I have been creating art ever since I was a young'un. From making patterns in the sand to making patterns in my food, defacing magazines to defacing expensive silk paintings, I have always felt an urge to create.

Unfortunately, my creating was ranked on a somewhat suckular level until I took it upon myself to buy some manga, and learn how to draw.

Okay, that's not entirely accurate. What really happened was I was obsessed with 'Digimon'. You know, those Digital Monsters from Japan that are like Pokemon, only they can talk? Anyway, I came across a 'Digimon' comic one day in the newsagents, and bought it. I say 'comic' because that's what it was, and even now I am using the term liberally - there was no carefully styled artwork, interesting plotline or even authenticity to the characters. Now that I look back on it, only the sentimental value has prevented me from sending it to its fiery demise.

I looked at the drawings, and even in my childish, innocent state, I thought, "These don't look so hard to draw. Why are they being sold for money?" So, I tentatively copied them, teaching myself to draw, in the hopes that one day I too would draw dodgy pictures and sell them at two dollars a magazine.

Eventually I evolved beyond that, becoming, dare I say, a better artist than the one who I had learnt from. Please note that at this time I was not aware of the existence of manga, thus my role-models when it came to art were somewhat... non-existent.

Then, a few years after I hit high-school, someone in my class (I have no idea who) was passing around a copy of CLAMP's 'Chobits' in a similar manner to primary school boys passing around a 'Playboy'. Which is not all that unfitting a comparision, if you consider the abundant fan-service and nudity within the pages of this seemingly innocent book.

Although a bit put off (read: scared and confused) by the content, I nevertheless went out and bought it, admiring the art. Once again, I was not aware there is more than one manga in the world. From there, constant practice and evolving examples have assisted me in developing a drawing style. While it is still not spectacular, and most likely still incapable of launching one thousand ships, I pride myself in the knowledge that I am improving, and that one day I will be able to draw anything I wish.

That, and that I draw better than the 'Digimon' comic artist.