About

Stats!

Name: Meaghan Beninati
Pen Name: Ajahli
Birthdate: 09.16.86
Education: Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Degree: BFA [Comic Art]
Species: Kitsune/Wolf thing

Yes ♥ : blogging, steampunk, caffeine, pasta, Gurren Lagann, EGL, doggies, comics, Twitter
No x : Twilight

Music: Gorillaz, Johnny Hollow, Rasputina, Chouchou, Aya Hirano, Vocaloid, Soundtracks, Ken Andrews
Comics: Tank Girl, Skydoll, Solanin, Loveless, Yen Plus monthly!
Books: Tamora Pierce, Harry Potter, Coraline, Night Angel Trilogy, GLB

Commission Status: OPEN!!

Ghosts with latte’s, clockwork cats, owls in top hats, goldfish on balloon strings, winged girls on mopeds, wolves in space helmets, kitsune’s in lolita dresses–these are just a few things to describe the entourage surrounding me and my upside down imagination. I was born into a family of artists and storytellers and spent most of my childhood running around in forests playing with my imaginary dinosaur friends.

While I would love to spend time telling stories about my life, I find it more appropriate to do so with my stories, within the many complex interwoven elements and vast casts of characters I put my heart and soul into. One thing I have been marked for is my passion and dedication to my projects and my love for the characters I create. I am known for being passionate about what I believe in, and having strong ties to my roots and family heritage. I draw from a lot of my personal experiences and interests and do my very best to tie it into the things I do. It is my dream to create work that readers can relate to, to share my world with those in need of one to escape to, and to charm readers and viewers with my cast of characters and also: to make people laugh. I wish to leave a mark upon the world, but not without hard work and passion above all things.

While my art-style is primarily manga based, I am heavily influenced by writers such as Tamora Pierce, C.S. Lewis, J.R. Tolkein, Brent Weeks, Neil Gaiman, JK Rowling, and Diana Wynne Jones. My main artistic influences are Hayao Miyazaki, Jamie Hewlett, Alessandro Barbucci, Hiromu Arakawa, Maki Murakami, Yun Kouga, Yoshitoshi ABe, Vincent Marcone, Walt Disney, Koji Morimoto, and Akira Toryama. I also tend to be influenced by various internet artists, mentors, friends, family, experiences and, of course, music.

My current projects are my webcomic, Grim Reaper School, which has gained a wholesome following in the past two years, Half Blood my fantasy novel series in progress, and Digital Picnic, a group of artists who draw and doodle from weekly themes. I have also just recently started a journal comic entitled Dear Maggie, which you can find on my blog or on Society6.

[Ookami Bot] is a name I am using to brand my work, as a studio, if you will. Because of my love for the lore and the culture, Ookami is the Japanese word for wolf (an important animal in my family), while Bot identifies my subtle love for robots and cute technology.  I just wanted something cute sounding and trendy ♥ Mostly it’s just an excuse to draw Tad in a space helmet ♥

I currently reside in Tennessee with my family, 3 dogs, and a hamster.

Resume

Education:

• Minneapolis College of Art and Design 2004-2008
  • Minneapoils, Minnesota
  • BFA: Comic Art

Work:

General Work:

• Randall Photography 2003-2008
  • Seasonal/Traveling
  • General setup, customer service and office duties

• Children’s Theatre Company 2006-2008
  • Customer Service, data entry, office duties
  • Ticket Office Reservationist
  • Seating reservations and money transactions

Internships:

• Whistling Shade Literary Magazine 2007
  • Short story editor
  • Written Review for the I-Tetrology published in the Winter 2007 issue

• Vincent Stall 2007
  • Studio Assistant
  • Art prep, scanning, and page editing

Published/Commissioned Work:

• Little Stinkers 2006 | Martin Beninati
  • Logo Design
• Whistling Shade 2007
  • I-Tetrology review published in winter issue
• Pene’s Frame’s 2008-2009 | Pene Harbuck
  • Greeting card designs
• Jerry Bonner 2008
  • Character designs for Elvenkind
• Lindeman Pictures 2008-2009
  • Art used for the set of Nobody
• Sogencon 2009
  • Map and Mascot design (unused)
• BURST! Anthology
  • Grim Reaper School Issues #1 and #2!
    

Other

• Gryphon Webzine 2007-2008 (discontinued/hiatus)
  • • Creator and Blogger
    • Editor and Reviews

Skills:

• Technical Skills: Photoshop 5, 7 and Elements 6; Microsoft Word 2000 and 2007, Microsoft Works, Patron’s Edge
• Artistic Skills: Character Design, Sequential Art, Photoshop, Markers, Watercolor, India Ink, Collage

(References Available Upon Request)