The weekend’s events were absolutely fantastic! I watched taiko drumming, ate snacks, saw waves of beautiful kimono’s, ate snacks, learned about manga style, and ate more snacks. One of the lovely Umi-Yama’s, Chi-tan, drew a manga portrait of me:
And I spent a lot of time ordering other manga artists to draw various things for me, to decorate the house with! Special mention must go to the following:
Umisen-Yamasen’s: Although I met them a few months ago at the ICA I feel the need to stress how amazing and talented these girls are. There is actually nothing these artists can’t do, manga-style. So check out their website here, and Chi-tan’s personal site, here.
Sonia Leong: I attended one of her talks on manga-style and was thoroughly impressed with her presentation and explanation of facial structure, comic panelling and gutter handling as well as her in-depth knowledge of all things manga! If you’re a budding manga artist and you’re wondering how to approach the whole she-bang, I recommend you buy one of her guide books. Otherwise, check out her website here.
Carlos of Nipponaisuki: Stretching the stereotype of the manga style to a more commercial, graphic design feel, Carlos’s work has a real slick and crisp feel to it. What really stood out for me was his creative use of different textures, layers and paper for his prints. The quality of the paper you use for your prints is sometimes more important that the piece itself. Check out his website here.
Hassan of Gashu-Group: His disciplined, traditional methods are really a joy to look at. Working on an impressive scale of A2 hot-pressed paper he lovingly inks without the use of zipatone or digital aid – each detail is meticulously cross-hatched, shaded and painted with black ink. Check out his group website and forum for general manga related things here.
I had a great time teaching at the manga workshops and was very impressed with the budding artists who attended my kimono drawing class! Those teaching with me included Carly Adams of Unwinged Angel. Check out her 1920s inspired illustrations, you know there’s nothing I love more than 1920s fashion and art deco…
For anyone wanting to view and print my tutorials on fashion and kimono illustration, feel free to download the PDF’s here.
Over and out >_<
