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Female Study I 23/03/2017 Because I almost never draw women. Herlitz Felt pens, Carioca Jumbo Fibre pens

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Artist Asks Meme (Long Post Alert)

I took the questions from this post, and decided to just answer all of them without waiting for prompts, because... why not?

Also, apologies for the long post. I could have put all this under a cut, but I want it to show in its entirety on my blog page. I will tag from now on all posts like this under “long post”, if that is something you would like to blacklist from your dashboard.

1. When did you get into art? As soon as I could hold a pencil. Sure, I may have held it like Beast initially held his spoon in Disney’s The Beauty and the Beast feature film, lacking the finer motor skills due to me being barely out of diapers. That didn’t stop me from drawing thousand legged potatoes and trying to pass them as horses. However, I suppose art became to hold a deeper meaning to me during my last years of elementary school, and all the way through junior high. I had finally become deeply depressed due to bullying and being ostracized by my fellow children. My family was having a difficult time as a whole, and I decided to bottle everything in, thinking I’d only cause more worry otherwise. I would eventually come to harbor suicidal intentions. During that time drawing became an outlet for me to both express and process my emotions, so it naturally became an important necessity in my daily life. It may very well be that was something that ultimately gave me just about enough strength to keep moving forward. Unfortunately, l would later lose my passion to do art. I didn’t really see eye to eye with my high school art teacher, and that really ate at my love for doing art, seeing as it had always been something very closely linked to myself and my enjoyment rather than that of other people. I got tired going about my art as I was expected to. It would take years for that passion to rear its head again. So here I am now, learning everything all over again! 2. What art-related sites have you ever signed up for? I started out on Elfwood in my teens, then also signed up for deviantART. I eventually deleted both of these galleries, once I stopped making more art and checking the activity on these sites started to feel like a chore rather than something fun. Now I have a gallery on deviantART once again, which I update pretty much whenever I have the intention to put something up on Tumblr as well. But I definitely consider my dA account more of a means to keep in touch with a couple of cool people and their artistic endeavors. This Tumblr gallery I consider more my “real gallery”... for no particular reason really. 3. Show us your oldest piece of art you have on hand. FEAST THINE EYES.

This is not the oldest one I have on hand, though. That one has already been posted separately on my blog. 4. What defines your artistic style? That is ridiculously hard to answer to be honest. I experiment so much it becomes difficult even for myself to pinpoint what exactly it is that defines my style. There are certainly some recurring elements, like how my humans tend to have elongated, exaggerated bodies (which is something you can already see in that older drawing above). I suppose that’s one thing that defines my style - a type of exaggeration of proportions and lines. I don’t really give a shit about the dos and don’ts regarding how to make art. Legs for example bend in ways they shouldn’t, and it’s a purely artistic choice from my part. I think it adds a layer of expression to my work, without which the piece would be a lot more boring to look at. I suppose the fuckton of experimentation I do is also something of a defining feature in my art, but it’s more of a personal element than something others can recognize my art by. 5. Do you practice other styles/have you tried other styles in the past? Welp, I think I pretty much brushed on this already above there on question four. Yes, I do, and yes, I have. 6. What levels of artistic education have you had? I have no formal education whatsoever. Though, I did take one course at my local adult education centre. It assembled only about once a month for half a year. It was an alright course, but the teacher’s tips felt very blatantly influenced by her own personal tastes in art. I felt like I was being pushed to express myself in ways that didn’t really feel like me at all, so in the end I never showed up for the last gathering. 7. Show us at least one picture you drew or sketched recently that you did not put on a public site. This practice picture drawn with ink didn’t make the cut mostly because I used the exact same perspective and general composition as for my Cheap Art Supply Challenge piece. But also because I am not that fond of it.

8. What is your favourite piece that you have done? A lot of times I just like the newest piece I’ve made the most, but there are certain works that hold additional value to me even when time passes. It’s been four years since I made it, but I’m still fond of this painting. It was the first time in years that I took up watercolours again, so the piece holds certain personal value to me. For that reason, I could even go as far as calling it my favourite. 9. What is your least favourite piece that you have done? I’m not sure I can decide. Not because I’d have so many not-faves, mind you! I can look back to the pieces I’ve made and think the ideas weren’t as cool as I thought back then, or that the techniques are horrible in comparison to what I’m capable of now. But I still do not really dislike them, because they remind me of how far I’ve come, where my foundations are, and which elements I decided to stick with. They remind me of the steps I’ve taken, and so I can’t really dislike them. 10. What do you like most about your art? Hmm, I think my favourite element in my art is just how unpolished a lot of it is. Like I have no qualms about leaving details vague. For example, a lot of times I draw less details on hands if the body shape is my primary interest in a piece I’m working on. Detailed works are very cool to look at, but there is also nothing wrong with leaving things to the viewer’s imagination, or leaving certain parts simple in order to encourage the viewer’s gaze to move where you want it to. 11. What do you like least about your art? I can’t really say. Despite all my artistic shortcomings, I am rather fond of it overall... Maybe just my lack of readiness to draw more diverse body types? Which is more of an occasional “Should I be doing that?” type of thought, rather than something I perspire over every time I draw and see I have once again created something of the lean and mean variety. 12. Have you ever considered taking commissions? Yes, and I have done some commission work in the past. Currently I have no particular drive to take new ones, however, as I’m more interested in experimenting different things as I see fit. 13. Are you looking to pursue a career in art? Not really. There was a time when I entertained that thought, but realistically speaking, I don’t think I’d work too well under the constant pressure of having to be as productive as possible at all times. I would quickly lose what art means to me, and with that, the joy it gives me. It’d just become another thing I must do to make ends meet. That, I do not want. 14. What do you like drawing the most? Human faces and animals are the most relaxing thing for me to draw, and looking at my sketchbooks, drawing them seems to be bordering on obsession. Other things I enjoy drawing, though less often, are unnecessarily long legs, skeletal figures, and armour.

