Warmest Regards
My name is Alex, and I'm the artist behind Ika Hime! I'm a queer, freelance illustrator and comic creator based out of North Carolina. I have a wide variety of interests from science and true crime to make-up and crochet. I'm a practicing witch and paranormal researcher, and a proud mom to a sweet bunny, a couple pain in the butt cats, a precious axolotl, some cute beetles, and about 200 houseplants.
My Art Journey
I've drawn my entire life, but started taking it more seriously when I was about 10 years old. Just over a year later, I discovered manga and fell in love. I have fond, but vague, memories of Sailor Moon, Naruto, and DBZ playing on TV while I was growing up, and I remember being very drawn to Sailor Moon specifically. I will always have a deep love of 90's shojo anime and manga, and that is what inspires me most today.
I started working Artist Alleys at conventions when I was still in high school. My art was definitely not as good back then, but it was an experience that helped me grow tremendously and helped shape the way I approach certain aspects of my business. Since then, I have worked several different conventions and events in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Over the years, I have put my best foot forward to try new things. Because of that, I've gotten to make merchandise I never thought I would ever get the chance to make, and I've met people that I still can't believe I've met. I've also collected some wonderful friends that help make convention trips that much more exciting!
Advice to Aspiring Artists
I get approached a lot by people online and at conventions that want to know how to determine whether or not they're ready to sell their art in the artist alley. The truth is, you'll never know for sure when you are ready. It should just be something you want to do that pushes you to send in that application. Being an artist is just years of constant growth. Chances are, a few years down the line, you're going to hate most of the art you sold at your first con regardless of how confident you were at the time. Conventions themselves come with a lot of learning and growth, and I don't think it's something you go into for the first time with a perfect handle on. But you can't be afraid of not being ready to do something, because then you'll just spend the rest of your life not doing it. So just go for it!
