Will we see some art of Shani again sometime? She's still a big fave of mine!
...might have to get a picture with her again soon as well, haha. XP

that's a great idea!! I'd love to give her a bit of a makeover :D she needs to get her fashion game on point

What artist would you love to collab with the most?

What would you like to improve upon the most in your art?

thx!

I'd love to collab with my good friend  lushminda (she's currently more active on twitter), her work is just really gorgeous and inspiring :3 and fashionable!

I'd love to improve my vehicle/armor/hard-surface skills, getting that perfect perspective is really tough but I think I might take advantage of my 3D modeling skills more to make it a lot easier/look way better in that regard!

Where does your name come from? I always assumed it's from "An American Tail", but then I realized that character's name is spelled Fievel.

What (or perhaps who) inspired you to start drawing? To start drawing furries (if different)?

Will you draw more birds? (I guess this is more of a request than a question)

it's kinda a weird answer but I got Fivel as a free username for the game Furcadia back in like.. 2009 XD I actually have never seen an american tail, so I thought it was kinda funny that we kinda share the same name!

I've been drawing as long as I could remember, but I distinctly remember in 3rd grade realizing I was "good" at drawing and kind of got obsessed ever since. Furcadia was my introduction to furries and the concept of making original characters. My biggest inspiration at the time to really start taking digital art seriously was my friend Fericerea on Furcadia, I started doing MS paint pixel art commissions thanks to her encouragement :D

I really want to draw more birds!!!!

Pixel art is one of my weaknesses. I hope you dip your toes back into it eventually. (Maybe you have, and I missed it :)

honestly I'd love to, I'll have to check out what the best software to use for it is! maybe photoshop, or just going back to my roots with MS paint would be great lol. that's a great idea!

I have very little familiarity with them, but here's some lists I Googled: https://lospec.com/pixel-art-software-list/ https://blog.felgo.com/game-resourc.....xel-art-online
Modern Windows Paint might be unfamiliar to you, so here's some old versions: http://www.oldversion.com/windows/microsoft-paint/

thank you soo much for looking into that!! it makes me so happy I still an access oldschool paint, too.

Personally, my favorite pixel art software is Aseprite, but there are tons of great options out there!

oh sweet, i'll definitely check that out :D I love learning new software when it's specialized like that

Beep's style has evolved a lot over the years (mainly in the facial structure and proportions);
I was always curious what was your thought process and character design goals driving this evolution. :3

I feel like Beep's always been kind of a struggle for me because of exactly that XD her species is really vague and up to interpretation (she's not a feline, she's not a canine, she's kind of.. her own thing) but I created her back when I was 12/13 and that really shows in the weird wacky design lol. she means so much to me so I try to just evolve her to whatever feels right at the time :D

Next object you want to make a character out of? :P

i've been wanting to do a beyblade, and a chia pet

What has been the hardest thing to learn about art, and about yourself as you've grown as an artist? What would you tell yourself if you were starting from scratch?

I think the hardest part for me, which feeds in to what i'd tell my younger self is, is really forcing myself to learn/study from real world observation. my ADHD brain tells me this part isn't very fun and therefore makes it really difficult to commit myself to, because I just want to have fun drawing and enjoy the process. which is probably why there's a lot of wonky anatomy in my older work (& still a struggle!). I don't regret it but I do think if I had a chance to start over, I'd want to dedicate more time and thought into taking the foundations of art more seriously.

Honestly, big same, I’ve really been working on fundamentals lately because exactly like you said, I just wanted to skip to the fun stuff for the same reasons. Thank you for the answer I didn’t expect to relate so much xD

oh yeah! the artist journey... we all relate to one another :D regardless of where you're at on that journey! I will say though, I DO think that enjoying art and having fun with it is REALLY important, if not more important to me personally! I know far too many people who really don't enjoy creating art because it feels like work to them and they never learned how to let go and have fun.

Any cool stuff you're listening to lately?

I've been really into this beautiful pianist I recently discovered, Hiromi!
https://youtu.be/PUC3gm4KA_o
Absolutely incredible skills!! And so jazzy!

