Mediums: Traditional/ Pens/ Pencils/ etc, Digital/ Paint Tool Sai/ PhotoShop/ Manga Studio.
Style: I think I have my own style but I'm also very influenced with Japanese Shoujo Mangaka.
Marcylittleninja is a self-taught, Freelance Illustrator & Graphic Design Student from Melbourne, Australia; who specializes in Anime/ Manga styled Fantasy/ Romance Illustrations and Is also a part of collaboration group, JAM, featuring Canadian artist Josh Barles Artiste.
Please tell us about your first experience with art.
I've been into drawing since the very young age of 6 years old.
I don't remember what my first experience was like but it was most likely about horses, that’s where I started drawing to begin with. I started from a girly obsession for horses but eventually I started watching anime and reading manga in grade 7 then began drawing in a shoujo manga styled way.
Do you have music playing while drawing?
I can't draw without music. I lie, I actually can but I prefer having some "themed" music or something that would fit what I'm drawing. I'm the kind of person who can't live without music, I wake up and do my every day thing but music is always playing for me. It keeps me motivated and inspired in away. Even when I’m on horrible artist blocks, Music helps to overcome that for me. The main type of music I listen to would be Indie, Rock, electronic and maybe a little pop. I also love acapella, just the voices and instrumentals with just the music. I only ever listen to Japanese music, some Korean but mainly Japanese. I do listen to English music sometimes but it seems to happen very rarely.
What are you trying to convey to viewers through your art?
I never really thought about this to be honest… I think I just want to create something pretty or visually pleasing because I like colours. I only recently started colours because I got a graphics tablet after being sponsored by the local youth centre where I live, but even before I got it, I loved to colour things. I wasn't really good in my opinion but its in my nature to keep trying so I can improve.
Because others inspire me to draw and make something beautiful I also want to do the same. I would like to have someone see my illustrations and think "wow, such pretty colours" or something along those lines. I never really thought about what I wanted from my viewers or what I would like to show to them. I basically just do what I do, what I love to do and would appreciate my viewers to support me in anyway - through comments, through likes, through requests or through critique anything will do as long as I can somehow improve my art from it and they enjoy what I do.
Please explain your creative process
- I sketch something very roughly, I'm not good with putting things straight down on paper or on a blank work space so I throw shapes down. I may actually be very messy with this process.
- I do an outline or fix up the mess from how I started out.
- Add detail.
- Create the line art / Ink it digitally.
- Fix up any mistakes in the inking before saving it.
- Add colour. I put down flats first and use a lot of layers for low lights and highlight etc.
- Watermark it.
- Post it, on my website blog, Deviant art, Facebook, etc.
Sometimes If I have trouble with drawing something or I can't clearly see it in my head I'd Google images that resemble what my idea is and use reference photos before I start, or during it, whenever I need them I guess.
What inspires your illustrations?
Yone Kazuki, The illustrator behind Many Visual Novel Characters, Like Hakuouki and Hiiro No Kakera.
She is my main influence and BIGGEST inspiration, A lot of my work resembles some of her style, maybe in little ways but some people who know of Kazuki Sensei have noticed.
Also many other artists, especially artists with same dreams or goals in their life for art OR artists who would like to collaborate with me. Japanese Music, Japanese Visual Novels, Japanese Manga. yeah, probably ALOT of the Japanese culture is has a big influence on my art.
Have you exhibited?
I've never been into Exhibitions, I have featured in a few school ones but other than those I never really put my art anywhere. (I don’t usually print it or frame it) It's not my style nor is it something I hold any interest into either. Depending on the type of exhibitions my thoughts on that might change in the future. I have also featured work on websites and in youth magazines before. I’ve also been in quite a few contests and art shows because of Uni. ^^
How have you been selling your manga art?
I’ve sold some of my art before, those were usually the ones I’ve gotten a first or second place in shows. These days I tend to only do commissioned artwork online. I have done traditional commissioned work in the past but I now prefer to stick with digital and sent online through email, or ArtistsNclients.com.
I share my art in artist groups or communities on social websites like Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr. I also ask pages that post my type of art on their pages if they would be able to promote my page - a lot of them kindly promote me. I also put any of my URL's on my art posts, email signatures etc.
Before I mentioned Yone Kazuki.
Yone Kazuki is my biggest inspiration. (I love her >.<)
When ever I talk about her I get really giggly and happy. (I hope I will have a chance to meet her oneday/I’ll probably just keep dreaming though >.<)
She's such an experienced artist and has gone through so much, I reallllllyyy look up to her! (I reeeeeaaalllllllyyyyyy LOVE her Art, I could say this a million times and even then it wouldn’t be enough to show how much I lovvvveeee that artist >.<)
I would like to be like her. Not draw like her just be like her in general and be able to create beautiful artwork like her that make people happy, inspired, amazed etc.
My art is still evolving at the moment and I may not be the best artist out there but I strongly hope no one compares me with another artist. I will keep improving and learning because of my inspiration so I can also inspire others. I want others to look at me like how I look at Kazuki sensei, she has a distinctive style, I want my own style like that so people are able to recognise my illustrations! ^___^
Can you recommend another artist?