15. What do you like drawing the least? Backgrounds. I have yet to figure out how to get them to look like they are actually part of the picture and not just their separate thing that is there. Environments overall are rather tricky for me, though I have made some brave attempts. Buildings are hard. Drawing lush vegetation is hard. Having very little patience a lot of times doesn’t encourage learning either. 16. Do you draw more fanart or original art? If fanart, what fandom do you draw the most of? Original art, which you might not guess looking at my blog here, since I started it just when I was about to go on a fanart loop for quite a few months. Wanting to draw fanart comes to me in certain intervals. Overall, however, I find it way more fun to draw whatever comes out of my head and hand, rather than following an already existing example. 17. What would you absolutely refuse to draw? Smut. It’s just not something I feel compelled to create. 18. What is your purpose for drawing? It makes me happier. I was going to go on a tangent about how it calms me and how meditative drawing is, how it gives me that feeling of having accomplished something, etc. - but what all that really boils down to is that simple statement. Drawing makes me happier. 19. What medium/program do you use the most in your art? Ink and watercolour are what I use the most by far. There’s something lovely about watching them spread and mix uncontrollably on a wet surface. Every now and then I get into the mood of trying other types of traditional media, though, like acrylic paint and oil pastels. Right now I’d really like to try my hand at encaustic painting... but getting the necessary equipment is an investment of over a hundred euros. That’s far too much for me in my current situation.

20. How would you rank your art? (poor, mediocre, good, etc.) I am sorry, but I will flat out refuse to answer this one. Ranking one’s art encourages comparison to people you admire. I am really hard pressed to see how this could be anything but toxic. 21. Do you believe there is such thing as “bad art?” Maybe. Art that never evolves anywhere, in any way, but remains absolutely stagnant? Be it on a personal level, or on a more encompassing level that challenges already existing traditions of art. On a personal level it doesn’t need to be very visible evolving either. In my mind, it’s enough if it’s something as small as “I have come to use this one colour I never before felt I could use with success.” If the question comes down to something as mundane as “Do you enjoy the art you see or do you not” being the defining element that discerns good art from the bad... Then my answer would be no, there is no such thing as bad art. I could never claim there is with good conscience, based only on my subjective likes and dislikes. 22. List at least one of your “artspirations.” Oh, I have so so many! And not all of them related to visual arts, even. But there is no point in making such a long list, so here are but a few of them: Gustave Doré and his many illustrations. I am particularly fond of the ones he made for Don Quixote and Orlando Furioso. Yoshitaka Amano. I find myself rather drawn to the elegance displayed in many of his paintings and drawings. Albrecht Dürer and his highly detailed woodcuts. Ayami Kojima and her masterful use of traditional means. She is self-taught too, which in and of itself is inspiring. Lian Quan Zhen and the beautifully lush colours in all his watercolour works. Paul Koudounaris and his absolutely gorgeous photographs of the lovingly decorated catacomb saints. (Picture below from his publication Heavenly Bodies, Thames Hudson Ltd, 2013.)

23. What do you think you could stand to improve on? Everything. I’m not really the type to stop and think I shouldn’t strive to improve more on a certain area just because I happen to like whatever I’m already doing. There are always elements I can refine, new methods of expression to test, and just plain something I could do better or at least differently enough to keep things interesting for myself. 24. Do you have a shameful art past? (recolour sprite comics, tracing art, etc.? Oh no, why end on such an embarrassing note! Cruel, cruel person, that came up with these questions. The short answer is yes. The long answer is, well, I would copy other people’s artwork, making only about just enough changes to replace the characters they drew with my own ones. Just thinking about it now makes me cringe! In case you were left wondering: None of those pictures were ever published anywhere, and have long since been burned with fire. And that’s an accurate description of what happened to them. All of them.

--- Turns out some versions of this meme also include: 25. Draw a picture! So here’s a quick pooch. Thanks for reading!

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Playful 02/03/2017 Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolour, a touch of Conté Evolution coloured pencil, and Pentel Micro Correct correction pen. One of these days I will draw or paint something other than cats. But that day is not today.

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Went through old arse childhood drawings, and came upon this pearl of a work.

