Who is Meleeyn?

Over the years, 19-year-old Dutch artist Meleeyn, whose real name is Melanie, has immersed herself in various forms of art. Never content with sticking to one thing, her ambition ignited a passion for exploring all avenues of creative expression. The skills she has developed over the past few years have empowered Melanie to independently combine illustration, photography, videography, storytelling and music. She believes in breaking down boundaries in creation and sees self-belief as the key to mastering any pursuit.

My art discovery journey.

I grew up completely immersed in art. My mom conducted art classes for kids at home, and I was fortunate to be a part of them. We painted, decorated items with a.o.t. mosaic and explored various other artistic endeavors. Additionally, I frequently participated in creative events at my grandparents’ place after school. My grandma often brought crafting sets for my sister and me to keep us entertained for the next few hours. I gained a lot of knowledge from all these experiences, but I was eager to learn and explore more on my own. My primary goal was clear: to immerse myself in creativity 24/7. This took precedence over spending time with my kindergarten friends, even though my circle of friends was not extensive. The lack of many friends never bothered me because art brought me just as much joy and fulfillment.

Over the years, I have accumulated experience in various subcategories within the realm of art. I didn’t want to confine myself to one thing; I craved more and more. What if I pursued one path, only to grow tired of it after a few years in the business? I desired a backup plan, just in case, but eventually, it turned into a passion. I simply adore everything about art. Now that I’m still young, I want to dedicate every moment to expanding my knowledge in the arts. Primarily, my focus has been on drawing, writing, and crafts, but I never truly delved into comics. I wasn’t particularly drawn to them, mostly due to my lack of awareness of their existence. I did have a subscription to Donald Duck, but I never paid much attention to it. My dad was the only one who avidly read them, and he doesn’t even like reading, haha.

From… &… To making a comic book.

If we’re going back to the years I discovered the enjoyment of writing stories, this was when I was about 6 years old. My first story I ever wrote was conducted after grabbing a pile of colored crafting paper and… stickers. I don’t remember how and why I decided to write a story about candy store theft, but well, it had to be about something. I used stickers and sticky characters to draw the illustrations. Eventually, I rewrote this story later when I was 8 years old on the computer. I still have this story laying at home, and I’m glad I never threw this away. This was the beginning of a new adventure. I wrote a few other stories, but never really finished them. I put this down for quite a few years to focus on building a road in the direction of illustration. I started to draw portraits on A4, starting in 2016, of my favorite musicians. Listening to music opened a library for me to find inspiration in their books to stamp a vision on paper. Music kept my number one inspiration starting from that moment. It actually makes me laugh how I once said, “What is the point of music?” when I was a little kid. Little did I know this would be my biggest influence in my artwork.

Once I committed to taking on the challenge of creating a comic, I had to promise myself that I would see the project through to the end. If I pinpoint my progress on the map, I can confess that about half of its content remains unfinished. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I reckon every artist faces this issue. At times, motivation wanes, and occasionally, I’m simply fatigued with completing a particular project. “This project is a different case,” I reasoned. This excuse is often employed but seldom fulfilled. I suppose I was speaking the truth this time.

Sometimes things are not planned to ever come,
but decide to appear at the right time.

I embarked on my first year as a Media Designer with immense enthusiasm, eager to experiment with my new drawing tablet and software. When ‘Past Lives’ was finally released, I seized the opportunity to hone my digital art skills using L.S. Dunes’ references and their aesthetics. As I envisioned scenes in my mind, I spontaneously crafted a page for ‘2022.’ Although devoid of a concrete story or a predetermined direction at that moment, deep within my soul, I knew I was finally pursuing something I had longed to tick off my bucket list – a comic.