FAQ
For the first part of my life I was. I took a few painting classes for fun as a kid, but as far as serious art study, I didn't take my first art class until spring of 2010, when I was 21. After that, my study with my art teachers and having an academic setting taught me a lot of discipline and work ethic.
Do you use a tablet? What kind?
Yep! I use a Wacom Bamboo Fun, the smallest model available. I got my start on tablets at age 16 with a Graphire and continued to use Graphires until they were no longer available.
What programs do you use?
I used to use a wide range, like Flash, Painter, OpenCanvas, etc. Now I mainly stick to Photoshop and Paint Tool SAI for painting, and MangaStudio Ex 4 for inking and comic drawing.
What do you use for traditional art?
LOTS of products, but mainly Sakura Microns (usually the smallest size), Sharpie Pens, India Ink, Speedball/Deleter Nibs, Copic markers, Prismacolor pencil and a set of Prismacolor markers given to me by a dear friend. Pencil-wise, usually mechanical HB, sometimes a 4B or 6B drawing pencil. Despite all this, I'm a pretty cheap artist. I've done a lot of stuff in dollar store ball point pen and computer paper.
What's your favorite and least favorite thing to draw?
My favorite thing to draw is people. I don't know why but, to me, what could be more interesting? There's something about faces that fascinates me and bodies challenge me. Humans are so difficult/beautiful. Even flaws or "ugly" people are beautiful to me because of their intricacy.
My least favorite thing to draw is the insides of rooms, or interior settings. Which seems completely random, but if you ever try drawing a room it's a nightmare. Perspective confuses me on the best of days, and add in tiny details and it's the worst.
What do you have trouble with the most?
To be very honest, the thing I have the most trouble with is anatomy. I didn't start studying anatomy until I was about 19; I thought, "Oh, you just draw a lot and it gets better" and I'm spending all this time making up for a lot of inherent mistakes. At least the older I get, the more I can see the mistakes to correct them.
So, my favorite thing to draw is people and the hardest thing to draw for me is ... people.
Why don't you watermark your images?
In the last year, I've had three computer losses. I've had to start over from scratch three times. And my back-ups even failed me. So sometimes the only source to find my art is from the small images I have on my site. I don't put watermarks on generally because for most of them? It's the only copy I have left. Sad, yes, but true.
What's your best tip for drawing?
Everyone will tell you this and it's true: practice, practice, practice. Draw from real life when you can. If you don't think you can draw it satisfactorily, find a refernce. And challenge yourself constantly! That's my favorite way of getting out of my very routine artblock. And remember: art is not about being perfect. Just have fun.
Do you do art trades/requests/commissions?
No on the first two, yes on the third, but sporadically. I'm still trying, as of October 2010, to restart my backlog of commissions that were destroyed by my most recent computer loss.
