Art Block Post #12

Konichiwa! I'm finishing up these lovely Art block posts with an interesting team of mangaka know simply as Clamp.

 

Clamp is an all female magaka group formed in the mid 1980's. Many of their series have anime adaptations. Clamp started our as an eleven member dojinshi (self publish) circle in mid 1980. Began creating original work in 1987. Debuted with RG Vecla in 1989. Clamp's numbers were reduced to 7 around the same time, and in 1993 three more left leaving the four current members: Nanase Orkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, Satsuki Ighrashi. 

Nanase Orkawa is the leader and provides much of the storyline and screenplay. The other three rotate the artists. Mokona is the chief character designer, while Inarashi and Nekoi work on the background. They all share a single workspace. On average for each chapter: storyboard takes 12 hours, script takes 8 hours, and artwork depends on the story for example xxxHolic takes two days where as X takes 4 to 5 days. Clamp often reuses characters which gives rise to the "Clamp Universe". All the artist in Clamp have taken art focused classes in high school, have not worked as assistants, and most of their ability is self-taught. They have diverse body of works with a wide genre range. Clamp's characters have highly detailed hair, heavily stylized eyes & human figures, and elaborated clothing.

Works: 

1989-1996  RG Veda

1990-91 Man of Man Faces

1990-93  Tokyo Babyon

1992-93  Clamp School Detectives

1992-93  Duklgon Clamp School Defenders

1992  Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales

1992 X (halted)

1992-94  Leged of Chun Hyang
1993-95  Magic Knight Rayearth
1993-95  Miyuki-chan in Wonderland
1995  The One I Love
1995-96  Magic Knight Rayearth 2
1996-2000  Cardcaptor Sakura
1996-98  Whish
1997-99  Clover (halted)
1999-2001  Angelic Layer
1999-2000 Suki: A Like Story
2000  Legal Drug (to be resumed)
2001-02  Chobits
2003-11  xxxHolic
2003-09  Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles
2005-11  Kobato
2010-current  Gatez

Art Block Post #11

Konichiwa fellow artist! This time I'm going more towards the animation side of my love for anime/manga style with one of my favorite animators, Hayao Miyazaki!!

Miyazaki was born on January 5, 1941 in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. He's a Mangaka, Film Director, and Animator. Miyazaki began his animation career in 1961 working for Toei Animation. He is most known for his movies and his animation studio, which he co-founded with Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli! Miyazaki was led to the animation field when he fell in love with Taiji Yabashita's "The Tale of the White Serpent".  His manga artist influences include: Osamu Tezuka, Tetsuji Fukushima, and Sanpei Shirato.
His films often incorporate recurrent themes like humanity's relationship to nature and technology. Likewise the protagonists of his film are often strong, independent girls or young women. Miyazaki uses very human-like movements in his animation, and much of the art is done using water colors. Unlike American animation, the script and storyboards are created together, and the animation begins before the story is finished. Miyazaki uses traditional animation throughout his films, but has used computer generated animation in some of his films as well. His film "Princess Mononoke" he uses computer generated imagery to give it 'a little boost of elegance'. Digital paint was also used on "Princess Mononoke" in order to meet release deadlines. However before Miyazaki's latest film "Ponyo" Studio Ghibli's computer animation department was dissolved leaving "Ponyo" to be done in traditional hand drawn animation.
Films:
1984- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
1986- Castle in the Sky
1988- My Neighbor Totoro
1989- Kiki's Delivery Service
1992- Porco Rosso
1997- Princess Mononoke
2001- Spirited Away
2004- Howl's Moving Castle
2010 (2008)- Ponyo

Manga:
1969- Puss in Boots
1982-1994- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
2006- A Trip to Tynemouth
2009- Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises)
Undated- Sabuku no Tami (People of the Desert), Shuru no Tabi (The Journey of Shuna), The Notebook of Various Images (which was the basis of Porco Rosso)

"Princess Mononoke" was the first animated film to win Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards in 1997. "Spirited Away" topped the box office sales of "Titanic" in Japan, and won Picture of the Year. It was also the first anime film to win Best Animated Feature at the 75th American Academy Awards.

Art Block Post #10

Konichiwa! I'm changing things up yet again, but don't worry it's still a Mangaka just not one from Japan. Why yes those do actually exist!

Svetlana Chmakova was born on October 7, 1979 in the Soviet Union (Russia). She came to Canada at the age of 16. And graduated from Sheridan College with a three year Classical Animation Diploma. Svetlana is currently a freelance artist, and a fledgling North American equivalent of a Mangaka.
Her Works include:
09-10(current): Night School (currently has 4 volumes)
05-07: Dramacon (currently "finished" with 3 volumes, but she plans to do more after Night School)
2006: Mangaka America
05-07: The Adventures of CGI (Cosmo Girl! magazine)
02-current: Svetlania Weekly
03-current: Nightsilver
03-current: Chasing Rainbows
04-current: Svetlania Wheneverly
Unknown date: Flight
Unknown release date (2010 announcement): Manga adaptation of James Paterson's "Witch & Wizard"
Svetlana's website

Cowboy Bebop fanart