"Who I am"
My name in full is Ahmad Rizal Zulkifli. I was born in the year 1983 in the state of Michigan, USA. I'm a male Malay-Malaysian currently residing in the city of Petaling Jaya (near Kuala Lumpur), Selangor, Malaysia.
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I studied Illustration at The One Academy of Communication Design for a couple of years before I had to quit when money ran low, after which I spent a year working as a graphic designer for a small local T-shirt and souvenir printing company. Currently I am a full-time freelancer since around mid-2007 although I have been freelancing part-time for about a year before that and have had some working experience in other sectors not related to the art industry.
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My main forte lies in Digital Illustration. I excel at using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Portalgraphic's openCanvas to create Digital and Vector art. I am also highly adept at doing Photomanipulation works and am quite proficient at illustrating using traditional mediums as well. As a person I have excellent communication skills, am very broadminded and easy to get along with.
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I believe that Communication is a highly important aspect in our lives, and that Art is a strong medium in which we can communicate with each other effectively. I first discovered the joys of Art during primary school from reading the local equivalent of the popular "Mad" magazine. I spent a lot of time during my childhood days drawing comics, over time my interest shifted from traditional comic strips to Japanese Manga once I got into secondary school. Nowadays however, I'm heavily into concept art (especially mecha) and children's illustration. If pressed to say which artist had influenced me the most I'd have to say I draw a lot of inspiration from the works of Hayao Miyazaki. I also have a soft spot in my heart for animation series and films from the late '80s through the early '90s. Now, my style is quite varied, and I intend to continue expanding my horizons and improving my skills - to Communicate through Creativity.
