Ask the Artist: slinkymilinky

[slinkymilinky]

Hi Guys!

I'm slinkymilinky and have been a fan of SPN since it first aired over here in the UK, but I've only been in fandom since mid season 5.
Thanks to oxoniensis for inviting me to do this months Ask the Artist. I'm honoured! I was a bit stumped on what to talk about, so my lovely flist have given me a host of questions to get me started:

Comments

[quickreaver]

Very cool walk-thru! I always love watching how other folks do things, and I love that you know when to throw away reference in favor of expression. I depend way to heavily on ref most days. It's far more fun and spontaneous to sketch and keep that energy from thumbnail to final.

Thanks for doing this!

[slinkymilinky]

Thanks Reaves! I'm the same with over reliance on references so it's fun to do things totally out of my head on occasion, even if sometimes it's a bit like; 'I'VE DRAWN A MILLION HANDS, WHY CAN'T I DO IT BLINDFOLDED BY NOW!!!'

XD <3

[quickreaver]

"Reaves"...*squee!* My first nickname!

Hands are A BITCH. They drive me totally apeshit. Mine are always so stiff and awkward (IRL too!); they never get easy. Period.

I think it's really important to try to fabricate the pose BEFORE you look for/take reference, so the art stays 'yours' and doesn't become just a copy of the photo. I can 'do' photorealism if I reference a photo exactly with little to no deviation, but that's just not satisfying me anymore. I wanna depict what I see in my mind's eye, not someone else's photo.

So right on with the drawing from memory, yo! Flaws and all, it's nearly always more expressive.

[slinkymilinky]

I wanna depict what I see in my mind's eye, not someone else's photo.

I feel exactly the same, it's why I try to source my own references as much as possible...because if I can get someone to pose for me at least it's an original pose and not something a thousand other people have seen on google! Although that can be a pain in the ass...how many muscular 6 foot plus men do I know that don't mind touching each other in a slightly homoerotic fashion? ...hmm...none.
We should set up a 'Rent-a-Man for Fanarts' buisness! :P

[runedgirl]

Two things really stand out in your art -- the way you convey emotions through facial expression, and the way you convey a sense of movement. Can you say a bit more about how you accomplish these things? They make your art quite powerful, imho. Thanks!

[slinkymilinky]

Thank you so much!

Hmm, I think expressing movement is about keeping your work loose. The tighter and more precise you make a drawing the more static it's liable to feel. So for the picture above, the fact that it's not relying on references actually helps with the motion because I can't tighten it up or make it look perfect. Does that make sense

[galwithglasses]

I really like your work, especially I Was Here, Where Were You and An Ocean Where Dreams Reflect. Tne image of angel Cas mixed with the purgatory pieces has so much detail to look at. In the other picture his different angel faces are lovely especially the bright blue eye on the bird. One of my favorite pieces of SPN art ever is your SPN WARS poster. I just love the composition.

[slinkymilinky]

Thank you so much! I'm always surprised by how many people like that poster - It was really fun to do! :)

[rince1wind]

Thanks very much -- seeing the milestones along the way is very helpful. Here's a very tiro question: what exactly is a "custom brush"?

[slinkymilinky]

Custom brushes are brushes for photoshop that you either make yourself of download from people who specialise in making them. They can be really useful for adding texture, and you can get some that act more like stamps...say, pre-rendered clouds, or paint splats.
Here's a basic tutorial for how to make them:
http://www.idigitalemotion.com/tutorials/guest/custombrush/custombrush.html

:)

[rince1wind]

Thanks so much!

[rockstarpeach]

Your ass looks great in those jeans :)

And I am amazed. Your art is fantastic. Seriously, I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, so I'm always so envoius of people with such skills. Bravo!

[slinkymilinky]

*waggles ass* Why thank you darlink! *blows kisses* ♥