Recent Sketching

I have more spare time to draw during the second semester and I'm picking up my old hobby of reading Japanese manga (a kind of Japanese cartoon).

I started learning sketching when I was in 3rd Grade because I was so interested in manga. My love of manga gradually faded away after I came to America because 1. I found a new interest in Michael Jackson :D; 2. I thought manga was shallow and merely for entertainment.

However, after experiencing so much in the past two years, I actually have a deeper understanding of the whole manga culture than I ever did before. For me manga is really the incarnation of youth. I looked back at my first manga book; the story is silly but the energy and determination it generated in me was incredible. My parents were very liberal at the issue of reading manga comparing to other intolerant Chinese parents; however, they had a bottom line and discouraged me to indulge too much in manga. At that time, I had so much passion in manga and I was determined to become a cartoonist.

Manga was the only thing that made me shout at my parents and locked myself in my bedroom crying in 5th Grade; I had never confronted my parents before and I never did later (my parents are my best friends and I never need to fight with them :D). Becoming a cartoonist was my first serious dream.

Personally, my passion in art began with manga, but now, I realize that manga serves as an important part of Japanese culture. People of all ages read manga in Japan because there are different kinds of manga for various age levels. Although I have never been to Japan, I've heard numerous stories about how manga influences Japanese pop culture. Manga about basketball, soccer, and baseball popularizes competitive sports in Japan; scientific manga about the relationship of human, nature, and technology provokes profound thinking of the readers. Unlike the Chinese cartoonists, who concentrate solely on money-making and always tell cheesy fantasy stories, Japanese cartoonists use manga to tell stories and convey important ideas just like writers do. Manga is art.

Anyways, I just have some reflection on my long-time interest in Japanese manga. Now I draw a little manga in my spare time just for fun. These are all quick sketches (10-15 minutes each) and I hope you like them!