DestinyFreedom

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If you see something here that you like, or don't like, feel free to drop a comment in the relevant area. Criticisms are always appreciated.

Day Job: Medical Student
Favourite style of art: Manga/Anime, Pin-up
Tools: Sketchbook, pencils, Copics, Wacom Bamboo and Photoshop

I’ve been drawing since 2004, but only got into digital art sometime in 2008. Drawing has always been one of my three biggest hobbies (the other two being video games and toy collection), and, well, nothing more. I took reference from Akamatsu’s mangas, and adapted his drawing style for my own, and my friends’, entertainment. Something I did for birthday presents, and that was it.

I experienced a lull in activity in 2009 due to a loss in interest, but came back in 2010 onwards to dabble in simple sketches, copying from the works of Shirow and Turner. Without an ‘audience to please’, so to speak, I had no motivation to take it in any direction in particular, and my Wacom tablet just gathered dust in the drawer.

After I enrolled into medical school in 2011, drawing again took a back seat, until I joined a local Bronies’ society. I picked up the pencil once more during a small-scale “artists’ training ground” event. Seeing people enjoy my works, and given the realization I was actually slightly better than I thought I was, I regained the confidence to start drawing again on a relatively regular basis. During this time, I adapted my old style further, picking up and reconciling criticisms and bringing in additional influence from Shunya Yamashita and Jim Lee, refining my styles and procedures as a continuous process. I dusted off the tablet and began going digital again, learning from fellow digital artists in the group I associated with, and infusing techniques in graphic design that I picked up while designing pages and editing articles for the school magazine and yearbooks.

In all this, I suppose I saw an opportunity to finally get to work on old ideas, ideas I’d never bothered to carry out because I’d never thought they’d get the exposure I’d like (even online). I saw a way to carry through unique concepts to fruition, to create characters, stories and worlds as I envisioned it. A couple of My Little Pony fan-art pieces later, I thought I’d finally managed to carve out a tiny little niche for myself in the Internet. Not too bad for a non-artist who has never had any formal ambitions or training, I guess.

In all honesty, I’m quite resigned to the fact that I’m never going to be able to reach the heights of those artists whom I follow and admire so much. I’ve seen artists accomplish in less than a few months far more than I ever have in the span of six years. I’ll admit: I do feel disappointed when my pieces are rejected from groups, and when my pieces are ‘given a pass’ by viewers. I feel resignation when I’m outshone by far greater artists. In those moments, I do feel like just giving up - there’s no point in spending so much time and effort keeping up this charade - time better spent just studying for my next test - if it’s not going to contribute to getting me anywhere in life.

Drawing is now still just a hobby; as a medical student now, I don’t think I’ll ever ‘go professional’ as an artist, so to speak. That said, drawing was, and still is, fun. And well, I suppose that is what makes the masochist in me keep coming back for more, and to keep refining my techniques, and carries me through to complete all my pieces. Given how irregularly I now come up with pieces, I doubt I’ll ever be able to ‘break into the scene’ sufficiently to have people recognise my works. At this point, I’m content with having even just a few viewers just take a look at my pieces.


Pet subjects: Humans and Humanization, Military, Robots & Mecha, DC Comics Superheroines, Transformers, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Girls with Guns (both literal and metaphorical, if you know what I mean)

DISCLAIMER: I'm colour-blind, so please do keep that in mind should you encounter completely ridiculous/inaccurate/ugly colour combinations in my works. Do point them out and let me know so I can label these works 'defective' or something. It's not an excuse for bad art; I'm just highlighting that fact in case people start to wonder if I'm really taking colour-related advice seriously.