Aya's Art Beginnings

Zealot: I'm glad I helped! It goes both ways. Having a creative pal makes a lot of difference for motivation. 

You market yourself as being primarily a creator who focuses on art content. What got you into doing art in general? And how did that lead into posting your works online?

Ayasuna: I didn't start out with a super creative background but I remember one day I was sitting in front of my Grandma's old DVR set up and one of her prerecorded shows she had was of Mark Crilley drawing an eye and I remember I wanted to learn how to do that.  As far as posting art I didn't start doing that until I was in highschool, I wanted a way to connect to my favorite fandoms because at the time liking anime was still considered weird.

How Aya Learned Art

Zealot: While we're still in backstory territory, how did you transition into the art world? Did you just grab a paper and pencil and wing it? Did you follow guides? How did you get yourself into it?

Ayasuna: When I was super young I mostly did draw from imagination. As I became a teenager, I took to Youtube University as well as Pinterest as I couldn't afford true art classes (Apart from ones where the teacher pretty much had to sit there and  babysit for an hour). When I started working I took some online classes that I paid for. I want to take some mroe classes because I think the way I study could be more efficient. I might make that process into a series itself.

I will say as I guess a bit of advice, it isn't enough to just draw everyday if you want to improve, it helps to have a plan on what you want to study. That said it shouldn't feel like a chore either.

"Workflow" & Pinterest

Zealot: It's all about balance. 🙏

What are some resources and/or general workflow tips you recommend to artists of all skill levels?

Ayasuna: As weird as it sounds, I don't exactly have a workflow persay it changes from each piece that I do. I just get an idea in my head that I want to draw and then I draw it, if I don't know how to draw something I just look it up. As far as resources, being a good artist also means you need to become a good researcher because more likely than not you will have a lot of questions regarding how to draw something, learning the right proportions, understanding composition and color theory. 

Despite Pinterest's many short comings it is still an invaluable resource for artists because it is essentially a free catalog of attaching your ideas to something tangible.

I was able to understand my characters more by making board for them and their interests if that makes sense.

Aya's Inspirations

Zealot: That wasn't the answer I was expecting at all, but I learned a lot from that perspective myself to be honest. I love that take. 

I also learn so much about the characters from my stories through my Pinterest boards!​ I agree it's very invaluable despite my issues with it. 

Who or what are your biggest inspirations for doing what you do? Not just for art, they could be anything that inspires you in different aspects of your life too. 

Ayasuna: As far as art is concerned I have too many inspirations, though if I had to pick it would be Kim Jung Gi or Takehiko Inoue. Something about hearing how they started with modest means to becoming legends in the art community is always inspiring. As far as IRL it would be my Mother, I feel like she wanted pursue something more creative in her life but she had to raise me. I want to make her proud.

Aya's Stories

Zealot: Your mother's efforts definitely paid off.

​Do you think you could show us a piece of art you've made that has a story or personal attachment to it?

Ayasuna: Very simple comic but one I really had fun drawing. I guess it was the moment where I felt that yeah I could really take content creation to the next level. I have little stories like this to tell and knowing I can somewhat do it in this format was rewarding, I want to do more.

Aya's Message to YOU

Zealot: That's awesome! I remember watching you draw that in voice chat when we both discovered that Krita had comic panel templates. 

On the topic of stories, my last question would be what is a message you want to tell the world through your art?

Ayasuna: That if you have a project in mind you should really just do it, don't worry about judgement. Even if that is some cringe fanfic write it, I think with the internet you have the forum to put your ideas out there and you never know what that will lead to.  Fear holds us back and half the time trying something  new isn't as bad as we think.

I think younger people give up too easily and it's mainly from peer pressure regarding projects in my opinion.

if its something you want you'll make the time to it, even if it's just drawing one line or typing one letter at a time.

Outro

Zealot: Very wise and relevant words to end off on.

I'm glad we got to do this! I had a lot more fun with this than I was expecting.

Thanks again! Before we're done, is there anything else you'd like to say to the readers? And where can they find your content?

Ayasuna: This was great, I had fun reflecting on my journey so far.   I have a Youtube Channel: 

Aya's YouTube

But I also have other social media platforms: 

Aya's Carrd 

And that's that! I hope you enjoyed reading.

be sure to check out and follow Aya's socials, and stay tuned for more interviews!
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