Artist says goodbye to digital art
To be honest, when I first began my artistic journey, I was scared of traditional media. As a kid, I'd grown up using pencils and paper, but the thought of adding colour with ink or paint terrified me. What if I made a mistake? Unlike my go-to Photoshop App, there's no Undo button!
Strangely enough, the cure to my fears was to learn how to tattoo. I spent over a decade tattooing on a part-time basis. I then realised once you've tattooed another human, or in my case hundreds, making mistakes on paper becomes a trivial concern.
While I have no plans to give up digital art, I'm pleased to be able to add traditional media options to my artistic skill set.
Art sold, and new art for sale
I first began taking private art commissions over 20 years ago. The most common request was to draw people's family members or pets in anime style. After a while, it felt like I strayed away from working on the kinds of images that made me want to pursue art in the first place. I then began putting out artwork I had a genuine interest in. Anime, game, tattoo or comic book related. Be it original character creations or fan art.
It worked! Everything I've put out as art prints has gone on to sell at least once. And hundreds of times in some cases.
Admittedly, some of my art didn't hit the mark. To this day, there's certain artworks I've created which I love, yet they don't get the appreciation that other pieces in my store do. As an artist it can be hard to know what will resonate with your audience. But I still believe that, working on what I want seems to be the best way to ensure my enthusiasm and achieving the best results I can.
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It paid off recently when a buyer here in the UK bought the marker-coloured artwork above. Many thanks. She's Akio - a skilled female space pilot, who had dedicated her life to protecting humanity from any threats that might endanger it. Her final mission was to take on an invading alien race, which had been slowly but surely making its way towards Earth, leaving destruction in its wake.
It seemed wise to add several other new pieces to my online store. These included:
Nyx
Once a child from the darkest depths of a sprawling, dystopian city, she was moulded into a lethal weapon by a shadowy organization that exploited orphans. Now a rogue operative, she navigates the underbelly of a corrupt, high-tech world, using her skills to dismantle the power structures that created her, leaving a legacy written in blood and shadows…
I wanted to go full-colour with this one. Neon pink light and neon green accents give it vibrance. An anime character who's fun, confident and a little devious, stood against the death and destruction of her past.
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Skull Astronaut
In the vast expanse of space, an astronaut’s final journey met an untimely end, the body drifting endlessly among the stars…
This one is more stark and monochrome, although the skull has a warm grey tint. I went on the make a more affordable art print version which has a more ominous red tint. I'd polled around 50 people which version they liked better and the results were split down the middle between this version and the red visor alternative. Although I will only ever be selling this monochrome version as a one-off original.
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Blood Fingers
In the depths of a dystopian future, where humanity teeters on the edge of extinction, there exists the myth of the Cyborg Reaper…
Monochrome, but with a hint of red. An girl with a dark past. Why robotic hands? Why the blood? I like these suggested narrative hints of her past.
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Neon Orange Hikari
In the sprawling neon-lit underbelly of the cyberpunk metropolis, Hikari carves out her existence as a skilled mechanic and scavenger. Clad in armour that melds practicality with rugged style, she bears the weight of survival on her shoulders. Literally! Her neon orange-red eyes, burn with intensity hinting at her deep-seated resilience and fierce determination...
Warm and cool grey used on the character with a neon orange backdrop accent. While I love full-colour, vibrant art, I feel keeping the pallet super limited i.e. black white and grey + 1 accent colour looks awesome. It's also for sale, but would love to hang on to this one and will be sad to see it go.
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Where to buy?
These new pieces all aim to blend subtle storytelling with vibrant or high contrasting tones, each piece reflecting a unique narrative or emotion. Crafted for fellow anime, game and sci-fi fans, using high-quality ink and materials to ensure vibrant, lasting colour.
If you would like to own one, they can be purchased directly via this website's store while available. All artwork is sent securely and insured with trackable shipping. The art is/will be signed in the bottom corner.
I always think, owning original artwork isn't just about decorating your space; it's about connecting with the artist's vision and bringing a piece of their creativity into your own life. Having met hundreds of other artists from various walks of life, I appreciate not everyone will resonate with my style or aesthetic taste. Although I also know there will be a small selection of people who view my art and will say, "that's awesome!" - this artwork is created for them.
Your support means the world to me and helps fuel my creative journey.
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