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Frequently Asked Questions

How did you get into art?

I got into art when I was little, way before I started preschool and kindergarten. Originally it was something I did to pass the day away and not to be bored.

How did you develop your art style?

My style is an amalgamation of different styles that I've tried over the years. From there I kept what I liked from those trials and errors and implemented them into my work. It wasn't planned or intentional though, there were a lot of artists that i admired and I wanted to get as good as them. So it was a lot of experimentation over the years, even still to this day.

How did you learn to draw and paint?

For most of my art journey, I was self taught and learned from some drawing books that were purchased for me to use. I remember back in kindergarten, when I was going to the parks and recreation that was held after school, there was a lady there who taught me how to draw in her style. Then in high school, I took art 1 - 2 for my extracurricular class where I learned about more types of art, such as printing, digital art, and ceramics in addition to the foundations of drawing and painting. Since my late 20's and early 30's I've finally decided to get my Bachelor degree in Painting and Drawing, so some of the foundations were things I've already had experience with. The newest thing I've learnt is how to use and work with oil paints and the mediums that go with it.

Do you use references for your art?

Sometimes. Usually if I need a touch of inspirations or to break down a certain pose. Usually I use references the most when I do studies in my sketchbook to level up my observational skills and anatomy.

How/Where do you find inspiration?

Majority of my inspiration comes from nature. I love it's colors, organic shapes, and imperfections. I also draw inspiration from my Mexican roots, and sometimes architecture.

What mediums do you use?

I work with graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, alcohol markers, gouache, watercolors, pastels (soft, hard, and oil), inks (fountain, india, acrylic, and sumi), acrylic paint, and oil paint.

Do you prefer drawing or painting more?

That's a hard one. I don't have a preference for either. It honestly depends on my mood. I love both mediums equally as they fulfill my needs in different ways.

What brands of paint do you use?

All of the paints I use are artist grade, which is the professional kind of paint in layman's terms.For watercolors, I use Mijello Mission Gold, Daniel Smith, and Windsor Newton.For inks I use Noodler's Ink, Yatsutomo Sumi Ink, Dr. Ph Martins Bombay India Ink, and Liquitex Acrylic Ink.For gouache, I use Shinhan Pass.For acrylics, I use Liquitex for the most part, and I own some paints that Stuart Semple makes.For oils, I mainly use Gamblin.

How did you get into making digital art?

I tried out digital art back in my freshmen year in high school. Though, that was more of photo editing and collage rather than drawing or painting. I remember watching speedpaintings on youtube that other artists did. Unfortunately I only had my mouse and microsoft paint at home, so i did that for a while, and it was no easy task. My friend had access to a drawing program and a pen tablet which they let me try and I fell in love. I wasn't any good at that time though. Then, when I turned 18 or so, I was gifted with a new laptop and an Intous Pro 4 tablet, since then it's been a game changer for me. It was quite pricey for the intitial purchase, but at the same time, you don't have to keep purchasing materials like you do with traditional art.

Do you prefer making art traditionally or digitally?

I don't really have a preference. Digital art takes just as long as it does for me to finish an oil painting in all honestly. I like both for different reasons and will work in either field depending on my mood. However, digital makes it easy to get things symmetrical, zoom in for tiny details, flipping the canvas to make sure nothing is wonky, and to fix mistakes. At the end of the day I like and appreciate them equally for different reasons.

Do you have advice for young and aspiring artists?

My honest advice would be to play around in your sketchbook, experiment with different mediums and subjects, such as still life, master studies, and the like, as well as experimenting and studying
things like anatomy, textures, plants, and so on. Play with different styles like impressionism, realism, and so on. When I was younger, I had the wrong idea of how a sketchbook should be used. I thought it had to be filled with my best work, but I didnt know it was acrually more of a portfolio kind of thing. So use it, study, practice, and experiment in it, thats what it's there for. Another thing would be to not get hung up on finding an art style right away. An art style is an amalgamation of tips, tricks, and techniques that you pick up along your journey from that which inspires you in the first place and from those who inspires you as well. I also recommend learning the foundations of art, that way you start with the good habits of making art, rather than gathering bad habits only to realize half way through your journey that you're doing something wrong and have to start over and learn from scratch. It'll save you from a lot of time, trouble, and headaches. It's best to learn the fundamental rules and then start to break them after, versus doing it vice versa. Lastly, keep an open mind and be willing to learn and try new things throughout your journey.

Can I use your art work to study/practice?

I'm really flattered that I inspire you! I don't mind if you use my work to make studies and practice. Studies are important to understand how other artists make their work and the techniques they use so you can level up your own skills and implement things you like into your own work and start cultivating your own style.

Can I get your work tattooed?

Sure thing! I'm honestly flattered that you you'd want my work on you permanently. Just make sure that you know that some of my artworks are better for getting tattooed versus some of my other works. If you do get my art tattooed on you, I would love to see it, so you can always tag me @twistedfaeart on social media. <3