Waller Exposé

sjade1 | The Jaded Network // Animepaper // Minitokyo
There are very few circumstances under which one would not know of Jay. Her contributions to the walling community have established her as one of the most respected veterans in the field, and she is anything but a lurker. Just recently, she proved her superior skills by outlasting the competition in Minitokyo Knockout 2010 and she is currently co-administrating the 2010 AnimePaper Clash of the Wallers with her good friend flyindreams.

Professionally, Jay is an active designer working in web development and graphic design, for which she casually dubs herself a “spam artist”. The various techniques that she has learned from her work have become her toolbox in her walling. She also manages her own website, aptly named The Jaded Network--formerly known as DragonRain for you old-timers. The site is an amalgamation of her wallpaper archive, personal blog, anime reviews, and even a database of Japanese sound effects. It's hard to miss her great affection for bishounen animes and even harder to not be immediately impressed by the sleek, professional layout and gorgeous wallpaper thumbnails.

Looking through her work, it seems like Jay has dabbled in almost every style. Her gallery showcases brilliant walls from colourful creations enlivened by vivid brushstrokes to softer monochrome pieces exhibiting incredible precision in vectoring, from whimsical illustrations to scenic masterpieces. With such multi-faceted experience, I assumed that she was compelled by boredom towards new styles. But Jay cleverly compares walling styles to ice cream flavors:

Wouldn’t you get tired of chocolate ice cream for dessert every single time? I'd be interested in trying Rocky Road, or Cookies & Cream, or something completely different.
Of course, that doesn't mean chocolate ice cream would never come back into the picture. Time and time again, she is able to explore and reinvent both new and familiar styles.

And so I wondered where she had received the technical know-how and remarkable ability to spot trends that have enabled her to master each style. I was not surprised to learn that Jay had practiced art for most of her life, starting out as most artists do in traditional mediums like acrylics and oils. What did surprise me, however, was that she named her artistically inclined mother as the catalyst for her transition to digital art!

Given her years, Jay has lived through multiple generations of wallers, witnessing and contributing to the ever evolving trends. Yet in spite of her tenure, she cannot imagine what it would be like to stop.

Actually, it's a depressing thought to consider ever stopping… It really just boils down to, why not keep walling?
It is this passion and love for walling that have kept Jay at the top of the walling game, month after month, year after year. For any waller who has considered retiring due to lapses of creativity or loss of confidence, her words are a powerful reminder to keep pushing forward. Truly inspirational, yet incredibly humble in her actions, Jay has unquestionably earned her spot in the walling community.