Artist Spotlight: A_sh_sea

Meet Anastasia! Known as ‘A_sh_sea,’ she is a 19-year-old artist and fandom member from Russia.

Describe yourself in three words.

Emotional. Shy. Trying-to-always-stay-optimistic.

How long have you been drawing?

I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. I have been using a graphic tablet for nearly two years now, and I decided that I want to make drawing my life’s work in the middle of my senior year.

What kind of medium or equipment do you use?

I use a tablet, Wacom Intuos Pen Small. I use Paint Tool Sai and Photoshop (although rarely, and mainly for animation). I also use pencils, liners, and watercolor.

How did you get involved in the Shadowhunters fandom?

I saw a poster for the show before it came out. Then, when the show was released, I watched a few episodes and didn’t quite like it. I had no idea about the world and the story, so it wasn’t really interesting for me. But then I decided to keep watching and watched Episode 6 and then Shadowhunters took over my life.

Who is your favorite character to draw and why?

Magnus Bane! I fell in love with his character, and I think he’s probably most fanartists’ favorite character to draw. Every time I learn something new about Magnus, it makes me love him even more, and he is so real – he has doubts and fears, weaknesses and disadvantages. Also, he’s played by the amazing Harry Shum Jr.! Harry is actually one of the reasons I draw so many things for this fandom. I had drawn several pieces of fanart and started posting them on Instagram, but I didn’t tag the cast because I didn’t want to bother them and I was too shy. But my friend convinced me to tag Harry on my watercolor fanart (based on the Season 1 poster) and he liked it! I know maybe it sounds silly, but for me it meant the world and it inspired me so much. Early this year, I also sent it to him and he actually showed it on his live chat. I love all the characters on the show (especially in the latest season), but Magnus is still my favorite.

What ships do you ship, and why you love them so much?

Malec, Melizzy, and Saia. Malec because…you know, it’s Malec. I adore that we’ve seen the development of their relationship from the very beginning. Their hesitation, their first kiss, first time, first fight, first ‘I love you.’ They really made me believe in true love. They are fighting for their love and it’s so encouraging. I ship Melizzy because I love both characters and I love how they look together. It would be great to learn something new about them (in a flashback or something). And I ship Saia just because they are so cute, and pure, and shy.

What has been your favorite episode of Shadowhunters and why?

I was having trouble deciding on my favorite episode, but then I watched 2×18 and it’s definitely number one for me. Yes, we had a lot of Malec, but what was very important was we also had more development of Saia, Maia’s backstory, we learned more about Luke, and Sebastian was finally exposed! Every minute of the episode was exciting and inspiring, and now I have dozens of ideas to draw. I also really liked 1×01, because it was where it all began. I like to rewatch it from time to time and to try and remember my feelings from back before I knew anything about this world and characters.

What has been the best part of your fandom experience so far?

Making friends, of course! I’ve met so many cool and inspiring people. It’s so fun to share your emotions about new episodes and events, and to make plans to meet each other in real life. Also, being noticed by the cast is really great. It has also helped me learn English. I have became more confident in communicating and talking with people, but obviously, I still have room for improvement. This fandom is great and I’m really happy to be a part of it!