I drew anime casually when I was younger.. say 5 years ago. Didn't really improve much, and it was just drawing and not coloring. But when I joined gaia it got me motivated to draw (for gold) so I started to CG and seriously improve my art. But technically, I've been doing art since I was like... 4 or 5.. but just not anime-style o.O

I got started drawing when I watched Sailor moon at about...6 or 7 years old.
I got better over the years, but now my skills are going down the drain again. >.<

But yeah... I thought the things looked cool and pretty easy to draw, so I tried, and kept trying... ^^;

It started off one day when I decided to watch Sailor moon (I was like 10), I loved the huge eyes and shiny hair so much that I attempted to draw them. After weeks and weeks of practice, I got something that looked like a character, and then pokemon hit my life, and then another anime and then another. Untill I had achieved a style of my own!

But yes it all started with sailor moon~! Before that I don't think I had any particular skill at art.

My inspiration as an artist comes from Tetsuya Nomura's work (Even though you couldn't tell by looking at my art). When I saw his work I quickly started takeing my art as more then a hobby and realized it was my bliss!

Well I started when I first started watching Card Captor Sakura, I always loved the outfits she wore so I attempt several times to recreate them just so I could see them more often and I soon got addicted to drawing in this huge giant eyed style, my art now is of course more toned down but it still has it's anime style. xD.

I've always loved cartoons since I was a kid, and still do now. I didn't really start drawing stuff like that until 5th grade though, when I met a friend that was really into Sailor Moon. XD She taught me how to draw like that first. <3

That was basically the start? I've never really been that interested in traditional works, like what the rest of the world though was ohmygodawesome. X: And when it comes to me, I liked how when I see a really well drawn picture, it made me really happy. XD So I wanted to be able to draw that well myself. :3

I just liked to draw random monkey looking people. XD

I was introduced to anime by -- pokemon. Yeah, pokemon. But then I started practicing and practicing. I didn't really get any better. XD But then around middle school, I was REALLY inspired by gods know what ~ I practiced really hard and then -- I improved. A lot. And between my 7th and 8th grade year, I learned more advanced anatomy and stuff. Right now, I'm exploring color and stuff like that. C:

But I really love cartoons and stuff. I always admired how artists were able to capture all the emotion in a drawing ~ and I wanted to do that. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm good at that. XD; But I do know that I'm improving slowly, so that's good. C:

Thats really great to hear, that you didnt give up. If you keep at it... you will be able to capture you emotions in your art and maybe inspire people to try their hands at it too. keep up the work ^^

I used to draw a lot when I was younger but school stole most of my attention when I grew older and I didn't get back to drawing until some years later.

I grew up with a lot of Belgian comics around me, espercially Hergé, whose style I to this day admire (even though my own style is very far from it).
But also a lot of other artists like Monet, Carl Larsson and John Bauer. These artists made me love art and they inspired me, but they were a bit too detailed and realistic for me to ever think of trying to draw like them myself. It just felt too intimidating, too big a leap from where I was. Learning felt like an impossible task which I didn't think I could take on.

But when I was about 12 or 13, like many other girls my age, I disovered Sailor Moon and it inspired me to start drawing more regularly since I realised art could be fun and personal and not just something very expensive haning on the walls of a museum. Plus, it also helped that Takeuchi Naoko used a lot more simple lines than Monet...

I almost gave up again though, since I was repeatedly told that I hadn't got enough talent. But I'm glad I stuck to drawing since it makes me happy.

oooooo i wanna throw something at the people that told you that.... they wouldnt know talent if it was strapped to my fist when i punched them in the face ^^ but i am glad that you stuck to it and if you could i would love to see your art. im not a critic, i dont believe that art is how closely something resembles life... but how it resembles your emotions. it does seem alot of you were inspired by Sailor Moon ^^ but thats k0ol... because i was inspired by BD ^^

Hmm.. well when I was small, I usually drew animals or little stick man figures, but what changed my drawing style to anime was a watch that I bought that had a drawing on Card Captor Sakura on it. I only knew the anime when my sister borrowed some CDs from her friend and started watching it, and I suppose from there that's when I started drawing anime since I was very interested in how they could draw such cute characters.

Along the way came inspiration from many anime artists, not all whom are famous in real life, but on the internet as well, though I started developing my own style since I didn't like to copy much.

Now though I'm not really drawing as much anime styled drawings as I use to, rather, I'm trying to focus more on realism at the moment, as I was rather excited drawing the celebrities I admired. ^^;

So yeah.. basically this is how I started drawing XD

Raijuta: Thank you, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks people like that deserve a slap. It was actually not that bad until my mom started saying it too but thank goodness for dad who always encouraged me to stick with drawing whatever I wanted to draw. <3

Here's my dA page, unfortunately it's not very updated but it should give some hint of what my style looks like now. Thank you very much for your kind words and your interest! <3
If it's alright, I'd be very interested in seeing some of your works as well. :3

Yes, I think a lot of people were inspired by Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball. It's very exciting to see so many people starting from one common base and then evovling in such different directions, itsn't it?