Oh, I've seen her name. I'll have to check her out!

That was more than a little impressive. Beyond her obvious mastery of technique and dynamics, that hit me on a purely emotional level. Truly masterful. I'll have to look into more of her stuff. Looking down in the recommended list, she's got some serious fans, like Chick Corea and Simon Phillips...

I'll hit you with a few here too: You may have already peeped this, the amazing  maquenda did some art for these guys and that's how I was introduced to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8lzAEh-jIg

I came across this a year or two ago, this guy does some next level productions, of which this is an excellent example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRnGKO-DANQ

And, to round it out, an old favorite, and one of the best songs ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQBC5URoF0s

sorry for late reply but THANK YOU for the reccs!!! this is awesome!!! great taste!

♡

And coincidentally, Hiromi is playing a couple of shows here this weekend. Solo, and with a piano quintet. Unfortunately, I'm not going.

What's your shoe game looking like? Are you fresh dripped out?

I actually am RIGHT NOW drippin out earring my blue chill Jordan 1s 😎😎
I'm a bit behind on my sneaker game, mostly focusing on lovin' the current pairs I have before I trade some out for new ones

I'll start making a weird question:

Can multiple questions be asked by the same user?

Lol

for sure!! ask as many as you want! ;) (maybe the limit being... 50 questions.. LOL)

Alright!

Hmm... there's so many stuff I don't even know where to start lol

Hmm...

What advices would you give to a newbie like me? In both social and art stuff, regarding the furry community

I'd say, for socializing, try to also find some people who have things in common with you that AREN'T furry-specific! Most of the people i'm friends with, we don't really actually talk much about furry stuff! We talk about video games, or comedy, or food, etc! The fandom might bring us all together, but to keep actual convos going, I think it really helps if people know more about you than just furry-related topics! That said, I see you have a lot of awesome dinosaur art (GREAT art by the way!!), finding those inner communities of fellow dino lovers is a great way to find community <3
Your art is absolutely awesome, biggest advice I can give is please keep drawing/posting, and have fun with it!!! that's really what matters!

Okay! Yes, it seems the best option, to be honest. Thanks!

...

T-thank you! I- T-thanks!!! Sure I'll do!

What's your favorite pair of kicks, or your favorite brand even? As someone getting into shoes I'm ecstatic to hear abt your preferences :>

my FAVORITE pair is the first hype sneakers I got, they were a gift and really set me on my sneaker obsession, the nike air presto acronyms :D https://images.stockx.com/images/Ni.....olor&updated_at=1607647183

they're sooo loud and crazy but surprisingly easy to wear if you go minimal with your outfit XD (usually do all black or black+white)

i don't think i have a favorite brand, though I love yeezys for pushing sneaker aesthetics in such a unique crazy way. everything that initially seems far too crazy/out there, years later, is considered ahead of its time or aspects from it are now a common design theme. I like new balance because they seem like a more grounded, diverse/ethical company compared to the big competitors with a lot of US-made sneakers, and their shoes are COMFTY AS FUUUCK

Late response, but hell yeah! NB's have been around forever but I definitely notice they're surging in popularity these days. Def want to pick up a pair of 550s or 997s ahaha. I do wanna try a louder pair of sneakers similar to the presto that you linked, though like you mentioned it kinda becomes the centerpiece of your fit!

What is your favourite colour?

i honestly don't have a favorite color.. i might have a favorite color palette though which is super bright saturated, turquoise and orange-yellow lol

Oooh pretty much always a good mix. And I gotta say, i often find myself unable to pick a certain colour- theres just so many that are good in the right context

I have to do my masterwork for art school
(I chose book illustration)

Do you have any advice for anything about it? About writing the workflow, technics, tips, anything

Sorry if it's too much as a question, you may ignore.
Other one : what is your fav kind of perfume?

