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FAQ/Questions Journal by Kannos
I figured I would put together a little FAQ/Questions journal since those are always fun. If you have a particular question that's not answered here that you want to know about me or my art, feel free to ask it in the comments and I'll reply. :D
How old are you?
I'm 25!
How long have you been in the fandom?
I've been in the fandom (active) for around 14 years now. I first stumbled upon the fandom when I was 8 years old and a google search for 'Road Rovers' lead me to Kylen Mile's fan art from the series. I then began to actually participate online at around age 10/11 when I joined the Wolfhome chat. From there I discovered Yerf and VCL and the rest is history!
What software do you use for your art?
I primarily work in Adobe Photoshop CS6 although I often take my commissions into Adobe Lightroom 5 for final color tweaks. I like to apply film grain and actual film stock color correction to my images. I guess it's the photographer in me! XD
How long have you been drawing?
I've been drawing since I could first hold a pencil, although I started drawing actual 'furry' art around age 5. I got into digital art at around that age, too, however I didn't start using Photoshop until I was 8. I got my first Wacom tablet at 14 and my first dSLR camera at 16, and since then I've been dabbling in a bit of everything. :)
Did you go to school or are you self taught?
I'm 100% self-taught. I wanted to go to school once for graphic design, and I did take a few courses in that field, but I switched over to veterinary medicine since I enjoy that a lot more and figured that if I am going to get myself into educational debt, it should be for something that I can not learn on my own via practice. I continue to study within the art field on my own terms though and am always learning new techniques and adapting them into my work.
What tablet do you use?
I have a Wacom Cintiq Companion Hybrid 16GB and I LOVE it. Before that I used a Wacom Cintiq 12wx. I also have a small Wacom Bamboo laying around.
What kind of computer do you use?
I use a 2010 13" Macbook Pro running a 2.4Ghz Core2 Duo, 8GB RAM, 256MB VRAM, and a 256GB HD. It's not glamorous or fast by today's standards, but it was cheap off of CL (used) and it works well. :) Eventually I would like to purchase a brand new Macbook Pro with retina display, or a dedicated Mac Pro workstation for my photography work, but that likely won't happen for quite a few years.
Do you use any traditional media?
YES! I love traditional media. My two favorites are scratchboard and acrylic, however I also use graphite from time to time.
Besides drawing/painting, what other skills do you have?
In addition to being an illustrator I'm also a photographer, photo retoucher, graphic designer, and web designer. I don't do web programming/coding, but I do create designs which are then outsourced for coding. I also have experience with print media and have created many business card designs for various individuals and local businesses throughout the years. I actually really love working with print media since there is something so satisfying about seeing my designs brought to life as a tangible, finished product. When it comes to print media I love things like spot UV gloss, foil, embossing, and plastic. :D
Who/what inspires you?
I am inspired by a variety of things and appreciate many different styles of art. Most of my inspiration comes from sources outside of the fandom. I tend to browse the works of industry professionals and some of my favorite sites for doing so include: DeviantArt, CGHub, 500px, and Behance. I am especially inspired by realistic portraits of people and/or animals, although I also enjoy wild, expressive graphic design as well. I also am inspired by the fellow wildlife artists with whom I have shared gallery space whenever I have exhibited my wildlife work. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of these lovely folks, including Carl Brenders. He was my inspiration and the reason why I picked up realism as a teenager. Jana Schirmer and David Kassan are two of my favorite artists that focus mostly on portraits/human subjects.
What do you do for a living?
Furry art! The vast majority of my income is derived from drawing for you lovely folks. :) I have also worked on various other projects including: business card/logo design, web design, wedding/event photography, product photography, and photo retouching. These jobs tend to be sporadic freelance work though and are at the moment more of a supplemental income rather than a primary one.
Awesome, will you draw [__________] for me?
Unfortunately I can't accept free requests since I have to make a living, but I do offer a wide variety of commissions that will match just about any budget. :)
What about a collab or a trade?
