Looong hiatus, whoo. Just had to comb through a massive backlog of maybe seven years worth of subs I've been watching? That was a lot! Some very pretty pics though. I'm still figuring out how to art again, more to come about that later.

COVID, AI art, crazy politics in the world, pinning down my exact health issues and getting stable on my medications; there's so much going on. I'm glad FA seems to be as I remember it, a lovely little art collective with very cool people and great art.

I keep having to take sudden leaves of absences from the Internet because I get sick so often, but hopefully I'm more on the mend now. I'm drawing more often, and I'm hoping to get into colouring and finishing off the backlog of sketches I have at some point. Gently as she goes. :)

Haven't been around lately... I just found out recently I have hyperthyroidism, which explains the soul-draining tiredness and lack of energy I've had for what seems like years now, but is closer to a bit over a year in real time. Much ugh and ick and I keep catching colds as seasonal viruses come and go, and it seems like they never leave. Well, I'm on medication now, and everything seems to be improving slowly. Lots of things happening, but most everything feels like it's all in the hurry up and wait... sort of phase.

I haven't drawn much on account of mostly being bedridden and feeling extremely poorly, but I hope it changes. I've started a few sketches here and there, but my endurance levels are still pretty shot.

A friend gave me his old, cheapie tablet, but I can't get it to work. Frustration! But, oh well, I guess I'll hold out for a better, shiny, new Wacom someday. Next year, with all luck.

More sunlight, more peoples, but I'll be lurking in the shadows for a little longer, I expect.

1. Name your art style!

I don't know what to call it, but I've been told I seem to have a lot of manga influences, bits and pieces from Western comic book art styles, and something approaching a kind of realism. Fantasy realism? I don't know, but I guess it's a fusion. :)

2. What influenced your current style?

Um, I think I kind of answered this before. XD

I do love the pretty, delicate lines in manga like Vampire Princess Miyu. And it's from comics in general (shounen and shoujo manga, action comics, web comics, etc) that I learned about how lovely little details can be, things like emphasis on a certain line stroke, colour, shading or object. Every line in a drawing should add character, I think.

That touch of realism in my style is probably from my on-going attempts at drawing from life; mostly people, sometimes animals. I can't explain it well, but watching how muscle moves, paying attention to shape and dimension - it does seem to translate to drawing less wonky figures.

3. Do you wish to draw like someone else? Or, do you have a style you admire?

I can't think of anyone specific right this second. There's lots of artists I admire, though! There are many artists that make me curl up in a ball of envy because they do such amazing things with line and colour and shadow, but what I want most is to be best at my own style.

4. Do you have a favourite picture of yours?

I have something I like best about most of the artworks I put up for viewing. Others never see the light of day. XD;;

5. Hated picture?

Can't think of any right now?

6. What do you like best about making art?

Drawing it. I'm learning to appreciate inking and colour, but it's hard!

7. Favourite thing to draw/colour?

People. I mean this in a broadly applicable sense. XD

8. What's your process (take us through how your art goes from idea to finished piece)?

I sketch things on paper (usually standard A4 printing paper from the post office) with as good a pencil as I can find at the time (usually HB), starting with roughing out scribbly shapes and slowly darkening the lines I like best. Afterwards, I erase the bits that don't look good and do last-minute touch ups, then I go over the lines again with more weight.

I like working with a model of some kind, but I can do without. I usually use photographs or Google images.

I'm not very good with inking using pens or markers, so I generally scan the sketch and ink with Macromedia Flash. I use the shape tool pretty much exclusively and as few layers as possible. I then save a gigantic copy of the resulting line art and import it into Photoshop for colouring.

My colouring process is never quite the same each time, but I usually lay down flat colours on a layer and start adding more layers on top to manipulate shadows, highlights and colour blending tricks. I use a lot of soft brushes, but just the default ones. Right at the end, I may add a layer on top of everything for painting fixes to things that don't look quite right. I don't use a tablet because I don't have one; it's just the mouse and many cramped finger and arm muscles. XD;;

9. What are your tools?

HB pencils, a good eraser, decent paper, slightly broken computer, Macromedia Flash, and Adobe Photoshop CS.

10. If you could tell a bit of advice about art, what would it be?

Take your time to find out what works best for you. Everyone has their own way of doing things. :)

Aargh, my computer is still temperamental like a temperamental thing x_X; I'd have more art up by now if Photoshop and my computer could just settle their differences without massive epic crashes and errors. I keep losing my work.

I'm a bit bemused by all the pony love showing up all over the place but it is a shiny thing made of many shiny things of love. I should draw ponies. Friendship is magic!

I'm hoping I've reached my quota for bad stuff happening @_@ My computer got hacked then crashed horribly about a month or so ago - fortunately not resulting in data loss this time - but  Dark_Fractals came to the rescue and I'm now back online. :) I've got lots to catch up on!

Ow! I've managed to sprain my wrist and slice open my finger on a can. D: Have to take the art stuff slow for a while.

Also, I seem to have accidentally written over my previous journal. Oops! :x

Updated list of art-things to come from the sketch pile and their status as of today:

* Salamence pokemorph, full body -- Inking
* Gracia Raynos, rockin' out (Lugia pokemorph, RPG chara) -- Pencils
* Gracia Raynos, full body (Lugia pokemorph, RPG chara) -- Pencils
* Bunny girl warrior -- Pencils (Needs re-scanning~)
* Red dragoness -- Pencils
* Dragon priestess -- Pencils

I have too many sketches to finishhhh TT_TT

On my priority list for art-things, ranked approximately by how much I want to finish them:

* Avatar for  Dark_Fractals ♥ -- FINISHED
* Chessur Absolem (Absol pokemorph, RPG chara) -- FINISHED, ended up with two final versions
* Dr. Charity Bliss (Blissey pokemorph, RPG chara) -- FINISHED

F-finally got some art up ^^;; Ahhhh nervous.

My computer's missing half its brain from a hilarious series of mishaps that are far enough into the past now to be funny, but long story short, I'm missing a good five years or more worth of my art and most of my preferred tools. Dark Fractals has been helping me get back into things. Love you, sweetie! :D

Art stuff will go up once the dust settles.