Floral showers and Anime dreams: Meyoco Artist Spotlight

Blending Japanese Anime, with calming whimsical aesthetics.

Meyoco is an illustrator based in Southeast Asia, whose art is both beautiful and nostalgic, with nuances of circa 1990 Sailor Moon, florals, waves, and vibrant colors. Her work is mostly inspired by Japanese comics and is influenced by western animation, and pop culture.

Meyoco is also a small business owner with a passion for developing her own products, mostly accessories, and apparels.

Meyoco is an absolute force in the social media game – her Instagram feed alone is recognizable, with beautifully curated pastel colors, cute characters, and whimsical themes.

When did you discover art and/or illustration as your passion/career?

I started seriously liking art when I was in primary school! Back then I used to think I wanted to be a comic artist, although I didn’t seriously pursue art until I got into university. I got into a non-art related major and then I realized I would much rather be drawing than studying. I then started drawing a lot, making my own merch, and attending conventions.

How would you describe your work, and how has it changed over time?

I like to think of my work now as a bit dreamy, soft, and relaxing. It’s also very influenced by Japanese comics, as it’s always been since I just started drawing as a kid. Over the years I think my work changed a lot in terms of style and colors. I used to want my work to look like other artists’ work and I would try to make my style look similar to their style. Over the years, I gradually moved away from that and found my own style and colors. I found things I genuinely enjoyed drawing without wanting to imitate other people’s style and colors I actually enjoy using and looking at.

I think another thing that’s really changed is my taste in colors. I used to dislike the color pink and green. Looking at other artists’ work made me realize what warm color pink is and how good it goes with green. These days I think the color pink and green are one of my trademarks because I just use them so much.

What’s the inspiration behind the Illustrations and scenes. How are they influenced by color, personality, and culture?

My artworks are really influenced by pop culture, Japanese comics, and anime. I read a lot of Japanese comics and watch anime since I was a child, and my work will always be influenced by them. Even now, when I don’t read or watch as much as I used to, the influence is still really strong, particularly when I draw people. Even comics or anime that I no longer like sometimes retain influence over my art style.

As for colors, I’ve always been influenced by my favorite artists’ colors. I’ve never been confident with colors, so I look up to other artists a lot and learned about colors from their work. I did learn a little about color theory, but I learned more by observing how my favorite artists’ use colors. I used to hate coloring so much because I thought the only “good” coloring method is painting style, which I honestly don’t have the patience or diligence for. When I saw how other artists can use colors in simpler, non-painting style, it made me realize that there are so many ways I can use colors. There’s really not one “correct” way to use colors.

What does your process look like?

I always start with an idea for the artwork. I mainly draw things that I like and are familiar to me. I like to just mix and match these things into a new combination that would look good as an artwork. To find this combination, I usually browse the photo gallery on my phone or browse the internet for inspiration. It’s almost like I’m just daydreaming.

When I find an idea, I usually will already have a semi-solid picture of what I want the artwork to look like. Then, I usually will sketch the idea first to make sure it looks good. After I’m satisfied with the sketch, I’ll go straight into making the clean line art, and finally adding colors. The final step would be adding my signature/watermark before posting the artwork.

What would you say are the most important elements in your work that create your style?

I think the most important elements of my work are the colors and the recurring themes/details (florals, waves, transparent objects). I don’t have strong technical skill so I rely heavily on colors and themes that I know I’m good at drawing. At this point, I know my artworks are lacking in certain aspects (anatomy, perspective, etc) so in a way, I try to cover that up with other aspects. Some people have mentioned that my artworks are calming and relaxing and I think it’s thanks to the colors I choose and my use of florals, waves, etc.

Who are some illustrators that changing the game and inspire you?

Maruti-Bitamin and Sachin Teng. Maruti-Bitamin’s artworks actually got me into drawing florals years ago! Sachin Teng’s artworks really inspired me with how they could draw people and objects incurious, whimsical ways.

Like what you see? You can find more of Meyoco’s illustrations on her instagram and twitter, and check out her merch, available in her online art store.