Works of Inspiration

Hey guys!  I have been tossing back and forth a couple things to blog about, but then I got sick and have been just EXHAUSTED...!!!  and thus, I decided to go with this post, since it would require less effort on my part (but hopefully still be interesting).  And so!! 

I've had a little bit of down time with being sick, and so I've been re-reading and studying a lot of my favorite manga works!  When I really like something, I re-read it A LOT. I thought it would be fun to share with you guys who some of my favorite manga artists are, and how they've influenced my own work!!

 

1. Sailor Moon- Naoko Takeuchi

The first time I ever saw anime, it was because I first saw "Sailor Moon" on Toonami. From the first time I saw it, I was awestruck. It was so unlike anything that I had ever seen in animation! Sailor Moon was also awesome because she was a girl super hero that was honestly, just a clumsy, cry baby girl... a lot like myself. Sure, there were other super hero girls on TV.. Wonder Woman was very popular in animation at the time.. but Sailor Moon was a girl on a girl's level. It was because of watching the anime that I started making attempts in drawing manga style art when I was around 10.. of course, my first attempts were from good. But the animation had inspired me to keep trying!! 

I actually didn't get to read the manga until years later... and I actually didn't even know when I was younger that most anime are based on manga stories. I was actually kind of shocked when I first read the manga, and saw how different the art style was compared to the anime!!!  O_o  It took me awhile to like the manga style, but now that I've come to appreciate it, I can see how much Naoko Takeuchi's art stands out from so many others... even today.





2.  Emma/ A Bride's Story - Kaoru Mori

"Emma" by Kaoru Mori was the first manga series I ever read. I was completely and utterly obsessed! Even today, it's still my favorite series and the series that I've re-read over and over again. Set in Victorian times, Emma is the story of a maid and a nobleman that fall in love.. which was strictly looked down upon at the time. Everything about Mori's works are fantastic and worth reading... The storyline and characters were interesting and gripping from the start, and I loved watching Mori's style evolve from the first book....

... to the fourth volume...

Her style just blossomed and became more detailed and intricate in every volume (seven books for the main storyline, and three "side story" volumes that end with the wedding of Emma and William).

From drawing crowds...

...to landscapes...

..and beautiful Victorian/Edwardian fashions..

Mori's works are just a treat to read and study over and over again.   I've had a few people tell me that my drawing style resembles hers a little bit, and if that's just slightly true... than I am flattered. She has certainly had an influence on me, if not being my biggest influence in manga art. And the woman is dedicated. So in love with the Victorian era and fashions is she, that she did a six page inclusion for a magazine just on the subject of the corset...  (this segment is included in her short story book, "Anything and Something")

Also, her newest and still ongoing work, "A Bride's Story", is just as richly done and perhaps even more detailed than "Emma".... ?   The picture below can allow you to decide for yourself.  ;-)

3. Gunslinger Girl -Yu Aida

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure where I first heard about "Gunslinger Girl"... I think I saw an ad for it in another manga I was reading and just thought that the title sounded interesting. I was not disappointed. In fact, I'm constantly surprised by hard core manga/anime fans that have never heard of it!!!  Aida's art style progressed greatly from the fist couple volumes of this ( fifteen volumes by the end) series.

I think the thing that captivates me most by Aida, is his story telling in this series. Each girl/cyborg has a unique, yet tragic background that plays a part in how she becomes what she is now. It's all very well done and layered, and you see some real character development through out the series.. something that sometimes never happens through out a manga series. The series concludes, I felt, in a bit of a shocking way, but after you have some time to think it over, it's a well done conclusion that wraps up all the loose ends. I'm still a huge fan of this series... the art style, and the action scenes, and especially, the story.

4. The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross- Arina Tanemura

 I discovered Tanemura San's works completely by accident. I was browsing through the bookstore, and I had enough money to buy a book. I had planned to buy another Chris Hart manga tutorial book, but I came across "The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross" art book instead. Just the cover illustration was so striking, that I changed my mind and ended up buying that book instead! Before that, I had not read a single one of Arina Tanemura's works, but after buying this art book and drooling over her gorgeous, colored illustrations, I immediately got on our library's network and began ordering them in.

While her story lines end good (though I've noticed a trend in her works, that the story usually takes time to really get up and go), the artwork is what really pulled me in. I've pored over the art book ever since I bought it, and I think over buying another manga tutorial book or buying the "Gentlemen's Alliance" art book, I made the better purchase. I brought that book home and I studied it ardently, especially her shading techniques, which was something that I wasn't yet doing in my own work. I started trying to mimic her color techniques in my own work, and slowly I started noticing improvement!!! Tanemura's work also tends to be very detailed and lavish, so there's lots to study. Her style in the manga doesn't stray far from her illustrations!

Her older work, "Phantom Thief Jeanne", has been recently re-released with new artwork, and I'd have to say that it's my favorite work of hers as far as a storyline goes. But I still appreciate most her artwork for "The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross"!






.... I feel like I've already written and shown quite a lot here, so I just want to add these last few as sort of "honorable mentions", I guess..? 


-Yotsuba and ! -  Yotsuba is an energetic little five year old girl living with her adoptive father in Japan.

It's more of a comedy, slice of life manga that is hilarious and laugh out loud. This is another series I am surprised to hear hard core manga fans say "I've never heard of that"...    O_O 

I've learned the most about facial expressions from Kiyohiko Azuma (the mangaka behind Yotsuba).
Yotsuba has an expression for EVERYTHING, and there's always a lot of energy put into her character!!