Nice! that sounds exciting!! I think making sure you do a lot of research about printing requirements, any hidden caveats for printing something like a book cover that wraps around a book that might not be obvious at first glance. Having a good foundation for the technical process of book illustration really helps make your work even stronger!
It's always great to look for real world examples that you love and really study them and understand why they made some of the decisions they did.
also, for something like book illustration, making sure you know the exact intent and goal behind what the piece needs to do is really important: what's the key detail you need the reader to notice and understand the most? how will you make sure the art's composition/shading/details/etc will help draw the reader's eye to that detail? more than any other form of illustration, book illustration needs you to really successfully tell a story with your picture. there's not much room for vagueness, in general getting across storytelling in art makes it so much stronger and interesting!

i don't have any perfume T_T my skin is too sensitive and it makes me break out!! lol

Thanks for the answer!
Sadly I do so much stuff randomly when I draw and now I can't do that makes.me nervous but I do my best and learn as much as I can.

Ah sad to hear. Then what smell in general do you like?

I LOVE the smell of herbs.. like when I'm cooking, fresh basil is my favorite smell in the world. for fragrances I love citrus scents. Now I'm starting to prefer more deeper scents you smell a lot in men's cologne, I don't know what kind of smell they are in particular but I love that deep spicy smell!!!

When did you become a furry? Were there any characters/artists in particular that got you on board?

i think I was 12 when my best friend showed me furcadia, but it was only a year or so later at 13 when i really made a character (Beep! my icon's sona) and really joined the community/started drawing furry art. all on furcadia :)

also, there was one particular artist that got me into it all, she was a friend i made on furcadia named Fericerea and she taught me how to do MS paint pixel art and it really got me inspired, haven't stopped drawing since :DD

Neat! Thanks for the response, always interesting to hear how people got into this. :)

you do trades? 👀

i used to T_T i got burned a lot where i'd never get my half so i'm a bit more hesitant when i do get the chance to take them on. but you're obviously a reliable awesome artist so honestly it's something i'd love to do in the future some time :D i'm just really busy so it's hard to find the time! but casual chill ones like sketches n stuff i'm way more down for!

How do you get your scales to look so good?

lots of experimenting! i'm pretty sure every single time i do them, i don't do the same technique. there's always something i'm trying out, sometimes i'm happy with it and sometimes it feels a bit off. but i actually have a scale tutorial i'm going to post TODAY so make sure to check my submissions soon!!

Favorite/least-favorite kink/theme to illustrate? (pick as many or few permutations to answer as you wish)

there's honestly a lot of them i WANT to draw but i'm kinda shy since i've always been relatively ~vanilla~. but I love drawing TF, latex, pool toys and bottomless/flashing. I would really love to try out just more kinky BDSM. Generally though, the main thing I want to capture is just drawing characters having really pleasurable experiences and maybe focus on demystifying vaginal pleasure since i think as a whole it's not something often captured as much, since it's not as... visually obvious sometimes as a penis x)

there's a lot of kinks i straight up won't draw, so I don't really have a least favorite one to draw; i just won't do it if it doesn't make me comfortable! :D

Great response! ^-^
You could make an alternate account to explore such things a bit more if you'd rather not post such experimentation here.
But yes, seeing characters genuinely enjoying themselves/each-other is wonderful!
And vaginal pleasure could certainly use more exploration.

Good policy!

I've often heard the phrase "No one hates Beastars more than a Beastars fan".

Have you read Beastars, and what're your thoughts on it?

i've only read a preview of it but loved the art style, then i watched the first season of the anime but it was really awkward hahaha. the sexual dynamic in it and its themes are interesting but not my personal cup of tea x)

I'm so glad you have returned! You're amazing!

<33 i'm trying!!! its soo hard to find a way to make sure I'm on my PC posting/uploading but i really want to make an effort to fix that. it's been so hard on my ipad cause it's such a bad screen for mobile navigation..

