F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions

Okay. Some people actually ask me about my art (woah), among other things. I figure I can try to answer some of the questions here first. I'm not too keen on replying to e-mail and let it go by for days before I realise how long they've been sitting there. So don't be too surprised or upset if I don't respond instantly, or even in a week or two. It's nothing personal, I'm just lazy and/or busy. ;D You can submit questions for me by sending me e-mail.

* Um.. hi. I sent you an e-mail awhile ago...

Uhm, hi! I'm really, really, really bad at e-mail. (As if you haven't noticed.) Please visit this page before you e-mail me. I'll try to get back to you (through e-mail) 'soon'. Sorry. ^^;

* Who are you?

Well, I guess you want to know about *me*, not my art. Here's a bio thingie for you to read, if you're interested. o_O;

* How long does it take you to draw a picture?

Depends on the quality. And the size. Not long, usually. An hour or two at the most, minutes for a little doodle. I'm a pretty impatient person sometimes and I like to see the picture in my head a.s.a.p. I've ruined the start of a beautiful picture because I wanted to see the result instantly. It also depends on if I color it, and how I color it. Computer-colored pictures will take about an hour and a half to color. Hand-colored pictures can take just as long to color, though usually less.

* What's the hardest thing for you to draw on a body? What's the hardest thing for you to draw?

The hands and feet, usually. I try to focus on a face's eyes and lips: the soul and mood of my characters. And that can be hard to do accurately. As for over-all hard for me to draw...I'd have to say well....everything, really. You do NOT want to see me draw a car or a chair or something.

* How big do you draw?

If it's bigger than a Barbie doll (I'm using this reference because more people will have the general idea of the size), then it loses it's quality. I generally fill an entire sheet of normal sized paper now. If I'm just doing background-less sketches, several can fill a page.

* How often do you draw?

Let's see...in school it was whenever I wasn't talking to someone or the teacher didn't look like s/he needed the class's total attention. At home it's whenever I'm in the mood. So, generally I'll draw every other day at least. Though quite often several times a day.

* So, if you draw so often, why don't you have more pictures up?

Because I'm lazy. Because I have to throw out 3 out of every 5 pictures I draw. Because I have a life of my own.

* Could you draw me a ___?

Are you paying me? No? Sorry, I won't. I don't accept free requests anymore. However, if you've done something for me (fixed my computer, for example), then you already know you have a picture coming. And if you're a friend - close, personal friend, not someone who just e-mails me - then you can ask. ;D

If you're interested in commissioning me (that means $$$), click HERE for more information. ^_^

* Would you like to do a picture exchange/trade?

I just might, actually. Please contact me about this, I may be swamped. But, as a general rule, I do still do trades with other artists.

My only requirement is that you actually *try* when you draw. Just a note, it's generally considered polite to actually try in trades. If your regular work (especially pictures you do for other artists) is better than the picture you send me, I probably won't jump at the chance to return a picture. And when I do return it, I probably won't go all-out either. I'm not saying do a super-snazzy background, with an action pose, all in color, 5 characters or anything. But a scribble that is not even half as good as you normally draw doesn't make me all warm and fuzzy either. ;p

You're welcome to do any character of mine you wish to. I don't mind if you pick the character you'd like me to draw. If you ask, I'll give you a choice between two characters, generally a guy and a girl, but I'd rather you picked which character you'd like to draw. :D

Oh. And I rather prefer you don't just send me a picture and request the trade. I don't like being 'forced' into art trades. ;p

* May I use your picture on my site?

Please click HERE to read about using my art in any form.

* Why do you draw your characters so much? Why don't you do fan art or art for other people? Are you stuck-up or something?

I don't think I'm stuck-up. But that would depend on your deffinition of it, I suppose. If you were unaware, I'm working on my own comic book series (that's plural, as in more than one). I draw my characters rather than other people's characters because if I don't work on them no one will want to buy my comic, now will they? As for fanart, I do my share of it. Not as much as most people do, but most people aren't working on their own comic, are they? And as for doing art for other people... have you ever actually looked at my galleries? I do more art for other people than I do fan-art. If that's your way of trying to trick me into drawing you something, you'd better re-think your tactics. ;p

* Why don't you update often?

