Anyone who draws in the anime style is familiar with how condescending people can be towards it. Apparently it's not 'real art' and doesn't take any effort. I can understand to a degree why some people would be tired of the art style, what with the hoard of 12-year-old Naruto fans who suddenly insist that they're artists because they can draw a half-decent Fanart copied directly from a manga page.
However, some people aspire to break this mold. Some people develop their own anime-influenced style that impresses just about everybody. Some people can use this under appreciated style to depict truly beautiful and breathtaking artwork that you want to look at over and over again, just to marvel at how gorgeous it is.
I discovered one such artist on DeviantArt.com. She's a chinese-american digital painter who goes by the username 'Yuumei', and is extremely well known on the site for her work. Anyone who looks at her pieces can see why.
Yuumei does a good deal of commision works and Fanart, but is also incredibly creative and makes many unique pieces of her own. She's even expanded beyond the basic drawing, and is known for her 'flash comics'-- stories that she wrote herself, illustrated through a series of beautifully detailed scenes. Her first popular flash comic, '1000 words', detailed the story of a young girl trying to prevent her parents' divorce, with the help of an artist. It's a very touching story, and the soft illustration style really enhances the feeling one gets from the comic.
Her current flash comic series, Knite, follows a band of youths in China who attempt to restore wonder in the eyes of their people. Their nightly mission is to light up the sky with 'stars'-- elegant kites with Christmas lights strewn along their strings, creating a natural and beautiful atmosphere against a smoke-covered, moonless sky. The lush and mystical drawings for the comic never fail to draw you into the story.
Knite is mostly a message from Yuumei-- about both her Chinese heritage and her views on protecting our ecosystem. I'm not big on economic protection myself, as I think there are much more important things. But Yuumei's artistic view of the beauty of nature manages to get through even to people like me. After having read Knite and understanding the concept behind it, I've grown to really appreciate the beauty of the night sky.
Yuumei's other works include numerous Fanart pieces, mostly for the titles Death Note and Fullmetal Alchemist (which also raises the point that she has excellent taste in manga.) She has a very artistic view of everything, and so she manages to present even familiar concepts in a truly beautfiul and understanding way, and one that I have yet to grow tired of.
The concepts illustrated through her original pieces never fail to strike me and stand out in my mind, even long after I'm finished looking at the illustration. Some of them carry a certain melancholy vibe with them, but the message is never negative. This is because she's a truly kind person who wants to inspire people through her artwork.
To see more of her amazing artistic accomplishments, click the link to see her DeviantArt Profile!
http://yuumei.deviantart.com
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