#this is the Kiki’s delivery service art book btw

[leahdrawsstuff]

obsessed with this description of the baker husband from Kiki’s Delivery Service

[drangues]

Try your best!!! I’m rooting for you, and even if you don’t pass (but I’m hoping you do!), doing what you can and giving it your all is just as noteworthy. Cheesy, I know, but it’s the best encouragement I’ve got- Though I do sympathize with you. Tests are stressful. And Chuuya and Atsushi are just some of those characters that I wanna see interact more because I think they’d have a great relationship but canon gives me: Nothing, so I must improvise. (Nyanon, 1/5)

As for mythology- It’s always been a weak point of mine, and I’m always interested in it, be it real mythology or a fictional one. It’s just! So! Cool!!! I’m sorry I’m a nerd but I could chatter for daaayyysss about mythology, especially ancient mythology like the Ogdoad, or fictional mythology in universes like the SCP Mythos! Also I want a Kerberos plush, he’s very cute,, Anyways, Studio Ghibli is,, So Good? I love it so much! (Nyanon, 2/5)

The art style is great and the stories are amazing (I’ll always have a soft spot for the Cat Returns and My Neighbor Totoro, they’re Very Good), and aaahhh I just wanna see how Atsushi and everyone would look in that art style I bet it’d be great. But! Yes yes yes, I could definitely see Dazatsu in Howl’s Moving Castle,,, Atsushi not seeing himself as Beautiful makes me sad but then I think of the fields of flowers and Dazai showing him something like that and I’m: Healed. (Nyanon, 3/5)

The only things I’d change would be small stuff? Like, if I remember correctly, the main character made hats- Maybe Atsushi binds or restores books for a living? Just little stuff like that- Though it would be. Totally, completely in Dazai’s character to freak out over his hair being the wrong color, it’d be hilarious. As a side note, Kyouka is absolutely in Kiki’s Delivery Service- Maybe they take place at the same time? (Nyanon, 4/5)

Like, Kyouka goes off to do witchy things right before Atsushi gets cursed, and now they’re both trying to pretend everything is going well because they don’t wanna worry the other. Moving on to another,, Well, I don’t know if it counts as an AU, actually? So a Scenario Concept, I guess: Dazai gets bitten and turned by a werewolf. Queue him (A) personally learning Atsushi’s weretiger struggles, and (B) being the biggest of brats about being a dog, because. It’s Dazai. (Nyanon, 5/5)

i love cheesy stuff pls keep it coming dude ALSO PLS KEEP CHATTERING ABOUT MYTHOLOGY I DONT JUDGE 

i also agree that studio ghibli has great movies, i especially am fond of kikis delivery service, howls moving castle and spirited away (very basic i am aware but they were the most Impactful for me as a child) and i think atsushi would look so good TOO i think i saw a fanart of dazatsu as spirited away actually :OOO they looked sO CUTE BOTH OF THEM

(agreed on the book restoring/binding thing btw, it’s just. Yes . it’s so him im in love with him. AND HIM AND KYOUKA OUT ON THEIR OWN ADVENTURES NOT WANTING TO WORRY THE OTHER AAAA THATS SO FUCKING CUTEEEEEEE THEYRE SO ADORABLE I LOVE THEM)

dazatsu bonding even more cus dazai became a werewolf?? i stan. i love. im AMAZED. he would probably cry about it and atsushi is like “imagine how tired we are. imAGINE H-”

[laine-o]

who are some artists u take inspiration from / are some of ur inspirations? love ur art btw :)

Wow I’m so sorry it took me awhile to get back to you anon! This was a hard one. I haven’t thought of my inspirations lately since they have changed a bit. I tried to keep these relevant more to my anime art since that’s what I’m more known for, but some are influences on more of my original art that I hope someday I’ll feel brave enough to share with you all.

From left to right, top to bottom.

CLAMP (Magic Knight Rayearth) - they were the reason I started drawing manga/anime artwork at all back in early 2000′s for me. The only “shoujo” artists on this list, I was really taken by the eyes they drew at the time and it still can be seen a little bit today, though I’ve really tried to steer myself away from the large pointed eyes with thick lashes and elongated bodies that plagued my art for a long time. I’ll always love their compositions, use of color and just how they use marker.

Yusuke Murata (Street Fighter fan art) - known for Eyeshield21 and One Punch-Man. This man can draw anything. His sense of anatomy, foreshortening and movement is breathtaking. I love the lighting and rendering as well. He also has a knack for creating really original faces and he doesn’t have the “same-face” syndrome problem. Just top-notch. I don’t aim to be as shonen in style as him, but I hope to start being able to add more dynamic poses into my work.

