(I apologize if the ID didn't come up in the text section.


Interview With an Artist #1
I want to thank  amocin for letting me invade her artistic mind. I’ve said I wanted to do interviews with artists, so here is the first installment. We all love her webcomic “Druids” and now I get to have a talk with the amazing artist herself! Enjoy!
So Question number one. Who is Amocin in a nutshell? Describe yourself in brief terms.

I am an Indiana born, Florida raised, Texan girl. I am a mother of one, and have been with my loving husband for 9 years. I enjoy role playing games, both on consoles and on table top. I would say the thing I love most is a good story, which I get from either reading, my video games, or some of the various TV shows I watch.


#2: What is your fursona and why is it that?

My fursona is a bit of an odd one. She is a white tiger with red hair, feathered wings, and a sharks tail. To top it all off she is a fire elemental, immune to fire and heat, damaged by ice and cold. She was made to represent the elements. Fire elemental covers fire, a land animal to cover earth, wings to cover wind, and the shark bit for water. She was the first character I ever made, and eventually I just identified with her and used her as my fursona.


#3: Although I do not play World of Warcraft, I am aware that "Druids" is based on it. What gave you the inspiration to create a webcomic about it?

Druids was created shortly before I quit playing WoW, and the only reason I quit playing was a lack of people to play with. The idea came from the time I spent in moonglade and always noticed the Druids paired up with one Alliance member and one Horde member. With the inclusion of the two new Druid races of Worgen and Troll, I felt it was time to break away from the typical Tauren/Night Elf pics, and move onto a less common one. The Night Elves have been working with Tauren for forever, so there was little option for bad blood or Drama, but with the recent events of Gilneas, the Worgen was an awesome choice... not to mention I like furry stuff and a Worgen and Tauren pairing was right up my ally.


#4: Describe your Art Style. Are there other styles that you like/ wish you could do?

My art style for the comic is a bit strange. Its a messy cross hatching cell shaded coloring method. I cell-shaded a lot of work for a volunteer art job for awhile, and loved the way it looked, so I just modified it. However I switch out that style for paitery style on things not comic related. I like the soft look it has, and my husband also likes it better. He has a huge influence over my work, and I tend to listen to him when it comes to what I should do with my art.


#5: Tea or Coffee?

I dont really like coffee, and never drink it, so I would say Tea. I actually have a very lovely tea house that I like to go to from time to time. I love teas that have a bit of strawberry added into it.



#6: How has the experience been with "Druids"? How was it at the beginning, how is it now?

It has had it's ups and it's downs, thats for sure. Overall the experience with Druids has been a good one. In the beginning it was just something I enjoyed drawing, and never expected as many people to like it. We began doing random updates on FA, and now it is updated weekly on its own website.



#7: "Druids" in my opinion, is a very successful comic. When you finish the comic, do you plan on creating another series? If so, can you share anything the future holds?

Yes! I do plan on making another comic, though this time not based off a current existing game or world. I would like to create my own world with its own rules. It will still be furry based, and still have adult content in it. Aside from those two things the only thing that seems set right now is that I would like to use my Otter and Sea Dragon combo characters for the story. Nothing is really set though, I just know that I would like to work on another.



#8: Have you been to any Furcons? What was your experience like?

I have not been to any furcons sadly, and with a newborn, I don't see myself attending one any time in the near future. I would really like to go to one, its just that every opportunity I have had I was either too busy for, or just didn't know it was there until it was already going on.



#9: When working on your art, are there genres of music, or specific songs that you like to listen to?

Game or movie soundtracks. The kind of stuff that doesn't tend to have words. It helps get me in the mood to draw, and I actually feel like I draw faster with less distractions when the music is playing. The few things that have words are usually goofy songs, such as Mercenaries "Oh no you didn't", or even Muppet "Bohemian Rhapsody".


#10: What kinds of art do you like, and what kinds of art do you not like?

I am a fan of all kinds of art work. No matter the style of coloring, or the subject. The only things I dont too much care for is when it looks like the artist took short cuts, or is just being lazy with their work. Other then that I enjoy a lot of different genera when it comes to visual art.



#11: What is your favorite color?

Oh my god, BLUE! I have nearly blue everything. My phone is blue, my laptop is blue, my wedding was done with blue. I am sure if my husband let me, our entire house would be blue. It was one of the good things about having a boy, I could decorate a room entirely in blue.



#12: Your profile says you are open to Critiques. Do you critique others often? What do you look for in other's art?

When people ask for critiques I give them, or rarely when I feel the artist may accept it. Now a days it seems that finding an artist who wont have their cronies jump all over you for a crit is a rare thing. I dont usually give them just for this reason. Artists have become entirely too sensitive about their work. What I tend to look for most is anatomy, mostly in the muzzle area, as that seems to be a problem for many artists.



#13: "Druids" can be considered fanfiction. Are you into any other fanfictions?

Not really. I liked fanfictions a lot when I was in high school, but no longer really read them. I think mostly because I am tired of seeing fan couples, or couples made of characters that wouldnt normally be so..



#14: Is there anything you would like to improve on in life or in your art in the near future? Distant future?

I am always looking to improve on my art work, and always learning. Currently I am aiming to tackle work on lighting and experimenting with it.



#15: Last Question. Is there anything you would like to say to other furry artists/regular artists as a word of advice or encouragement?

To the other artists, dont be afraid to draw things you have problems with. The only way to get better is to practice, so if you have problems with drawing paws, dont find a way to always conceal them in your works. You will find that within a very short time you will improve if you just work on that area more. Find tutorials, ask other artists for help, and dont let yourself get discouraged. Nobody develops their skills overnight, its something we all have to work on over the years.

I want to thank  amocin so much for allowing me to interview her. If you would like to be interviewed, send me a note!