Any number of reasons. I actually upload most of my art directly to my Side7.com gallery. I hate doing html, so I avoid it whenever possible.

If you'd like to be notified of when I update, please sign up HERE for my mailing list. I update about once a month, at most two times a month. Generally it's about once every other month.

* Why do you draw kats (and other furries) more than humans?

Because I've drawn them so regularly it's hard for me to switch back. 'Sides, my furries look pretty human anyway.

* What program do you use to computer color?

Now I use Adobe Photoshop 5.5 that I got from a friend, I don't know how much it is, but last I heard it was about 100-something dollars (ouch).. I still use Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0. I don't know how much it is. My daddie got it at work. I also sometimes use MGI Photosuite and that came with the computer.

* What do you use to ink?

Pretty much anything I can get my grubby little hands on. Sometimes a Sharpie Twin-tip (I only recommend this for very large drawings or quick sketches, though), generally any kind of gel ink pen or a regular ink pen. Not ball-points. I currently use "Millennium for Scrapbooks" (size 01 and 05) with a "ZIG memory system" (whatever that means) and "Fiskars Photo Memories" (size 07) to ink. Pilot V-ball extra fine also works, but it's a little scratchy and when they say 'extra fine' - they mean it! You'll want anything that won't "run" when you color with markers. Unless you intend to color just with colored pencils or computer.

* What markers and colored pencils do you use?

I use a lot of different kinds of markers. I like Prismacolors, even though they bleed. I use Sharpie markers, Crayola, RoseArt.. really, the more colors you have, the better off you are. Thick or thin or in between. The more sizes you have the better off you are too. I have about 200 markers currently and I kind of collect them. Get Crayola "skin tones", you'll get a lot of browns that way, perfect for furries! I'd stay away from anything "neon", though. You'll rarely use them. (I hope, anyway.)

As for colored pencils.. well. I have what's left over from grade, middle and high school. They do "fine" for me, but I'm not a colored pencil artist anyway. I know that Prismacolors work *very* well, so if you can afford them, get them!

* How long have you been drawing?

Off and on my whole life. I didn't start doing it "hard core" until around '95, though. And only in '96 did I take it seriously and actively attempt to learn.

* Did/do you take any classes?

I took what most people take in grade school. Though I was never in one place for very long, and in most of my schools their art program was suffering, so the classes would rarely had any sort of real 'lesson'.

In middle school I had the regular required art class, then for about two months I was in the "art club" where I did a teeshirt and a watercolor.

In high school I was co-opted to honorarily join the French Club to do their football banners. Then I moved and had a class what was basically a "hodge-podge" arts and crafts. I know we drew things, but it was mostly so we could cut and paste colored paper on top of it.

In college I've had *two* art classes. They're the only art classes I've ever been in that I did anything worthwhile. And they were still-lifes, not figures.

So, yes. But I learned on my own, really.

* Could you teach me to draw?

Uhm. Well, I'll be working on some tips and mini-tutorials sometime. I can't promise that'll teach you anything, though. I recommend you visit my artbooks page and learn through books and take any classes you have avaliable to you.

* So, when's your comic book coming out? Where can I buy your comic book? Can you send me a free comic book?

I've no idea when the book will be avaliable. I have barely started working on the written storylines. I'm several months away from even starting test panels, let alone looking for a publisher (or thinking about self-publishing). Let's just give it an undefined, "a year or three". ;p

You currently can't buy my book, but you might find some of my art - HERE - at Furbid. Depending on when you click on that link, you'll either have several or no images to bid on. It'd really help me out if you did buy something.

I'll just send a general "no" to the free-comic thing. Though, assuming I get this thing published, I'll probably auction off some of the books at low-prices and/or have contests where you can win it (them) for free.

* What inspires you?

Generally these four things: my life, music, mythology and fairy-tales. Not nessessarily in that order. There are other things that inspire me, other artists, books, tv, movies, but none have as much lasting effect as the first four.

Okay, no more (intelligent) questions for now, go:
Nirvana

or E-mail me your questions.