Artist Questionnaire

Welcome to the Artist Questionnaire. Just a friendly little survey so that we can all get to know each other and our artistic habits. Not sure if this will be a recurring thing yet, but I guess we'll see how it goes. Of course, anyone else is free to make their own questionnaire like this if you ever get the itch to do one. =D

Rules:

• Copy and paste the questions and add in your answers below each question.
  
• If a question doesn't apply, you can leave it blank. You don't have to answer every one.
  
• Feel free to go into detail!
  

Yay so happy to see this back. x3

1. What is art to you? A hobby, or something more? Do you, or are you looking to work in an art-related field?
I'm probably one of the few people here who will answer in this way, but art is just a hobby to me and I don't think I would be interested in an art-related career. Writing and storytelling is probably my number one passion, and part of the reason I wanted to learn to draw is so I could draw the characters from my stories. But I just love art in general, even if it is not a career thing for me.

2. How long have you been drawing? What got you started?
Not including as a kid since I assume everybody did, the first time I seriously got into drawing was around the time Pokémon came out I think, and I wanted to draw them and make up my own so badly. XD That's the first time I actually showed off my art to others on the internet.

3. Are you a left-handed or right-handed artist? Or possibly ambidextrous (can use both hands)?
I'm right-handed. My left hand is pretty much useless.

4. When you begin a drawing, what do you start with? (Basic shapes? Outlines? Other?)
A rough outline of the overall form usually.

5. Do you prefer CG or traditional?
I've done more CG stuff, but recently I have been getting into traditional. Watercolours in particular are so calming for me. I'd say overall I like them about equally.

6. On average, how long does it take for you to complete a finished work?
This really depends on the work; I'm all over the place with this one. There are pieces I have finished in an hour or two, and others that I have spent weeks working on.

7. Does it bother you when people watch you draw? Do you often stream?
Yes, it does. Maybe one day I'll get over this. But I can't draw if others are watching.

8. Do you prefer working in silence or can you work with external noise (TV, music, etc.)?
I like to listen to music while I draw. Lately I have been listening to audiobooks as well. But music is definitely my favourite to have when drawing because it serves as an inspiration as well.

9. What do you use to draw with? Share your tools of the trade?
Digitally, I use Photoshop CS5 most of the time. Traditionally, I don't have any specific brands or anything... at the moment I use pencils, watercolours, and that's about it.

Great questionnaire! I already gave my feedback to you, but I'm curious what others have to say. n.n

1. What is art to you? A hobby, or something more? Do you, or are you looking to work in an art-related field?
I had a degree in art but didn't particularly plan to draw for a living, I have no confidence and like looking as much as drawing. I just started grad school to get my masters degree in art education and teaching certificate so I can teach art instead. I still haven't decided what age I'd like to teach but I should be k-12 certified.

2. How long have you been drawing? What got you started?
I really started in high school. I don't know how I started.

3. Are you a left-handed or right-handed artist? Or possibly ambidextrous (can use both hands)?
Right-handed.

4. When you begin a drawing, what do you start with? (Basic shapes? Outlines? Other?)
I'm more of the basic shaped type.

5. Do you prefer CG or traditional?
CG.

6. On average, how long does it take for you to complete a finished work?
It depends on the complexity. Usually at least a couple hours for colored work, the longest I've spent on something so far was about 40 hours.

7. Does it bother you when people watch you draw? Do you often stream?
It depends on what I am drawing and how intently they are staring. I hate when they stand right behind my shoulder and breath on me.

8. Do you prefer working in silence or can you work with external noise (TV, music, etc.)?
I like background sounds but silence is ok too.

9. What do you use to draw with? Share your tools of the trade?
I upgraded to a cintiq recently. I have the older version of photoshop since I can't afford to upgrade after buying the cintiq.

10. What's the best art advice you have ever been given (or stumbled upon)? What advice would you give to beginners?
Studying technical drawing is actually pretty helpful and you shouldn't be afraid of using references. More artists than you think use them.

1. What is art to you? A hobby, or something more? Do you, or are you looking to work in an art-related field?

Art is my life! I love dreaming up stories and characters, and then bringing them to life. I think it's both a hobby and a career goal for me. Ideally I'd like to end up with a job that's related to the animated movie/cartoons industry. Storyboarding is what I think I'd enjoy the most, but I might be more suited for animation. (Even though it drives me crazy sometimes hehe, but I think that's just what animation does to you sometimes)

But as a hobby I just really enjoy making comics, and using art to tell stories about characters I've made up. I also enjoy drawing super cute stuff to fill my heart up with joy. Heeeh!

