How Did You Find Your Voice?

    When I was little I was always drawing. And everyone always told me I was good at it, so I never stopped. When I was 8, my sister discovered an anime how to draw book and we became obsessed. I began drawing anime. Now, the thing with anime is...you’re trying to draw in everyone else’s style. If you’re going to draw something from Chris Hart’s book you want it to look like something from Chris Hart’s book. If you’re drawing something from Naruto you want it to look like something from Naruto. Get the picture?

    So when I was 14, I started branching off and saying “Heeeeey! I can draw cartoons now!!” So I did. I started studying How to Cartoon books, Disney, Dreamworks, and all sorts of other styles. I worked hard studying these styles.

    Now I am 18, I am inspired by Glen Keane, Claire Keane, Ravietta, and The-Ez, most of all. I love these styles. But are they mine? Absolutely not. You see, I’ve spent almost 10 years copying everyone elses’ style so much, that I haven’t found my own. That’s why my art is so diverse. I’ve been playing everyone elses’ over and over and over again and I’m good at it. I don’t have my own voice.