A New Favorite Inspiration

Welcome new & old panda followers!

This is not a post about my own art, but more about an artist and a book and an insight into what/whom inspires me most and helps me learn and fuel my drive to continue on this path of life that is called: ART.

As many of you all know, I am an aspiring author/illustrator of my own children's books. I have not yet published one yet, but trust me, I am getting there. There are just so many things to do in between and it's a bit hard, I admit, to make the right decisions on which path I should walk down next. (More on my many stories and brainstormings of my own children's book ideas in a later post, I promise). Felicia Hoshino is an artist that I recently discovered in my search for a job at many of the amazing indie publishers in CA. Her art is gorgeous and reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki movies and brings the culture of Japan that I love reading about in the mangas I own and read online. 

I just received in the mail the other day her most recent children's books, Sora and the Cloud, and let me just say, it is amazing, aesthetically and emotionally. The story is not only simple, endearing and heart-tuggingly perfectly conveying of a childhood filled with imagination and adventure, but it really is so well written. I struggle myself with how to simplify my own manuscripts and decide what to leave out and let the pictures speak in place of words. But I just am amazed at the amazing skill she has at foreshadowing and symbolism with the syntax and kerning of the words to the page and the imagery that leads you from page to page and back again. It is really a story that comes full circle and it really was a joy to read and the study. 

I will keep this book at my working desk side for weeks (months) I'm sure and use it as reference in writing my own stories and illustrating my own storyboards and illustrations. Hoshino is my new hero and I hope this post gave you a bit of an insight into what influences me and what art I am looking at to teach me what 4 years of schooling could not. :3

I didn't want to spoil the book for anyone so I just took a pic of my favorite spread in the book, although i LOVED all of them. LOL. it was hard to choose, but I really admire the great POVs in this book. Note taken. ;]

Love, Erica.

p.s. le sighs. It is an inspiration and a burden/promise that reading books like these leave me with.  Inspiration to keep creating  my own art and writing my own stories. A burden   of a reminder that I still have SO much to learn and a long way to go before I can achieve such finesse and recognition with my own artwork. And a promise to myself to keep striving to get as good as I can get and BEYOND! :D now on to my night's work. ;] Yes, I keep a very weird and late schedule, but oddly it works for me. :3 Missing my partner in crime tonight and all nights I spend away from him, my pandaboy.