F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions

Okay. Some people actually ask me about my art (woah), among other things. I figure I can try to answer some of the questions here first. I'm not too keen on replying to e-mail and let it go by for days before I realise how long they've been sitting there. So don't be too surprised or upset if I don't respond instantly, or even in a week (or month..) or two (..or more). It's nothing personal, I'm just lazy and/or busy. ;D You can submit questions for me by sending me e-mail.

* Um.. hi. I sent you an e-mail awhile ago...

Uhm, hi! I'm really, really, really bad at e-mail. (As if you haven't noticed.) Please visit this page before you e-mail me. I'll try to get back to you (through e-mail) 'soon'. Sorry. ^^;

* Who are you?

Well, I guess you want to know about *me*, not my art. Here's a bio thingie for you to read, if you're interested. o_O;

* How long does it take you to draw a picture?

Depends on the quality. And the size. Not long, usually. An hour or two at the most, minutes for a little doodle. I'm a pretty impatient person sometimes and I like to see the picture in my head a.s.a.p. I've ruined the start of a beautiful picture because I wanted to see the result instantly. It also depends on if I color it, and how I color it. Computer-colored pictures will take about an hour and a half to color. Hand-colored pictures can take just as long to color, though usually less, depending on how complicated it is.

* What's the hardest thing for you to draw on a body? What's the hardest thing for you to draw?

The hands and feet, usually. I try to focus on a face's eyes and lips: the soul and mood of my characters. And that can be hard to do accurately. As for over-all hard for me to draw...I'd have to say well....everything, really. The more 'technincal' it is (like a car or mecha) or 'animal' it is (like a dragon or dinosaur), the more like I am to have to use a reference... so it takes longer.... and doesn't always come out looking quite as nice...

* How big do you draw?

If it's bigger than a Barbie doll (I'm using this reference because more people will have the general idea of the size), then it loses it's quality. I generally fill an entire sheet of normal sized paper now. If I'm just doing background-less sketches, several can fill a page.

* How often do you draw?

Let's see...in school it's whenever I'm not talking to someone or the teacher didn't look like s/he needed the class's total attention. At home it's whenever I'm in the mood. So, generally I'll draw every other day at least. Though quite often several times a day. Spring '02 (when I'm writing this) I often did anywhere from two to four sketches per class, or one to two inked pictures a class. Then I might come back and color one a day.

* So, if you draw so often, why don't you have more pictures up?

Because I'm lazy. Because I have to throw out 3 out of every 5 pictures I draw. Because I have a life of my own...

* Could you draw me a ___?

Are you paying me? No? Sorry, I won't. I don't accept free requests anymore. However, if you've done something for me (fixed my computer, for example), then you already know you have a picture coming. And if you're a friend - close, personal friend, not someone who just e-mails me - then you can ask. ;D

If you're interested in commissioning me (that means $$$), click HERE for more information. ^_^

* Would you like to do a picture exchange/trade?

I just might, actually. Please read my commission info page about this, and check my main page to see if I'm currently accepting trades.

There are certain artists that I will accept trades from at any time. Yes, this extreme favoritism, but that's how it goes sometimes. Those artists are the following:
Aimee Major, Sarah Combs, Chris Goodwin, Pseudo Manitou, Usula Vernon and Peganthyrus. Please, if you're one of those people, use an email address that's provided on some public sort of page, so I don't have weird people using name-clones of you trying to get free pics. ^^;
Also, I'll do 'trades' with my buddies, but they're not really trades cosh I'd do drawings for you guys anyway, but the only way you can ensure I draw a pic of a particular character is to go, "Katmun, let's do a trade, I'll draw __ and you draw __, okay?" and I go, "Okiee. Lub j00." ( :) )

* May I use your picture on my site?

Please click HERE to read about using my art in any form.

* Why do you draw your characters so much? Why don't you do fan art or art for other people? Are you stuck-up or something?

I don't think I'm stuck-up. But that would depend on your deffinition of it, I suppose. If you were unaware, I'm working on my own comic book series (that's plural, as in more than one). I draw my characters rather than other people's characters because if I don't work on them no one will want to buy my comic, now will they? As for fanart, I do my share of it. Not as much as most people do, but most people aren't working on their own comic, are they? And as for doing art for other people... have you ever actually looked at my galleries? I do more art for other people than I do fan-art. If that's your way of trying to trick me into drawing you something, you'd better re-think your tactics. ;p

* Why don't you update often?

Any number of reasons. I actually upload most of my art directly to my Side7.com gallery. (and/or VCL) I hate doing html, so I avoid it whenever possible.

