Ask the Artist: cassiopeia7
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Ask the Artist: cassiopeia7 |
| Interviewer: | |
| Interviewee: | cassiopeia7 |
| Date(s): | 09 April 2013 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Fan Art, Supernatural |
| External Links: | interview is here |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
cassiopeia7 was interviewed in 2013 for Supernatural Roundtable.
Some Excerpts
99.999% of my work is conventional media -- pencil, ink, and marker on paper. For me, Photoshop is merely a finishing tool -- adding text to banners, color-correcting the damage a scanner did, et cetera. One of these days, I’ll try digital drawing with a tablet, if only because I'm so bloody tired of scanners distorting my colors and restricting me to canvas sizes that can fit on a scanner bed, because that part of conventional arting sucks. But the creation part, the feel of a lead skating along the paper, the smell of marker solvent, and the ink stains on my fingertips? That's my happy place.
Then in 2010 came Chicon, where I met SPN fanartist lilchibibunny (now sadly absent from fandom.) Watching her sketch the guys, I mumbled something along the lines of "I used to do that," and bless her, she threw down the gauntlet and challenged me to take up a pencil and DRAW.One month later, the first piece I brought to completion after nearly twenty years of artistic drought was a truly horrible Halloween thing featuring the SPN guys. Dean was the best of the lot -- the others are just plain embarrassing.
Vamp!Dean was drawn lying on my living room floor, using ancient Pantone markers on equally ancient paper that I'm surprised even held the color. My old drafting board from college was my work surface. But oh, my God, it felt SO GOOD. That Christmas, I bought myself a drafting table, a proper lamp, a boatload of decent art supplies . . . and it was on.
And so, it was lilchibibunny (and by extension, SPN) who lured me back to something I’ve loved all my life, but very nearly gave up for good. Wherever you are now, bb, thank you!
Smartest thing I ever did:
Glommed on to a couple of awesomesauce betas/mentors -- maichan and quickreaver, both magnificent artists themselves -- and took their advice. A beta who sees problems you can't, who's willing to teach, to offer ideas, who will jump right in there with the red pen and will tell you exactly what’s wrong? Oh, that kinda concrit is priceless. Plus, my betas have taught me new tricks AND beat out of me a few unfortunate habits. I may still suck at hands, but my "Jay Leno chins" are mostly long gone. Mostly. :)Second smartest thing:
Took petite_madame’s advice to sketch something every day. It really does help! I’m still not disciplined enough to take something to completion every single day, and skill-wise, am far, far from where I’d like to be . . . but getting a little better. I hope.Dumbest thing:
In 2012, over the course of 11 months, I did art for a total of fifteen Bangs, challenges, and exchanges, plus a half-dozen gifts to friends. Why, self, why?