-Chobits/ Kobato -  I think it's safe to say that CLAMP has also influenced a lot of new manga artists, or young girls wanting to be manga artists... they have such a soft, shoujo style that is very feminine! I bought the illustration book to "Chobits" a few years ago so that I could better study their color illustrations. They tend to be very soft in their color schemes, something I desperately want to achieve in my own work!  (Maybe in the future...)  As far as a manga goes, CLAMP really does sell the whole package... from art work, to characters and story lines, their work is one that always leaves a strong impression. I've actually heard people say that they think CLAMP is overrated, and I was like...  O_O    I guess some people just don't see what everyone sees?!

I know I talked about quite a few different artists and styles!  These are just a few of the people that have inspired me. I hope that if nothing else, I've given you some new venues to maybe check out and be inspired yourself!!   


-Stasia -Chan '15

What I've Been Up To (And why art production will be a little slow over the next few weeks)

I haven't much been on social media as of late, aside from posting a few pictures here and there with instagram. My art production is going to slow down this month, and so I thought I would give a quick update as to to what all is going on, and what will be keeping me from being  overly art busy.   =-)

 I was asked by some of the youth teachers in our church to make a set of armor for their upcoming lessons on "The Armor of God."  Here's Lucy, wearing the breastplate to that first set, and being camera shy...  =-)   I made the whole set... breastplate/belt, a sword, shods for the feet, and a shield. The kids are working on a presentation they will be giving before the church, and so I was asked to help them make shields that they could carry out as they sing and quote some Bible verses. We had fun painting those outdoors at church a few weeks ago. I need to make three more breastplates, cut more swords, and help them paint/design a standard/banner that they are also going to carry out during their presentation. So, this is keeping me busy and involved, but I love getting to help out with things at church!!   =-)

I have also been doing SCADS of crocheting lately... I was working on a good size baby blanket for someone that is due this month, and so I was really crocheting like mad last week to get it done. This is the finished picture, though I did end up giving it a scalloped sort of border...  Crochet is something that I really enjoy doing as well. Another crochet enthusiast recently introduced me to the works of "Twinkie Chan", and oh my... her crochet projects are SOOO cute!!!   ><   That being said, I have a little slew of crochet projects currently being worked on, that include an afghan throw, small baby gifts (spit up cloths, a "rag" bunny toy), and inspired by Twinkie Chan, a pop tart scarf that my sister wants me to make... So all that crocheting is also keeping me busy!!!   I may post some of my crochet projects to the blog in the future, as they are finished. It's a dying art that needs to be revived!!  "Vive la revolution!!!"  

.....   Sorry about that... moving on...

I also finished up a batch of some sketch cards that I currently have for sale. This is about half of the batch. I really like working on sketch cards. These ones are 4x6 on card stock, so they are a decent size and I can finish them pretty quickly. I'm selling these for $5 each, and that includes lamination and shipping in the US. I'd like to add a few 5x7 cards when I have the time, and I'd probably price those at $10 each, since they are a bit bigger and take more time and marker ink. But I'm not sure when I'll have time to get around to those. I'd prefer to sell a few out of this batch before adding more things to sell, because then I end up over piling on myself and usually give away or pack up things that aren't selling, and I kinda hate to do that!!

This picture was going around instagram last week, so I reposted it and got about 31 likes. What a fun idea!!!  I'm kinda glad it only got 31 likes... I follow other artists who had over 2,000 likes on theirs.. and the more ambitious ones actually drew THAT many chicks. O_O   I think 31 is a manageable number of chicks to draw!!! 

I'm also starting to get ready for my next manga shop at the library. This time, they are actually having a mini comic con, and I'm really excited to participate!!!  =-D   That's coming up on July 17th. There's also going to be a cartooning class, crafts, and people are asked to come in costume. Since we may have a lot of people that don't usually come to the other manga shops, I'm going to do something easy for everyone. Since the summer reading program's theme is "Superheroes", I'm thinking about doing an easy tutorial drawing a super hero chibi. I also need to come up with some kind of freebie to give out after the event, right now I'm thinking about doing bookmarks. The lady that heads up the teen activities and who plans these events asked if I would come in costume. This is my first time cosplaying, and I'm excited!!!  I'm doing as Scarlet Witch from the "Age of Ultron" movie, even though my hair is nothing like hers. People keep telling me I could wear a wig, but I'd rather not. So far, I have my dress and I bought a red sweater at the thrift store today, so it's almost together!! 

I've been doing a lot of reading while I crochet lately... I somehow manage to turn pages while I stitch...  xD   I just finished up "Anastasia and Her Sisters" by Carolyn Meyer (ALL of Carolyn's historical fiction books are amazing, and I can't recommend them enough). Since my name is Anastasia, I've always been very interested in her life and the tragic end that came to her family. After finishing up that book, I started re -reading "The Family Romanov" by Candace Fleming (which is another nice look at the life of the Romanovs, but a little biased in spots. Just my opinion), and also "The Romanov Sisters" by Helen Rappaport ( which actually is more focused on the parents then the sisters, but you still get a nice look into their lives). All that reading inspired this sketch of Anastasia in one of her formal gowns. I inked this with brown ink and hope to color it sepia. If it turns out nicely, I may enter it into our local fair's art contest this year. But I am really bad about finishing projects, so.... T_T  I'd like to do more sketches of the other sisters too! I've also been re-reading quite a few of my favorite manga. I may do a post in the near future about those artists.

So!  This is a look into what all is going on and about to go on. Other upcoming things inlcude helping out with a rabbit day for 4-H here in our county, two upcoming vacation Bible schools that I'm helping with, running light for "Bye Bye, Birdie" in July, and crafts for "theater camp" in August. I have a lot on my plate right now and lots to focus on, so I probably will not be as art productive as I want or hope to be. I will still post things as I find the time to create them, I just wanted people to know to not be expecting as much from me over the next few weeks!! 

My summer is looking real busy... hope yours will be fun, too!!!   ^^

-Stasia -Chan '15