Gigi Murakami
Copic markers
My name is Gigi Murakami, I’m an award-winning manga artist & illustrator, and content creator at the intersection of horror media, Japanese manga and anime, and alternative and nerd culture. My work overall blends Japanese manga art, vintage grind house poster art, and pulp comic aesthetics, while thematically focusing on the dark, dramatic, fantastical, and often introspective.
Colloquially known as “Queen of Horror Manga,” I have a handful of both traditionally published and self-published works, but am most recognized for my supernatural horror manga, RESENTER, which had a one-shot published with Viz Manga.
I’m currently working as art lead and executive producer with the anime company, NLite, on their sophomore film “WEBE”, operating my membership program, Midnight Cult, online store, Gigimurakami.store, and creating content on my social media.
Some fun, notable achievements:
In 2025, I received the Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Emerging Talent Award, presented by Bone creator Jeff Smith and partner Vijaya Iyer. I’ve also worked with numerous brands for social media campaigns, including VIZ, Kodansha, Wacom and more. Another cool thing was being able to be a judge for the Brooklyn Horror Film Fest and facilitate a giveaway between BHFF and Kodansha for lovers of both horror film and manga, like myself.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Probably Corduroy by Dan Freeman. It was actually quite scary for me as a child, but I loved it so much. I think Are You My Mother? by P.D.Eastman is the same for me as well.
What is your favorite food?
I really love Unagi Don–sweet eel over rice! I’m a sucker for fries as well!
Who or what inspires you the most?
I’m highly inspired by mangaka, such as Naoki Urasawa, Junji Ito, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Satoshi Kon. I find all of these creators to be fantastic. Their work has completely blown me away and has pushed me to create better stories.
Available for School Visits:
I’ve mostly been to Art Colleges. I went to the School of Visual Arts a few times, Parsons and the Queens Library. I’m always available to talk to schools and, especially, libraries–libraries were my sanctuary growing up.
Awards and honors:
SPX Ignatz Award 2024 (Nominee)
Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Emerging Talent 2025
Harvey Awards 2025 (nominee)
ALA Outstanding Graphic Novel for Children Awards 2026 (Honor)
Creative Process:
My process for making manga / comics involves creating a short outline of the story. From that outline, I’ll use a Japanese writing structure called “Ki Sho Ten Ketsu” to organize the main beats of the story and thats about as much as I’ll do for the writing process. I have hyperphantasia (vivid mental imagery), so I want to get to the draw stage as quickly as possible so I don’t lose the scenes (and hype) that I created during the outlining stage.
Everything in this part of the process is done in Clip Studio Paint. Once the writing is done, I’ll create a few sketches of the main characters and get their designs settled before moving onto storyboarding. I create the dialogue, character blocking, panels, and panel composition all at the same time— just trying to transfer what’s in my head onto the storyboards. During this process, the whole comic is thumbnail size, but is large enough to cleanly add dialogue and everything else I need. Once I finish, I’ll screenshot each of the pages onto my large size, manga work file, and just trace over my initial sketches and finalize.
My process for illustration is roughly the same, minus the story outline.
What do you love to do for fun?
I enjoy watching movies, reading manga, gaming (although, I don’t have so much time to game these days), and traveling.
Location:
Brooklyn, NY
Published books:
The Sinister Sisters and Other Terrifying Tales – Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #2 (Abrams, 2024)
RESENTER (VIZ, 2024)
Hello Darkness #16 (Boom Studios, 2025)
RAZORBLADES (Tiny Onion, 2025)
Paroxysm Vol V (Mysto Press, 2025)
Forthcoming books:
Mediums:
I started my career primarily using traditional tools, but now use mostly digital tools, such as Clip Studio Paint with my 24-inch Wacom screen display for making manga and comics. For illustrations, I move between digital, watercolor, or Copic markers to get the job done.
Specialties:
Advertising, Black & white, Book Covers, Character design, Graphic novel interior art, Horror, Illustration, Inking, Manga, Middle Grade, Mystery, Packaging, Penciling, Sci-fi, Writing, Young Adult
Visit Gigi at:
Published Books
Coco Ouwerkerk
Copic markers
Coco Ouwerkerk (1992, known online as Colourbee) is a comic artist/animator, born and raised in Arnhem (Netherlands). Studied two years at ArtEZ Comic Design and three years at HKU 2D animation and obtained her HBO diploma there.
She has published “Small Press” comic books since 2016, including: Colourbee in de Pocket, L.O.C.O, The Meeting, together with two friends the manga Oyasumi. In 2023 there was a successful kickstarter for a small press along with 4 others with 18+ comic shorts called Sticky Pages.
Her debut album, Acception #Losers, was released in December 2017 by Uitgeverij Syndikaat.