YONE KAZUKI YONE KAZUKI >////<
Okay I may have said enough about her so I will recommend my collaboration friend.
Josh Barles Artiste, Self taught Canadian artist who specializes in traditional, street, pop, digital and gore art. Josh is really enthusiastic about drawing and creating incredibly amazing stories for comics. Our styles are REALLY DIFFERENT but we share the same view on our art as a career so the difference doesn't matter. (Nor does the distance stop our collaborations! hahaha!) We pretty much share everything together. If I draw something I show him before it gets posted. He usually does the same so I find that very helpful in case we need any kind of improvement on the drawing before we finalize it.
I'm really intrigued by his drawing skills. I wanted to create Manga or comics but I always struggled with panels or putting a story on paper. While I really failed in that area, Josh Seems to excel in it. (Probably from so much practice and experience) He started drawing very earlier than me, I think around 5 years old. He also drew a lot of comics while I kind of drifted away and got more into studying different kinds of art in search of who I was as an artist and how I would reach my dreams blah blah blah. XD I think he has his own style, No No way He DOES.
It's just impossible to compare his style of art with another. I do see a lot of shounen style in his drawings but Its definitely one of a kind, his own. I like that a lot!^^ Its his style, his enthusiasm and his love for what he does that makes me admire him ALOT. (We make a good collaboration team~ Please Support us!)
(for those who are unaware about this;
Shounen is manga aimed at guys and a typical theme is fighting, while Shoujo primary audience is girls and it usually has romance. Both are Japanese comic genres)
Please say something interesting about yourself.
I'm one of those artists who suffer from an unsteady hand. I talked to one of my amazing illustrator teachers about this once because it was making me really upset & frustrated, She told me that I probably have a lot of tension in my hands and asked me "do you stretch your arm and hand before you draw?" I said "no..." she scolded me. I mean, literally scolded me...
She told me; "If you don't start looking after your artist hands you'll start facing very frustrating complications like this, stretch every single finger, to your wrists, to your arm, everything needs to be exercised just like you would if you were going to work out or dance or do yoga."She also told me train myself by gripping pencils and using stroke practice. I still suffer the unsteady hand now and then but I made it a habit to exercise my hands, arms and wrists as well as take many breaks every half hours to an hour so I don't hurt myself in anyway.
Have you ever become annoyed by something someone said about one of your drawings?
"Those horns coming out of it's head looks weird" was said to me about a drawing I did... The character was a demon, horns are supposed to come out of its head, you silly silly person. =.=
There's nothing to regret. I'm still not where I would like to be but I'll keep improving myself and my art until I can get to where I would like to be. Giving up is not an option for me. There’s no way ever, I’d regret anything because I love every single thing, Every struggle was only experience for me, the struggles was only making me stronger and smarter so when I finally achieve something I feel extremely good about it. Hard work pays off. I could never regret anything.
What about future plans?
I would like to do a lot of collaborations and possibly make a visual novel one day! I would also like to visit Japan, It was my main goal to begin with. I wanted to study in Japan so I took up learning Japanese for around 4-5 years but because I was poor I had to self-study. Unfortunately I’ve always been quite poor so that held me down a little but no matter what happens I won’t let money be an issue for me, as long as I can draw and have my family, close friends and anyone else there for support then my future will be fine! ^___^ 七転び八起き (Nanakorobi yaoki) this means “fall seven times and stand up eight” in other words when life knocks you down, stand back up, Keep trying and never give up!
Advice for artists
You need to take all that criticism, Its a really good thing.
I'm talking about the bad mostly.
Yeah, it will most likely hurt your artist ego and your heart a little but if you have the passion for drawing or your art then nothing will stop you from improving it.
Use the bad criticism as a drive that keeps you going - if someone says that the proportion is wrong or the eyes look very horrible then look from their perspective and improve it your own way. Everyone can draw, its only the creative, determined and passionate people that decide to continue with art of any kind.
Artists are smart thinkers when they really try. Something about the artwork isn’t right, so you pin point it but then question how to fix it? Eventually after trying and trying you will find a solution and that it self was experience, you’ve just improved yourself right there and your future art will benefit from it.
Find your style your own way, experiment, study and never give up if you really want it. As long as you say you can do it, you can do it even if it takes time. Not everyone can be good at everything but you can try as well as find what you are good at. Like me with the failure at doing manga stories, I thought I wanted to do that but no matter how much I tried I couldn't do it and eventually I lost interest in trying because I wanted to do just illustrations, but because of that decision I decided how much I was interested in Visual novels and the fact that I may not be good at everything but I am good at some things because its who i am as an individual artist.
Don’t compare yourself to other artists because that can ruin you in so many ways, stop comparing yourself to anyone and start recognising your own potential as who you are in the art world.
Create yourself and your skill your own way, don't copy other artists, you can use them as inspiration and influences but you should find yourself and be unique. No artist is the same, some may be alike but never the same, so we're all special in what we do.
The only thing we can do is improve and keep improving until we reach our dream or our goal.
Build your reputation, your skill, passion, art, yourself up and eventually it will pay off~ ^^