DJ88
To say that this month's Featured Artist has had her turn coming would be understating things
just a tad. One of the handful of highly visible and recognizable "rocker" artists, DJ88
has spent her time here at the TLKFAA producing edgy, often disturbing (and just as often
disturbingly good) art that keeps a toehold in the TLK world while reaching out into fantasy, the
"rocker" lifestyle, and realism—for examples, see the thumbnails to the left—as well as
an equally vibrant body of work in canon TLK-style art, as you'll see by scrolling a little further
down on the right.
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In the Artist's Own Words:
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Well well. Whats this? 88 on the front page?? With what I have been through on this site over the years, whoulda thought I would make AOTM? Lol I remember a few times people have left me comments telling me how awsome they thought my art was and that they love my drawings and such...and a few days later they became AOTM XD I don't even know If that was a slap in the face or not, but hahaha. Lol but all in all I'm really flattered and grateful to all of you who voted me for this month! This is really awsome everyone, thanks soo much! ....................OH?! You're still here?? Well I guess I can ramble on a little bit for your amusement XD Well I first started drawing as soon as I picked up a pencil. Taking mostly to snakes, Dragons, unicorns, horses, and various other animal like things right off the bat. I was basically raised on everything Disney. First fave was either Dumbo, Bambi, or the Jungle Book. But low and behold in 1994, we went to the drive in, arrived late, and drove into our spot. Only to come into Disney's latest animated feature during a song called "I just can't wait to be King" We stayed a second round so we could watch it the full way through. And that night, I fell in love. I was hooked! I had added another addition to the things I loved the most at the time; Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Terminator, Robin Williams, Indiana Jones, Disney, Alien(s), Animals, and now... The Lion King. The Rich images, beautiful animation, lovable characters, the wonderful music...the epicness. Disney had done it again. And thanks also to Disney, not only for the wonderful animated features, and my childhood happiness. But for all the inspiration. Soo much in fact that it has been nearly a life long dream of mine to work for Disney, as an animator. I even ran into an actual animator at California Adventures a couple years ago (for the story go here ), and he went NUTS over my art. After the experience I swear I was walking on air for the rest of the vacation, even longer. Who knows. Mabey one day someone will be doing fanart of "my" work. You know? I remember when I first joined this site (and when I first came across it). My first fave artist was Katikut. I remember the first people to comment on my art. And the first person of our "group" to befriend/notice me was Ratha, Then, Somone by the name of DJ Coulz had emailed me...asking me to change my name. Which I obviously didn't lol. Then bada-bing-bada-boom, "Classic rocke this, hot guys that, Kevin Bacon in Jeans is god's gift to women. Metal This, fun character, Rockstars lionised " and BOOM friendship and the "DJs" lol. There had been a few other friendly people, But Tori and Coulzie are my best buds on here. I mean COME ON! Three classic rocker/ metal head/ hippies? All drawing TLK art? How outta the box is that?!?! Again I say thank you. And the next time you see someone else who (you think) draws better than you...remember this. "There's always a bigger fish" And all you can do is practice. Hell I see things wrong with my art all the time. Then again that could just be my OCD kicking in LAWL! But mann, I have come along way since when I first joined here. From colored pencils, to inking and scanning, coloring on a program that's barley a step up from MS paint. Creating BG's in Microsoft Word 97. To finally getting PS and a tablet last year! Three damn years of doing pictures the way they did the last scene of The Little Mermaid! BAH #@*&^!!!!! God bless Wacom and Photo Shop. Well I have blabbed enough. I can't believe there is acually a whole site dedicated to TLK.. and all these maniacs that upload on here XD One more time. Thank you all, thanks Brian for making the site Love yas Tori, Call yas laters Sister Coulzie. Thank you all my friends and fans. TLKFAA is a hellova place! "Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive." —Walt Disney |
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It's in her canon work, indeed, that DJ88's strengths and instincts really show: in animation art, the characterizations are paramount, and the ability to convey a human expression in a few lines that flow as naturally from the artist's hand as the circles of the head and body, without needing to be painfully rethought and reworked a hundred times. Belabored art is easy to recognize—it just doesn't have the spontaneity that it requires in order to be part of a professional animated feature. But DJ88's work doesn't have that problem; you can tell at a glance that her characters' facial movements flow from a natural grasp of the fundamentals, and you know she won't have any trouble making her characters say and do whatever she likes, in any situation.
Yet what makes DJ88 truly unique and noteworthy is the persona she's created, along with her friends in the "rocker" group she identifies—a creative engine that produces some of the most original and fascinating crossover art this fandom has seen. It's not for everybody, of course, but nothing that's really groundbreaking ever is; after all, something with universal appeal is also usually fatally bland. DJ88 has managed to take a movie with that kind of appeal—the one we all know and love—and extend it through her own personal interests to create something that has buoyed her through her nascent artistic career, without losing interest in the original concept that started it all. We should all aspire to having such a flexible and enigmatic muse.
Congratulations!