2. How long have you been drawing? What got you started?

Siince childhoood! I think what really encouraged me was watching all the cartoons and disney movies as a kid. Trying to draw bugs bunny with a silver crayon is one of my earlier proud-of-my-arts moments hehe.

3. Are you a left-handed or right-handed artist? Or possibly ambidextrous (can use both hands)?

Right handed, but trying to train my left handed for when my right hand is too tired to draw anymore. I've worked it out so it's not completely useless at drawing! But when I use my left I have to draw reaaaaally sllllooow which is hard for me. Because I'm impatient and my drawing speed is too fast for my own good.

4. When you begin a drawing, what do you start with? (Basic shapes? Outlines? Other?)

A circle. I always draw a circle out of plain habit. And then sometimes I get mad at myself cause I didn't even NEED that circle haha.

5. Do you prefer CG or traditional?

Now that CG's been here so long it's starting to look just as nice and pretty as traditional. So, it depends I can be swayed either way. But usually my preference is traditional because there's something about it that just seems more magical when it comes to life. (Although I really like when the two team up and make something even MORE amazing and gorgeous!)

6. On average, how long does it take for you to complete a finished work?

From a couple of seconds to a few hours typically for just my simple illustrated drawings. I'm really too impatient for my own good sometimes and end up drawing really quick and fast though. I'll end up redrawing the same sketch at least five different times until I'm happy with it sometimes! And that's what makes it longer.

7. Does it bother you when people watch you draw? Do you often stream?

When I can seee the person yes. I've done livestreams many times though and I don't mind that, since I can't seeee the staring eyes, only know their presence hehe/

8. Do you prefer working in silence or can you work with external noise (TV, music, etc.)?

Can't staaand silence. Need music! And music only. If it's television or audio I'll end up watching that instead of drawing because I'm too easily distracted.

9. What do you use to draw with? Share your tools of the trade?

Mostly just Macromedia flash as of lately. This is because my tablet has been acting up, so I've been using my mouse to draw. And photoshop and mouse are just a no-go. Flash and mouse on the other hand work very well with each other! (No pen pressure required).

And then there's the good old mechanical pencil and paper.

But, mostly flash!

10. What's the best art advice you have ever been given (or stumbled upon)? What advice would you give to beginners?

Some artistic advice from professionals that always rings in my head from time to time is: "Never make a line without a meaning to" Which is basically, don't just draw lines thoughtlessly. Think about this line, and how the slightest curve or length of it could really change an image.
And "If you're going to make a mistake - don't make it in the eyes" A quote from animator Glen Keane.

Whew that was fun~!

1. What is art to you? A hobby, or something more? Do you, or are you looking to work in an art-related field?
Art is my passion in life. Whether it is painting or crafting, it is what really pulls me away from reality. If I’m playing a game or watching a movie, sometimes I come away from them feeling like I’ve just wasted my time. When I’m doing something creative and art related, I feel as if my time were well spent.

I had a time in my life where I questioned my future. It was either: go with the family and become an engineer or go against them and become some form of art major.
Currently, I’m an illustration major, but I have to transfer from my current college to a university to get the classes I desire. Either way, I’m planning to be working in an art-related field once I graduate.

2. How long have you been drawing? What got you started?
I’ve been drawing since I was a child. I always forced my mom to draw me things so I could color them in or copy them. My mom told me of a story in which I threw a tantrum in the store to get my first paint set. But I never really put much effort into it until fifth grade when my friend who seemed just obsessed with drawing suddenly became my touchstone. I really wanted to match her skill. It wasn’t until eighth grade that I was more serious about my art and improving. My basic art teacher told me to “never stop drawing” and I took it to heart. However, I had a digital art teacher in high school who really pushed me to improve and realize I couldn’t live without doing something in the art field. These people shaped my life into what it is now as I strive to make my dream career come true.

3. Are you a left-handed or right-handed artist? Or possibly ambidextrous (can use both hands)?
I’m right handed xD;;
I can’t do bleep with my left hand.

4. When you begin a drawing, what do you start with? (Basic shapes? Outlines? Other?)
I use forms to work out the body of whatever I’m drawing then I kind of mash in lines and connect things. I love starting with torsos first (got into a spot of trouble with my last figure instructor because she insisted on starting with the top most point first).

5. Do you prefer CG or traditional?
I don’t really have a preference. I really work CG the exact same way I work traditional. Though CG means I can delete/paint over/cut/add textures with ease. I don’t have to worry about lines showing through if I tell them not to. HOWEVER, I believe there is this great joy and frustration that comes with mistakes in traditional that are toned down when doing digital. So, I like them both.

