Manga-ka Sho Murase, Audra Furuichi & Scott Yoshinaga Showcased on ANN

From Anime News Network: This month, Anime News Network's Gallery spotlights two favorite artists and friends: Sho Murase (ME2 from TokyoPop and Nancy Drew Mysteries from PaperCutz) and Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga (Nemu-Nemu).

In Murase's Gallery spotlight and interview, the San Francisco based artist, illustrator and animator talks about the manga artists and fine artists who have inspired her, and the difference between comics audiences in Europe and America. She also offers her advice to aspiring artists:

"If you have the chance, don't be scared about getting published - just keep trying and don't let people influence you too much. Do what feels right for you."

Meanwhile, in Furuichi and Yoshinaga's profile, the two webcomic co-creators talk about their Hawaii roots and the online success of their thrice-weekly strip, Nemu-Nemu. Nemu-Nemu features the adventures of two rambunctious stuffed pups and their bestest friends, the two girls who own them. In their interview, Furuichi explains why her characters generally don't have noses:

"Also, one of my "trademarks" is the nose-less-ness of my characters. It was something I had a lot of trouble inking properly.. so I left them out completely - thinking they looked cuter that way. ^_^; Somehow even our pups lost their noses in the first year of our strip!"

The Gallery, which has been a part of ANN since August 2008, spotlights established and up and coming artists. Writer Evan Miller profiles each artist, shows a sampling of their work and includes a short Q&A session at the end. Artists interested in showcasing their work in The Gallery should contact Miller at evan@animenewsnetwork.com with two links to their artwork, including one original piece.

Image credit: © Sho Murase, © Audra Furuichi, Scott Yoshinaga