character design / visual development / illustration / merch artist

about me

what are your ocs about?

Both of my stories - Lost and Found Children & The Magician's Protegee, are near and dear to my heart. Due to life obligations like school in the past, work, convention/merch schedules, I unfortunately haven't progressed in these stories as I would have liked over the years. My dream is to one day create stories that impact people, as other people's stories have changed me.You can learn more on my tumblr! More art (& merch!) is underway... coming soon!

Lost and Found Children: A search for their missing parents lead twins Flynn and Nate to fall into a deep darkness, unraveling secrets about their family and the country they once trusted.A story about mystery, overcoming trauma, blood family vs found family, the fear of growing up even in adulthood, the fear that you are not who you wished to grow up to be. The characters explore their identities in a post-war torn society, and witness their love being tested in that wildly changing world.

The Magician's Protegee: In a distant, idyllic future where robots and humans coexist - a healthcare android lives day to day with his adoptive daughter, patients, and their ragtag android and human friends.The story is a light-hearted, slow-paced, slice of life series - but it will also deal with complex topics like artificial intelligence, existentialism, and the fear of outliving the people you care about the most.

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what are your art influences?

I pull influences from just about anywhere and everywhere! My tastes are very eclectic and I just draw what I like!Jun Mochizuki, Ryoko Kui, Kamome Shirahama, Yoh Yoshinari, Kii Kanna, Hidari, Kenichi Yoshida, are some anime/manga/game artists I look up to.Cartoon/comic/animation influences: Kingkaiser, Annette Marnat, Sophie Li (mmcoconut), Milt Kahl, Bruce Timm, Kaiba (2008), bande dessinees (Franco-Belgian comics) in the style of ligne claire (esp Tintin, also recently Alex Alice), Claire Hummel, Tracy J. Butler (Lackadaisy), W.I.T.C.H. (comic), and various other European cartoon styles.I also primarily take influence in art movements/trends such as baroque art, art nouveau, art deco, gothic Victorian aesthetics, illustration's golden age, mid century advertising/culture, European storybooks/fairy tales. Some favourites are Earl Oliver Hurst, Alphonse Mucha, Dean Cornwell, Henri Matisse, Alice & Martin Provensen, Sheilah Beckett.

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social media

You can find me via the buttons on the homepage, or below, in order of most used to least used.Generally I will be alicenpai on every site, unless otherwise stated. If you are wary of any site that may be infringing on my artwork or identity, please contact me asap.email for work/commission enquiries - alicenpai(@)gmail(.)com
portfolio (for merch/conventions, animation-specific portfolio is currently offline)socials:
- twitter - @alicenpai
- tumblr - alicenpai
- instagram - @alicenpai
- artfight - alicenpaistores:
- bigcartel (personal store, opens seasonally)
- inprnt (prints on demand, always open)
- ko-fi (needs to be revamped)etc:
- youtube - alicenpai (hasn't been updated since 2023 due to the difficult nature of editing videos on my computer)
- twitch - alicenpie (only instance where I have a different username)Inactive: my deviantART & artfol accounts are now inactive.

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Can I use your art?

STUFF THAT'S NOT OK: reposting, tracing, editing my art, selling, printing, claiming my art as yours, etc.STUFF THAT'S OK: personal icons, blog/phone backgrounds. If you use my art on social media please leave a visible credit somewhere! (I allow icons given that your account does not promote harassment, hate speech, violence, or any other generally problematic behaviours - I don't condone that kind of stuff.)TWITTER/ TUMBLR/ INSTAGRAM: I prefer my art to not be reposted on these platforms, especially Instagram.OTHER PLATFORMS: for smaller communities, or a non-English speaking community (e.g. Weibo, VK) may be okay, please ask! Please also ask if you wish to translate my works!

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about me + fandoms

I'm Alice! Feel free to call me Cindy if we're pals. You can use any pronouns you like!likes: older anime + vintage aesthetics + seinen manga + horror/mystery/point and click adventure games + JRPGsCURRENTLY: ONE PIECE BRAIN..... Girl from the Other Side, Witch Hat Atelier, Dungeon Meshi... Persona 3 Reload, AITSF, getting through Fire Emblem 7 slowly.
honorable mentions: FMA & Pandora Hearts always in the back of my mind
(last updated: June 23, 2024)

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What brushes and programs do you use?

Like fandoms, brushes/programs come and go depending on my mood. You can ask me about a certain drawing if you're curious, but here's the general timeline below:2010-2016: Paint Tool SAI, default brusheslate 2016-summer 2020: Adobe Photoshop. Mingjue Helen Chen, Kyle Webster (free with adobe subscription, mostly the Mr Natural pencils, Tilteriffic pencil, charcoal for colours), Shiyoon Kimmid 2020-mid 2023: Clip Studio Paint.The assets store has a really good selection of free brushes! I recommend browsing it once in a while.I also do animations entirely in CSP.lineart/sketching - apticho brushes (graphite pencils), artemus pencil brushes (artemus hard - lineart), panaP brush (mostly sketching), chomoran (earlier in this time period)
colours - su cream pencil (most often), daub - super bundle (basilicus 10, 11, 12)late 2023-present: Clip Studio Paint.
lineart/sketching:
- Shiyoon Kim (illustrations)
- panaP brush (illustrations)
- apticho brushes (more for merch art)
- Sometimes I sketch with a default round brush, especially if I'm going to line over it later. Pencil brushes tend to make me obsess over the cleanliness and aesthetic quality of the brush, so I prefer a basic brush so that I only focus on poses and structure.colours:
- daub (basilicus 10, 11, 12)
- "drew" watercolours
- meruz brushes (lineless art)
- ditlev fine art brushes (original link to gumroad was taken down)

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are you open for commissions/ art trades/ requests? when are your store openings?

