+FAQ+

Some nitty gritty about me and my work, and also answering questions I picked up from the poll.

WARNING, BORING LONG BLABBLING AHEAD, NOT FOR THE WEAK IN CONCENTRATION.

What tools do you use to create your digital work?

My trusty 6x8 Wacom intuos 3, photoshop CS2 and painter 7

When did you start drawing?

I have taken interest in drawing all the way back when I was just a little baby. I remember doodling all over my grandparent's walls with crappy drawings of flowers, chickens and apartment buildings(my grandparents told me that I was a very ambitious child, wanting to buy entire apartment buildings when I grow up and distribute floors to each person in the family. XDDD What a nut case!)

I took up drawing seriously about 4 years ago, when I took up the uses of the INTERNET seriously too XDDDDD (I can't live without it now, but I never felt like I needed it back then lol). But alas, the wonderful world of internet opened up a brand new perspective in life for me, and I found out how much of a frog in a well I was in terms of art. So my inner ambition to become a better artist lid up, and I was working constantly to improve my craft ever since then.

When did you start digital painting?

3 and a half years ago when I got my first shiny 4x5 Wacom Graphire tablet, and my *coughbootlegcough* version of photoshop 7.

Where did you learn how to draw/paint?

I didn't have any formal lessons on art until I entered highschool, so before that stage I used to just copied what I saw from life. There was no inspiration or creativity what so ever, but it did give me excellent training in hand-eye cordination. So in a way I was "self-taught".

When I did start having art classes in highschool though, they did not offer me any more training than I already have done, but rather they offered me knowledge that I did not have, such as perspective, composition, form, shape, use of line, and certain technics. So don't get tricked thinking that you can become amazing artist just by attending art classes, they can't transform you into amazing draftsmen, they can only stuff you with information that you use to apply and enhance you on your artistic endeavor. In the end, practice is what's important.

As noted from before, I didn't start any digital painting until 3 years ago, so I had my fair share of traditional painting practices which I think is a great help to understand how colours work.

As for digital painting, I started with Judy Dillion's basic photoshop tutorial on howtodrawmanga.com... back in the days XD... I don't use that method anymore, but it was great help because at least I had some guidelines to start with.

What are your major inspirations?

For a long time I have been studying and emulating Hyung Tae Kim's work, but soon I realized copying a single style without inputting my own touches is not benefitial, and almost harmful to my development as an artist. Afterall, why would they need to hire someone who draws like a certain famous artist, when they could just get the real thing?

So I've decided to not copy HTK anymore, but rather incorporate what I like about his work into my own. And I'm trying to do that with various other artists that I admire, namely YiLee, BENJAMIN, MAXXSOUL, Chen ShuFen, Jason Chan and Graig Mullen.

My fellow peers are also Great Inspirations to me, tobiee have inspired me learn to loosen my brush strokes, JJH have shown me how to diversify the colours that you can play within your piece, ChanpART and iDNAR are awesome for making me wanting to try out many many different styles. I should also credit jadedice and sudoru for forcing me to draw sexy topless men. X'D...

Last but no least, my wifey is probably the most inspirational of them all, she has such an amazing work ethic, balancing the ever so heavy school work, SAT classes, gaia commissions, cash commissions, and still finding the time to do peechat collabs with me.

What do you do at 11am in the morning?

Depends, sometimes I'll be in class, sometimes I'll be in bed, sometimes in the dining room, but most of the time doodling some stuff on my computer or sketch book.

What was your worst art experience?

I don't tend to remember these things, because I don't enjoy looking back and recalling a horrible experience that teaches me nothing and brings up only malice and hate.

Ever had someone rip your art?

Not that I know or remember.

What's your pet peeve when drawing?

Anthros, I can draw them fairly well (according to people I've drawn them for), but there's something about them that just throws me off.

What's your worst aspect in your art?

Backgrounds, I tend to never plan out backgrounds before doing the figures, which is not a convienient way to work, you should always work from background to foreground and not vice versa.

Due to this bad habit, I rarely have art that features a figure with real backgrounds. I have drawings that are background ONLY, they look satisfactory as backgrounds but I just can't seem to find my cue in fitting characters into them.

Ever listen to music when drawing?

If they are available to me.

What's your favorite environment when drawing?

I am very easily distracted, so I would prefer a quiet place.

What annoys you on DA?

The constant server failures, the sadness of Popularity > Skill, the constant spotting of art theft, and the fact of Fanart > Original art.

How tall are you?
around 5'10", or around 177cm

On average, about how long does it take you to create your pictures?

That depends on the complexity of the picture

portraits usally take 2-3 hours, the haku one was an exception, that one took about 6-7 hours because I was trying a different style.

Waist-ups takes 4-5 hours, and full bodies takes 5-7 hours.

Do you have anything special you do in preperation or while drawing? (Time of day, type of music, stuff like that)

not really, I just turn on my mp3 player and pick up my tablet stylus and away I go.

Do you still offer commissions on Gaia?

I do, but it'll be very very very very rare for me to go back and take orders.

What's your usual procedure when you create a picture? You start with the sketch, and then you put your color over this sketch or under it?

I paint over my sketch, because I don't use layers X'D

when you color, do you begin by laying down darker shades first and adding highlight, or vice versa, or otherwise?

depends on what mood I'm trying to convey, I don't have a set methodology as to what colours I lay down first. Usually I block in with all the colours that I will be using, then slowly refine my way to completion.

Do you use customized brushes? If so, how do you make these? D: If not, do you have any particular techniques that allow you to use default brushes so incredibly well?

I have my own set of brushes in painter 7, but I use the default brushes in photoshop.

The brushes you use matters only in painter, because of the resaturation, bleed, graininess and feathering settings. A different brush in painter can create a completely different look to your work.

But as for photoshop, all the brushes are pretty much like the "cover" brush type in painter, so the onlything important is to have controll over the opacity and the Thick and Thin of your brush.

Will you ever make a tutorial?

ONE DAY I WILL, one day, I promise X'D.

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY FIRST BORN CHILD?!

I ate it.

<b?Why are you such a dildilri?</b>

Because I was dropped as a baby

How do you become a dildilri champ?

Get dropped as a baby, then smash your head continuously against a locker when you fail to get an asian pass for grade 11 english.

HOW DO YOU MAKE PINK SO MANGGLY

I don't, PINK is already a mangly colour.

What's with that "XM" emote you use?

It's a constipated chocobo face. X'D XM XM

how did you get to be so goshdurned sexay and be a chick magnet?

o__O I am in no shape or form so "goshdurned sexay" and nor am I a chick Magnet. The only female I've attracted is my wifey Noa and I was lucky that she likes a dorkface like me. X'D

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Thank you for reading my endless babblings XD... love y'all who was patient enough to go through with all this and if there's anything else you would like to ask about the dork behind the art, feel free to post a comment to this journal and I'll get back to you 8D.

oh yeah, just before I press add..

= FOREVERZ XM