Retro Writing 10 – AlphaSmart DANA

First, let me explain really quick what an AlphaSmart is. If you, like me, search around the internet for distraction-free writing devices, you will surely find the long line of AlphaSmart word-processing keyboards made by a USA-based company between 1993 and 2007. These were conceptually very simple – a keyboard with a small LCD that…

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…

The wasting of Kawara

The following thing happened to us (me and Kana) quite recently. It sparked a lot of thoughts, and I still cannot forget what we saw. The current pandemic wave was quite overwhelming, so we tried to stay indoors as much as possible, but once the number of infections fell, we decided that we really needed…

The “moe” style problem PART 2

Since I wrote the article about the "moe" illustration style problem, this issue kept being (and still is, to be honest) a thorn in my side. I continued to think about what can be done to improve the situation we face in the Japanese visual industry. Still, it's tough to do something without knowing from where…

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…

Thinking in parts.

What to think about when drawing objects. I get asked a lot how to get better at drawing human-made objects like furniture or buildings. For me, this comes naturally, so it's hard to point people in the right direction and "administer" a set of exercises to help. Recently though, I finally discovered the source of…

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…