Colors Gallery, meet Merph_
@Merph_is a self-taught who spawns into the gallery every 100 years to deliver stand-out art full of whimsy, smiles, and charm! Seriously, when looking at their art evokes a feeling of joy whenever I see it! Now it's time for the interview! Let's learn more about @Merph_ !
It's time to learn more about @Merph ! What do you have to share about yourself?
"Hiiya, I’m Merph !! I'm just your random anxious person on the internet..!
Sorry if some sentences are a little weird. English isn't my first language lolol."
untitled by Merph_
Your art would look great on merch like a stickers and post cards! I'm curious how you developed such a unique, stand-out style. How would you break it down? What were your inspirations?
"Thank you so much!! I actually make designs for stickers and stuffs sometimes, it's really fun to do!" :DD
elgato by Merph_
"I've always been a fan of comics and cartoons/anime since I was little. And would often draw my favorite characters, or try to redraw my favorite comic panels! (Not much has changed since then if i look back on it haha)."
Some of my biggest inspirations growing up were (and most still are);
Spiderman, Pokemon, Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Tmnt and Animal Crossing!
yippee by Merph_
How did you discover the Colors Gallery? What's your favorite thing about the community?
"I don't have a very cool origin story ;P But .. A few years ago, I was looking into learning to do digital art. And on a mission to find a software to use.. While doing some digging(there are sooo many art softwares out there lol). I eventually found colorslive for the switch! It looked pretty simple to use, so I decided to try it out. And long story short,, I've been here for a few years now already! I'm so glad I decided to get it, I've learned so much already! Colors isn't a very big community, but there are so many nice and amazing artists here. I love to see everyone's artworks!!"
What other software or mediums do you use? Where does Colors Live fit? Are there any features you want to see in Colors Live personally?
"At the moment ColorsLive is the only software medium I use for digital art. Other softwares have so many options for everything. It's very cool, but kind of overwhelming for me personally, hahah."
"I mostly do digital art at the moment, but once in a while I go and do a bit of traditional art."
"A feature I would like to see in the future.. hmm.. I use colors also to make my (mostly sticker) designs, so an option for a transparent background would be cool, or maybe a stretch and squash tool !!" :D
Such a whimsical gallery you have! What artworks of yours are you most proud of? Which ones would you say that show your progress as an artist the most?
"Hmm.. I don't think I have a drawing I'm actually really proud of..? If i look back on most of them now, i would redo a lot of them to be honest ahah. But I do think I have improved with drawing over time! I'm not as far as I'd like to be, but sometimes I just need to look back, and look at how my drawings have changed over time!"
I think the drawings who show most of my progress at the moment are;
doggie by Merph_
struggled for my life with this pose by Merph_
when therse sumth strange in ur neighbourhood .. by Merph_
Name 3 of your favorite artworks in the gallery! How do they inspire you?
Aah there are soo many amazing artworks, it's very hard to just choose three!But these are some of my favorites! :D
Over The Garden Wall, by @Hailsss
Rahh I just love this drawing, from the little details on the trees and the plants all around the forest, to the lighting, composition and colors !!!
Kibby Kibby Kibby grr, by @Friedrice
This one is actually part of an art trade between me and @/FriedRice! They drew my calico kibby for me and aahhh I love it so much!! I really love the soft colors they used, making her look so soft and even fluffier!! They really caught her silliness very well :DD
Turtles Day Out, @Acchan
"This one is just so cute.. I love the colors and how bright and sunny the painting looks. And just the little Chewtle looking at their reflection in the puddle .." :’)
Who're your favorite artist both on and off Colors?
Off colors;
"They are mostly comic and manga artists! Like Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier), Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun), Chris Bachalo (Marvel & DC Comics), and I've got more! But if i would list them all we will all be here till next week ;P I just love how unique all their styles are. Whenever you see some art they made pop up, you just immediately know who drew it!"
On colors;
" @AlrightyMoose, @Friedrice, @Hailsss, @gorgonzola and @EmizEmpire - I love the way they use colors, and how expressive their art is! They all have super different styles from each other but they're all so unique and amazing!" :D
Your #PetDoodles are so adorable, especially in your style! Are they based off your real pets or are you just an animal lover in general?
"That's so sweet, thanks so much !! And both, haha. Some doodles are based on my own critters, like the fluffy calico kitty and the rats I drew a while back. The others are based on pets I personally know. Like family pets, or sometimes a cat or a dog I made friends with while taking a walk! But just in general I'm a very big animal lover! From the tiniest little ant, to a gigantic whale, I love them all !!" :))
kibb by Merph_
pets!!! by Merph_
What's the key to developing an art style that draws attention? Did developing yours take trial & error or did it come naturally to you?
"Personally my style took lots of trial and error. It took lots of time to get where I am now. And I still think I can improve a whole lot. :) But I think the key to developing a style is to just experiment. Don't be afraid to try out new things!"
"Who cares if it comes out a little silly, usually those are the most fun to make anyway.." ;P
requests #25 - #30??? im losing count by Merph_
untitled by Merph_
If you could ride kid Goku's nimbus cloud where would you go?
"Hmm…. I'm not sure, I would probably just take the nimbus anywhere ahah. Going to the store, school, work .. Never stuck in traffic ever againnn !! Want to get out of a social situation? Call flying nimbus and just, fly away. I mean wouldn't that be amazing!" ;P
(insert a really cool title) by Merph_
What do you do when you feel burnt out or are running out of ideas? What reignites your passion?
"I try to not push myself too much. I used to do that alot because I felt like I wasn't making a fast enough process. And because of that not being able to draw something for months after. but now I try to just let it be for a while. Sometimes listening to music and journaling helps, watching a cool series, or just random doodling without putting too much thought in it!" :))
Is there any top tier advice that you have for people to follow in 2025?
"It's not something related to art but .. let's all be a bit nicer to each other this year! There is so much chaos and stuff going on everywhere right now … I think a little bit of kindness will go a long way. Always, but especially now!" :)
besties by Merph_
New year means new years resolutions! What are your plans for this year and beyond?
"I hope to improve more on art this year. My big mission for now is to try and not overthink every little thing, and just have fun again with drawing!!"
"I'm working right now, but if all goes well I'm probably going back to school in a few months, and I hope to get my license sometime in the near future as well lol."
Is there any moment in your childhood that you would revisit if you could? Would you change anything?
"Hmm.. If I had to choose one moment. I would like to go back for a little while to the time when we were little, and me, my little sister and cousins were playing outside looking for all kinds of tiny critters.. Like snails, tadpoles, caterpillars .. Not very spectacular, hahah. But back then it felt like a whole adventure, because you never knew what you could find! We really found the weirdest creatures sometimes!"
nate and his bug friends by Merph_
That wraps up our interview with @Merph_ ! The Colors Team would like to thank you for your time! Check out their gallery to see more @Merph_!
Check out all of our previous interviews here:
For those who may need a reminder
The Artist of the week will be posted every Friday so be sure to tune in! Prior to that, the artist may be contacted via email or other means at least a week or more in advance so be sure to check your emails( and spam) so you don't miss out on a chance to be featured. If you don't reply within 48 hours another artist may be chosen to be featured for that week instead and you will be in a future artist of the week update.
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Stay creative!
Zyik & The Colors Team
