Heymoonly Dale

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Character Design

Fantasy

Pop

Retro

Playful pop illustrations of Japanese street food

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Ramen lover artwork in 80s-inspired Vaporwave style

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Anime-style woman enjoying ramen, illustrated by Heymoonly Dale

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Art featured in Graphika Manila Art Book

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Cool, mature animé

This color palette glows in the dark.

Step into the twilight world of Heymoonly Dale – AKA Dale Lendl – the Filipino illustrator whose work is fuelled by Neon Pop palettes, anime heroines, Japanese legends and a large order of imagination. Posters, apparel designs, branding and more – Dale is the artist global brands turn to when they need artwork that zings. A self-taught artist, Dale has made himself an expert using digital tools. The same get-up-and-go attitude brings energy to his work and has driven his career. Starting with emo t-shirt designs, today clients trust him with some of the biggest characters in the entertainment industry. He’s even illustrated a Dungeons & Dragons campaign following his own unique approach. One curious fact from Dale’s eclectic universe is that all his images are set at dusk or nighttime, allowing his neon palettes to sing. His influences include the anime series Bleach and Naruto, the kitsune spirits of Japanese mythology, the Edo period and its samurai, as well as films with killer women in them like Kill Bill, Sucker Punch and the Hong Kong movie So Close.

Approach

Bringing together plenty of visual references, Dale begins a project in his imagination. Picturing the imagery in his head, he sketches with pen and paper, or on his tablet, until the ideas flow smoothly, and a composition takes form.

Key software

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, Procreate

Style

Dale characterises his style as a contemporary Pop Art cocktail mixed with retro vaporwave, cyberpunk and a neon Japanese city aesthetic. His palette is big on electric pinks, purples and blues. In addition to a monochrome style, Dale offers three variants which he describes as Cute Anime, Bad Ass Dark and Lofi Calm.

Languages

English, Filipino

Impressions

Interview

Video

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Interview

What led you to become an illustrator?It was accidental soul-searching timing, I would say. I want to be in a creative world and earn money, not to be in a boring desk. I couldn’t find a good graphic T-shirt in our local store, so I decided to play and customize. Everything started from a T-shirt.Did you study illustration in college?Nope. I’m a self-taught artist, no proper training, just me, a Photoshop book and YouTube University! I liked shapes with colours, patterns and people's dynamic poses.Where did you grow up?In my hometown Palawan, Philippines, where you can find all kinds of nature and famous beaches.Do you have a childhood memory relating to art that you hold dear?I love Dragonball Z and I made a big drawing on white card paper of Goku in pencil. It was really good, but my mother thought it was trash. Fast forward, that trash is giving us joy and money!Can you remember when you first saw art used in a commercial context?I was in Singapore for vacation. They have a public library, and there were many books about graphic design and creative objects. I fell in love after that experience.Where do you live now and what drew you there?Batangas, Philippines, far from my childhood home. What drew me here is being close to the main city, Manila. Quiet, near to nature, yet with easy access to the metro city and establishments.Describe your studio for usLots of action figures and toys that remind me of being a kid. Small but comforting and nostalgic. There’s also my guitar I can play without my neighbour getting disturbed because it has acoustic walls. My creative powers are in every corner of this small room.Do you have a studio pet?Yes, our lovely grumpy sleepy cat named Blue. I love him!Who or What is your biggest inspiration?The maker of the anime show Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo, and his son Shohei Otomo’s work are my main inspiration for my artworks. Another is the Pop Art Movement leading figure Roy Lichtenstein. His work is really fascinating, where I connect pop culture and surrealism.If you could collaborate with another artist or creative of any genre, living or dead, who would it be?Probably someone who’s good in 3D and animation. No specific names, but something like this I would love to try to team up and see the magic happen.What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?Driving around and seeing nature spots, discovering new cafes and restaurants. Back at home I would be playing guitar and listening to life's mysteries, audiobooks or documentaries.What's your most prized possession and why?Books that changed my life and way of thinking. I would never exchange the gift of knowledge for anything.What causes are you passionate about?Self-improvement and personal development. I went into deep study about this cause and realized the outward results of our life are a reflection of how we live inside of our minds. If I can help and have my own YT channel to educate, that would be a perfect plan.Do you collect anything?Yes, lamps and nostalgic things from the 90s and Y2K objects.What do you listen to when you work? Top 5 mix genres: A R I Z O N A - melodic synth pop. Monolink - melodic electronic. Tame Impala - electronic. Killswitch Engage - metalcore. Kanye West - all albums.What's your favourite podcast?Theo Von, and people podcasting about ancient mysteries of our past.What is the first record you bought?Eminem LP and Limp Bizkit Significant Other.Who is your art hero?Kuvshinov Ilya, Russian anime artist. Benangbaja, Indonesian illustrator. Jo Ross, Mexican visual artist. They saved my art life.Who is your music hero?So many to mention! Deftones, Tool and Thursday band.What is your favourite book?Robert Greene 48 Laws of Power and Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall.What is your favourite quote?You don’t need to be great to get started, you need to get started in order to be great.What movie can you watch over and over?Maze Runner Trilogy and LOTR Trilogy.What is the last show you binged?Horror sci-fi in the Prime series called FROM. This is the best mystery series so far!What was the last concert you went to?BABYMETAL concert, Japanese metal fusion band. They were amazing!If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?Croatia and Egypt.If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?Fruits. Can’t live without real honey.What was your favourite assignment ever?Probably back when I was still in college. A guy from the school asked me to do graphic design for a school invitation card, and I did it well. It was the birth of my creativity as an artist and my way to say I am probably going to be a professional artist someday.If a client paid you enough money to take a year off and create whatever you want – an open brief - no constraints - what would you create/deliver?A manga anime book with my own original story and characters. This is going to be the bomb!Is there a type of job you haven't done yet, but would love to do?There are many. I would love to and dream about an illustration for a popular band in music, or it could be an album art.Is there a work lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way?Learning everything by myself and not depending on anyone. The hardest part is noticing my mistakes and being good at it. Repeating tasks until I get the results that I want.If you were not an illustrator, what would you be?Singer and guitarist in a heavy rock alternative band for sure!What is the most challenging part of being an illustrator?It's time-consuming. Sometimes everyone is outside and here I am, needing to meet the deadline. It’s a commitment.What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?There will be times that nobody will be there for you when you need them. You have to figure it out by yourself, and if you don’t like your situation now, stop overthinking and change it now.What career advice would you give your younger self?Find what you love to do and figure out how to get there. If you don’t know how, you'll figure it out somehow.