If you'd like to be notified of when I update, please sign up HERE for my mailing list. I update about once a month, at most two times a month. Generally it's about once every other month.

* Why do you draw kats (and other furries) more than humans?

Because I've drawn them so regularly it's hard for me to switch back. 'Sides, my furries look pretty human anyway.

*So, are you one of those FURRIES?

Please read this page for a full answer. But my simple answer is "no, I am not a furry, though I do draw furry artwork".

* What program do you use to computer color?

I use Adobe Photoshop 5.5 that I got from a friend, I don't know how much it is, but last I heard it was about 100-something dollars (ouch)... Painter came with my tablet, so I'm beginning to use that a lot instead of Photoshop as I figure out how to use it properly (Painter on it's own can also cost over $100, I believe). I also use the program called Open Canvas 1.1. OpenCanvas 1.1 is/was freeware, but you can buy a more advanced copy at Portalgraphics.net for... I don't know how much because the page is in Japanese... I also sometimes use MGI Photosuite and that came with the computer and I have the cd for Corel Photo-Paint 8 that my dad got at work (but I don't know how to use it yet and have no idea what it costs).

* What do you use to ink?

Pretty much anything I can get my grubby little hands on. Sometimes a Sharpie Twin-tip (I only recommend this for very large drawings or quick sketches, though), generally any kind of gel ink pen or a regular ink pen. Not ball-points. I currently use "Millennium for Scrapbooks" (size 01 and 05) with a "ZIG memory system" (whatever that means) and "Fiskars Photo Memories" (size 07) to ink. Pilot V-ball extra fine also works, but it's a little scratchy and when they say 'extra fine' - they mean it! You'll want anything that won't "run" when you color with markers. Unless you intend to color just with colored pencils or computer.

* What markers and colored pencils do you use?

I use a lot of different kinds of markers. I like Prismacolors, even though they bleed. I use Sharpie markers, Crayola, RoseArt.. really, the more colors you have, the better off you are. Thick or thin or in between. The more sizes you have the better off you are too. I have about 200 markers currently and I kind of collect them. Get Crayola "skin tones", you'll get a lot of browns that way, perfect for furries! I'd stay away from anything "neon", though. You'll rarely use them. (I 'd hope, anyway... >< )

As for colored pencils.. well. I have what's left over from grade, middle and high school. They do "fine" for me, but I'm not a colored pencil artist anyway. I recently got Prismacolors (thanks Strike!), and I like how they work, but they're semi-expensive and I'd only recommend getting them if you like working with colored pencils.

* How long have you been drawing?

Off and on my whole life. I didn't start doing it "hard core" until around '95, though. And only in '96 did I take it seriously and actively attempt to learn.

* Did/do you take any classes?

I took what most people take in grade school. Though I was never in one place for very long, and in most of my schools their art program was suffering, so the classes would rarely had any sort of real 'lesson'.

In middle school I had the regular required art class, then for about two months I was in the "art club" where I did a teeshirt and a watercolor.

In high school I was co-opted to honorarily join the French Club to do their football banners. Then I moved and had a class what was basically a "hodge-podge" arts and crafts. I know we drew things, but it was mostly so we could cut and paste colored paper on top of it.

In college I've had *two* art classes. They're the only art classes I've ever been in that I did anything worthwhile. And they were still-lifes, not figures.

So, yes. But I learned on my own, really.

* Could you teach me to draw?

Uhm. Well, I'll be working on some tips and mini-tutorials eventually... I can't promise that'll teach you anything, though. I recommend you visit my artbooks page and learn through books and take any classes you have avaliable to you. Also, try using Google.com to search for online art tutorials.

If you have a specific question about how I did a technique, you can always email me and I'll try to help. I can't promise it'll make sense, though, and I may take awhile to respond.

* So, when's your comic book coming out? Where can I buy your comic book? Can you send me a free comic book?

I've no idea when the book will be avaliable. I have barely started working on the written storylines. I'm several months away from even starting test panels, let alone looking for a publisher (or thinking about self-publishing). Let's just give it an undefined, "a year or three". ;p

You currently can't buy my book, but you might find some of my art - HERE - at Furbid. Depending on when you click on that link, you'll either have several or no images to bid on. It'd really help me out if you did buy something.

I'll just send a general "no" to the free-comic thing. Though, assuming I get this thing published, I'll probably auction off some of the books at low-prices and/or have contests where you can win it (them) for free.

* What inspires you?

Generally these four things: my life, music, mythology and fairy-tales. Not nessessarily in that order. There are other things that inspire me, other artists, books, tv, movies, but none have as much lasting effect as the first four.

Okay, no more (intelligent) questions for now, go:
Nirvana

or E-mail me your questions.