Okay decided to complete this Art question meme i found some time ago so… onward

What is the character you’ve drawn the most (Can be original or fanart)?

Original wise I think its Raya Stockhelm as I attempted to do a challenge to draw just her for a month. There are about 40 sketches of her in one sketchbook…

As for existing characters..hmm maybe Sakura Haruno from Naruto?

What colour do you often use?
I’m a total colourphile though I would say brown. Usually warm colours despite my favourite colour being blue…

Any colour you are bad at using?
I tend to avoid using black. I blame the time I was studying the Impressionists, they really influenced my view on colour.

When drawing people, where do you start?
Usually I start with the shape of the face and then either the eyes or the neck and shoulders.

What is a character only your eraser will love?
There are many characters I can never capture right and the eraser is my only friend.

Which of your works took the longest time?
Oh gosh, I still have ongoing pieces that have been around since three years ago. I keep on adjusting them every time I see them.

What techniques do you use when you want to improve in drawing?

Practice and study Reference material. Draw the subject, technique or item again and again until ( I cannot draw any more!) satisfied(ish).Also analyse other artists work that are related to where I want to improve.

What do you think of the art of the person who gave you this picture meme?
I stole this from somewhere from the mists of time…

What art tools/media are you good with?
Good? Hmm… my preference is Painting with Photoshop/Opencanvas due to easy reversing of mistakes but I love using watercolours and inks.

Art tools/media you are bad at?
Still need work on everything especially Photoshop, oil paints and basic pencil drawings due to my messy linework and short attention span.

What do you think about your own art?
Its okay, still needs lots of practice. I have to work on my editing sense and get more reference material.

Do you consult magazines for your drawings?
I consult them for inspiration or I am looking for reference for a particular thing.

What do you like about your art?
It is evolving and is in constant flux. Its a good and a bad thing.

What habits do you have while drawing?
Drawing on the computer with internet is distracting.

I usually draw with music on as it helps my imagination and sets an atmosphere. My desk gets very messy and crowded.

I day-dream a lot while in mid- drawing too.

Are you good at drawing faces facing right?
As good as drawing faces from the left. Okay I guess.

How frequently do you draw?
I try to draw everyday even before I go to bed but it depends my mood, motivation and time.

What do you do when you have artist’s block?
Depends. I sometimes look at other peoples work, read, play games or go for a walk.

I sometimes draw random things or work on something else. Talking with the family and friends seems to help too.

What must you have when you draw?
An idea, inspiration and something to draw with (heh).

Do you have a lot of stray lines (messy lineart)?
Oh Lordy, my drawings are nothing but this. My constant struggle with making clean lineart is brutal. In that I have accepted sparky clean lineart is not my way of the highway.

Excuse me Self what is this?

What is drawing to you?
To me it is Creative expression. My ultimate way of communicating. Also some sort of therapy to work out frustrations and emotions that I find difficult. It is a form of entertainment too.

Your goal from now on.
It is Constantly building up my portifilio of work and constant improving and practising.

Artists you’ve had influence from?
A lot of Manga artists like Yukito Kishiro (Battle Angel Alita) and Kubo Tite (Bleach) and Video Game artists such as Kimihiko Fujisaka (Drakengard) have influenced me lot.

Impressionist movement has a heavy impacted on me (the whole avoidance of black) as well as the organic stylings of Art Nouveau.

Of course the man who started it all for me James Mayhew.

Artists you like?
Way to many. From Photographers to Illustrators to Graffiti artists. So Many.

Which is easier to draw, humans or animals?
None of them. Still Life objects such as Teacups FTW!

It is weird that when I was younger I drew lots of animals and now I mostly I sketch human beings. :/

Please tell us the title(s) of your own comic(s)
Unfortunately I’m too scatterbrained to complete a comic. But I have ideas, story lines and characters I would love to put into comic form.

Show us an old picture

Okay this is the oldest picture I have on my computer. Dated 2002:

For fanart this monstrosity:

What is the charm-point of your art?
It has character?

What is the first thing you would draw if we’re talking about fantasy?
A talking cat that does magic . Naturally.

Please draw your most beloved character.

Beloved?
Well if it is a existing character I totally love Lucy from Fairy Tail.

As for my own, Rafe is always a joy to draw.

When thinking of characters is it mostly female? male? or androgynous/no sex?
I draw female characters with more confidence.

What did you draw yesterday?
A Freaky Tower structure thing. (Want to see?)

What is the funnest part to draw?
Expressions.

What part of other people’s drawings do you notice first?
Hmm. Well, when I see thumbnails of images in a gallery I tend to pick the image that seem to have an interesting or clever composition or visual layout. Then I look at the details and colours.

Regarding backgrounds, what is your method of making it easier to draw?
I have to think if it needs and background or not. I have to work on the background while I work on the foreground it in order for it to fit together. If do not I have angst issues.

