2019 QnA

I decided to write this because I figured more than two people might ask any of the following questions and I just don't feel like writing it out every time so here's a QnA:

     Q: How have you been?
     A: Better. I'm closer to 'ok' than i've been in what feels like a long time.

     Q: What happened?
     A: Long story short. Abusive 'ex' who is unfortunately in the fandom so I needed away from the fandom for a while.

     Q: Are you okay now?
     A: As I said. I'm doing better. And i'm doing my best to just keep him the fuck away from me.

     Q: What have you been up to? Where have you been?
     A: I moved states to go back to family where I could heal. I got three jobs and currently have 2. I started over.

     Q: Will you be coming back to doing regular commissions,ychs, adopts? 
     A: I don't know yet.

     Q:Is there anything I can do to help?
     A: Just keep being supportive. Thanks.

When life gives you lemons

So. I was in the shower...where I have all my greatest singing moments and thinking moments.
And I had just a very..calm feeling run through me.
Like everything is the way it is for a reason.
note that I am NOT religious. So pause those thoughts right now.

Despite everything going on in my life right now....

(my life is not all flowers and icecream but I don't share that with you all because it's my private business and it's unprofessional and the last thing I want to be to you all is one of those annoying people that only bitches and moans in their journals/on stream. The only time I will and have done that is if i believe it will or IS affecting my ability to draw and/or get commissions done.)

I'm happy.

And it made me realize....
If I gave up every time shit happened...I wouldn't be where I am now.
If I quit every time I got upset.... I wouldn't be where I am now.
and
If I ignored all the support and love I am shown...I wouldn't be where I am now.

I'm not saying you should never get upset. That would be dumb as hell.
Instead I'm saying when you get upset...BE UPSET. I mean really BE MAD.
Some of you have seen how I get when I'm really upset. I let it all out. I want to kill the world.
But you have also seen how quickly..BECAUSE of it...that I bounce back.
Some of you don't even notice i'm gone lol.
Holding it in doesn't help.
And not taking the time you need to recover doesn't help either. Even if its just art block. The MINUTE you notice it give yourself the time you need. Trying to FORCE it isn't going to help.
That's like trying to run a mile more after already running 50. When all your body and mind is begging for is a moments rest on a park bench.
Work WITH your body and mind.
And your soul, your passion, your will power, will benefit from it.

----
Dean: Hey, when I want to drink, I drink. When I want sex, I go get it. Same goes for a sandwich or a fight.
Castiel: So... you're saying you're just well-adjusted?
Dean: God, no. I'm just well-fed.
-Supernatural

When you are tired. You should sleep.
When you cannot draw anymore. Take a break.
When you want to cry. Cry.
And then when you have the drive to go at things again. You can go at it...with everything you've got. Because you are not hungry for other things you didn't allow yourself before.
----

And I didn't always bounce back alone. The worst type of person to me is someone that SCREAMS out for help...and constantly...constantly...pushes it away. You can lead a horse to water...but you cannot make it drink.
Of course when you're pissed you may not want the help immediately even though you need it. But you can't STAY that way. You piss off the ones trying to help you and you end up hurting yourself too.

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up, The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time" - Thomas Edison
This quote has stuck with me through everything since I heard it.
Need more? Go here http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/k.....giving_up.html

So when life gives you lemons
And you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.
You get mad at first. Scream and let it out.
And when you're tired of being in the situation.
You turn that fucking lemon.
Into a fucking bomb of determination.
And you get through it.

And when you can't do it alone?
You call a friend or as MANY AS YOU NEED.
Your friend(s) calls in an airstrike of support.
And you get through it together.

And when it's all over.
You say 'I can do this.'

because I did.
and I always will.
For myself.
And for all of you who've been there when shit got rough.

Passion is beautiful

I couldn't sleep. (what else is new).
I laid down for bed and decided to read a short story...
At the end of it I smiled and said,

"This person writes beautifully..."

And it sort of just hit me like a ton of bricks.

I used to say:

"I have a thing for dancers"

"I have a thing for artists"

"I have a thing for guitarists"

And I realize in a way i was right but in a way I was wrong.

I have a thing for 'passion'.

