Drawing the Human Head, not the Manga Head...
So, for the large majority of my life, I've been an artist. I've drawn, painted, sculpted, danced, composed music, and animated. When I was younger, I largely copied my dad's art style: blocky with limited definition. Still, it's a great style. Then, when I was a teenie-bopper, I discovered this magical, beautiful, and loverly style called: Manga. I instantly fell in love with it. The first anime I ever watched (other than Pokémon, everyone's seen that) was Yu-Gi-Oh! For those of you that have never seen it and never wish to see it, it's a show where people bellow rules at each other about their infernally stupid card game. Sure, there's life, death, and money involved, but the the entire show boils down to bellowing and rules' lawyers. Yet, I was at a tender, impressionable age, where big, shiny eyes, gravity-defying hair, and ridiculous clothing were all that was needed to make me a hard-core fangirl.
So, from about the time I was 12 to the time I was 19, all I ever drew was Manga. Big eye, crazy hair, and skinny boys. Then, I matured at the ripe, old age of 20 and discovered that there really was a "Bigger World" out there. Beyond the repetitive plot lines and inconsolable cry-babies of the Anime Otaku world, I discovered this thing called "real life," and all that it entailed in the art world. I learned that, yes, your eyes really are smaller than your ears. No, your hair won't come to a perfect, upright spike, no matter how much gel you use. And yes: noses are so much more than a little '>' sign.
The more I practiced drawing realistically proportioned people, the more I came to discover exactly how screwed up the Manga/Anime styles are. After about two months of fighting with hips and shoulders, I came to loathe Manga and everything it stood for. Soon, I learned the beauty of the human figure when drawn properly. I learned the joys of drawing a delicate, yet distinct nose. And I was converted to the truth of small eyes. Everything I had been missing for 7 years of my life, I found, waiting patiently for me to discover it.
My name is Amaryllis Graybill, and I've been anime clean for a year.
So, from about the time I was 12 to the time I was 19, all I ever drew was Manga. Big eye, crazy hair, and skinny boys. Then, I matured at the ripe, old age of 20 and discovered that there really was a "Bigger World" out there. Beyond the repetitive plot lines and inconsolable cry-babies of the Anime Otaku world, I discovered this thing called "real life," and all that it entailed in the art world. I learned that, yes, your eyes really are smaller than your ears. No, your hair won't come to a perfect, upright spike, no matter how much gel you use. And yes: noses are so much more than a little '>' sign.
The more I practiced drawing realistically proportioned people, the more I came to discover exactly how screwed up the Manga/Anime styles are. After about two months of fighting with hips and shoulders, I came to loathe Manga and everything it stood for. Soon, I learned the beauty of the human figure when drawn properly. I learned the joys of drawing a delicate, yet distinct nose. And I was converted to the truth of small eyes. Everything I had been missing for 7 years of my life, I found, waiting patiently for me to discover it.
My name is Amaryllis Graybill, and I've been anime clean for a year.
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