What colour coordinations do you like?
I have a fondness for R:66 G:6 B:31. Ha

What character did you last draw?

Character designs for Aquarius and Capricorn. So time consuming but a relief.

Does your style change easily?
Depends. I have seen my drawing style changing when I am interested in one particular style  from my  past sketch books. I’m not sure it totally changes.

What part of drawing do you pay most attention to?
Mostly the face, pose and colours.

How do you feel about drawing H pictures?
I’m such a prude. I get nervous even trying to think about drawing it. But an artist must do what a artist must do…

Do you like criticism from others?
I like good well informed constructive criticism as feedback helps one to grow and improve. I like help suggestions and a different viewpoints too. It’s nice to discuss such things with other people.

How many people do you normally draw per artwork?
Hehe. Usually one or two but I actually like drawing groups of characters.

Thank you and congratulations for reading this and I hope I wasn’t too long winded and boring.

A Thought about Fanart.

Some random thought occurred today:

Although doesn’t totally surprise me (it mostly intrigues me), but after looking at my mainly fanarts account on deviantArt it just hit recently hit 1000 views within 11 months of its creation, which is a-okay. Now on my deviantArt account for my own original pieces has around 500 more but after 4 years of existence.
I am Not angsting about “wah less page views” no, it is about that no wonder artists on deviantArt put more time and effort on fanart on existing characters then original pieces of work.
It in a way brings people in.
People will probably go to deviantArt to find some images related to a existing book, game or TV they are interested in. It in a way narrows down the search of the thousands of art pieces found on the site, cuts down the vast overwhelming barrage of images.

Speaking from my own notions is that one sometimes creates and looks for fanart because there is already a understanding of the concept and characters associated the images. There is no need explanation and who is who and what where for the audience that knows the source of where the fanart stems from.
For example if I search or create images for the character Lucy from the manga series Fairy Tail, I already know what her character design is like, I know she is a “Steller Spirit Mage” and know certain parts of her characteristics and personality. I will be able to identify and associate scenarios and styles related to her and even discuss it with others.
It is a little more easier for an artist to play around with and maybe easier to discuss certain things with a knowledgeable public.

Sometimes an artist can use fanart art as a hook for the viewer to see more of there work and their style so that they notice their original work.In that way it is like some type of advertisement. If a viewer after finding a fanart and decides they like the art style or concepts found in the piece it may make want to find other images by the same artist.
They may even relate to the artist more as they may find the artist likes the same interests.

In a way this fanart notion maybe why I created two accounts to see this truth in action. One major prompt for me was that I noticed I had more views and favourites on a scrap sketch on a game characters done in maybe 10 minutes then on a serious large Oil painting done in 10 hours (Maybe the painting was terrible? Maybe I should make more 10 minute sketches?). It in a way hurts the ego a little, questions the artist’s worth.
In one way I did not want to be defined by my fanart and make maybe my own work stand on its own.(Additionally I found that my fanart pieces had a total different head space and seemed sometimes very disjointed next to my original images like it had a total different personality).

Furthermore I do understand sometimes fanart is just a sign of appreciation to the author and a gift to fans and indicator of ones enjoyment of the source material. My fanart purpose is about that too, but I do see there are additional uses for it and it is all part of human culture.

Fanart of Yuna from Final Fantasy X/X-2

Art Style Problems

Like many individuals practising creative forms, your work and your creativity can be in flux. Your style of work can be unsettled, undecided and maybe undefined. This may be a reflection of your current state as a person or your current environment.

For a while I understand this and currently experiencing such matters.

My art work may be my only release.

Maybe one hopes that if  one can be satisfied and  figure a way to express ideas and concepts in a suitable way that this would benefit ones personal life.

Its an idealistic and complex way of sorting emotions and feelings out. But it could be a method to achieving it.

Anyway  for less theory words, I planned to create a series of character designs based on the Western Zodiac yet I am having a  difficult time in deciding how it will be presented and any of them “work”.

The first sample on the right is a close up on the finished Pisces design that I am unsure that looks right. Is it too over done? Underdone? I tried for design elements and minimal background.

Second image is a sketch plan for the Pisces design that I went for a background images and movement.

The last sketch of the Pisces design has a background and has more context.

I sadly regret not undertaking this artistic flux and development during my student days as It would have been more beneficial to my process to my projects as it is a concentrated view of what works and what does not.

Plus there would be more instant feedback and some audience instead of isolation.

Hand-made books

Here are just some images of the books I created for gifts on Christmas 2008.
They are not the most professional looking and have some faults.

Two hardbacks and one buttonhole stitch bound book.
I had fun creating the front pictures of each one.

The blue book with Seawhite bound paper has an image with the recipient ’s initial in the centre.

The buttonhole stitch bound book has magnolia pages and brown beads on its spine. There is a picture of waterlilies created with markers on the front.

The third book is hardback bound with Seawhite pages and features a Phoenix image in the front.

tea is tea on paper