To me....passion is what makes you beautiful.

Now i'm not dismissing other determining factors of attraction by any means. I do think physical attraction still plays a part. (it sure as hell does with me and I've got the backbone to admit it). But when it comes to the nonphyiscal parts of things I can sum it all up in just that word.

You could be as gorgeous as adonis himself or aphrodite herself, but that doesn't mean your outter beauty will make up for your lack of inner substance if you're dumb as a brick or lacking passion. And I'm not sure why there are people who insist that just because someone -admits- that looks play a part that they'll fall for any dumb jock. Get over yourself.

but beside the point....

Passion is strength
Passion is intelligence
Passion is determination
Passion is the ability to love
Passion is dedication

It's the only attribute that when applied correctly is the cumulative result of many put together.

To be passionate about something is to love whatever it is.
Is to be strong enough to be dedicated to being all you can be towards it.
To do the research required to MAKE yourself all you can be.
You have to be determined...to do that research.
And by doing that research you gain knowledge along the way...making you intelligent.

And I can see how I made the mistake of attributing my love for those with a -passion-, as my love for someone with a skill.
Because a skill does not start off a skill. It starts as a talent and only by putting hours of time into that talent...because you are passionate about it...does it become a SKILL.

Passion walks the line alongside obsession, with perfect balance.
Passion and motivation are intertwined.

And it's knowing these things that I feel a passionate person has every innate capability to being a great lover to whoever they choose to be with.

Passion is the thing someone talks about when they say 'there's just something about you..'

And it's also why I believe a passionate person can never be with someone who has no passion for anything.
I know I can't.

Why would I want to be with someone who will only watch as I progress rather than doing so with me?

Complacency is the paper that burns within the fire of passion.


But mind you:

"applied correctly..."

Being passionate about something that will take you somewhere, that can bring others happiness, that can better you or someone around you. That is passion applied correctly.

"Passion walks the line alongside obsession, with perfect balance..."

When it's something that is actually only eating away at you and causing others around you to become concerned...that is when it's obsession.

The difference:

Aspiring to be a professional gamer can be a passion.
Loving WoW, going no where with it, not doing research, sitting in your house okay with going nowhere in life? That's obsession.

Wanting to go into pharmacy can be a passion.
Hustling on the streets with the threat of going to jail? That's obsession.

I felt the need to point this out because there will always be some idjit who feels the need to raise their hand and go:
"well...im passionate about call of duty....is that sexy?"

Finding your own art style

http://i.imgur.com/YjJFl1J.png [screenshot]

"I don't think style is a hard thing to find/create if you just be yourself in your art the way you are with others as a person. maybe more so in art since you can say things without saying them in art. Or fufill a fantasy you can only dream of outside of art. I feel like if you 'try' to find a style you'll only end up making it harder. just like if you 'try' too hard to be yourself."

I didn't try to get the style i have today. that's me being entirely honest. I didn't force anything. I won't say I didn't try to force things. but like i said to a friend...forcing your art to do something that doesn't suit you is like petting a cat backwards. especially if you try too hard.

If the style of someone else is something you just HAVE TO DO. then, like petting a cat backward, if you do it slowly and often, eventually the fur will lay that way...eventually you'll figure it out. But why would you want someone elses style entirely? If everyone did that...there'd be no varying styles. Now sure people argue 'nothing is original'. Fine whatever. I disargee. but fine WHATEVER. lets say nothing is. but there's a difference between copying and making your own too.

But i dont even want to get into that.
Do YOU.
Be YOU.
Create YOU.

There is no science to forming a style that people can tell you 'i can pick your stuff out from a crowd'. there just isnt....not my in my opinion. any more than there is when people run up to you in public and go 'I SAW YOU ON FACEBOOK' because they rememebred your style. (yes that's happened to me).

Just...be...you.
Do what works for YOU.

I will say though. And forever stick with. If you ARE consciously trying to find a style. It would be very back-ass-wards to try to find a style without even understanding the basics well. it's like trying to build the sears tower...and you can't even build a dog house.
learn your anatomy.
learn your lighting.
Learn your line weight.
Learn your color theory.
Learn your composition.
Learn to work with and without reference.
etc etc etc.

