While starting off, it is hard to find a footing amidst the boundless sea of artistic talent around you. You soon start to discover that your artistic journey is a process that relies largely on experimentation to evolve. This might not always be a conscious choice. Some artists start their journey focusing on finding their style, but the style I chose to settle for was a decision made unconsciously. To be honest, I have realised my journey with Coaster Girls Comics only while penning down my thoughts for this article.

Right from the start, my comic style was strongly influenced by Japanese manga, more precisely, it’s Kawaii and Chibi styles. Manga in Japanese refers to any printed comic or cartoon. It tends to focus on faces and different expressions. It has a lot of emphasis on the eyes of the character allowing the artist to capture various emotions. The characters often change forms to better express their moods. That is where various styles come into play, some of which are Kawaii and Chibi. Chibi is derived from the word chibiru which means to become shorter. It is often depicted by short bodies and big eyes. Kawaii style roughly translates to cute and cuddly, apparently a prominent facet of Japanese culture today. Some of my biggest inspirations are mangakas (manga artists) such as Masashi Kishimoto, Nobuhiro Watsuki, Rumiko Takahashi and Rando Ayamine. The comics are all in black and white with varying shades of grey. This aligns with the manga style as mangas are usually drawn in black and white to keep printing costs low.

Apart from its style, Coaster Girls comics has always been story-driven. In the initial stages, the theme of Coaster Girls Comics mostly revolved around friendship and support. It soon evolved into a form of creative expression for me, providing a platform for me to express myself. Due to the influence of the manga style, themes such as mental health issues, feminism, spiritualism etc. could be portrayed with exaggerated emotions setting a different tone for each piece. In the more recent pieces, I have moved away from a minimalist art style with only a focus on character expressions to a style which is quite heavy on graphics providing a background which further sets the mood for the narrative.

As of now, I do not have a set plan for my future comics except to let the art make itself!