Aug 05

10 things about me and my art

Personal Thoughts 2 Comments »

This was first posted in my journal in DeviantArt, when fellow deviant Dualmask asked me to list 10 things about how I feel about my images and drawings. I made the list to be sort of a retrospective look into my journey into learning drawing.

So here we go:

  • Some of you I may have already told, but most seem to not believe me when I say “I never took one formal art lesson in my life”. Formal as in sitting down with an art teacher or an art tutor and instructing me to hold my pencil this way, to hold the paper that way, or or to look at light and shadow this way or that.
  • The first ever character I drew when I was 4 years old was Superman, and my parents, uncles and aunts often told me (coz I can’t remember it now) that I can draw the Man of Steel almost proportional starting always with the right foot.
  • I grew up and learned how to draw by copying from different sources. Influences as a child includes the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, the first Macross animated movie, the G.I. Joe series, the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animation, Archie comics, and comicbooks done by John Byrne (most notably his 6-issue Man of Steel mini-series.)
  • 1991 introduced me to X-Men #1 and the amazing art of Jim Lee. Throughout college I was a Jim Lee clone almost mimicking his style. This made me look for and study his influences, which included Art Adams.
  • College also introduced me to Masamune Shirow and Tsukasa Hojo. I also discovered the art styles of Luis Royo, Olivia, Eleuteri Serpieri and Vallejo. They have a strong influence on my current style of drawing along with, of course, Jim Lee and Art Adams.
  • From 1997 to the end of 2002, my drawing skills have taken a long hiatus because of my work as Web Designer and, eventually, Art director for various Information Technology companies. I only did random, sporadic doodles and occasional comic pages and pinups during these 5 years.
  • 2003 I got introduced to DeviantArt, at the time I was dabbling mostly on Poser renderings. I eventually returned to drawing through the creation of KC. The rest you know, and the future is yet to be written.
  • I always think of my art and my style as a “working progress”. I am always learning new things, developing new skills. A student of the arts remain as such forever.
  • I didn’t learn how to digitally color my images until 2001 when I bought my first WACOM tablet.
  • When people insult my art, they essentially insult me, so don’t be surprised if I seem snappy about some unwanted comment on any of my pieces. I do my art for me, and I share it to those who enjoy seeing it, and who gets inspired by it.