And THEN build on it.

though i believe if you do the above. And you just enjoy doing what you do. A style...YOUR STYLE..will find you. and grow with you. my style has changed a lot. Because -i- have changed a lot. I have been through a lot. your are your art. and your art is you. speak through your art and it will tell stories of you.

Tablet reviews

2013 journal. I now only own an Intuos4 I have sold my cintiq 13hd. but this may still be relevant for some.

-----------

This is going to be a huge review.

Before I even continue i'd like to start by saying what needs to be said. A TABLET will NOT make you a better artist. If you're reading this with that being your first mindset. Good luck with that. It WILL allow you to do digital work. It WILL increase your workflow. But if you have bad basics...doing them digitally and faster won't make them look any better. Period.



Things to know about ALL tablets:
-There is a learning curve. Whether you have a cintiq OR an intuos/bamboo.
-You can use different nibs in all wacom tablet products MINUS the bamboo
-They will last you long if you treat them well (don't bend the damn chords and man handle them)
- I use a smudgeguard glove on ALL MY TABLETS.



Tablets I have used:

-Bamboo Create
-Intuos 3
-Intuos 4
-Intuos 5
-Cintiq 12wx
-Cintiq 21ux
-Cintiq 13hd
-Cintiq 22hd

*I'll also give my feels on the companion and companion hybrid and an alternative to the two.



The Bamboo Create:
This was my FIRST TABLET EVER. It did NOT stay with me long. I think it's a great and affordable tablet for beginners who can't start with an intuos. I honestly hated the pen. The lack of work space. And the pressure sensitivity gap between it vs a pencil. I felt i had to put too much effort into pressing to get it to work well. This was really flustering for someone with small hands and a light touch like me.

All in all I'd say its great for starters who need to get a hang of looking up a screen to work. And with the 30 day money back gaurantee. If you can take care of it. you can send it back. get your refund. and get an intuos small when you're ready.



Intuos 3:
Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.
I loved all the hotkeys. Sure. But the screen felt awful. The pen felt awful. Perhaps i'm biased seeing as I used it AFTER I had used the more stream lined intuos 4 but that doesnt make me hate it any less. It's bulky as hell too...just...no.
I don't have many words on this.

If you can get a 4. Get a 4. I dont even feel like the 3 is worth giving a shot.



Intuos 4.
One of my current babies. My second ever tablet who I've used for 2 years and going strong. I LOVE IT. Does it have less hotkeys than a intuos 3 yes. but more than a bamboo. And honestly with how i hear how many people dont' even set their hotkeys....8 is more than enough. The touch ring was BRILLIANT to begin including. it lets you change brushe sizes swiftly and like a dream. 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity is great and you can really tell! Hatching is awesome on it. The pen is sturdy and the drawing surface is very lightly textured so it feels good with all the nibs. However my personal favorite is the flexnib to use with it. Comeing straight from pencil to digital. THIS is my reccommended starting tablet to those who can afford it.

It's a good sturdy tablet that i've had no issues with at all.



Intuos 5
If you just have to have the damn touch features that the 4 doesn't have. Fine....get this thing. Otherwise it's EXACTLY THE SAME as a 4 aside from that.
And legit most people turn the touch recognition OFF anyway. So what is the point paying 100 more for the 5 and you'll be turning off the main features that seperates it from a 4?

It's a waste of extra cash.



Cintiq 12wx:
coming from paper to, intuos, to a cintiq you are bound to fall in love with it at first. till you note the flaws.
-The resolution
-The color calibration
-The driver jumps
-The screen size

Other people will mention there are too many cables. I honestly had no issues with that. for a cintiq priced at 500 dollars? I can deal with some cables.
I could NOT deal with the flaws i mentioned.
The screen while only an inch smaller than the 13hd...is in actuallity much smaller due to the resolution differences. I had to constantly tab my sai to make it ok to work on.
The Colors will not be able to match a newer computer no matter what unless you buy a separate piece. being the spyder callibrating system. The old ones being 80 dollars USED. and the new ones? 165 some odd dollars.
you also need a cable converter which is about 10+ dollars. because it doesnt have hdmi hookup.
The drivers conflict if you have any intuos made after the intuos 3. you have to remove preferecnes....reinstall drivers...restart computer...each time you want to work with one of the other.

