Shalinda Shannan
Artist Statement
As a child loving art from a young age, I learned how to adapt my style through my peers and inspirations. Even though coloring books geared towards children annoyed me with their anatomical structures, I was able to expand my skills. As a child I tried to achieve works that were more sophisticated than cartoons. My excessive study of characters in the manga I have read, along with an overactive imagination, led me to creating a manga of my own.
This body of work is an epilogue for an in-progress manga/comic book. This short prologue was achieved through the references of other artists and what I have learned through my watercolor and acrylic painting practices. I would block the base colors and add layers to my pieces. I used the dark lines to frame and flatten the characters. Using thinner lines for highlights to pull forward the story of a young girl named Kayda who lives in an unfortunate position. For I feel that the trials we experience as children shapes our lives, Including my own.
I feel that a lot of who I am today was derived from my childhood. So, in this body of work, I would explore a sneak peak of the growth that Kayda experiences. Using these experiences to push myself to live a life of growth instead of decay is similar to how I’d like to portray Kayda in the future.
