes on Todd.This final drawing also is meant to be the start of a small series of drawings about this family. Below is a composition concept drawing for the next part.

Yearly Art RecapsA tradition many artists do to showcase their favorite pieces from over the year. For me, it showcases both my favorite and the most memorable to draw. The art pieces that also challenged me the most and had me push myself to try something new.This has been a tradition I've done since 2022. It's one of my most favorite traditions, outside of my yearly Meet the Artist drawing.

Thought ProcessOften, I find myself doodling or writing down my ideas before I start any project. I work tirelessly to ensure I have enough space to play around with many iterations of the same idea. My sketchbook doodles don't always end up making it to the final product, but do assist with my flow state.Once I move past the point of initial sketchbook brainstorming, I move to digital doodles. It's often a repeat of what I do in my sketchbook. Yet, I always end up making more refined sketches and thumbnails.

• Concept Development Doc

Concept SketchesThese sketches go into my general thought process when working on any major project. A collection of warmups, doodles, notes, and general concept ideas for scenes. All are very rough and just meant to give a general idea of what I want for my final product.My concept sketches usually start out in a sketchbook. This keeps me focused less on making things pretty and more about the gestures. I then end up moving to digital media to further specific ideas before I start my project.

StoryboardsAfter I work on initial concept work, I begin with my storyboards. My storyboard process is typically very rough, with more of an emphasis on notetaking and gestural drawings. For this specific project, I have two storyboards that I made. The first one was longer with more detail while the second is shorter with less detail.

Storyboard Two

Storyboard One

Rough AnimationsThese animations are meant to be just as rough and gestural. This helps to get the timing down, the ideas of general movements, and figure out how the character will look in the end.

Persona/MascotMy online persona/mascot went through a variety of changes over the course of a couple of years. This is just a highlight of all of the different versions from 2021 - today.

Drawing ProcessOftentimes, when I'm drawing something really detailed, I do several different thumbnails. Many of these thumbnails will likely not end up becoming the final drawing, but it does help me grasp what composition looks the best. I keep things loose. Messiness is what makes the planning more relaxing.

Drawing Process: Thumbnails for OCtoberThese were thumbnail images I made for a month long challenge I was doing with my roommate. OCtober is similar to Inktober where an artist has to draw prompted images for the entire month of October. Unfortunately, I didn't complete the challenge last year, but these were some highlights from my planning stage.

Drawing Process: Worship of a Deadly KindThis drawing was made in 2024. I drew several flowers and this main concept image in a cafe with a friend, then came home to transfer this to digital media. I tried out a new composition creation method by using different shades of green to help navigate between the foreground, mid-ground, and background (as well as different layers). This particular part of the process isn't something I do often. It did help figure out what I exactly want to do with the final drawing.

Personal StoryboardsThese are storyboards I've done for future animatics. I've had experience making animatics without a storyboard and it often does not end up looking the way I want. This process gives me a chance to really evaluate what I would like for the final result. These are just a collection of ones that I'm planning to turn into short, silly animatics.