6. On average, how long does it take for you to complete a finished work?
I have this issue where I start things and don’t finish them.
But if I’m completing a piece, it can be anywhere from 20hrs to 3 days and up to 2 weeks if I have to wait for things to dry.

7. Does it bother you when people watch you draw? Do you often stream?
I get a bit bashful. I don’t really have a problem with it, but it’s a strange feeling when people start whispering at each other. “Wow, she draws hecka good” or “dang she’s really pro”. Then you look at your own art and you go, BUT THIS IS WRONG AND THIS IS UGG AND THAT THERE NEEDS—I digress.
I have a livestream account and the livestream program on my Toshiba BUT ALAS, my internet sucks and I couldn’t even stream one minute without crashing.

8. Do you prefer working in silence or can you work with external noise (TV, music, etc.)?
I can work with noise, I prefer to work with music, but headphones really get in the way when I’m working traditional. LOL. I’m pretty animated when painting.

9. What do you use to draw with? Share your tools of the trade?
Mmm, traditionally, I use watercolors. I have Grumbacher Academy tubes and Cotman tubes and well as a variety of pans. I am absolutely obsessed with getting more colors but I have refrained as my money depletes so quickly. For dabbling and pieces I don’t expect much out of, I use Canson XL 300gsm paper and this one other brand that I don’t remember o_o But it’s really thin and works well only with light washes. For high quality paintings, I use Arches. It’s 100% rag which means it takes in pigments and water very well while retaining the vibrancy. It also doesn’t shed fibers and takes layers upon layers upon layers of washes.
Digital, I use PS CS5 for everything. Mostly because I have a Mac and I can’t install SAI.

10. What's the best art advice you have ever been given (or stumbled upon)? What advice would you give to beginners?
Just gotta practice.

1. What is art to you? A hobby, or something more? Do you, or are you looking to work in an art-related field?
It's my passion. Grant it, I dunno if I will be able to make a substantial living off of it, but I would be a very happy girl if that were to happen. I have a degree in graphic design and animation (media informatics) and am currently a design intern.

2. How long have you been drawing? What got you started?
I was drawing since I could remember. I was always inclined to the arts; it's kinda funny... my teacher in 1st grade once told me (during a drawing exercise about what we wanted to be when we grew up ironically enough) that I should be an artist when I grow up since I was so good. Ya, I actively avoided the idea till I was in 7th grade. It was during a self portrait project using pen and ink that I decided that I wanted to do it for a living~ During the gap between, though, I was still drawing. Just not around my teachers. XDD

3. Are you a left-handed or right-handed artist? Or possibly ambidextrous (can use both hands)?
Left handed~ :3 Oh and don't ask me to draw with my right hand. I'm terrible at it.

4. When you begin a drawing, what do you start with? (Basic shapes? Outlines? Other?)
Normally I start with a very rough sketch to get the pose right. For the Outline, I start with the face.

5. Do you prefer CG or traditional?
Kinda both. Although CG is technically quicker for me and has so many benefits to it *coughundobuttoncough*, I find myself drifting back to traditional a lot. There is a stronger connection between me and a pen/pencil when I draw, and sometimes there is nothing quite like the look of real watercolor, markers, and pens.

6. On average, how long does it take for you to complete a finished work?
Depends, again... If I am very motivated and drawing a regular styled person on the computer with no backgrounds, it can range between 2 to 5 hours. Then there are backgrounds and effects. And then there is traditional media and distractions and work...

7. Does it bother you when people watch you draw? Do you often stream?
I'm not good enough to stream. ^_^; Also my internet connection is weak at best so it'd be annoying in the long run. In real life, though, I've gotten used to it, since most people are pretty quiet about it. If they speak up, we can strike up a conversation. Kinda comes with being an art student; the teachers are ALWAYS looming behind you... judging your every move.

8. Do you prefer working in silence or can you work with external noise (TV, music, etc.)?
Kinda depends upon my mood, but normally it's either silence or music of my choice. TV and such just distract me.

