Fashion Magazine Cover

This is a cover I did for my school's fashion magazine. To view this and more of my artwork, check out my account at sunnymothman200.deviantart.com. It was based off of a photo shoot that Kirsten Dunst did with Miu Miu.

Some of my work!

This is a work I did this summer. I'm still learning my way around digital art. 

Happy Mania

I recently read the first volume of Moyoco Anno's series Happy Mania. The series revolves around 24 year old Shigeta and her quest to find the perfect man.

I found the first volume very entertaining and I can't wait to start reading the second one. It's basically a chick flick in manga form. The characters are two dimensional and at times stereotypical , but are likable and relatable. I was really intrigued by the manner in which Anno develops her characters and presents them to the reader. The reader does not understand the characters through their actions but the manner in which they are described by Shigeta. For example, Takahashi, Shigeta's coworker has a very big crush on her. However, Shigeta thinks he is a total dork. Because the reader shares the same perspective as Shigeta, he or she has no choice but to interpret Takahashi as a "dork". Meanwhile, Takahashi's character does not do any actions that would cause the reader to label him as a "dork" and he does not do any actions that would cause the reader not to label him as a "dork".
                                                      Shigeta's character functions in a very similar manner. The reader receives only a very superficial impression of her. He or she sees Shigeta's physical actions, things she tells to other characters and thoughts she tells herself. But, the reader never catches a glimpse of her inner life or even of her true character.
                                                     Shigeta seems hollow, devoid of any inner workings, of any individuality and shaped only by the actions that are visible to others. She develops an infatuation with every single eligible bachelor she meets and her entire being becomes consumed with trying to impress that particular man. Even though the reader has been following her for the entire first volume, he or she knows nearly nothing about her. The reader knows that Shigeta is single, twenty four years old, and works in a book shop. However, no defining aspects of her character are ever revealed. The reader doesn't know what kind of music she likes, what kind of food she likes, what she looks for in a friend or what she is even looking for in a romance (the only criteria she ever mentions is that she wants someone who will not cheat on her). The reader gets the impression that she is very fashionable and stylish but has no idea what her personal style is.

Although having a hollow and a two dimensional protagonist may be viewed as a disadvantage in many comics or serial narratives, in this case it works to Anno's advantage. Because Shigeta is so hollow and so unspecific, Anno's followers (mostly single women in Japan) are able to project their personalities onto her and their experiences onto Shigeta's relationships.

Kabuki-Circle of Blood

Kabuki-Circle of Blood by David Mack is one of the most innovative and experimental graphic novels I have read to date. It takes place in Japan in the future. Mack uses his extensive knowledge of Japanese culture and history to create  an intricate world of organized crime, politics and business. The story follows Kabuki, an operative of the Noh, a government agency that maintains the balance between the aforementioned elements of society. Kabuki came into the service of the Noh after the murder of her mother. She seeks to avenge the death of her mother and to come to terms with her past, family and history even though it may contradict her duties to the Noh.



What causes Kabuki to stand out in particular are Mack's stylistic decisions. While many authors stick to one style even when working with different genres, Mack changes his style to represent changes in mood and different characters. Kabuki's interactions with the Noh are depicted using many, small rectangular panels. All text and images are confined to the frame of the panel.The panels feature close ups of objects, of eyes and of hands, creating a controlled, tense atmosphere. Isolating the objects gives them a symbolism and highlights their role as motifs throughout the story. Scenes of Kabuki's childhood, on the other hand, activate the entire page. The page may be consumed by one background image layered with one or two panels with moments of text interspersed throughout the page, linking the visual moments together.

The leader of the Noh reveals the truth about Kabuki's mother to her.

Kabuki reflects on the training that she received as a child.  The background features many scattered memories from her childhood such as the crows from the farm where she grew up and the weapons she used in her training. The background is divided into squares, like a student's notebook. 

What I really like about Mack's work is that it utilizes the very features of comics that set them apart from other media. In comics, the roles of text and image often blend together. The image can become just as literal and symbolic as text. Images act like text. They are universal representations of the concept of an object rather than a visual representation of a particular object. The text on the other hand, takes on the qualities of an image. It can be altered to represent the mood and volume of a particular sound.

These qualities are utilized very effectively in Kabuki. The visual elements are not there to support the text, rather both the visual elements and the text work parallel to one another, each adding their own dimension to the narrative. Mack doesn't separate the text from the image. The text becomes a part of the image and a part of the space. It works as a part of the composition and changes with the style of the visual elements.

Hello World!

I'm a college sophomore and am majoring in Media Arts and Sciences. I love to draw and read comics and I hope to work in the comics industry once I've graduated.

Some of my favorite comics authors are Enki Bilal, Hugo Pratt, Milo Manara, Junko Mizuno, Moyoco Anno, Aleksa Gajic, Aleksandar Zograf, Moebius, Juanjo Guarnido and Jim Woodring.