Q: How long have you been drawing?
I've been drawing digitally since 2007, so over 10 years now! Of course, technically I was a lot younger when I first picked up a pencil, but I think getting access to digital programs and my first tablet really pushed me to start drawing more for myself. The first digital program I used was Photoshop Elements, which came free with my first tablet - a Wacom Bamboo Fun (not available any more I think though).
Q: How did you learn art? Did you go to art school?
I live and consume art daily and am predominantly self-taught! I took a few little art classes when I was a smol child, but never pursued it in tertiary education.
Q: Do you take art requests or trades?
Not at the moment! I sometimes do a bit of gift art when I have time, but I generally don't take requests or trades unless I otherwise say so.
Q: What's your general process for a piece from start to finish?
I typically start with a sketch, done on whatever's convenient and around when I come up with the idea (e.g. pencil and paper, iPad, computer). Ideas usually come to me at weird times and my sketching process usually happens over a few days rather than over one intense sketching session. Once I have a decent sketch done, I will import it into Medibang Paint Pro and start the colouring and painting process on my Wacom Mobilestudio Pro. Once the painting is roughly done, I export the piece as a .psd file and start doing a bit of colour correcting in Photoshop. Once I finish, I resize the image and export it as a .png file.
If you want a more in-depth look at my process, visit my gallery! Click on any of the finished paintings and you'll be redirected to a page with some process shots of that image, as well as a speedpaint (in most cases). Additionally, you can visit my Youtube channel which has speedpaints for most of my recent drawings.
Q: What canvas size do you usually work on?
It varies, but I usually work on canvas sizes around the 3000 x 5000 px at 350 dpi range. If you want specifics for any given piece, the speedpaint video for that piece will usually have the canvas size at the bottom left hand side of the screen. Before I post the artwork on social media, I typically resize it to approximately desktop screen size (around 1000 - 2000 px on the long side) and sharpen the image in Photoshop.
Q: Top tips for beginners looking to start or improve their art?
Use references! Online resources are your best friend for improving your art and keeping yourself inspired.
Evaluate your art frequently. Is it where you want it to be and if not, what can you do to get it there? I find it really useful to approach this question with an objective, problem-solving mindset. Identify the problems in your work and plan out achievable steps to help you get there.
Draw what you love! Art should never feel like a chore and when you find your motivation slipping, remember it's always alright to take a step back and just draw what you love. Drawing something is better than drawing nothing!
Learn how to maximise the full potential of your program. Whether you're using a simple painting program like Medibang Paint or a massive one like Photoshop, make sure you are aware of the tools that are available to you. Things like filters, blending modes and clipping masks are invaluable and should be available in some form in even the most basic art programs.
Q: Will you make a tutorial on ____?
The answer is always maybe! I'm generally always happy to share tips and tricks but I hesitate to ever call them tutorials. Tutorials imply some expertise in a particular area, and that is something I never feel like I have enough of.
Q: What programs do you use to draw?
From 2016 to late 2018, I used Medibang Paint Pro for drawing and painting, and Photoshop to do the final edits and colour corrections. Since then, I have switched to Adobe Photoshop CC for painting as well and now complete most of my illustrations using Photoshop alone.
Q: Why did you use Medibang Paint before, and why did you switch to Photoshop?
Medibang Paint was well-suited for my painting needs! My tablet couldn’t handle running Photoshop on top of running a screen recording program, which I needed to make my speedpaints. At the time, Medibang was more lightweight and I liked the simplicity of not having too many options! However, I did eventually switch to Photoshop when I felt the options offered by Medibang simply no longer met my artistic needs and development.
Q: Do you use a tablet to draw and if so, what brand/type?
I currently use a 13-inch Wacom Mobile Studio Pro! It's a portable screen tablet and an operating computer in itself. I also have a Medium Intuos Art, which is attached to my main desktop computer and is good for making edits when I export my drawings off of my Mobile Studio Pro.
Q: What tablet do you recommend for beginners?
I started out using the Wacom pen tablets, like the Intuos Art. They're pretty affordable and very easy to install and use! In terms of alternatives, I also recommend any of the Huion pen tablets for something a bit cheaper. They're similar to the Wacom ones in terms of hardware quality, although I find they're a bit more lacking in terms of pen pressure/speed customisation.
Q: What do you use to record and edit your speedpaints?
I use OBS to record my drawing process and Adobe Premiere Pro to speed it up and add music/voiceovers/text overlays. In Procreate there is an auto-record function that's super nifty for putting together quick timelapse recordings of your drawing too! Finally, I use Garageband and the default microphone on my MacBook to do any voiceover recordings.
Q: How did you get all your brushes in Medibang Paint?
The brushes I have are a combination of Medibang/FireAlpaca brushes that I've downloaded online from other creators, Photoshop brushes that I've converted into .png files and my own creations. I've made a video that explains a bit about how to get more brushes in the desktop version of Medibang (some techniques may not apply to mobile versions). Oh also, if you have a Medibang account and have access to the cloud, there are heaps of brushes available there that I use a lot of as well!
Q: What Photoshop brushes do you use?
Most of the Photoshop brushes I use are from Kyle T. Webster’s Megapack (available to anyone using Photoshop CC), particular the ‘Real Oils’ brushes. Additionally, I also use brushes from Andreas Rocha (given out as part of his Patreon rewards).
Q: When do your commissions open and how do I commission you?
I typically open a batch of slots every 3 months or so, once I'm close to finishing my previous round of commissions. Commission requests are accepted through a Google Form which takes information like your contact details, commission type and character references. To avoid anyone missing out on slots due to timezone differences, I usually leave these forms open for around 5 days to allow everyone enough time to send their interest through. Once this window closes, I filter through the requests and contact the people whose commissions I accept.
Q: How long will my commission take to complete?
I usually complete one commission a week. Every commission in the batch I accept will be spread across a period of 2-3 months. I like to alternate smaller and bigger pieces (e.g. one week will be a portrait, the next a full illustration and then back to portrait) and also the general subject/character/environment. So when exactly your commission will be finished is a little random - it could be done within the first week or 2 months later. If you want the piece completed by a certain date, just mention it in the additional notes section of the form or message me and I'll make sure it's scheduled for completion before then ^u^
Q: Do you ever plan to stream?
I would like to! It's just my internet upload speed at home is absolutely atrocious and I've had problems in the past maintaining a consistent stream at a reasonable quality. I also prefer to have the microphone on so that I can speak as I'm drawing (since it's hard to draw and type at the same time). But doing that in addition to the video stream is far too much for my connection to handle ^^;; But some day, when I move to a place with great wifi, I definitely plan to do regular streams!
Q: Do you have an online store where I can buy prints of your work?
I do! At the moment I've been selling prints and a couple of other items through my Redbubble store! At some point I would really like to produce my own prints and sell them directly through this website.
Q: Will you be attending/selling your work at the Artist Alley at [insert convention here]?
I've actually never sold at an Artist Alley before! But I'm planning to apply for some local conventions next year (2019). Depending on how those ones go I would definitely love to attend more conventions far and wide and meet as many people as possible!
Q: Do you have a Patreon where I can show some support?
I've been setting one up for the past year now but haven't launched it yet haha ^^;; At the moment I've barely had the time to complete all my drawings weekly let alone create all the additional content for Patreon rewards. I do hope to launch it eventually!