Putin is beauty. Putin is grace. Seriously though, don’t ask me what is the story behind this. I HAVE NO IDEA.

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Absorbing the Glow

26/02/2017 Results of doing the Cheap Art Supply Challenge with a set of (admittedly over a decade old) children’s watercolour buttons. The age of said supplies definitely made this a challenge indeed, as they didn’t exactly work as intended anymore. However, I had fun, and that’s what matters. EDIT: Changed image file to png format. I keep forgetting Tumblr likes to flip jpeg images on their side. :P

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Watchful

A practice painting..

25/02/2017

watercolour (Winsor & Newton Cotman) 

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Well put!

i just wanted to clarify some things

artists know the risk they are taking when they post their art online. people are inevitably going to take it apart, color edit it, flip it around or otherwise post it uncredited.

saying that an artist shouldn’t post their work if they don’t want it bastardized is probably the stupidest stance on this subject you could take. if all artists followed this line of reasoning, there would be no art on the internet. 

when an artist posts their work, they are trusting you to enjoy it respectfully. and when you betray that trust either knowingly or unknowingly, it’s like saying the artist’s time, skills and thoughts aren’t worth anything.

you are NOT entitled to an artists work just because they decided to trust you enough to share it with you.

an artist is within their right to feel upset that someone has used their work in a way they never intended it to be used. they are within their right to ask for it to stop and not happen again.

just because it’s “bound to happen” doesn’t mean it’s any less deplorable.

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05/01/2017 Originally painted with Talens Indian ink and Nan-King waterproof drawing ink. Colours reversed digitally, as I liked the end results better that way!

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UPDATE: The charity auction’s results yesterday night were great! Every single piece donated to the event got sold, and my donation got sold at the second highest price overall. Wow! Congratulations to everyone involved in making the event so successful. May the money made with this charity auction be of even the slightest relief to the people who lost their homes in Bholung town due to the 2015 earthquake.

16/01/2016 watercolour (Winsor & Newton Cotman) My sister is putting together an art exhibition, and asked if I’d paint and donate a piece for it. Though inspired by my passtime idlings (of watching South Korean historical dramas and being smitten by every gisaeng character for their visuality), this is a painting  I started with her request in mind. The exhibiton is a charity event, at the end of which all artwork on display will be auctioned. All funds will go towards helping rebuild Bholung town in Nepal. In the upcoming months I might make another piece for the event. The exhibiton will be held on October 2016. Still a long way off, but here’s hoping someone buys my painting!

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31/10/2016

Sketchbook drawing of Chromedome (Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye comic series). Started off as me thinking what I imagine his face looks like under that faceplate - assuming the faceplate isn’t his face face, like it usually isn’t with most other Formers. Then I humanized him way too much. Ah well.

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Drawings of Guin from Kurimoto Kaoru’s heroic fantasy novel series Guin Saga. Each sketch is roughly 9x12.5 cm (3.5x4.9 inches) in size. Drawn on One Sketch A Day - A Visual Journal (Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, CA) with Sakura Pigma Micron pen.

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More sketchbook weirdness from prior to summer (2016)

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Sketchbook drawing from sometime before the summer (2016).  Brush pen (Pilot) and watersoluble graphite sticks (Peroci). I don’t know why my scanner loathed this image so much it made it all grainy, but I love it. (o.o)

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05/09/2016 Talens Indian ink, Talens Drawing ink (white) Having suffered from some depression as of late, I´ve found it hard to get back to drawing and painting. I feel very uninspired, which makes every line I draw, every stroke I paint feel excessively laborious. I´m trying my darnest to get back into this though. It´s been too long already, and I know for a fact painting will ease the constant torrent of mental waste plaguing my mind. Starting again after a hiatus is always the hardest part!

I´m currently murdering brushes I barely use to see if they create effects that might inspire me to do more art again. The above test image is the result of this atrocity:

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Hiatus

Seeing as the situation is unlikely going to change in the next couple of weeks and I’ve already spent two weeks in complete silence here, I figured I should drop y’all a note to let you know why there’s all this lack of activity on my art blog at this moment.

I’m currently concentrating on apartment searching, researching some new education possibilities (to ultimately change the working life I’m currently living and unhappy with), making trip preparations for the summer, as well as spending time with a much loved pet who is dying from lymphoma. (He appears still very much content with his life, but as with all cancers, the situation could take a rapid turn for the worse, hence I’m trying to enjoy whatever time we have left together.) Some of you may remember I was making small complaints about an art block. Luckily, that has passed, and I do have quite a few different works underway, as well as pile after pile of sketches waiting to get ink, colour, and what have you. Scanning/photographing and uploading them here is just not very high on my priority list right now as you can certainly see. But, this blog ain’t dead yet! This is but a temporary break - from online activity specifically - to let me focus more on what are the top priorities in my personal life right now. Thank you for your understanding. I hope your spring is an inspiring one!

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Sketchbook dump of animal pages. It seems doodling animals is good activity for me during art blocks. I definitely should try to get something else done soon though!

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Cait Sith from Final Fantasy VII. 28/02/2016 watercolour (Winsor & Newton Cotman)