So...for the 12wx to work well it needs almost 100+ more dollars sunk into it. still cheaper than a 13hd. but worth it? idk.

if you have an older computer and a much older tablet. this may work well for you anyway. especially if you plan to make it your new main tablet. I however wanted to be able to integrate my intuos and cintiq.



Cintiq 13hd:
My only problem with this thing.
My ONLY PROBLEM...
Is that fucking rocker wheel. They did NOT THINK THIS THROUGH ALL THE WAY. It's a very slow way to do shit. I HATE HATE HATE IT. I almost feel as if they did it on purpose.....because i bet you anything a touch wheel version comes out next year and i PROMISE YOU almost all people will spend that money on the new version because of how BAD the rocker wheel is....I legit almost didnt buy it knowing that....but...i'll juet get the touch wheel version.....when it happens. because this was too valuable to me to go another yr without.
Main benefits? Sketching and inking. I'm still skeptical on painting with it. My set up is more like this and for his reasons as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z63k_YDsYI

It inergrates with the intuos. It feels awesome. it has good screen room. the colors match up after you fix the settings. it calibrates well.
I use the FELT NIB on it. So there will be no scratches i've heard complaints of. Yes if you put hard ass plastic on a glass creen its prolly gonna scratch ESPECIALLY if you are heavy handed.
The cable issues people spoke of, are fixed. it isnt flimsy at all. If you ordered it as soon as it was out, yes those problems were there.
Its very light weight i can pick it up.
Once you get used to it...its great. it's just...great.



Cintiq 21ux and 22hd and 24hd

I am grouping these because my opinion is the same.
There is no need for all that room...especially when you can zoom in. I'm sorry but it seems excessive. Now mind you i'm 5'3....100lbs....hands with a size 5 ring. I'm small. so maybe i need less room....but it just seems like a waste of money and space.
why pay upwards to 2k when you can pay 1k for the 13 hd AND get portability?



My feels on the companion and companion hybrid:

I HAD the option to get one of these. Here is why I DID NOT.
First of all, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHyIDeHjw_8 <--this was a HUGE game changer for me.

As far as the companion goes.....frankly...I'm NOT OKAY with carrying that around. If it gets stolen you'll probably go on a killing spree. You'll feel like shit.
Also....who does detailed work like that outside of the comfort of your workspace/studio/home. one thousand extra bucks to be able to go...probably just sketch in the park on sai? wtf?

As far as the companion hybrid goes. I was ALMOST convinved till i watched the above video. As a galaxy note owner, buying a hybrid made no sense.
The hybrid has the same O.S. (almost) as the galaxy note.
So on the go....you only get samsung apps to art on. you CANNOT PUT SAI ON THE HYBRID.
So rather than spending 1,500 dollars on the hybrid...which would probably only mostly be put to work at home....
you can get the galaxy note 10 for 330 dollars refurbished. which has a standard stylus MADE BY WACOM
AND a 13hd.
And if you lose a 330 dollar galaxy its better than 'OH FUCK LEFT MY CINTIQ AT STARBUCKS'.

Let's be serious.



So today i'm the very happy owner of an intuos 4, a cintiq 13hd, and a galaxy note tablet.
And I couldn't be happier. <3

Edit+
I do recommend an ergotron for any cintiq. As they are otherwise very non ergonomic. I plan to get one soon myself.

Advice: coming up with poses

http://i.imgur.com/cGImNwq.png

1. Decide what the focus of your poses going to be:
-by this I mean, do you want people to notice the body first? Maybe the head? Or are they holding something important? This way you can choose oppose that helps highlight the feature you want to express more

2. Shift the weight:
-something as simple as sloping the shoulders, or shifting the weight onto one leg, can create a more dynamic pose. An easy way to remember this is to make sure that one half of the body is doing the opposite of the other half of the body. This is not always true depending on the pose or going for, but it's a general way to help

3. Is the pose static? Or dynamic?
-Decide if it's going to be a pinup pose or if it's going to be an action pose

4. Get my good side:
-sort of like one, taking into consideration a character's best features can help you decide how to pose them. For example if a character only has stripes on the right side then it would be a little boring to pose them on the side that has no stripes.

