Demitasse-lover

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Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where did you go to school, and what extra-curricular activities did you take up? What helped prepare you to become the artist that you are today?

Hello! I'm Demitasse-lover. Born on September 28 *winkwink* 1990. Since we moved a lot when I was a kid, I've been to three different schools until I graduated from high school. Now I'm studying in UP Diliman. You're probably guessing that my course is FA.. well it's NOT. Strangely enough, I'm a BA European Languages student majoring in German minoring in French and would prolly like to learn Italian too.. heck, I want to learn everything.

Extracurricular... my previous school hates art so I ended up just being part of the school paper (as the cartoonist) I was also a member of the student council (but as the one who does odd jobs >.>; I also served as a back-up player (aka lucky charm) for several math competitions. Yes. I'm pretty useless. XD lol

Well.. I guess it's deviantArt that got me into this whole mess. I used to be the type who just ogles at fanart in Japanese fansites. Of course, I drew too but it never really occurred to me to post them in public. When I joined, I learned stuff, improved and so on.

What inspired or convinced you to become an artist?

I’ve always loved drawing ever since I learned how to hold a pen. When I drew, people would always give me compliments and I really took them to heart (and I still do). Also, my older sister used to love drawing and she always taught me how to draw this and that. So I guess those two were my driving forces.

What is a typical day for you, and who are the people you work with?

A typical day for me is most probably like a typical day for everybody. I wake up, go to school, go home, eat, draw some rough sketches, do my homework, study, then go to sleep. Well, I’ve never worked with anyone before. It would be nice though. I like drawing with other people.

What are some of the things that you have worked on?

I’m working on my first ever webcomic, Death Brigade. Like I said, it’s my first ever webcomic so it’s not really that polished. But, hey, I’m learning. :)

How do you go about an illustration, what goes through your mind, from start to end?

It really depends. Sometimes I just draw without thinking. Pretty bad though, not advisable. I end up either not finishing them or actually finishing them but not posting them ‘cause it looks…I dunno.. uncreative? But when I can imagine a vivid picture to draw, I try hard to stick with it. Which never really happens but as long as it looks okay enough then, good.

Could you talk about your process in coloring your art (if at all), as well as the types of tools or media that you use?

Well, it’s pretty basic that I believe I don’t even have to explain to anyone. One tip though: As often as possible, do NOT use dodge/burn tool. There are lots of colors in the palette that are just waiting to be exploi—I mean used. Try to experiment with them. :)
My usual media are Adobe Photoshop CS2 and pencil. But I also try out other stuff.

What are some of the things that you do to keep yourself creative?

Pretty much just live. You can find lots of inspiration from everyday life. You just have to notice them. Besides that, thinking helps too. I’m always in a train of thought, sometimes even when I’m doing something. I’d end up thinking of random situations and imagining how my characters would react were they placed in such situations. That’s pretty much how I think up my short comics.

What is your most favorite subject to draw, and why?

The combinations of the themes Horror, Cutesy, Action, and Fantasy intrigue me very much.

Who are the top illustrators whose works excite you the most?

I idolize quite a lot of illustrators (be it anime, realistic or something in between) but for now, all I could think of are Sachsen and Obata Takeshi. I like them, they’re very cool.

What are some of the neat things you have learned from other artists that you have worked with or seen?

Well, pretty much most of the things I can draw now, I guess.

What are some of your favorite websites that you go to?

deviantArt, mangabullet, youtube, and drunkduck. Plus, quite a few Japanese fansites of my favorite fandoms.

What wisdom could you give us, about being an artist? Do you have any tips you could give?

Wisdom eh? Um.. Practice. Don’t give up. Keep an open mind and learn from other forms of art as well. When you’re in a slump, don’t think of something negative like, “Oh no! I’m never gonna be a better artist!” I like to believe that slumps are just things in your head that tell you, “Hey, you’re in a transition stage to improvement so if you want to get through this phase, you better create something better than this.” Heheh I’m optimistic like that.

If people would like to contact you, how would you like to be contacted?

You can e-mail me at purplehalfcup[at]yahoo[dot]com I can’t guarantee a reply though. I’m not very diligent at checking my mail. If you have a dA account, you can just note me. I reply more frequently there since I go to dA almost daily. Or if you have a Mangabullet account, then PM me there, my account is demi-luv.

Do you have any of your art work for sale (comics, prints, or anything)?

If so, for fans of your work can know where and when to buy it? Hmm. I don’t have anything for sale (at the moment). But maybe when I become more used to drawing comics, I might want to sell one. :)

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Is there a character from a book or comic who you wish was a real person, and who you would want to chat with over coffee (or tea of you prefer)?

The thing with my characters is that almost all of them are the type you wouldn’t want to be chatting with over coffee.. Except for one. Maybe I’d like to have coffee with Capu. At least he’s nice. XD