Second-Hand Goodness!

I just adore art and writing supplies. I love their touch, all the distinctive smells (the way the Japanese manga ink or freshly sharpened cedar-wood pencils smell!), and the beautiful colors of inks and pigments suggesting unlimited creative possibilities bound within them.I love researching, getting new tools, and arranging them into small sets that fit…

True artists don’t erase!

In recent years I have been trying to be more conscious about how exactly I make art, and one of the things that I managed to change significantly for the better in my creative process, is how I feel about fixing and redoing things. Until recently, I would often not only ignore things in my…

Can I be an artist with no imagination?

Since I was very young, and even when I had already started aiming to make art my primary occupation, I thought that I simply could not become a "true" artist because I felt I had no imagination. I think this notion started when I was just a kid, getting more interested in making art and…

Realistic Fantasy

Making fantasy look tangible. For me, one of the best parts about creating a comic, an animation, or even just a single illustration is thinking up its setting. What kind of place are we in, what buildings to feature, what about the atmosphere, the time of day, and so on. A lot of artists I…

Wishful thinking destroys creativity

First off, as this article touches upon mental health, I would like to point out that (obviously) I'm not a mental health expert by any means, and the following text should be read as my thoughts and musings, based only on my own experience. If you are in any distress and looking for help, please…

Seeking the Balance

As freelance artists, we (me and Kana) have to be our bosses, managers, coaches, and counselors. Apart from supporting each other, we have to try to manage ourselves — this is important even more in the current pandemic situation. The best way to do this, I think, is to have a good look at oneself…

Art vs. Entropy

I called this blog “Art vs. Entropy” because I have been thinking a lot lately about the meaning and purpose of art. Is what I do for life worth anything? Does anyone even need it? What is the use of what I do? Such questions come to my mind from time to time. Still, especially…

Thinking hurts!

(I'm still going to do it.) First, this story is more an analysis of my current artistic predicament than one of my usual articles. Still, maybe you will find it useful for comparing with your creative mindset.Let me tell you two stories to illustrate what I have been thinking about lately. When I was still…

Analysing artist’s block

Recently I have been struggling a bit with my art. Not exactly with actually making something (I completed a difficult commission just yesterday) but with my overall attitude to making stuff. You may call it an artist’s block but I decided to call it vector stress. Let me explain: Not so long ago I finished…