It's mini because I don't believe I'm popular enough for these q's to be asked quite as frequently as some.

But! Asked by people both online and offline:

Do you take Requests/Trades/Purple Monkeys?
IT DEPENDS!

If in doubt, you can always refer to my Art Status (which is always linked from the bottom of my journals and updated pretty frequently)

Though with that said, I will always accept purple monkeys.

How do you draw like that?/Do you do art at school?
This one is obviously asked by people I know off the 'net and have not seen the many wonders DeviantArt has to offer

I say I'm 'self taught', but it's a bit of a lie. I've done very basic art classes in year seven and year nine in high school, and I did a stint in the art club there through years 7-9 (this covers the periods of 2001-2003). So that was me drawing for a hobby, and it was only sometime in 2006 when it became a serious hobby (like the casual card collector can suddenly become a very serious one). You can note that because that's the year I went out to actually get a graphics tablet.

Throughout all that time I went out and about finding various tutorials on the internet. I used to be a HUGE anime fan (I'm still a fan, just not quite as hugely anymore) and so most of the tutorials I went off were off that. I seem to recall buying one or two "How to draw manga books" back in 2004 (around the time I started up this DA account with some truly horrible artwork... It's still up there if you go back. You are spared from even earlier works). When I started to get serious, I learnt that sticking religiously to the anime style wasn't really getting me anywhere. I started to be more discerning about tutorials on the web (which ones were actually giving a final product of any value) and went out and got myself some books on real anatomy and a very brilliant, big book on art 'basics' and a bit beyond (The Complete Book of Drawing by Barrington Barber, I think it's wonderful). But basically I learnt that if I can't afford to go to art school for something that is just a hobby, I should learn from as many different sources as possible.

Other than that... Lots and lots and lots of practice. I'm getting more and more lately from drawing in my notebooks on the train to and from uni, lots of sketches of chairs, bars, security cameras on the carriage roofs and various people I see commuting

So, about your website(s), they're kind of crap. Why is this?
They need to be updated. A lot. Desperately. They are so behind on my current skill level it's not funny.

I will find the time to do them up soon I hope

Why haven't you updated C.A.R.D. or Film Noir with new chapters?
Time is money and that time is often very short. Film Noir is actually half written, it needs to be typed up and edited to make sure it goes together, I also am wanting to make some minor edits to the chapters already up. C.A.R.D. is barely anywhere, half because of the time factor and half because I am disenchanted with the way it was coming out... I am still in love with the story and the characters, but the chapters will once again need to be re written before I feel I can continue on with it in good conscience.

So you like Sailor Moon?
Yes. Yes I do.

How many of the artworks in the gallery are done for yourself?
Not as many as there should be probably. I really like doing request art for others and in between that, I tend to neglect the things I have done for myself. I will work on changing this mindset in the future.

Why are you so slow with your artworks?
I don't know D: I am working on this also. I suspect a lot of it is rampant procrastination.

Do you listen to music when you do your art?
YES.

I usually have my media player on shuffle, but lately I've found Radiohead's newest album (In Rainbows) to be fantastically inspiring background music for drawing to. Their album "Hail to the Thief" is also good for doing artwork.

So your favourite band is Radiohead?
No.

What artists inspire you?
A lot of artists who I aspire to but don't think I'll ever reach their ability can be found right here on DA. Here are a few popular DA artists, who, despite being popular (because apparently being popular here automatically invalidates your work oO) are fantastic in my eyes:





...Plus quite a lot more.

Also some horribly and wrongly underexposed persons (a lot I couldn't include because it would be most of my friends on here, sorry D: Another time my darlings):





Note that not all of them are 'drawing' people. I get my inspiration from different medias

Looking at 'famous' artists, my knowledge extends mainly to "The Masters". In particular I'm especially a fan of Escher, but I also admire Dali, Mucha, Van Gough, Degas, Da Vinci...
I also support cartoon movements too. Tex Avery, Tezuka, Tom Ruegger, Hayao Miyazaki, Moebius... Countless others for both cartoonists and more classical artists.

A lot of my drive comes from directors and photographers though, but there are far too many that I would want to mention to even begin.

You say you're not an art student, but you seem to know a lot that doesn't seem to really come from any tutorials?...
When I look at an artwork and then talk about it, my first thoughts are not going to be of expression, perspective or even style. Sure I'll come to them eventually, but I automatically look at things in this order: Composition, lines, colours and then lighting.

This is because I'm a complete and utter media (largely film and television) nerd. I'm currently majoring in it at uni. So when I look at an artwork I tend to see it first as a frame of a movie XD

Where does the writing know how come from?
I'm also a literature/drama/communications nerd. I'm minoring in drama and communications and will probably take up more lit electives then I have taken already. I've done writing workshops and the like all through my life. I feel much more accomplished with my writing than my artwork despite not having entered it anywhere except school to accomplish anything (though all of my good writing that I've submitted at school have all received awesome marks)

Did you notice, in this artwork/story you did, you messed up here?
Probably. But also possibly not. PLEASE OH PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CRITIQUE ME!!!!

I am a person who is very accepting of their flaws and tries to learn and grow from them. I literally cannot get better without hearing what I need to work on from people who are not me.

What would you call your style
"Total amateur style". Really, I'm a developing artist and I don't have a style to myself yet.

I'm more than willing to make whole hearted attempts at other artists' styles though. It's good practice so long as I don't continue to copy them forever. CHALLENGE ME!


That's all for now!

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Kiribaaaaan: 10 000
Art Status: [link]