“I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer, a politician, a children’s book illustrator, a visual development artist,” she recounted in an interview with Concept Art Empire, “until I realized that I was awful at making finished drawings, hahaha! But also that storyboarding was my favorite aspect of the animation pipeline.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Chiu (@alexmchiu)

She might be selling herself short. When it comes to animation, Chiu has worked so far for the biggest names in the industry including Marvel Animation, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Netflix. Now working as Director and Story Artist for Warner Bros., Chiu has carved herself a niche, often referencing her love of manga and anime.

In fact, it was her love of manga that would ultimately spark a creative interest, leading her into the field of animation. “I always doodled as a kid according to my parents,” says Chiu. “But I didn’t really pick up the pencil and draw every day with the intention of getting better in some shape or form until I was 10.”

“It all changed when I started reading manga,” she admits, adding that though she considered art as a career when she was in high school it wasn’t until sophomore or junior year of college when she narrowed down her career path. Having developed her skills throughout school and college, she landed on storytelling after experimenting with comics and film.

Currently based in LA, we can’t wait to see more of her work both online and on-screen!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Chiu (@alexmchiu)

The post This Story Artist is Inspired By Manga appeared first on 5dwallpaper.com.

According to Shimoda, she would copy the drawings and, over time, taught herself how to draw cartoons. “In addition, since I was in high school, I like looking at illustration online — which was very important for me,” she notes. “All these pieces of pop culture are very familiar in my life, ones that give the most impact.”

Her work, both charming and alarming, portrays a world where cuteness and horror coexist, expressing modern-day issues in colorful and illustrative techniques. Often depicting starry-eyed children, Shimoda dresses her characters in superhero costumes, revealing problems and struggles in contemporary society.

“For me, this is my most effective means to convey my emotions and feelings to other people,” says Shimoda, “but they are not ‘human’ children. I like to use the example of magical girls (shojo) because they are inspired by human girls but they are characters.” The result is eerie and detached, albeit increasingly cute.

Naturally, Shimoda’s work tends to create quite a buzz both online and offline. Having held exhibitions in galleries worldwide, including Japan, the United States, Canada, and Europe, she has also amassed more than 95k followers on Instagram. Here are some of our favorite pieces by her:

The post Hikari Shimoda Paints Menacing (But Cute) Characters appeared first on 5dwallpaper.com.

“I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer, a politician, a children’s book illustrator, a visual development artist,” she recounted in an interview with Concept Art Empire, “until I realized that I was awful at making finished drawings, hahaha! But also that storyboarding was my favorite aspect of the animation pipeline.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Chiu (@alexmchiu)

She might be selling herself short. When it comes to animation, Chiu has worked so far for the biggest names in the industry including Marvel Animation, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Netflix. Now working as Director and Story Artist for Warner Bros., Chiu has carved herself a niche, often referencing her love of manga and anime.

In fact, it was her love of manga that would ultimately spark a creative interest, leading her into the field of animation. “I always doodled as a kid according to my parents,” says Chiu. “But I didn’t really pick up the pencil and draw every day with the intention of getting better in some shape or form until I was 10.”

“It all changed when I started reading manga,” she admits, adding that though she considered art as a career when she was in high school it wasn’t until sophomore or junior year of college when she narrowed down her career path. Having developed her skills throughout school and college, she landed on storytelling after experimenting with comics and film.

Currently based in LA, we can’t wait to see more of her work both online and on-screen!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Chiu (@alexmchiu)

The post This Story Artist is Inspired By Manga appeared first on 5dwallpaper.com.

According to Shimoda, she would copy the drawings and, over time, taught herself how to draw cartoons. “In addition, since I was in high school, I like looking at illustration online — which was very important for me,” she notes. “All these pieces of pop culture are very familiar in my life, ones that give the most impact.”

Her work, both charming and alarming, portrays a world where cuteness and horror coexist, expressing modern-day issues in colorful and illustrative techniques. Often depicting starry-eyed children, Shimoda dresses her characters in superhero costumes, revealing problems and struggles in contemporary society.

“For me, this is my most effective means to convey my emotions and feelings to other people,” says Shimoda, “but they are not ‘human’ children. I like to use the example of magical girls (shojo) because they are inspired by human girls but they are characters.” The result is eerie and detached, albeit increasingly cute.

Naturally, Shimoda’s work tends to create quite a buzz both online and offline. Having held exhibitions in galleries worldwide, including Japan, the United States, Canada, and Europe, she has also amassed more than 95k followers on Instagram. Here are some of our favorite pieces by her:

The post Hikari Shimoda Paints Menacing (But Cute) Characters appeared first on 5dwallpaper.com.