5. Draw from the action out:
-I guess you could call this an advanced technique. Or at least my personal technique.
As a lot of people are taught to draw from the head down as they begin, I have always drawn from the legs up. The reason for this being it never quite made sense to draw from the head down. When you pose for a picture one of the first things that you do is get into a stance because that then sets the tone for the rest of your pose. So then wouldn't it make sense to draw from the legs out in this way your pose has a more fluid feel. If you try to pose from the head down you would probably have a very stiff pose at the end of your picture being taken. I also find it extremely difficult to get my proportions right when I draw from the head down. It usually ends up with me having a head that is either too small or too big.
After I got the hang of drawing from the legs out I started practicing other ways of drawing. If I know that the character is going to be holding a staff I will actually start with the hand and the staff and then draw my way into the body. Something that is almost always consistent in the way that I start my work is the fact that I draw the head the very last. (Unless of course it's something like a portrait).

Disclaimer: as usual remember to take everything that I say with a grain of salt. I am not an expert and I'm not saying that these are the only ways I am simply offering what has worked for me as advice. It is entirely up to you what you choose to take or not to take out of this.

I hope this was able to help you in some way.

Drawing at your own pace

http://i.imgur.com/NmTaxmU.png

"How long does it take you to draw _________ "

I just wanted to address this.
Even i'm guilty of asking this or having asked this to other artists whose work I enjoy.

But before you ask this question you need to take into account:

-experience
-quality
-other variables. (Such as:Details, size, character count, your personality)

Because while time is an issue. It is not the -only- determining factor.


Experience.

How long have you been drawing? How long have they been drawing?

When you ask these two questions make sure it is understood that I don't take that B.S. answer of 'Q_Q ALL MY LIFE AND I STILL SUCK' Because i'm sorry as a kid you didn't give two shits if your bunny looked like a dog. There is a point in your life as an aspiring artist that you go "I want this to really get good at this. I want to study this. I want to LEARN this." A point where you get SERIOUS about art.

So let's rephrase.

When did you get serious about art? When did THEY get serious about art.

Because that matters. And I don't mean years. I mean hours a week. Because I know people who got 'serious' about art in 2011 and their art still looks like how they drew -then- even today in 2013. Why? Because they only put in 4 hours a week towards art. And even then that 4 hours wasn't focused.

So it isn't fair to you to compare yourself to someone who put 40-50 hours a week in towards their art when you only put in 10.



Quality

"If I tried to do what you did in 30 mins...it'd look like shit" -anon

If you're AWARE of this then DON'T RUSH IT just because you can't YET work at that speed. Take the time YOU need to take to make it good quality. Because it circles back around to experience. The more you draw the faster you WILL GET. So just keep at it. Your time will lessen.

And there are many exercises you can do to speed that up. DON'T ASK ME. I'm not google. This is 2013 and you're on a computer.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/17665b40.....jio10_1280.jpg <--Also I DIDN'T make that. surprise surprise to all of you who think i'm a bitch. there are MANY ARTISTS that think this way. it has 17k reblogs. So...any-the-fuck-way



Other variables

The obvious: Do you try to do more details? Are you comparing your 2 person sketch to someone doing a one person sketch?

Your personality: (I will tell you right now, I think this is a dumbass excuse if you want to eventually do commissions...you'd get fired/not hired anywhere else for it....but I -will- cover it)

Maybe you can't focus on something for a long period of time.
Maybe you're just a slow worker on everything you do (supposedly) no matter what you do

Mind you the above is DIFFERENT from art block. Art block happens to all artists at some point. but they push through it and keep on working. Art block once every few months? Understandable. Once every 2 weeks? That's a problem.

But whatever....that's something you have to deal with and account for. Maybe you just "can't" work at decent speed.



So what is a good speed to strive for?

I can't tell you for colored work but I can tell you 30mins to an hour for a one figure sketch is good to shoot for. everything else after that is sheerly dependent upon detail factor.