For Miss Zenith Chan Hoi Yu, 21, yesterday was an important day. It marked the first time she showcased her art at C3 Anime Festival Asia (AFA), Singapore's largest Japanese pop-culture event.
She was one of many artists who set up shop at the AFA to sell their anime-inspired art to festival-goers.
The AFA kicked off on a high note yesterday morning, as anime and cosplay fans flocked to the Suntec convention centre, some to see their favourite cosplayers and others to support budding artists like Miss Chan at the festival's Creators Hub, flooding into the artists' alley to get their hands on original art.
The festival gives Miss Chan the chance to share her art with a wide audience, as it regularly draws over 100,000 visitors over three days.
In preparation for the large turnout, Miss Chan made prints of over 20 of her illustrations, enamel pins and T-shirts, which she intends to sell over the weekend.
"It's my first time setting up a booth to sell my art at AFA and the crowd has been amazing. Since I started drawing in 2016, I've always wanted to share my art with more people, and this will be a great experience for me," she said.
Meanwhile, artist and freelance illustrator Ein Lee, 28, will be showcasing a large collection of colourful new artwork at her booth. Her distinctive art style, which combines Western painting styles and Eastern elements, has earned her a significant fan base of young anime lovers, who flock to her booth to purchase her art. "I love to capture the characters that I love, and now I can call art both my hobby and my profession," she said.
Visitors can purchase merchandise from well-known anime and manga series like Kimetsu No Yaiba (Demon Slayer), My Hero Academia and Attack On Titan.
Gamers can enjoy the AFA Play Zone, a dedicated space for analogue and digital gaming curated for anime lovers. Cosplayers can also show off their costumes at the carnival and meet professional cosplayers such as Enako from Japan and Hikarin from Toronto.
AFA founder Shawn Chin said: "2018 marked our 10th anniversary and we saw a record show of support from fans in Singapore and the region. This year, we have created more new elements... with something different each day."
The event will run until tomorrow on levels three and four of the Suntec convention centre, from 10am to 8pm daily. One-day tickets to the exhibition and stage area are available on-site at $25.