Kyohiko Azuma (Yotsubato!) - known for Azumanga Daioh and Yotsubato! I really love the comedy and slice of life genres lately. I love softer styles and I really adore the more simplistic approach he has to his character design that really allows the slice of life genre to shine through his art. Despite the simplicity, it still is very anatomically technical. It’s simple, but warm and effective and very soft. His skill in backgrounds as well is phenomenal. I think it’s a whole atmosphere he creates and the story he tells in his illustrations that I would love to apply to my own work if I can. I also related a lot to an interview where he stated he struggles blending little Yotsuba into the world he created because she’s so different stylistically from all the characters, so it’s a lot of fun and helpful to see how he accomplishes this throughout the manga and the panels.

Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto) - of course one of my biggest influences due to all the SasuSaku I draw. I think his style is very effective. It’s also I think more on the simpler side actually (if you compare it to CLAMP and Murata’s). But it’s so dynamic and full of strong composition and memorable character designs. I really appreciate how by his influence, I never really stopped drawing thanks to the characters, Sasuke and Sakura, that he created that had such an impact on me.

Xia Da (Song of the Long March AKA Choukakou) - This one is a manhua artist. Her inking and watercolor artwork is absolutely phenomenal. Definitely someone I look up to when I’m inking my own pieces, I would love to be at her level of skill someday. Primarily an inspo for inking.

Kamome Shirahama (Atelier of Witch Hat) - another artist with phenomenal inking skills that I really admire. She’s also really good at drawing children! But I definitely believe she can draw anything, the fact that she has crossed the barrier to illustrate comic covers for both DC and Marvel is just incredible to me and a testament to how much skill she possesses. Primarily an inspo for inking.

Kozue Amano (Aria) - Known for Aqua, Aria, and Amanchu (lots of A’s!). Her ability to design precious soft characters, gorgeous scenery, and write a beautiful and gentle slice of life fantasy tale has always made her one of my absolute favorites. I absolutely love how she colors her works.

Adachitoka (Noragami) - this is a team who does characters and background art. It’s not a secret that I love watercolor. I also love the movement and action and fighting scenes from this manga. The fact that this team is female and broke through with a popular shonen series is simply amazing. I hope to be as good as they are in drawing figures and in watercolor someday.

James Gurney (Dinotopia) - the master of creating fantasy worlds and making it look like it EXISTS with his painting skills. His “Color and Light” book is an absolute staple (I have it always ready as reference) and it’s a must if you want to give your lighting that more realistic feel. I think my love of lighting really came from growing up with the Dinotopia series. He is always constantly sharing his wisdom as well on his website and twitter and just an amazing and inspiring person for generations of artists.

Makoto Shinkai (Kimi no Na Wa) - This movie’s aesthetics (especially the lush backgrounds), surrealism, and existentialism really spoke to me. I adore the starry skies and heavens and clouds. Screencaps of his movies fill my phone as a quick reference whenever I’m rendering some complex lighting or trying to create some sort of composition with the sky.

Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service) - nothing really needs to be said especially given my love for the details in all the movies, the fantastic scenes involving flying in the sky, the gorgeous backgrounds, and the delicious food. Always a good choice to use as a reference for anything with nature or even cluttered cozy houses and rooms and greenhouses. It’s still a desire to delve more into world building for me and I’ll be using these movies for reference. I also keep tons of their artwork in my phone as reference.

Satoru Takizawa (Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild) - Known for his work with Twilight Princess and Breath of the wild. You know where I’m going with this - he is the MASTER of ambient lighting. I love his rough and loose painting style that I wish I could achieve someday, but I still have a tendency to over-render. A great resource for learning how to world-build and for concept art.

Andrew Loomis - anatomy and figure drawing master. At the end of this list, but not the least important by a long shot. His book I think is not the most beginner friendly in terms of seeing basic shapes and breaking down the form (I think his construction is still more on the complex side), but it’s a good place to start and keep grinding until it “makes sense.” It took me years, but once it started clicking, I have him to thank for it because my anatomy was an absolute mess because of my background of starting from CLAMP’s art style. Buy his book and make it your bible. Attend figure drawing classes. If you want to illustrate people no matter how simple, you must make studying anatomy a part of your process.

Lastly - some original artists to check out who I like the inking, watercolor skills, and concepts of that closely align with my interests for my own original art.

meyoco - twitter, instagram

maruti_bitamin - twitter, instagram, tumblr

Qinniart - twitter, instagram

Some mangaka honorable mentions -

Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman)

Kaoru Mori (Emma, Otoyomegatari)

Satsuki Yoshino (Barakamon)

This was super long, I apologize, but it’s something I’m passionate about. I love art to pieces. I think a lot of what I admire is very technical - anatomy and lighting. I think my influences also reflect my aim to be more proficient at watercolor and inking. And lastly, world-building, fantasy/cosmos, and background art. I think a lot of what I really love though, is color and lighting and that’s found within any of these artists. :)

Thanks for the question anon! You allowed me to geek out on art for about an hour while I wrote this out.