Bess’ recent bliss comes from returning to an old favorite activity– creating anime-inspired art. Specifically… magical girls!

She’s been busy creating self-portraits as a “magical girl” with all kinds of “strange components,” like halos and wings. She’s “grateful” no one is saying she will “never get anime art published because ‘it’s not art – you’ll never make money off of it!'” (She’s heard that a time, or two. Bess would like to point out that people who said this were wrong.)

Her current work-in-progress is an “anime-cyborg girl who you wouldn’t want to mess with during the zombie apocalypse.” At home, she is working on a written fan fiction that features this character.

Despite the larger commercial success of “magical girls” in Japan, Bess brings her enthusiasm for her material to us in the U.S., and adds her own spin. Her magical girls are not just magical, they are also “creepy, horrifying girls!”

Outside of Make Studio lately, Bess is on cloud nine when going to the movies and visiting the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore with her boyfriend.

Make Studio artists are counting down each day until our ninth anniversary celebration by sharing something that puts them on cloud nine. To help us celebrate, join them here on the blog all month through February 22nd, and in-person on February 23rd at Cloud 9!