I like to keep my eyes open for pretty things. Pretty pictures, pretty artwork, pretty effects - they all get locked away in my collection of shinies - to be used as inspiration for future artwork. If you're one of the many that have donated $1 or $2 to Edge of December (click the link in the news box, above. Please help us stay afloat!), then you've seen my supremely pretty wallpaper, featuring the aptly named "Pretty Picture." This picture is a prime example of pretty things influencing my artwork - it evolved after I saw one of those Generation 1 iPod commercials.
The world all around is full of amazing things to see and to learn from, so I always keep my eyes and heart open to new ideas. In light of this quest for inspirational works, I'll let you in on a few of my favorite places to look for great ideas, and better - my current countdown of the artists and works that influence Edge of December!
Link 1 (at the bottom of the rant)!
Arina Tanemura (specifically "Full Moon wo Sagashite" and "Gentleman's Club"). Tanemura's work brings out the pink sparklies in me. Especially "Full Moon wo Sagashite" (since I can actually identify the characters). "Gentleman's Club" is a VERY girly manga, but "Full Moon" has a little bit of everything - Plush stuffed animals, princess transformations, Death Gods - who couldn't fall in love with it? Seriously. The tone work is what I put into Edge of December most. Not the frilly patterns and hyper-tonism (tones EVERYWHERE), mind you. But awesome effects and anime-esque realism (even without color) make Tanemura's work a pretty to strive for!
Link 2!
"Air Gear" by Oh! Great. When not going over the top with fanservice, "Air Gear" is a stylistic masterpiece. "Oh! Great" (his pen name?) makes super-challenging angles and complex movement pop right out of the page. Normally I have a tough time following the motion in manga battle scenes, physical comedy, etc, but in "Air Gear" all of these things are obvious from the first glance. And even better - it still LOOKS amazing.
Link 3, and my number 1 inspiration!
"Rurouni Kenshin" by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin is the masterpiece that got me into manga. The story-telling, the mix of historical fact and fiction; it's all the best that I've ever read. If I had to pick just one mangaka hero, it'd be Watsuki. The tragedy of the art of "Rurouni Kenshin" however, is that near the end (and in later works, a.k.a. "Buso Renkin") Watsuki's style looses its edge and becomes commercial... probably to ease the transition into anime. But, you can't really blame an artist+team that have to put out 12-20 pages of manga per week, can ya?
This is just a first installment of some of mine and Edge of December's inspirations. I hope that these artists inspire you to do great things as much as they inspire me!
Artwork, Artwork
Glenn
2009-12-07 07:15:46
I like to keep my eyes open for pretty things. Pretty pictures, pretty artwork, pretty effects - they all get locked away in my collection of shinies - to be used as inspiration for future artwork. If you're one of the many that have donated $1 or $2 to Edge of December (click the link in the news box, above. Please help us stay afloat!), then you've seen my supremely pretty wallpaper, featuring the aptly named "Pretty Picture." This picture is a prime example of pretty things influencing my artwork - it evolved after I saw one of those Generation 1 iPod commercials.
The world all around is full of amazing things to see and to learn from, so I always keep my eyes and heart open to new ideas. In light of this quest for inspirational works, I'll let you in on a few of my favorite places to look for great ideas, and better - my current countdown of the artists and works that influence Edge of December!
Link 1 (at the bottom of the rant)!
Arina Tanemura (specifically "Full Moon wo Sagashite" and "Gentleman's Club"). Tanemura's work brings out the pink sparklies in me. Especially "Full Moon wo Sagashite" (since I can actually identify the characters). "Gentleman's Club" is a VERY girly manga, but "Full Moon" has a little bit of everything - Plush stuffed animals, princess transformations, Death Gods - who couldn't fall in love with it? Seriously. The tone work is what I put into Edge of December most. Not the frilly patterns and hyper-tonism (tones EVERYWHERE), mind you. But awesome effects and anime-esque realism (even without color) make Tanemura's work a pretty to strive for!
Link 2!
"Air Gear" by Oh! Great. When not going over the top with fanservice, "Air Gear" is a stylistic masterpiece. "Oh! Great" (his pen name?) makes super-challenging angles and complex movement pop right out of the page. Normally I have a tough time following the motion in manga battle scenes, physical comedy, etc, but in "Air Gear" all of these things are obvious from the first glance. And even better - it still LOOKS amazing.
Link 3, and my number 1 inspiration!
"Rurouni Kenshin" by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin is the masterpiece that got me into manga. The story-telling, the mix of historical fact and fiction; it's all the best that I've ever read. If I had to pick just one mangaka hero, it'd be Watsuki. The tragedy of the art of "Rurouni Kenshin" however, is that near the end (and in later works, a.k.a. "Buso Renkin") Watsuki's style looses its edge and becomes commercial... probably to ease the transition into anime. But, you can't really blame an artist+team that have to put out 12-20 pages of manga per week, can ya?
This is just a first installment of some of mine and Edge of December's inspirations. I hope that these artists inspire you to do great things as much as they inspire me!
- Glenn