This album was nominated for “Youth Album of the Year” in 2018. Since January 2019, Acception has been published together with WEBTOON as a digital comic, which can be read for free in English, French, and Spanish on the WEBTOON app. With more than 900k followers, Acception is Coco’s greatest success yet. You can now read 6 seasons on WEBTOON and there will be more to come. In the Netherlands, Volume 1: #Losers, and Volume 2: #Friendship, are now available as Dutch comic albums. In 2025, volume 1 and 2 will also be released in the USA by Publisher WEBTOON UNCROLLED. Volume 3 and more will appear at a later date in both Dutch and English.
What do you love to do for fun?
Watching anime, reading comics, big fan of Nintendo games and playing TCG like Pokemon/Digimon/Yu-gi-oh.
Making Japanese snacks like onigiri and takoyaki.
Staying in and playing games with my boyfriend or going for a walk in the woods or city together.
Do something with friends. Drawing, watching movies, playing video games.
Who or what inspires you the most, and why?
Animals and nature inspire me a lot. A lot of fashion elements in Acception can be traced back to something animal or nature related. These things inspired my favorite shows like Pokemon, which uses animals as inspiration. Or Bluey, which uses every breed of dog. Or Myths, which uses reptiles to imagine dragons, etc. I love fantasy animals based on what we see around us. It makes you feel more one with nature if you see art inspired by it. It’s something we are all familiar with.
Awards and honors:
Nominated for youth comic of the year 2018 (Netherlands)
Location:
Mediums:
Creative Process:
Art Process for personal comic projects:
I make clear character designs. Colouring moodboard. Design the overall style. Write a finished story with clear genre for the target audience. With a somewhat open middle to be able to change stuff for the better if needed. But the beginning/middle/end is there. I thumbnail the pages. While making the pages I sometimes see better ways to illustrate the story and change small parts for better storytelling. I mostly work digital but for short comics I work with watercolor, copic markers, ink, pencils. When my comic is finished I print it and sell it on markets and online. I’ll make sure to promote my comic before it’s finished.
Art Process for assignments:
I first want to call or in real life meeting with my project partners/client to make a clear plan. I also would like to set up either an app or group discord to contact for quick questions if needed. If the assignment is only for a few illustration or a small project I’ll handle that with emails and calls. I will let the client know the steps I take and ask what steps they want to see from me. I always show sketches and ideas first. Then the finished black and white and lastly the colored version. Every round I want feedback if needed so that there is no confusion in the project. And we don’t have to do changes in the end.
Specialties:
Action-adventure, Advertising, Animals, Black & white, Board books, Book Covers, Branding, Character design, Coloring, Concept art, Drama, Fantasy, Graphic novel interior art, Humor, Illustration, Indie comics, Inking, Manga, Middle Grade, Moving storyboard, Non-fiction, Penciling, Picture books, Romance, Sci-fi, Slice-of-life, Storyboarding, Toy design, Writing, Young Adult
Visit Coco at:
Colourbee.co (still working on the website, nothing to see yet)
Instagram: Colourbee4 https://www.instagram.com/colourbee4/
WEBTOON creator profile: https://www.webtoons.com/p/community/en/u/colourbee
Forthcoming books:
Published books:
Acception Volume 1 & 2 (DUTCH) (Syndikaat, 2017)
Acception Volume 1: Losers (ENGLISH) (Webtoons Unscrolled, 2025)
Acception Volume 2: Friendship (ENGLISH) (Webtoons Unscrolled)
Available for School Visits:
I have visited highschools for presentations about how I got to becoming a Webtoon artist.
I visit my old art school once a year to teach a comic project for a week. And also do presentations on how to start a webcomic.
I have been asked to do some art-related workshops, from coloring for kids to making your own button to model art workshops. Or presentations about my work to comic-related events. Been on 2 different panels, one at Dutch Comic Con and one in Rotterdam Comic Con.
I’m not really open to do them much because I’m really busy with my Webtoon work so sometimes I have to say no. But once every few months is fine. I like to be around people so I try my best to make time.
Published Books
Jonathan St. Amant
Copic markers
My name’s Jon, and I like to draw wizards, monsters, derpy chubs, pinups, and ninjas. By day I’m a middle school art teacher, and by night I’m a dad/graphic novelist. I’m also an amatuer beekeeper and hobby aquarist. I’m inspired by video game RPGs, fantasy movies and novels, science fiction and outer space, manga and anime, my students, and the ills of society.
After receiving my BFA in Drawing and Painting and Art Credential from Long Beach State, I moved away from the fine art world and dove headfirst into the warm and supportive communities of cartoons, comics, and kid lit. I love to consume and create unconventional stories with relatable themes, but my absolute favorite thing is character design. I live in Southern California with my wife (who collaborates with me on stories), my two boys, two cats, a bunch of fish, and bees.
