I got quite a few notes in response to my last journal where I was accepting questions from others wanting to know this or that. Most were asking the same thing, others having more unique questions. I’ve summarized the questions below tried to answer everything as best I could.

If you have any further questions (REAL ones) that are not repeats of what’s below, or want more detail in an answer, feel free to note me or ask in this post! Even if you asked something already, you can still ask of something else! Got more then one question? Go ahead and ask them all :3

Now onto the Q&A
_________________________________________________

How long have you been drawing for?
I’ve been drawing sense I was four years old. (One of my) older brother started me on it. He use to be outstanding, drawing and painting realistic birds and such on wooden furniture. Most of my day’s when I was younger was spent on the floor with paper spread all around and either crayons or markers at my disposal. I even started making paper ‘action figures’ of game or cartoon figures and play with them. Or would draw out HUGE rode ways for my toy cars, as in taping/gluing a LOT of sheets of paper together and drawing out roads and city and towns. One got so big it went from the back of the house in my old bedroom, down the hall, and spread out into the living room.

What art programs do you use? Is it only Photoshop or have you tried other programs before?
Photoshop is my main tool and what I’ve been using the longest from Beta, to v3, v4, v7, CS2, and finally CS4 being the current version I‘m using. However it’s not the only thing I use. I also use openCanvas and Illustrator. I have tried Gimp (didn’t like it) and am trying to learn Painter. Not really ‘art’ programs in particular but I also use 3DSMax9, Bryce, and Zbrush for my 3D works.

Have you ever used Painter before? And if so, have you been able to understand it effectively enough to make it a regular use tool?
Painter is…. Very different then what I am use to ^.^ It is definitely NOT photoshop. However I have used it and am still working on trying to learn, bit it is a bit confusing in some places, perhaps cause I’m trying to take photoshop logic into it and that’s just not working XD It may be a while still before I’m putting out works using it, but I do want to learn it.

I‘d love to learn to draw but I can‘t afford any of these expensive programs. Is there anything free you can recommend?
Let me start off by saying you do not need any type of program to learn to draw. Grab a pencil and paper and start that way. Owning a program will not teach you to draw, nor will it automatically give you the skills to draw and or color. That comes from years of practice and studies. Such as from the post I did not long ago about that very subject that you can read here: [link]
As for a free program, Gimp is a free alternative to Photoshop, it does not however have all the tools or options photoshop has, but it is still a nice light weight program for basic needs.

What is you‘re favorite subject to draw?
I think one look at my works would show that clearly. I like wildlife. I have always been huge on animals, marine life in particular. I use to say when I was seven that I wanted to be a marine biologist. Watching animals on TV, cartoons or movies, I use to love going out to Lion Country Safari and seeing all the animals. So yes, Wildlife is most defiantly what I like drawing the most.

Do you ever trace works?
When I was really young yes, but it was a very short faze. I had very strict parents growing up, and when they’d see me doing such they’d tell me it was ‘cheating’ and after a short while it got into my head as well. I didn’t want to be a cheater so I practice doing everything free hand, looking at something and trying to draw it. I think it’s also thanks to them that I grew up as such a professionalist at everything I did. Thing’s had to be JUST RIGHT or I’d have a fit, and that counted for what I drew and what not. I do however trace over my own works. My hands are not the most steady in the world, and when drawn on paper I do trace over what I just drew and would then ink/color the copy. If I’d ever mess up I’d still have the original I could retrace, and when the copied is inked/colored, I’d still again have the original.

When you color, do you use the dodge or burn tools for shading/highlighting?
Not for shading, no, and nor do I shade with black/white. I‘d never recommend anyone to color that way as all dodge/burn does is add in soled black, or soled white to the area and if you take a moment and look around you, the various shades and shadows, and highlights are not black, nor white. When I shade I will make up a color pallet for the different shades I plan on using for the subject, for example I may start out with a very light cream and shade down into a deeper red or silver. Or go from white and shade down into a dark lavender. However that’s not saying that it is never used, those tools do have their uses for some effects where yeah, I may want a white highlight say in someone’s hair or on something shiny that the dodge tool may make look better then if I had just taken white and painted in the same spot. For example [link] the dodge was used on the highlights on the edge of Zeniths beak as well as the edge of his tail as well as some spots in the water webbing.

How do you ___________________?
Really I can’t tell you, however I can show you. I do have tutorials I have in the worked/being planed to show off some effects that I do. But for questions regarding how I shade/color/draw/etc the only thing I can do is show you. I have one ‘making of’ that will in time get done when I get the energy and desire to work on it again, it does sort of show how I do my coloring and line prep, but it don’t go in depth and I think that is what people want. I do have plans on doing more ‘making of’ and ‘how to’ in the future.