I will sometimes do collaboration auctions or trades, but these are usually rare since I have a limited amount of time that I can dedicate to these types of projects. I do enjoy them though and if I am interested in one or the other I will generally approach you about it.
I'm a new/beginner artist, can you give me any tips?
I love helping new talent and will do my best to answer any questions you have. However I am also rather busy at times so please don't be upset if it takes me a while to answer your questions! Generally I am able to reply faster if the questions are kept short or focus on one topic rather than if it's something that will require several paragraphs to explain. :) I like to share techniques and tips though, so when time allows I will make small tutorials and infographics to share here with everyone.
If there's anything else you want to ask me, feel free to! :)
Journal Information
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- 9
- Favorites:
- 3
- Rating:
- General
Comments
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My background is actually in wildlife fine art (I'll shoot you a link to it in private; I no longer like sharing it openly since many years ago some malicious furs thought it would be 'lolz worthy' to notify a prominent fine art publisher about my adult furry art and I lost a 5-digit publishing contract as a result)
Since I'm trained in classical realism, I learned how to render realistic fur. I actually learned to paint fur traditionally first and then moved on to digital. For this reason my technique is primarily based upon single brushes and painting the hair one strand at a time. I have since moved on to custom brushes to speed up production but I still use a lot of the 'single hair' technique for the finishing layer.
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Don't take this the wrong way, but I think your fur texturing is one of the best things about your art. Your use of light/shadow is second in my book. Apologizing in advance in case you think some other aspect of your art is the best!
Just looking at how you do fur makes my eyes hurt. And my hand. But in a good way! I kind of thought that was how you did it, but thanks for confirming. It must take forever to do a piece like that, but the results are certainly worth it. That would also explain why you do lighter fur and hair so well I suppose. If you're used to doing the fully monty, a few hairs here-and-there should be a walk in the park!
Thanks for answering the question - I appreciate it.
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Actually I don't take it as an insult at all. I LOVE to render fur and find it therapeutic, so I'm glad that others enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoy making it. :) I'm also a BIG sucker for dynamic lighting. As a photographer I love to use multi-light setups and it's not uncommon for me to shoot with 4-5 lights in a single setup. I especially love my ring flash. It was the first 'budget' option that was offered on the market years ago and it's proven to be just as reliable and good as the 'pro' options that cost thousands of dollars. I should one day do some sort of lighting tutorial although there's just SO much to cover that it would probably end up being a textbook by the time I'm done!
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Your handling of light and shadow really shows in your art, and I'm glad doing the fur is therapeutic as it looks like it takes... a while. A lighting tutorial would be great. I always enjoy reading and trying to learn from the tutorials people post. I know it takes a good amount of work to put one together, and I always appreciate seeing on - even if I'm maybe not as vocal as I should be about appreciating them.
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Do you ink your work before you upload it to a computer? I was reading a book where inking wasn't even mentioned. They instructed to upload penciled work to PS and then darken the lines in program. It kind of blew my mind.
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I actually have a 100% digital workflow, so I sketch, ink, and color entirely in Photoshop. I no longer sketch on paper anymore and I will admit, drawing digitally has spoiled me. If someone plops a sketchbook in front of me I will likely try to 'pinch' the paper to zoom in, swipe my fingers to pan, and get frustrated when I run off the edges and can't simply enlarge my work space/canvas. XD
The fact that my Cintiq has touch features like an iPhone/iPad makes working with a digital-only workflow very comfortable and intuitive, so it's easier to do everything digital from the start. I also have a rather severe wrist issue (triangular fibrocartilage tears) which means that certain wrist/hand movements are painful for me, so working digitally and being able to rotate my canvas and zoom in makes inking a LOT easier for me.
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Now I want to look into getting a tablet. Though I think I prefer spending $10 a piece on my notepads.
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I had no idea Photoshop has been around for so long. I had to look it up to be sure. 23 years! Wild.
Link
billsc26
Thanks for the journal - it was an interesting read!
My one question - how did you learn to do your fur? I think you have some of the best looking realistic fur I've seen in the fandom. Did you figure it out on your own, find a good tutorial or something else?