My art computer is still down. If I have time tomorrow I might try to reinstall windows again. Ebook until then. I'm working hard on physical traditional pieces until then.
I remembered why I have such a love-hate relationship with oil pastels. (Thanks, ~Nothing-tra-la-la, for your indirect and probably unintentional inspiration )

◆Your name?
Kayla. Also known as A.O.S. Also known as Egopica.
I like Kayla, I guess. But sometimes I wonder if it really fits me.

◆If possible, your age?
17. Not a bad age to be, I must say. More enjoyable than 15 and 16, certainly.

◆When did you start drawing?
Probably around the time I learned to pick up a crayon in my fist. Actually I do recall some circle-people in ink pen on notebook paper when I was around 4 or so. I suppose I've always liked dark lines from ink. ;D

◆Which hand do you use for drawing?
Right, but as proven in front of a live audience(of maybe 6), I can use both. I am better with my right though; it's had more practice.

◆Which is easier to draw - male or female?
Females. Because I am one, so I have a reference. I see a naked female pretty much every day. I know how they're built.

◆Which is easier to draw - long hair or short hair?
They're equally easy.

◆Is it easier to draw the head facing towards the right or the left?
Also equally easy.

◆Is it easier to draw the side view of the face or the front view?
Also also equally easy. But, as expressed in critisism by a friend behind my back...There's something I really love about a quarter view of the face. Maybe because I, being both short and often antsy, rarely ever look at anyone from a perfectly straight on or side view. I see them from different angles, and I draw them that way.

◆What do you have problems in drawing?
I have problems with shirtless men/boys.
Probably because I never see them. xD

◆What do you like to draw?
My own characters, because no one else is going to, or at least not in the same way that I see them. I have to portray what's going on in my brain, what I'm seeing, because if I don't do it...Who else is gonna know what I'm thinking of?

◆Are you a traditional artist or a digital artist?
Both.

◆Where do you start drawing from?
I draw the eyes first and build the face and everything else around them. Or sometimes, but not as often, I start with the nose. In people, obviously. Otherwise I tend to start with whatever strikes me as the hardest angle, or the part of the picture I want to accentuate most, and work around that so that the big part that I first saw is the focal point.

◆What is your drawing habit that you are aware of?
Drawing people at the same angle if I don't have a specific purpose for the image. A lot of my sketches for clothes are facing the same way. I reuse poses a lot, especially if it's just in loose sketches to get ideas down. My men are also usually pretty femme, but that's just a personal preference I have a hard time shaking. I like my characters either very attractive(to me) or horrendously ugly.

◆What do you keep in mind when you do lineart?
It depends. Sometimes I don't do lines at all. Sometimes I want them to stand out. And sometimes a picture is just lines. So it varies.

◆Any tips for coloring/shading?
Look at colors in yourself and actual objects! You are not simply tan or "peach" or yellow! Everything around you is filled with color- use your eyes to do your artwork. Or that's how I work anyway. I guess it really depends on what you're going for. I personally enjoy shading with blues and purples instead of greys and blacks and highlighting with pinks and yellows instead of white.

◆How long does it take to finish a piece of art?
It depends on what I'm doing. Most of my stuff on DA is stuff I whipped up pretty quickly in Open Canvas. About an hour, hour and a half. More or less. Sometimes, I spend forever on something and sometimes it's just a few minutes.

◆What music do you listen to while you draw?
Depends on what I'm drawing. I have playlists for the characters I draw more often; then, sometimes, I really love to shun music and listen to audio books. Depending on who's reading them.

◆How long does it take you to come up with an idea?
The question is not how long, but, rather, what DOESN'T give me an idea. I have issues because I have too many ideas. I wake up at 2 in the morning and write them down. I write them down in class. And the ones I don't write down dance around in my head until I do.

◆Your favorite drawing utensils?
Wacom tablet. And Pilot Precise V5 Rolling Ball pens. Extra fine. I would do a commercial for them. And I'm not a sellout for just any product.


◆Your favorite color/the color that you use a lot?
My favorite color is red. I actually really hate the color blue, but it's probably the one I use the most because it's my favorite color to shade with. I never wear it, though. Or not often, anyway. It feels like a weird color. I'm not sure why.

◆Your favorite style(s)?
SOME anime. Original anime. Not the dumb how-to-draw looking generic anime. Semi-realism. Realism is usually very boring to me on its own.

◆Are you satisfied with your current art?
No.

◆What kind of artist are you aiming for?
My own. BUT...`loish is easily my favorite artist on deviantart, and I talked to ~camilladerrico at A-KON. Both do AMAZING work(you should check them out) and emulate the sort of style I like very well...Semi-realism with an animated fantasy KICK, so to speak.