FAQ and About

How long have you been drawing?
I have been drawing since I was very young.  My mother is a professional artist so I grew up with it all throughout my life.   I really started to become serious about drawing and start drawing manga around my first year in middle school (2005).  I was really inspired to make my own manga then and Jade Dragon has evolved so much from then
How old you are?
I am currently 20 and will try to update this every birthday (July 4th)  haha!
What inspires you?
A lot of random things usually inspire me like maybe what'd going on in my life, a comic I read recently, or different pieces of artwork I have seen.  The thing that's seems to drive my inspiration most are dreams.  I have always had vivid dreams ever since I was young and to be honest, a lot of the scenes or ideas I use for my manga/art are from dreams
What are your favorites artists?
I have a lot of favorites on DeviantART but if we art talking about famous artists, my favorites are Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, and Banksy.  There are a ton more but these are some of the top ones
Are you more of a traditional artist or digital?
I really do like traditional styles and that's usually where I start at but when I am drawing and make a mistake and instantly think command + z….yeah haha.  I think I am more digital then traditional.  All my school projects are traditional so at the same time I am a traditional artist.
What are your favorite games?
There are so many games I like!  I mostly play PC games so the games I play on that are Assassins Creed, Left 4 Dead, Sid Meier's Civilization V, Team Fortress 2, Star Wars games, Command and Conquer, Lots of TYCOON games, Classic Sega games, Star Craft 2, and a bunch more.  I have played a ton of games in the past so there is a ton.
I play a bunch on the consoles too.  I own my out Nintendo DS and that's my only console.  (my brother has the Wii…..) I love all the Pokémon games and all of the Ace Attorney games! On major consoles, I like Alice Madness Returns, Halo, just started playing Kingdom Hearts, Rock Band/Guitar Hero, and Naruto Ninja Storm 2.
Favorite Manga/anime?
Oh my gosh there are so many XD I don't even know where to start! Well I guess I will just list them.
Legend of Korra, Dragon Ball (original and Z), Blue Exorcist, Naruto/Naruto Shippuden, Yu Gi Oh, Zoids, Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, Oaran High School Host Club, Ghost in the Shell, Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji, Avatar the Last Air Bender (if that counts), Dragon Drive, Bleach, Claymore, and probably a ton more I can't think of right now.
Favorite Music/Artists?
I am pretty much cool with any form of music.  My favorite genres are techno, classic rock, jazz, punk, electronic and punk but I still like the other genres too :3
Favorite Movies?
I pretty much like all geek movies like Star Wars and Star Trek.  I am the typical geek!  I also really love How to Train Your Dragon, Princess Bride, Pride and Prejudice, all the Miyazaki movies, and a bunch of the Monty Python movies.
Do you attend any conventions and if so, which ones and how often?
I really just go to the local conventions.  I hope to branch out a bit more one day.  I am planning on having a booth in the near future at a few conventions.  I went to the San Diego Comic Con this last year and maybe when my book gets bigger, I may try for a booth there.
What art classes have you taken or are you mostly self taught?
I taught myself pretty much my manga style and Photoshop skills through books and practice.  I have learned a lot these past years of college.  I believe that my skills have been greatly helped with all of the diverse class I have taken.
What are the tools you use?
Well I have always really enjoyed just using mechanical pencil, pen and paper for my traditional stuff.  Not to familiar with Copics yet but they are fun to use too.
I use Manga Studio EX4 for toning and inking the pages. My process for the pages is sketching them on paper, scanning it, and then creating it in Manga Studio.  I then take it to Photoshop and add the sound effects or anything else I want to add.
For Digital art, I use Photoshop CS4, Wacom Cintiq tablet and I used to use Corel Painter Essentials 3.  I am going to try to start using Corel Painter again.
What do you think is the best advice to give to aspiring artists?
Practice, practice, practice!  I know everyone says that but it is really true.  Also, work really hard at and never get discouraged.  When I was a developing artist (and even still today), I got really discouraged, unmotivated and uninspired and that can really bring a damper to your drive and art work.  Just believe in your self and you will go far!