the cruel tutor himself, Pai Mei

One of my favorite character types is the gruff/grizzled old mentor. Tough as nails, mean or cranky on the outside but with great knowledge or support to offer when you know them, or when they know - and trust - you.

I've talked about ...

The balance of males and females in the workplace became one-sided during the second world war. Several men were deployed overseas, giving women living stateside the opportunity to work in factories while taking care of their families. The introduction and integration of women into industrial factories was the spark that ...

that is the question, right?

Hey, hi – hello, I’m damehelsing and this is my first article.
I’m new to this but I have a lot of thoughts and instead of talking to myself, I can talk to you.

There’s always a spark of joy and a roller ...

When talking about personality, one must mention Freud.


pictured here with a small cigar.

Yes, even me. (Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a fan)

Despite my personal thoughts about his theory, mad props and respect has to be given to Sigmund Freud for being one of the ...

As webcomics are uploaded periodically, be that in pages, chapters or episodes, it’s imperative that we use all the tricks in the book to keep them coming back. One sure fire way to keep your readers coming back for more is by exploiting the cliffhanger device.

A cliffhanger is ...

When writing and drawing comics, facial expression and body language can sell and reinforce character, tone and story.

A smiling face can say as much as their words about what's going on in the moment, and in the character's emotions.

But what about a sarcastic smile? Or sarcastic ...

One year ago, I was sitting on a carpet in my living room putting the pieces of a World Map puzzle together. The previous Friday, March 13th, started off like any other—daily commute to work—except the constant news on the radio talking about the Ivy Leagues sending their ...

According to the theory, you are born with a temperament. Its manifestation occurs soon after birth, and it is based in biological configurations you have, such as your tolerance or intolerance to stimulations, your sensitivity to noxious stimuli such as noise, and a range of other things.

As a baby ...

Last week I talked about what kind of stuff to stick in the middle section of stories.

Here's a tangent I found myself on, about the actual halfway mark:

Well, the middle bit almost always contains the actual halfway point of the story. In many stories this is a ...

Low-Fidelity (Lo-Fi) Chill-bop Music has played a crucial role over the last year in my ability to calm down and feel at ease. Originally used as background music while doing homework or as a sleep aid, Lo-Fi music has been around for a while. The idea is that it layers ...