Hello everyone ヾ(｡･ω･｡)! I'm known as Star (or Stargirl) and I am a freelance anime style artist from Florida. When not busying myself with housework and a toddler I am usually prepping for anime/comic conventions and working on caricature/chibi commissions and various art projects. I was just recently introduced to Cryptos and NFTs via my husband and his friend and my first NFT art mint was in February this year. I am now quite active in the NFT community and my art can be found on quite a few platforms!
I would love to start using this blog on PEAKD. I thought to focus it more on my art and NFTs but if you have any questions or topics you'd like to see from me, please drop a comment! Even if you just stop by to say hello I love to feel like I'm chatting with people and not just talking to myself... ☆ヾ(^ ^ゞ
Artist Interview on Galleseum
I recently finished an interview over at Galleseum, an NFT website for galleries and collections. I will share some of it below as it is a good way to get to know me but you can view the entire interview through this link!
Spotlight: StarMasayume - Bringing Anime and Kawaii Chibi Style Art To NFTs
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What's your backstory and how did you start?
I always loved art growing up but nearly disregarded my dream of being an artist as impractical. Discovering anime, especially the manga-style illustrations, shortly thereafter, sparked something.
This was also around the same time I discovered the concept of "digital art" and found online art communities such as Epilogue, Elfwood, and later DeviantArt and GaiaOnline.
My first experience was drawing on community 'Oekaki Boards' in a super basic paint program and getting comments from others. I drew digitally with a mouse for two years before getting my first drawing tablet as a Christmas present.
Having access to a community of artists I admired online, places for art critique, art tutorials (this was before youtube and live streams), and places to experiment and work on commissions all contributed to my development as an artist.
I first sold my art at an anime convention in 2006 when they chose my art for their convention guide and badges.
It was such an awesome experience to see my art everywhere I looked and selling prints and small art merch to those who stopped by.
Take us through your creative process of conceptualising, making, and minting your work
Throughout my teens and twenties, I always carried a sketchbook with me. I'd be the girl doodling in a social setting out with friends or at a restaurant with family.
Sometimes I had a spark of inspiration or would just start doodling to see where something went or simply wanted to draw a favorite character.
Sketches I liked would be scanned and finished digitally in Corel Painter or, more often now, in Photoshop. I still go back through my 16 sketchbooks for ideas or sketches I would like to complete or redraw.
Nowadays, more of my sketching (and some coloring) is done on my Wacom Cintiq hybrid tablet using Sketchbook Pro.
I do have an art office, but I really enjoy being able to take the Cintiq tablet with me to the couch or out of the house. When I first got this tablet, I enjoyed drawing in this colored pencil sketch style.
Starting my NFT sketch series on Hic Et Nunc gave me the motivation to start sketching again which I really missed. It is also less stressful for me to work on at the end of the day amidst commissions and other art projects.
I have been releasing my digital sketches with high multiples with the thought they are less rare but more akin to getting art tips while letting people collect any, or all (you know who you are), that they like. ヾ(๑╹ꇴ◠๑)ﾉ”
Aside from digital art, I enjoy drawing cute chibi art traditionally with multiliner pens, Copic and Prismacolor markers, and colored pencils. These are usually drawn quite small on 4x6" cards to as small as 2x3". I recently had fun adding small animations to some of these drawn chibi art to release as collectible NFTs.
Above is a sneak peek at a set that has not yet been released. Below was my "Shooting Stars" animated chibi NFT released on the GhostMarket. I like that I can experiment on different NFT platforms, and this was no different.
I sold out of the 20 collectible editions but, for the first time, auctioned an NFT bundle. It had unlockable content should they wish to have the original art as a keychain shipped to them and was infused with the 1st Edition NFT along with a Work in Progress animated NFT. This is a unique and fun feature on GhostMarket.
What do you do to increase the visibility and collectibility of your work?
I come from a background of years selling my art as collectible prints and small merch so I view NFTs as an extension of what I do just in a digital realm without physical borders.
Collectors can potentially invest in my art rather than just admire a trinket and support what I do simultaneously. Because of my existing mentality, I find it hard to make 1/1s or anything ultra-rare though I have done a few and may do more.
Having a huge backlog of art over the years, I have tried to be very selective in what, when, and where I release an artwork and also to intersperse prior art with newer animated versions and newly created art.
I am used to presenting myself and networking behind an artist's table at events. I feel this is equally if not more so important within the online NFT community.
Here are a few of my sold-out chibi art released on the GhostMarket. Most were released between 5 and 12 editions.
There's a reason why people know me as a chibi artist - I draw A LOT of cute chibi art. I do, however, have quite a few detailed works, both original and fan-inspired, that I may selectively and slowly NFT over time.
Below "Shower of Blessings" was sold as a 1/1, and I have 1 of 2 editions left of "Stay Out of the Shadows" on the GhostMarket.
Check out the full interview! More questions include:
- What have you learned about NFTs and the NFT space since you've entered, and what is your focus for the future?
- What platforms/tools do you use?
- Which books, people or resources have had the most influence on you?
- Advice for artists who are just starting out with NFTs and the crypto space:
- Where can we go to learn more about you?
- Additional Short Questions
Spotlight: StarMasayume - Bringing Anime and Kawaii Chibi Style Art To NFTs
Have any other questions for me? Don't be shy and ask! I'll either reply or can address them in another blog post.
What would you like to see next? NFT art and project updates? What I like about the NFT platforms I've joined? WIP art? My convention / physical merch escapades? Commissions? How to art and be a mom at the same time (wait, I'm still trying to figure that one out...)
(ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Find all my socials and places to find my NFTs here!
https://starmasayume.carrd.co/