Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey (Kakukaku Shikajika) Vol. 1

Praise for Blank Canvas This series is a true boon to any teenage artist, as it both humanizes the Higashimura of today by showing her less flattering teenage qualities, as well as delivers a reality check that behind every prolific creator is a great deal of unseen work... Readers are accustomed to the wacky slapstick of Princess Jellyfish and Tokyo Tarareba Girls, which also blend serious storylines of self-discovery and exploration throughout their narratives. Blank Canvas, though non-fiction, is no exception to this expert balance of pathos and grounding humor. --The Beat, Best Comics of 2019 ...a fun and personal chronicle of a girl's coming of age and rise to prominence in the manga industry. It's extremely entertaining and has just enough intelligence and self-reflection to resonate as a lived experience. It's just really, really good. --Anime News Network I really like how she frames her career beginnings not from her start as a rookie manga artist, but from her perspective as an amateur high schooler trying to brush up on her art skills... This down-to-earth approach makes her story much more relatable. --Manga.Tokyo Praise for Princess Jellyfish One of the best anime and manga for beginners. Enthusiasm - geeky and otherwise - is power in Princess Jellyfish. Enthusiasm saves the day and paves the road to the future.--Kotaku Princess Jellyfish's ambition is simple: to tell a delightful story in a delightful way... It's a pretty deadly one-two punch.--Anime News Network Loaded with heart, soul, humor and insight.--About.com

Akiko Higashimura is the Eisner-winning mangaka of Princess Jellyfish, Tokyo Tarareba Girls, and Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artists Journey (known as Kakukaku Shikajika in Japanese), all of which are available in English.