Now, I shall go to update my dA page before I forget. XD

You're art is very good, i'm glad you did decide to keep working at it. We all have to start small, i dont believe we are born with great artistic skills. We need to practice to get better and evolve our skills.

Well as far as my art... sadly i do not have a scanner but i do have pictures of my art i took with my cell phone. I'll post some of my art on here for anyone who would care to see.




This is a drawing i did of my wifey ^^ shes my angel.






This is just a really quick sketch. I posted the finished one now ^^



These 2 belong together but i couldn't fit them both on one shot.

Well im not thats great.... i only sketch mainly because pens cost too much and my PC monitor is broken and i dont have a image editor ; ;

Drey, i think i use to draw animals as well and monsters as a child. I think a few years later when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came out i started drawing them, OH! before that i use to draw muscle men and T-Shirt logos ^^ Though after drawing TMNT i dont remember much... i got into graffiti and comic book art. It wasnt till i was 16 that i got into DB and started doing anime style art. I dont think i can really do realism because i dont have the passion for it. I hope you all never give up on your art, and just push forward... i would love to see as we all improve. Thank you all for posting ^^

Thank you very much, I too am a firm believer that everyone can learn just as long as we are allowed to take time to evolve at our own pace. Talent is one thing but it can never out-do practice and dedication. :3
There's always room for improvement but that's one of the best things about art, I think. It's an ever changing process.

I really like your pictures! Especially the way you draw and shade clothes and foldes as well as muscles, that's one part I've never really dared to venture into. And I've always admired artists who can make clean pencil lines.

I think what got me into it was that I saw alot of designs and stuff I liked on TV and alot of my friends did art, so I decided to get into it.

Thank you ^^ i really agree with you and alot that you say. it's a real artist who thinks just as you do *bows*

Thank you, let's all evolve together. :3

Copying Magic Knights Rayearth art in school while I was bored XD XD

(I had a deck of their cards).

Then The Artcorner (TAC, if anybody here remembers / knew of it) inspired me to start really trying to improve with my art, after I saw all the amazing artists there *_* <3 <3

• I started 5 years ago and am self-taught. It was 2 years after me discovering the internet. I looked up my favourite childhood fandom (the Lion King, ohoho), found a fan-art archive and started from there. Of course I drew as a child, any child with an active imaginations draws if given the chance. As of now, I don't draw for pleasure but out of necessity, perhaps one of the reasons I do not improve much.

i started liking sailormoon when it first came out in japan since the manga got translated really quickly into chinese... (as in 1992 when the manga first came out, not when the anime got introduced to the US with its horrible dubbing). and soon after i started liking fushigi yuugi. i was in middle school at the time, and i would randomly draw fanart... not much, but sometimes. i stopped drawing when i got into high school because i got infatuated with making websites on the computer while playing with graphics.

some time during the middle of my college years, i got introduced to gaiaonline. that inspired me to start drawing again. during one of their events people were drawing art for each other and i decided to join in. my art was crappy, but people appreciated since it was free. then i learn from one of my gaian friends about a tablet. so i bought one. i had a lot of problems irl at the time and i used art as a way to cope with it. and i've been drawing ever since... tho i haven't drawn as much the past 2 years due to busy rl schedule... ^^;

Flo, your art for your sig is great. I really like how clean it looks.

Miyu, i to stopped drawing when i got into web designs and graphics, but ; ; i didnt get into that till after high school. I would sketch all throughout my school years >_<

I have always drawn and I have always looked for many ways to expand my art ability and that's why I still draw to this day. It also calms me to think of different characters to draw and the possibilies that come from them, into a general story.

Originally Posted by Raijuta

Miyu, i to stopped drawing when i got into web designs and graphics, but ; ; i didnt get into that till after high school. I would sketch all throughout my school years >_<

the beginning of the web design craze started when i was in HS... that's why i didn't do much art somewhere around 10th grade... right now i kinda wish i did that... my skills would probably be a lot better... XD

Sirris, have you ever tried writing the stories you think up for your characters?

I've been drawing ever since I can remember. I was always encouraged in that sort of thing, since a lot of my family like to do that sort of thing. I've also loved comic books ever since I was little, and seeing great art and illustrations encouraged me to practice so I could be as good as that. Still nowhere near yet, but the process of learning and development never really ends.

Uhh, in all honesty, I think it was when I started playing Neopets, and I saw all these other great artists, so I started drawing myself.