Who am I?
I'm Di Xiao. Though instead of that name, I'd actually prefer you call me 鸟兽木火 niaoshou muhuo.
I work as a concept artist / illustrator, mainly in the anime/ACG style. I'm also really into game development.
I'm currently a senior at Parsons School of Design.
I'm old-school when it comes to technique. Even after everything I've been through — I used to be a lot more rigid about this than I am now — I still believe a good piece has to start by looking good, by having technical mastery that goes beyond the basics. Whether that's solid anatomy, command of perspective, refined rendering, or simply a strong eye, the ability to arrange even simple elements well. That's the standard I hold myself to, because I don't respect work that's all concept and no craft. To me, that's not art, it's just a social gesture.
What does my dream life as an artist look like?&What do I want to make work about?
I want to become an art director on a game — and not just any small game, but one that becomes a global phenomenon. I want to work alongside other artists, build out a world together, and create something that truly blows up, so that when I go home to rest, I can open social media and see my game's fandom, maybe even play the game myself and watch the characters I designed come to life on screen.
And once I've done that, I want to start my own studio and make an indie game — something built for kids, in the spirit of the worlds Miyazaki created, but as a game. I want kids playing it to walk away with some faint, lingering impression, the kind that stays with you without you quite knowing why; and maybe some of them will grow up to make games too, become artists too, go on to create beautiful things of their own. And maybe they'll say they were influenced by 鸟兽木火 — except by then, 鸟兽木火 will have already passed away, in 2092.