What do you love to do for fun?
I love hiking, surfing, playing video games (especially RPGs), trying different foods, traveling, gardening, taking care of my aquarium, evangelizing about bees, collecting comics and graphic novels, and of course reading them.
What is your favorite book as a child?
One of my favorite books as a child was Richard Scarry’s What do People do All Day? I loved finding all the details in the backgrounds. If you were savvy, you could even find Lowly Worm.
Specialties:
Art Process:
Typically, I like to sketch out an idea in my sketchbook first. For references, I’ll use Google, my own photos, or Pinterest. When I’m happy with my sketch or layout, I’ll take a photo of it and import it into either Procreate or Clip Studio. From there, I’ll ink over the sketch on a seperate layer with my favorite digital brush (for Procreate it’s Maxpack’s MaxU Sable Inker Soft). After that, I add colors and other effects on different layers.
Awards and honors:
Teacher of the Year, 2011
Winner of the KCU logo/mascot contest 2021
Mediums:
Location:
Published books:
Critical Thinking: A Shepherd’s Guide to Tending Sheep, (Kendall Hunt, 2000)
Are You Mad? A Guide for Developmental Writers, (Kendall Hunt, 2001)
What a Trip, (Kendall Hunt, 2005)
Visit Jonathan at:
Available for School Visits:
I visit the same school every day (I teach middle school art), but I am also willing to visit other schools as long as I can use a sick day here and there. I like to do step-by-step draw-alongs.
Misako Rocks!
Copic markers
Misako Rocks! is a Japanese manga artist based in Brooklyn, NY. At age 19, she won a scholarship to come to American as an exchange student. Her first break came when The Onion decided to use her illustrations for their “Savage Love” column.
Since then, she has published seven books in both the United States and Japan, and teaches manga students privately and at several schools throughout New York City.
What do you love to do for fun?
Kickboxing! Everyday!
Why did you leave Japan to America?
When I was a kid, I watched a movie Back to the Future and got a huge crush on Michael J Fox. I wanted to be his girlfriend. That’s the main reason why I moved to America. Hahaha!
Awards and honors:
NYPL Best Teens Book List, 2007
Selected as one of 5 Japanese artists to meet Japanese Prime Minister Abe, 2015
Texas Little Maverick Reading List 2023 – Bounce Back
Texas Little Maverick Reading List 2024 – No Such Thing As Perfect
Specialties:
Action-adventure, Advertising, Animals, Black & white, Board books, Book Covers, Branding, Character design, Coloring, Concept art, Editorial, Fantasy, Graphic novel interior art, Humor, Illustration, Indie comics, Inking, Lettering, Manga, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Packaging, Penciling, Picture books, Sci-fi, Slice-of-life, Spot art, Storyboarding, Typography, Young Adult
Location:
Brooklyn, NY
Mediums:
Copic markers, digital
Art Process:
If I’m working on comic books, I like to start with a finished manuscript first. It’s easier for me to work this way. My thumbnails look like a bunch of eggs are talking. Once I complete the entire thumbnails, then I can move to the “pencil” process. I normally use awesome manga paper from Japan. I start drawing carefully on these papers. Meanwhile, I draw backgrounds like cities or streets separately. Then I move to the “inking” process. I use Japanese calligraphy brush pens and Copic ink pens to trace the pencil lines. Once it’s done, I scan every page to color them with Photoshop. That’s my favorite part!
Available for School Visits:
I’ve been teaching manga at so many schools! I offer a Manga Drawing Workshop for all ages, where I teach students how to create their own manga characters step by step. I also offer a motivational talk aimed at middle and high school student called “How Misako became a manga artist in America!” I use a slideshow with photos of Japan and comic books to talk about why and how I left Japan and became a manga artist in America.
Forthcoming books:
Let’s Color Kawaii Manga (Quarto, TBD)
Published books:
Biker Girl (Hyperion, 2006)
Rock and Roll Love (Hyperion, 2007)
Detective Jermain (Henry Holt, 2009)
How to Find a Gaijin Boyfriend (Discover 21, Japan, 2014)
New York Life Style: How to make your life fun and exciting (Discover 21, Japan, 2015)
How to speak English with Misako’s method (Ascom Publisher, Japan, 2015)
Bounce Back (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2021)
Bounce Back: No Such Thing As Perfect (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2023)
How to Draw Kawaii Manga Characters (Quarto, 2024)
How to Draw Kawaii Manga Fashion (Quarto, 2024)
Bounce Back: Sew Totally Nala, (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, Fall 2025)
How to Draw Kawaii Manga Chibi Big Emotions (Quarto, 2026)
Bounce Back: Double Trouble: Lost in Japan (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, Fall 2026)
How to Draw Kawaii Manga Pets (Quarto, 2026)
Visit Misako at:
Published Books
