F.A.Q.

I'm originally from a desert in the American Southwest where whites, Mexicans, and Native Americans pretend to live in harmony. There are also pockets of Chinese (among a few other orientals), Russians, and British for some reason (why they want to live there is beyond me).

My current gender is "I do what I want."
Actually, I've stopped caring about my gender and what people view me as. Use whatever pronouns you want, it's all the same to me.

It's just easier to tell you what I DON'T listen to: most rap and hip hop, most country, and mariachi.

As for what I DO like, some of my favorite bands include Linkin Park, Poets of the Fall, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, The Birthday Massacre, Deadmau5, Daft Punk, Skrillex, Danger, Video Violence, Within Temptation, and Dead By April, and I'm sure I'm missing some.

It's always hard for me to answer this question because my music tastes vary depending on my mood. I've got music in languages that don't exist (thank you, Yoko Kanno). The internet has been my greatest gift and my biggest curse in this aspect. I'm always discovering new bands via SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube. My poor wallet weeps for all the music I buy.

I enjoy singing and dancing when no one's around. I love listening to music, wall climbing, movies, and occasionally video games.

One of my lesser known interests actually lies in film making. I've always thought filming was a fascinating process and one day would love to be part of it, aside from the stand-in and extra gigs I've done (don't go looking for them, I wasn't included in the credits in the stand-in gig and I never made the cut when I was an extra).

It's no secret that I also love writing stories to go with my characters, so I've always got little stories running in my head.

Are you religious?
Naw. Even when I was young, I was a pretty casual Catholic. I believed God existed, but it's not like we went to church on Sundays. (We liked sleeping in too much in my family.)

These days, I'm agnostic. I neither believe nor disbelieve in the existence of a deity.

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(Be warned, this is a doozy)

Haha, oh jeez, you make it seem like drawing good can be taught by just buying a simple book, or taking one class, or looking at one website. You may have heard this a million times, but it rings true, so I'll tell you: Drawing well is a achieved through years of hard work, dedication, and practice. There was no one person who taught me, I've been learning from many, many, artists willing to share their tips from Mark Kistler when I was little to my drawing 300 professor to my animation and life drawing instructors. Even a handful of professionals have given me some tips over the years.
I can, however, offer you a few tips and links to help you get to that goal:

First and foremost, don't think too hard on it, JUST DRAW. I know a lot of people who can't draw well, so they just give up right then and there. Here's a secret: your drawings are going to look like crap. They're going to look like crap for a LONG time before they start coming out decent. You think I, or any artist started out drawing masterpieces? HEAVENS, no! Let me show you what my art looked like when I first started: fav.me/d18owmf On the right is how I drew in 2007, and even that looks terrible to me now.

So you're probably wondering when your drawings will start looking good. That really all depends on you. If you're REALLY dedicated to it, DRAW EVERYDAY. And I mean EVERY day. The more you practice, the more your art will start to improve. Get yourself a cheap sketchbook to just start drawing and jotting ideas. I like to use a simple 9"X12" Strathmore Newsprint Pad. They're dirt cheap and usually available at Hobby Lobby or any arts and crafts store. But heck, even a flimsy notebook will do. The point is to just have something to carry around and practice on.
And when I mean practice, I mean practice EVERYTHING. If I feel like I need help on drawing females, I look at some references from various sources and just start drawing. Need to learn backgrounds? I look up some references and just start sketching.
And here's a little trade secret some people might not approve of, but use references from other artists too. While it's true it's good to practice from real life, many professional artists I know have developed their own style by practicing from other artists' styles. But whatever you do, DON'T post them to DA, and especially DON'T claim them as your own. And I really MUST emphasize on practicing from real life. While learning other artists' styles can be fun, it's important to develop your own, which will develop naturally over time. Someone once told me if you don't have a particular style in mind, you develop your own.

There are, of course, art blogs and sites that can help. You're on deviantART, after all! There's a plethora of tutorials that's only a quick search away! I'm always collecting tutorials in my favorites and my files. Here's my favorites: cinda7.deviantart.com/favourit… Though it's mostly about coloring, but maybe you'll find something useful.
YouTube is also a good place to find some speedpaints. I have one up myself: youtu.be/lb-62dMpzb4 If you'll notice in the video, I use guidelines before adding any of outlines. A lot of artists will tell you to draw the skeleton before you draw anything else. This tutorial in particular is good at showing what I mean: fav.me/d22sg27
But of course, it helps to at least have a basic understanding of anatomy. Well there's art sites for that!

Good sites to practice poses, anatomy: ahrum-stock.deviantart.com/ faestock.deviantart.com/ felixdeon.deviantart.com/ senshistock.deviantart.com/ tasastock.deviantart.com/ yellow-stock.deviantart.com/ anatomicalart.tumblr.com/ www.posemaniacs.com/ lesstitsnass.tumblr.com/ <-- This last one in particular is interesting because it shows you exactly how the professional industry screws up anatomy for the sake of sex appeal. It's good because it shows you what NOT to do.

And then of course some general art tutorial blogs: fyeaharttips.tumblr.com/ art-tutorials.tumblr.com/

And I like these sites for background and general references: bluepueblo.tumblr.com/ stock-unrestricted.deviantart.…

PHEW that was a lot! But it was a pretty broad question so I wanted to cover all the basics. Be sure to bookmark those websites and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Keep your eyes peeled for more tutorials. If you're in college, try taking some art classes too. Mine helped me out with thinking about composition and all that good junk.

Hope that helps!

Since I could pick up a crayon, like everyone else, but I've been drawing with the intention of becoming an artist since I was about 8 or 9.

I'm not quite sure, to be honest. I don't really time myself and I often lose track of time.

If I had a guess, though, sketches take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the complexity and whether or not I'm just doodling.

Inking lasts around 15-30 minutes to an hour, again, depending on the complexity.

Coloring, forget it, it can easily take 2+ hours, digital or traditional.

I try to make a point to at least doodle one thing daily, or color/ink something. I don't always succeed, but I definitely try to draw every other day, every three days at the most, if I'm busy. Drawing is an addiction to me, and if I get art blocks, it causes emotional constipation for me until I get irritable, emotional and be a rather difficult person to be around.

If you want to use my art for ANYTHING (icons, reference, etc.) PLEASE let me know beforehand that you are going to use it. Most of the time I will say yes, so long as you give me credit somehow and let me see it once you're done, because I like seeing where my art is going and what it's inspiring people to do.

In short: ASK ME! Don't be afraid, I won't flip out on you UNLESS I catch you using my art WITHOUT my permission! So long as you have my permission, let me see it when you're done, and give me credit, we're square. Que no?

This varies depending on whatever fandom I'm dabbling in, or whether I'm focusing on my original stuff more.

Overall, I seem to draw anthros, cartoons, and weird creatures that pop in my head the most.

Sorry, I've had to stop taking requests since high school because I actually need money now, and I don't have the time to draw for free anymore.

However, if you want to pay me to draw something, we can definitely talk. I have my handy-dandy commission sheet right here.