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Jul 07 – Otaku Madness - Posted By ItachiSasuke
Artist Feature of the Month: July
Here's July feature! It's a bit late because of all the festivities that were happening at the beginning of the month.
Our featured member this month is none other than: toyotami kun!
Special thanks to izuzu15, as she submitted some of the interview questions!
1. How did you come across theOtaku?
Several years ago I saw an ad in an issue of Shojo Beat about a comic competition where you create your own comic that is 15-30 pages long. I got curious about it, so I googled it and came across Theotaku.
I went ahead and explored the site, especially the comic section. I found it pretty neat so I signed up but didn’t become active until 2008 since Theotaku was going through it’s big change!
2. Where did you come up with your username?
My username comes from an old Oc I made a long time ago. His name was Takashi Toyotami, he was one of my first serious ocs and I drew him all the time. XD
At the time I couldn’t come up with a name so I “borrowed” Takashi’s last name cause I thought it sounded cool.
3. What type of art do you specialize in?
I pretty much specialize in drawing . I try to balance myself between traditional and digital art.
For my traditional art, I like to use pens and marker, the markers I use are regular Crayola markers.
For my digital art, I like to use Paint Tool Sai and Photoshop.
4. How do you think theOtaku has assisted with your art growth?
This is a little hard to put into words, and I’m not even sure how to begin.
Theotaku has been a really big part of me, I really couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if I never came across it. It was the first place where I shared my art online and the first place where I began meeting a lot of nice good people. I even made a few good friends!
I’ve also learned from a few artist on here too.
Everyone is very supportive and really friendly that I feel like I’ve been able to push myself a lot and explore things I normally wouldn’t.
I hope that the community continues to grow!
5. What advice do you give to people who struggle with anatomy when drawing? Or what can be done to improve and how did you learn?
Anatomy is kind of hard to do, and I have to admit that I’m not to good at it myself, but I have been practicing it recently.
A good way to start is to use the “8 Head Rule” for drawing. This is a simple way to start learning how to draw the human body proportions correctly and it’s really helpful.
Once you are able to get this done, I would suggest studying live photos of people and practice drawing them.
I know that it may not be to thrilling studying from photos, but it helps a lot. You are able to definitely get a better understanding of curtain things, especially if you observe things carefully.
It also helps to take a look at anatomy study drawings from other artist, because they are able to break down the body in shapes and you get to see how they work.
I would not suggest practicing from people’s artwork though. My reason for that is because the person who has done the artwork, probably already has the knowledge of anatomy and it’s done to fit to their taste. They have probably also exaggerated the anatomy too, so if you redraw it, it won’t look good and you won’t really learn anything besides their methods.
6. Who has inspired you on this website? In general?
When I first joined this site, my biggest inspiration was Elvesatemyramen! Although she’s not active anymore, she was part of the reason why I joined Theotaku!
Her gallery was so amazing and gorgeous! I really admired how she composed her artwork and was able to switch her styles from Anime to Realism to Cartoons! Her comics were also clever and fun to read!
Another person who has inspired me and is a good friend of mine is Mangakid! I really admire how much she has grown as an artist and how much her art has evolved! I’m really glad we became friends and that we motivate each other to continue!
Other inspirations are: Luluseason, Foxfireburn, and Deathseraph and some others!
7. What is the process you go through to make a piece of art?
This is a bit hard to explain, but I normally do a lot of doodles either in my spare time or at work during my break.
When I do something that I like or come up with an interesting idea I will draw a quick sketch of it and then fix it up.
. Whether it’s traditional or digital, I will take my time and do the line art. Depending on how complex it is, it takes me an hour or so. Normally it’s faster when it’s traditional.
After the line art is complete, I begin coloring it. When I do a traditional artwork, it takes me about 3 to 6 hours to complete if I work non stop. For digital it takes me longer, like a few days or more (if I don’t loose motivation).
8. Have you ever taken art classes?
Honestly no, I’m self taught. I kind of took a portfolio class, but it didn’t go well. I am looking forward to taking some classes now that I have a clearer mind though. :D
9. Anything else you’d like to share? (Quite literally, anything!)
I’m not to sure what to say for this question. XD but I think I can give some links to the 8head Rule for drawing and a good place to start anatomy/pose practice.
Example of 8head rule:
8head rule diagram
Anatomy/pose practice:
Senshistock sketch
If you need any help you could also ask me too if you want. :D
10. What advice do you have when it comes to drawing backgrounds and perspective?
I’m not to good at perspective, but I would suggest trying to get a better understanding 1pt, 2pt, and 3rd point perspective. Also referencing from photos would help!
Doing simple backgrounds is a little easier though. I normally like to do simple things like checkerboards, patterns, or cross hatching. Anything that makes the eye dance around but isn’t to overwhelming!
You can also find me on these sites:
Here are 10 of my favorite art pieces:
Traditional:
I Am King
Interception
Bad Apple
Long Time No See
Danger Zone
Gaze Of The Red Panda
Digital:
Bitter Red Roses
Five Years Later...
And It All Ends Here.
Cat's Night Stroll