Double sided question here;
What's a piece of art you made with the most endearing memory with? Not your favorite art or nothin like that. ANY memory associated with a piece you've made. Whether that be creation or otherwise!
Second half is the opposite. An art piece you forget you made pretty regularly? Whether that be disassociation, uninspired, made and posted on a drunken binge and it became a blank spot, or anything else lol

I was just thinking of it, this one! maybe not like THE most endearing, i don't know if i have a specific one, but i do remmeber this piece being a distinct moment where I thought i started doing something 'right' and i think it was my first time ever having a popular drawing lol https://www.furaffinity.net/view/5007649/

and honestly there's so many pieces i've done, that sometimes i see them posted and genuinely have no recollection of drawing them & i'm like "wtf that looks like my style" only to realize it IS my style. its trippy. and it happens a lot. i'm really surprised at the sheer volume of art i've done hahaha

Its wild how we grow. Its definitely an old piece, but I see where the connections are in the new stuffs!

You've made a LOT of art. I know you've been doing it a while but like STILL.

If you were to be a bacteria what bacteria would you be

Photobacterium leiognathi... because they glow and its cool. i cheated and googled the name

C-could you consider doing some more turtles? Merz is really cute.
They seem really underrated as a species choice for ppl.

Also any random lore about her is always appreciated.

*them (they were nb rite?)

that is a wonderful idea ;A; i should draw more turtles.. its hard to know how to best translate their shells. merz was a fun one though i def gotta draw them more!!
also hi you are awesome and i hope you are doing well :) <333

Yes, more Merzbow! (Of all kinds).

 nicoya's Cayes is a great character and shows a great option of what to with the shell.

What do you enjoy the most of the drawing process?

good question!! it's hard to say.. i just have so many ideas floating around in my head so i think it's really satisfying just getting those ideas out on canvas. also, definitely shading. shading is so fun and lets me just zone out and relax!

true shading and painting bring out a joy =3

All these questions are nice and all, but the R E A L question is; Do you have a seal plushie? - https://a.co/d/hTpcwu5

omg T_T I WISH

What's your favorite game?

And also what's your favorite genre of game?

And last one, want particular game that you just absolutely LOVED the art style and direction of?

Sorry for the multi pronged question xD

Definitely my favorite game and the one that had the biggest impact on me, and a game I play annually, is Halo 1. It really set me on the path I'm on today which is a full time game developer :) Halo 1 holds a very near and dear place in my heart. Modern games, it's definitely Outer Wilds (the indie exploration game, not the Obsydian RPG Outer Worlds)
I actually don't know if I have a favorite genre, but one that I think MIGHT be my favorite are survival horror games. probably because of resident evil XD and just how COOL PS2 era survival horror games are...

and for art direction in particular, I think one that really comes to mind for me is The Witness. It's art style has had a huge impact on a lot of other games, and just, it looks so stunning.

Halo one and Gears of War absolutely set me on the path of being a gamer and wanting to develop games!!

I was never able to chase that dream too well though. I've definitely heard of Outer Wilds, it's popped up on my steam recommended a few times I think. The Witness sounds super familiar tbh.

I'm a huge baby when it comes to horror games, I just know how impressive it is that RE2 held up so well to the sands of time.

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for me!! :D

yessss!! gears of war!!!! it's been such a huge part of my life, I actually have ben really wanting to make new fanart for it!

Dooo eeeet!!
I'd def love to see more Beep of War or gremlin scampi in cog armor xD

I think that's actually what made me follow you yeaaaars ago was some fanart you made.

:D <333

What's the name of the character from Damaged Goods, and will we see more of her?

honestly I'd love to draw that character again, she was cool!!! I will have to come up with a fitting name for her.

Between your first time and the last time visiting a specific furry con, how would you say they have improved/gotten worse/evolved/changed?

I think cons have gotten AMAZING. My first few cons were pretty awkward and it felt like I struggled to find the fun at them. Now they're the most fun weekends of my life. I think a huge factor for that though was attending it with positive, trusting friends who also knew how to have a safe fun time :D

I think the fandom has matured a lot more, even if it doesnt seem like it at times with how... loud people are online. but i think cons have only gotten better. but I also know my experience isn't universal and some people might have really bad times at cons, I try to say hi and ne friendly to people I see who might be lonely at cons but sometimes it can be hard if you don't have a good friend or group to hang out with at a con.

