Seniormentor Interrogations: Astralseed

Why did you join DeviantArt and what made you continue staying on DA?

I originally joined DA because it was the better alternative to Elfwood. I could upload my work and have it seen by others in an instant. I stayed for the community. It's hard to say if the atmosphere surrounding newbies is still the same as it was some years back, but when I originally joined I had really awful art and there were many people who were happy to help support and encourage me in getting better, while they watched from the sidelines cheering me on. At the end of the day I can say that I've only come as far as I have with my art because of the community here on DA.

Where did your exposure to art originate?

I remember drawing as a little kid. I think I always preferred drawing over crafts back then. For birthdays or xmas I often got art supplies which made me super happy. I don't know if it was just an easy way to keep me calm and quiet as a kid or if my parents were actually interested in me being an artist, but it worked out well.

What made you interested in participating in the community and in turn help as a senior mentor on seniormentors?

I've always been a social butterfly, workaholic and humanitarian. Put all of those characteristics together and you get someone who doesn't mind diving head first into any community, wanting to make a difference in the lives of others.

You are a senior mentor of Equine Art, Digital Art and Traditional Art. What are they about?

Equine art is simply horse art (not MLP), when mentoring in Equine art I help with general anatomy of horses.

Digital art is pretty self explanitory, art that is created using digital means. I help with digital drawing or painting, be it help with the tools used or simply pointing out ways to improve on ones digital art.

Traditional art, again is self explanitory, art that is created using traditional media. While my DA gallery no longer reflects my long history of working with traditional media, I can help with a list of tradional techniques and or tools.

You are a very active deviant on DA, helping several groups and spearheading your own personal groups and projects. How do you continue to be active? How do you manage your time?

I mentioned that I am a workaholic, right? Well, but really that's mostly what it boils down to. I have a need to remain not only busy each day but also productive. I have a basic schedule that I tend to follow. It's pretty fixed for things that aren't as flexible (like the articles I post), but I allow myself some space for things which aren't time sensitive. Being stubborn and driven help me get things done on time though, so even if I happen to spread myself a bit thin, I push through and am sure to remain reliable by delivering results in a timely fashion.

What form of art do you specialize in (as a hobby and/or in your career)? What essential tools are at your disposal?

I do a bit of everything but if I had to pick an area that I specialize in I'd have to say digital equines. I spend most of my time drawing horses and more horses, and even more horses! These days my health is not fond of me working with traditional media (my dominant arm is pretty destroyed) so I spend most of that time working digitally. Essential tools include my computer, my Intuos Pro, and good references! Quick shout out to a few of the amazing horse stock providers here on DA! fillyrox, Colourize-Stock, Breathless-dk, venomxbaby

Do you have any particular education or interests that made you seek to learn by yourself?

When I was younger I took a few mini art classes for things like painting with watercolors, and silk painting.. I don't think I ever felt like I needed classes or anything, drawing was just something I did for fun to pass the time. When I was younger I was far more interested in dancing, and I was more skilled as a writer than a visual artist.

Are you currently in a career related to art? How do you promote your works outside of DA and attract particular clients?

I currently freelance as an artist picking up work as I am able to. I'm not sure there is all too much to say about this, it's a pretty boring subject. People commission me, I work on the commission and can pay my bills
 
Word of mouth mostly. I am lazy when it comes to promoting my commissions so when I get contacted outside of DA it's usually someone another client of mine knows that I was recommended to. This is of course not what I'd suggest anyone who is serious about trying to get enough commissions to put food on the table to do. As said, I am lazy with this aspect of things because I can afford to be.

As a mentor, how do you assess your pupils and continue with each pupil? Are there any holistic similarities between the pupils you have mentored/are mentoring?

As a mentor assessing my pupils is always interesting. I've worked with a variety of different pupils through seniormentors and it's clear that each one has different needs. I try to get a feel for where any specific pupil is with their artistic skill and where they wish to take it and then plan a best course of action to help them achieve their goal. This means that I tailor each mentoring session specifically to the pupil in order to help them get the most out of being mentored (as long as they follow through on their end).

Do you have any advice on any basic steps any new users on DA interested in equine/digital/traditional art in general?

What can they do or have before starting in their field of liking? How about stepping into the professional aspect of art?

I think the best advice I can give new artists is to use references! And I don't mean using other artists work as a reference, use photographs or real life. Pay close attention to the references, learn the anatomy, see the way the light reflects and wraps off of and around things etc.
No matter your subject or the medium used, references are a vital learning tool for us all.

Well before stepping into the professional side of things I strongly suggest that people not only have their basics down, but also have a good backbone and a willingness to realize that things aren't always rainbows and sunshine. When you're working for someone else you likely will draw a lot of things that you simply don't care for. You'll likely have to deal with clients who will at times be incredibly rude or inconsiderate. You will likely have people ask you to work for free and then be upset with you when you decline. You may lose out on sleep or going to that one movie with your friends because you're struggling to meet a deadline. These are all things one should be prepared to handle if they wish to work as a professional artist.

When doing equine art or drawing animals or humans, what avenues (both online and offline) do you suggest new artists look for resources?

Like I mentioned above, using references is really important. References will help you know where you're struggling with your piece. There is a really cool site that I like to use from time to time artists.pixelovely.com. It sets a rotation of photos for you based on what you pick (there are different types of animals) and then you can pick how fast the images rotate to the next one.. it's a fantastic tool to get you sketching from references and it's perfectly fine if your sketches don't look that great. The goal is to get practice in and this site is absolutely fantastic for it!

Does one have to know everything about horse, and horse riding and taking care of them to do equine art?

Not at all! I am a horse n00b, as in.. I am not privledged to actually get to be around horses. I've sat on a horse fewer times in my life than I have fingers to count and if a horse were ever left in my care the poor thing would probably die because I just don't know enough about them. I draw them, a lot, and that's good enough for me!

Often times, artists are stuck in the much discussed about artist's block and/or writer's block. How would one avoid that and what possible things can they do? Or is it a different approach they must take? How would it, if at all, impact working with others in a job?

Artists block is an awful and dreadful thing. I don't know if there are ways to ever fully avoid it, but when it hits there are things we can do to help overcome it. What works well for me is to stop, take a deep breath and put whatever I am trying to work on aside. Then I just doodle abstract things which helps me work through the block. Usually after an abstract doodle I can sit back down with my original task and work as usual.

I believe it's a mixture of needing to break out of the thoughts that we are having a block, as well as getting our wrist to do something more free flowing before attempting the piece again.

What's your favourite artwork/artist/writer on DA and outside DA? Any favourite art sites, blogs, magazines/ezines that you could suggest that are your favourites?

On DA my favorite is definitely AriaFawn! Outside of DA I'd have to go with Beth Cavener Follow the black rabbit. A few years back one of her controversial sculptures were purchased by the local university and I had the opportunity to go and see it. Amazing! Absolutely amazing and stunning! Her sculptures should be seen by everyone!
Unfortunately I don't follow any blogs, magazines, etc. I spend all my time with other things instead.

Throughout your career and journey as an artist, are there any particular obstacles that you remember strongly and overcame?

I actually set out to be a writer some years back because writing was something that always came naturally to me and I was very good at it. It's funny because I don't have the attention span to read most literature so the thought of me spending my time in literature communities was strange. Anyway, I ended up hitting writers block about 13 years back and no matter how hard I fought it, the words just haven't been able to flow the way they used to. I started drawing more again instead of writing and gave up on being a writer while putting my focus into my drawings instead. Now I'm finally to a point where I can tell stories with drawings and don't need words.