I dart my eyes from one box of illustration to another. Each one tells a story through carefully crafted lineart, composition and speech bubbles. I have had a lifelong obsession with comics.
It started in kindergarten when I found a Pokémon comic book in my teacher’s bookshelf. I was fascinated by the way stories, emotions and art could all be conveyed at once visually.
By the time I was in middle school, I would eagerly wait for new chapters of dozens of manga series to update. Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Hypnosis Mic and many more. I found myself staying up until 3 a.m. to read manga on some days.
Not only is reading manga one of my favorite pastimes, but also an influence on my art. They inspire me to draw cartoons and anime characters. I often recreate the artstyle of my favorite mangaka (manga author), Hirohiko Araki, the creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Even though I started reading it in the sixth grade, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is my favorite series to this day. The stunning illustrations have been exhibited at the Louvre and collaborated with luxury brands and the creativity Araki employed to come up with unique abilities for his characters is magnificent.
In the eighth grade, I downloaded an app I saw on YouTube ads: WEBTOON. I spent hours scrolling through different comics on my phone, and reading webtoons became a part of my daily routine as each series updated on different days of the week.
If I had independent reading or free time in school, I would pull out my phone and read webtoons. Every creator’s unique artstyle and storytelling pulled me into the worlds in their series, whether it was Omniscent Reader’s Viewpoint or True Beauty. I have lived through stories depicting the end of the world to spending quality time at a cozy cafe through webtoons.
Between middle and high school, I was fascinated by the novels of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu focusing on historical Chinese cultivation and supernatural abilities, known as wuxia novels. After reading all three of her series, I discovered ongoing comics of two of them, and had two more comics to anticipate monthly updates.
Over the years, I have read comics from America, Europe and Asia. Comics continue to be a driving force in influencing my art, teaching me about different cultures, keeping me hooked onto different stories and inspiring me to be a better artist and storyteller.
I am thankful for every lesson each comic I have read has taught me, for increasing my creativity and drive to practice digital art.
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