Hello ^^
I wanted to ask how you approach Shading and how you achieve such pretty lighting effects on your art (mostly cool sneks). I would like to improve my shading personally too and would like to k ow what is in your opinion on approach to get into this better, cool and sharp looking shades. :3

Also how long you spend on full Shading?

Thank you for cool art and answer in advance. ^^

hey! sorry for late reply!
I think the best thing to do is really observe photos of whatever material you're trying to make! snake skin, shiny scales, something leather, something dull/matte/fuzzy, etc. Just really take a look at the photos and try to understand the different aspects of the surface/texture, like how shiny is it, how reflective is it, does it look smooth or bumpy, etc. You don't have to actually add it into your shading 100% accurate but knowing/understanding what you're trying to shade/light really helps you make cool choices/details!

I take a while on shading, maybe 6-10 hours depending on how big the piece is. at least for the really detailed polished pieces!!

Do you play any instruments?

I dont! Yet! my SO is a musician and I'd love to have him help teach me one, I'm thinking keyboard!

Do it! Playing music is so fun! It's something anybody can and should do.

Don't feel daunted by not being a "Great musician". The point is to have fun. Keyboards and synths are great to play around with for nice sounds and just do drones or two note jams, for instance. I think you'd enjoy playing with synths. Just jam and play. There are no rules!

Thank you!! That's very similar to the art advice I love giving, which really is just HAVE FUN with it! That's especially why I'd love a keyboard, it'd be such a fun 'toy' to express myself with and I could even use it for projects on my PC if it's a good compatible one.

There are any number of fairly inexpensive keyboards that can be patched into a PC, either directly or with a relatively simple dongle, and many free or inexpensive programs to do that with. There are also many standalone synths and keyboards that can also easily interface with a PC. A synth is nice, because it gives you controls to tweak the sounds. It's a more intuitive and tactile thing. I think that's more fun. But there are tons of programs that will give you anything from simple to the most complex synth options as well.

Yes. HAVE FUN! Play with your BF, or jam along with yer favorite choons!

A good online seller is Thomann: https://www.thomannmusic.com/ They seem to consistently have the best prices.

If you've got a good local music place, which I assume you do, go in and pick the brains of the salespeople and get your hands on some things. Tell them you'd like to check out inexpensive starter keyboards and synths. There are a lot of really good products at all price points these days.

If you find something you like, you can always check the online prices, or perhaps they'll match them to get a sale.

Been wanting to ask about this, though it may be my fault for not being fully attentive. Any past works in the game industry that I could check out? I understand if you prefer to keep your portfolio anonymous in precaution. How is your work life going otherwise?

I've been wanting to get into it someday though a lot of things in my life threw a wrench in my plans to put time into my game development project (I too have ADHD).

personally the thing i'm now REALLY excited about is still underway but when we're ready to share it I definitely will. It's something I'm a lot more closely tied to so I feel a lot more excited about it. And another thing at my full time job that I wish I could share sooo bad but... not for a while <.< my whole life is NDAs!
that said, I worked on the environments for days gone and halo infinite, so i don't know if open world games with lots of pine trees interests you but XD that seems to be my schtick! I'm very VERY proud of the environments on days gone, I think we kicked ass in that regard

Sounds great! I'll be looking forward to the project's public announcement!

Do you like tabletop games/stuff? What about miniatures or miniature painting? Are you interested in any?

I used to play way more of them in college, but I've gotten into MTG over the past year and have been absolutely loving it, so that's bringing me back into the local tabletop gaming spaces! I used to have a 40k army (orkz & started building white scars) but that kinda got cut short from me breaking up with said guy that got me into it & all of my army was at his place hahaha. i dont think i'd get back into that but it was really fun. i'd love to maybe get a random miniature to paint that would just make a good desk art piece

Well if you ever wanna try getting into it back slowly I'd love to be there for ride! I have a few armies and am expanding into dnd and fantasy minis lol. I'd love to show them and talk a bit about them with ya!
40k has changed alot in a few years lol. Plus I've been trying to get into other stuff like battletech and Yu-Gi-Oh lmao