It's been ages since I've been on deviantart. In fact, it's no coincidence that I've been away for pretty much the years that I was at university allegedly 'studying' art.

The fine art world has such a snobbery about manga, music and literature.

Unfortunately, that's what I liek to do. Of course, it doesn't help that until last september, I hadn't picked up a pencil and put it to pad in a VERY VERY long time.

Years in fact.

But I quit doing fine art and photography as degree level subjects. they were too stressful and I didn't feel myself improve over those years. Not to mention that it wasn't until after having major surgery, drawing was one of the few outlets I had.

But... Since returning to drawing, I've somehow got much much better at it. I really don't know how, but I guess I've spent a lot of time looking at art and being very critical. developing my 'artists' eye' or whatever.

To be honest, I really can't tell you how important I've learned that being able to look at objects and lines and proportions and pictures is. being critical of every little detail has really sharpened my skills. so as I put lead and ink to paper, I'm finding myself getting better and better at drawing, literally by the hour. Each day I feel myself getting better and better, which is WONDERFUL.

Oh, and I got hold of my first Copic Fineliners a few days ago and suddenly I'm utterly in love with them. I've wanted some for years but couldn't seem to find them in shops and was too lazy/forgetful to ever buy them on ebay. but they're just so SO crisp and beautiful! I doubt that I'll ever look back to just pencils (as much as I love to just sketch). Finelinign everything is really a test of my skills, and shows up the mistakes that I didn't correct on pencil because the lines looked just *fine* being messy, but suddenly look really SH*T when I tried to make them look ok at the clean stage.

My photography is mostly on hold and I'll be selling a lot of my film equipment. It's really sad, but I can't afford to keep it all and I'm off to university AGAIN this year. This time to do what I wish I could have done years ago when I first applied to go to uni (over 5 years ago in fact):

Japanese. ( 日本語 )

I've been studying Japanese quietly to myself for the past almost 17 years, so this is my chance ot make it serious. Yes, yes, I know that makes me 8 when I started learning it, but I was very enthusiastic about education back then and couldn't get enough of it!

Really looking forward to going back to uni and taking my studies in the right direction. Hoping also that my drawing will improve much more and that I wont get really depressed about it later on. I really hate doing that. It makes me feel sad and stuck and rubbish.

speaking of sadness, one thing that really bugs me about a lot of amateur manga (and some professional manga too) is when people draw eyes badly. Anything else and it doesn't bother me so much, but eyes are just SO SO important to me in manga and anime. I find this really predominant in a lot of westermn artists, which is why the Japanese can seem to draw manga, but most of the 'you can draw manga too, just like me!' books on the western markets just don't look any good. I mean, these books are mostly aimed at repressed teenages, but seriously, WHAT ARE WE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN?!

Ok, so my manga is FAR from professional standards and I see a lot of amateurs' works that completely piss all over my efforts- But If your characters have funky eyes, It becomes really unsettling and distracting. at least to me.

Some pro, Japanese Manga-Ka can draw eyes using only two or three lines on a diet of nothing but fish, rice, wakame and sencha. But just like those delicate and yet delicious flavours, those lines are -PERFECT- I mean, seriously beautiful. Some artists of course can draw really complex eyes that are amazing too, but they look rubbish if the proportions are all skee-whiff.

Probably my favourite western Manga artist who I really respect is Fred who draws Megatokyo. Take a look at even his earliest comics, which look primitive compared to his recent stuff and study those eyes in all their perfect, simple beauty.

Yes Fred, you may draw the character based on yourself about 1000x skinner that you are, but your eyes are beautiful. (NB. Discrimination against larger/ fat people or any other physical attribute is wrong and disgusting. Prejudices are for insecure people who can't face themselves in the mirror).

....

Oh and did I mention that I'm still alive?..