9. What do you use to draw with? Share your tools of the trade?
Ooooh boy... Well the one I use the most is Photoshop CS4 with my Wacom Granite tablet (it's over 7 years old btw~ :3 ), digitally, and pens and Prismacolor markers, traditionally. If I could afford Copic markers, I would!
BUT I also use Illustrator, Maya, Flash, watercolors, charcoal, color pencils, paper, clay, photography, metal work, fabric, cardboard... again thank being a former art student. ^_^; You get a lot of experience in college and art clubs! <3

10. What's the best art advice you have ever been given (or stumbled upon)? What advice would you give to beginners?
Um... "Always take your audience into consideration". Very designish advice, ya, but I think it also works for art. As for the worst/most confusing advice: "Your audience is stupid! Do not assume they know anything about the subject you are focusing on."
As for advice to give beginners, I suggest you 1) find an art teacher you like; s/he will be your best friend through the whole ordeal and 2) seek an art class or even drawing sessions with live models/sets. It will be frustrating at first, but it will connect you with peers, give you practice, and a general idea of the anatomy of humans/how lighting works.

1. What is art to you? A hobby, or something more? Do you, or are you looking to work in an art-related field?

Art is MY LIIIIFE lol I work as a texture artist at an animation studio right now, and I'm enjoying the heck out of it. (: I'm also still aiming to eventually get some comics in print... Finish up the webcomic I've been working on, and then embark on another one.

2. How long have you been drawing? What got you started?

Since before I remember? XD I dunno... There was one moment when I was like 9 or so when I drew something other people seemed to really like, and it sort of made me think 'oh, hey, I'm good at something!', which in turn made me keep doing it. I didn't really realize that doing art for a living was possibly within reach until high school or so, though, when I started learning more about the art world and the possibilities out there.

3. Are you a left-handed or right-handed artist? Or possibly ambidextrous (can use both hands)?

Right-handed; my left hand can produce little more than indecipherable squiggles.

4. When you begin a drawing, what do you start with? (Basic shapes? Outlines? Other?)

...I... actually also tend to start with a circle, like Sky. XD (And then sometimes, like, Sky, it's in the wrong part of the page and I end up just erasing it BUT ANYWAY...) Usually I make some attempt to loosely block in the rest of the basic shapes before I start doing any details; if art school taught me one thing that's served me well ever since, it's to start big and work progressively smaller; that way you can start to see glaring mistakes in the composition and anatomy of the piece before you get too far into the little details.

5. Do you prefer CG or traditional?

Neither?? I've been working more digitally lately because my job keeps me at a computer and I've become real nice and cozy with Photoshop, but I still love traditional media.

6. On average, how long does it take for you to complete a finished work?

It varies a lot... sometimes, pieces just sort of click together within a couple of hours, and sometimes it takes a week's worth of working on it a bit at a time. I don't think I've ever spent more than 16 solid combined hours on a single illustration, though.

7. Does it bother you when people watch you draw? Do you often stream?

It doesn't bother me! I wouldn't mind streaming except the whole process of setting up the stream every time and announcing it in places where people will see and know to come to it seems like a hassle, when I'm not always sure if people will be around and want to watch. (Often I'm also simultaneously rping or talking on IM clients as I work, too, which would be boring for an audience to watch XD;; )

8. Do you prefer working in silence or can you work with external noise (TV, music, etc.)?

Depends? Sometimes I can just turn off my brain as I paint and I play videos beside the painting or something (been watching a lot of internet reviewers lately...), and sometimes I'll play music if I can't find anything suitable to play or I don't feel like videos. If I'm really trying to concentrate, though, I can only listen to instrumental music or none at all. Electronica is my default 'working' music.

9. What do you use to draw with? Share your tools of the trade?

Wacom Intuos3 and Photoshop CS5 for digital stuff (though I use Maya and Mudbox for 3d stuff and am hoping to learn ZBrush sometime in the near future)... For traditional, I like pencils and brush pens for lines, and markers for colour, though I occasionally poke stuff in acrylic paints (and when I do life drawings or studies I'll use whatever I can get my hands on).

10. What's the best art advice you have ever been given (or stumbled upon)? What advice would you give to beginners?

I mentioned starting big and going small up above, and I think that advice has held me in good stead... Also thinking about the heirarchy of visual elements when it comes to illustration, with composition being the most important thing, and value structure close behind (you can screw up on the colours and the anatomy/draftsmanship, but if you screw up the composition and value structure, no amount of meticulously-rendered buttons and embroidery lace will save the image).

Dunno if it's the BEST piece of advice I've ever received, but it is something I try to think about every time I start planning a piece. (Though there is also something to be said for just doodling freely without worrying about any of those things; I've been trying to get myself to loosen up lately and doodle more, because I'd rather make one weird crappy doodle every day than wait around for inspiration for the Perfect Composition and make one really good drawing a year and nothing else. Even the crappy drawings still count as practice, or at least training my hand, and sometimes I belatedly realize that I really like them and turn them into something more. C: )