COMMISSIONS: Due to my workload I don't take them often, but if you have a query please email me!TRADES/REQUESTS: Apologies if I haven't gotten to your trade/request, I sometimes take 'em and a new deadline appears immediately after...STORE: You can visit my store here! For more information on when it's open, please keep updated on my social media! My shop will open and close depending on leftovers from con season."Will you ever restock __?"
It depends! For each product, I carefully consider a variety of factors - such as how quickly it sold in the first place, level of interest, how much I enjoy the artwork, etc. In some cases, for specialty merch, it may never come back in season, or the price may be too costly to justify a reprint. In all honesty... a lot of it depends on my enjoyment of the drawing... I'm very fickle with my art! Some things are just not meant to last forever... but I really appreciate your interest in supporting my art in the first place!!PRINTS: You can view my inprnt here! Remember that there are frequent site-wide sales on prints and free shipping days.

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zine resume / collaborations

I love to get involved in the global artist community! I've been involved in over 30 international independent zine projects since 2015. I also moderated the Rewind: Ghost Trick zine in 2017-18, with Snotprince (responsibilities: bookkeeping, cover art, graphic design, formatting, marketing, merchandise).Currently I'm only joining zines via invite. If you'd like to have me as part of your project, send me a DM on twitter/email me! 🥰👍---COLLABORATIONSTOURBOX | 2021
KLASSE14 | 2018---2024
• Dungeon Meshi: Cookbook zine (merch: sticker sheet & lenticular sticker)2023
• Eternal Ephemera: Witch Hat Atelier fine art zine (merch: postcard & charm)2022
• Object Head original zine 2023 (page)
• Hemisphere: Witch Hat Atelier five seasons zine (2 page spread)
• The Great Meiji Tarot: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles tarot deck (page)
• Turnabout Century: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles zine (page)2021
• Nice Vibe: Bleach fashion zine (2021, merch: postcard & sticker, hosted by Andy)2020
• Burning Love & Burning Soul: Promare pinup zine bundle (page)
• Ignite: Promare zine (page)
• Lights, Camera, Fashion: Hunter x Hunter fashion zine (2 page spread)
• Running Wild: BNA Brand New Animal risograph zine (2 page spread, hosted by Rollround)
• Thousand Lives with You: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Gyro & Johnny AU zine (page)
• Turnabout Melodies: Ace Attorney music zine (page)2019
• Game On!: WLW sports original zine (page)
• Rufukamu: Fire Emblem zine (page)
• Curse of the Couture: Castlevania fashion zine (page)2018
• Enigma: Professor Layton zine (cover)
• Back to the Beginning: Harvest Moon zine (page)
• Dearly Beloved: Kingdom Hearts 15th anniversary zine (page, hosted by Krys & Charles)
• Moondust: Land of the Lustrous zine (page, hosted by Rollround)
• Only I Am Missing: Erased zine (page)
• Ace Adventurers: Ace Attorney fantasy zine (page & merch: charm)
• Year One: My Hero Academia zine (2 page spread)2017
• Persona 5 tarot card deck (page & postcard, hosted by Med)
• Bee Avenue: Ace Attorney café zine (page)
• Dress Up: Persona 5 costume swap zine (page)
• Memento Mori: Zero Escape zine (page)
• Cat Burglar: Persona 5 zine (page)
• Rewind: Ghost Trick zine (2017-18, moderated with Snotprince – in charge of bookkeeping, cover art, graphic design & formatting, marketing, merchandise)2016
• Hey, 90's kid!: 90's anime zine (2 separate illustrations)
• Ties that Bind, Ties that Break: Fire Emblem Fates zine (page)2015
• Hope, Faith, Love, Luck: Zero Escape zine (page)

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conventions

I've been a merch artist/vending at conventions in Toronto and online, since 2014.2024 convention schedule:
ANIME NORTH, Toronto | May 24-26
OTAKUTHON, Montreal | Aug 2-4
BAMTORI STUDIO'S AAPI Fall Harvest Market, Toronto | Sept 21ANIME NORTH | Toronto, Canada | 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
ATOMIC LOLLIPOP | Toronto, Canada | 2015
FAN EXPO | Toronto, Canada | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
OTAKUTHON | Montreal, Canada | 2019, 2023

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Will you ever draw for __ fandom again?

Like the styles I choose to wield - it really depends on my mood and my workload! In some cases, I would really like to, though the timing might not align with the brainrot (haha). Some fandoms are captivating only in the moment, and although I respect the series, I do not have interest in drawing it again!I'm more of a "post art quarterly" instead of a "post art every week" kind of artist 💀... Like I mentioned in another answer, some things are not meant to be forever, so you're free to come and go as you see fit! If you are curious about a specific series feel free to ask me about it and I can answer more specifically.

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