Arcane Halo
Hello. Call me Arc, I'm an artist in the Philippines just trying to make it work. I love drawing pretty things, and terrifying things. Both, if possible.I liked drawing webcomics and did quite a few before burning out and having quite a character arc (heh). I have professional experience as a BG artist, and self-taught experience in so much more.
I also work as a vtuber that makes vtubing assets. For more information on that, please go to ♢ Caine Aschinder ♢
My Story
My real name (or part of it) is Don G. I've liked doing art and anime since I was but a wee little thing, and somehow I just never stopped. From going to children's summer art workshops, to writing a web comic, to pursuing an art degree, I nurtured this love as carefully and passionately as I could for as long as I've lived.
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I was the kind of child who would get into trouble for not listening to the teacher and instead drawing in class. I used to sell "self-published comics" for 5 pesos by getting my dad to photocopy my drawings at his office xerox machine.
( He's retired now, he can't get in trouble for me saying that... I think. )
I took a year in Ateneo de Manila as it was the most prestigious school I passed for, but ended up going to UP Diliman in the pursuit of an art program that better developed the skills I wanted to hone. There, I studied Painting along with some of the most amazing artists I got to personally know, all the while developing my artistic hobbies and joining conventions to sell my craft. I was able to graduate with Latin Honors, but even more amazing to me was that my Thesis was awarded Best Thesis, a boost to my ego.
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By the time I graduated, I realized that since I grew up on anime, books, and tv shows, what I really loved were stories, and the richness of the imagined world. I was and still am enamoured by the craft of fiction, and what images and words were capable of bringing to life.
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While trying to find work as an illustrator for comics, I tried taking a Masters in Creative Writing, which I eventually put on an indefinite pause as I instead decided to work professionally (for my mental health, and my wallet). I was an artist in TOEI Animation Philippines, just before the Pandemic hit. Being stubbornly dedicated to self-improvement as I am, I worked as a Background Artist to improve what I saw as my greatest weakness—backgrounds and composition. Which I did! Along with all sorts of other skills in my personal time, like writing, video editing, and making manga.
But you all know what the Pandemic was like, right? I questioned a lot of things. Where I was going, and what I wanted to do. Fiction continued to be my window of freedom. From consuming it in manga, comics, movies, podcasts, games, and shows, and through creating comics, fanart, and role play. Eventually, after a lot of self-reflection, I decided to go back to my roots.
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I eventually resigned from TOEI to pursue my original goals: to write manga, to make stories come to life with art.
Right now, that's where I'm at. I'm working freelance, all the while joining what contests I can and trying to get published. All the while, using the skills I've honed.​
It's tough for everyone, isn't it? But if you're still reading then you must understand on some level. It's a bit silly and funny how artists just flap around hoping to do something they're proud of. But it's an interesting journey.
I continue to pursue polishing and practicing art in various ways, hoping to use the skills I've dedicated my life to developing, stoking the embers of passion that remain so that I can bring stories to life.
My own stories, and the stories of others.
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Now you know me well enough... will you pay me to prove it? (heh)
Let's do our best.
P.S. before you ask, Arcane Halo as a name has no special meaning. It is a name I chose as a child, and I stand by my choice. It's a cool name.