Create your own visitor map!Swiped this from
, it looked fun, and I don't do these too often so hey, why not?
Artist Baton
Your name?Jessica. Calger459 is a handle I've used since high school, Calger's the name of a griffin character I came up with. Turns out it's a real last name. Who knew?
If possible, your age?29, 30 in a few days (eep!)
When did you start drawing?About 3rd grade, haven't stopped since!
Which hand do you use for drawing?Lefty! One of only two in my family.
Which is easier to draw - male or female?I have an easier time with women, probably because I am one
My men tend to come out a little effeminate, which got me points off in Character Design class a lot >_>
Which is easier to draw - long hair or short hair?Hmm I suppose long hair, but it really depends on the style. The hardest part for me isn't the hair, it's the lighting and shading on the hair. Surprisingly hard to get right!
Is it easier to draw the head facing towards the right or the left?Hmm...you know I don't really know, I've never noticed if I do it more one way or the other. I think I tend to have my characters facing right...is it because I'm a lefty?
Is it easier to draw the side view of the face or the front view?No view of the face is easier than any other, I've found. Each view has its own special challenges.
What do you have problems in drawing?Characters interacting with each other instead of just standing there or posing dramatically, especially interacting with backgrounds. It's something I'm working on
What do you like to draw?Fantasy animals mostly, but giant robots are fun too
I like drawing humans the least, but only because they're hard; you can't really fudge with proportions unless you're drawing an alien of some sort. I'm getting better though! I also like painting matte backgrounds a lot
Are you a traditional artist or a digital artist?I used to be traditional until computers and tablets came along. Now I'm pretty much digital.
Where do you start drawing from?Sketched volume shapes that define the pose and proportions of the character. I usually start very loose and rough, then refine from there.
What is your drawing habit that you are aware of?Not quite sure what this means...
What do you keep in mind when you do lineart?I generally don't do lineart pieces, my style is much more organic and painterly. When I do cel-style lineart drawings though for animation, I just try to keep things clean and tight. Not an easy thing.
Any tips for coloring/shading?Study color theory. No, really, it's amazingly helpful. And observe real objects in different lighting situations, use reference. Only when you've studied the real thing enough can you do it out of your head convincingly.
How long does it take to finish a piece of art?I sketch very fast, maybe 10 minutes average for something, often less. Finished pieces take much longer, depending on how complicated the piece is and whether I change my mind on things halfway though
My finished Transformers pieces with full backgrounds average 15-20 hours from start to finish. I do want to work on getting faster overall.
What music do you listen to while you draw?I love soundtracks, I have a "soundtrack favorites" playlist on my iPod that I'm always adding to, and I put it on shuffle. I also like classic rock, assorted newer rock stuff on the radio, and classical music
I also like having movies on in the background when I'm in the mood for that. Has to be one I've seen a million times though so I'm not tempted to watch instead of draw
How long does it take you to come up with an idea?Depends! Some things are like pulling teeth, others come from random inspiration or a story I've read and come out on paper with no trouble at all.
Your favorite drawing utensils?Photoshop CS3, my Wacom tablets (one regular, one Cintiq) and old fashioned pencil and paper when I'm on trips.
Your favorite color/the color that you use a lot?I love blue, next fave color is green. But it really depends on the piece, I select palettes to suit whatever it is I'm drawing.
Your favorite style(s)?Generally painterly, so loose linework and coloring. I try my best to keep the energy of the original sketch. Back when I was first leaning to paint oils and shade with pencils I was obsessed with perfect gradient shading, and would get frustrated when it didn't work like I wanted. I've grown past that, and learned the value of looser shading. Works better and looks much nicer!
Are you satisfied with your current art?Nope, never, there's always something new to try!
What kind of artist are you aiming for?At the moment I'm a Flash animator by day, illustrator by night. I'm gradually narrowing down the type of art that would make me happiest as a day job: background and concept painting for animation. Hopefully I can make that happen!
Now please fill in the next columns by writing the names of the artists that match the criteria.
Artists tagged must fill in this baton.I'm gonna be bad and not do that part, mostly because I'm doing this on my lunch break and I don't have the time to hunt down artists that fit the descriptions on the original meme. Anyone who reads this can fill it out and post it in their own journal if they'd like. Have fun!
~*~
Stuff to do:
Be a mom; visit the
Grand Canyon and Yosemite; go to New Zealand, Australia, Ireland,
England, Europe, Africa, China,
Japan; learn to skydive; work on a major film; visit Lindsay, Sarah, Rachel, Margot, Jenny, Ti, Leah,
Japan friends; check out the Burning Man festival; go to the San Diego Comic Con, Wizard World, New York Comic Con; drive a muscle car;
drive a smart car; finish an original comic; make another personal animated film; learn to cook a really complex dish; climb Mt. Fuji; learn to ride a horse properly; learn to scuba dive;
drive cross-country; work for Pixar; write an original novel;
walk on a glacier; visit the Egyptian pyramids; attend a summer Olympics;
live in a foreign country; successfully train a dog to do something;
see a Space Shuttle launch in person~*~
Long time no post! 
Zest
I intend to finish that and a number of other pieces in progress, but it's going to take a little while I think. After the move is done next month I'm hoping I can get back to something resembling a normal work schedule and start producing more regularly again.
