Art videos that inspire, instruct, and entertain.

FAQ:

Q: What kind of tablet do you use?
A: I use a Wacom Intuos 3 12x9 tablet.

Q: Can you draw a caricature of me?
A: Yes, just send me a PM with some links to your image. I charge a small fee, so if you want one done for free, I'm not really doing that, but it's all very reasonable.

Q: Can you draw me a picture of...?
A: Yes, I'm taking commissions. If you want your own original character drawn or painted, send me a PM or email me at sycra7@hotmail.com . I charge $25 for a drawing of one character and $100 for a character coloured in Photoshop. I think the rates are really reasonable, so if you want your very own Sycra-drawn character, now's your chance!

Q: What brushes do you use?
A: In Photoshop I just use the default round brush, and vary between soft and hard edges. I paint mostly between the 10-50% opacity range. In Painter I mostly draw with the 2B Pencil. The trick is to use a very light colour because Painter tends to make the colour much darker with the pencil. I also sometimes use Digital Watercolour to paint with, but mostly I draw in Painter and paint in Photoshop.
EDIT: Uploaded a video showing my brush settings.

Q: How long have you been drawing?
A: As long as I can remember.

Q: What inspires you?
A: I think it depends. A lot of times when I draw it's actually not about inspiration, it's more like work. For instance I know I have to work on bodies so I will practice drawing bodies and look at anatomy books. Or I know I have to get better at varying line widths so then I will just work on that for a while. I also force myself to draw at least one portrait a day, and sometimes I just don't want to. So in terms of inspiration, I'm not sure. I think I get most inspired when I see other people drawing. Makes my fingers itch for a pencil. I also listen to music when I draw though. Music helps to give the left side of the brain something to focus on so that the more creative right side of the brain and the emotional brain can take more control.

Q: Did you attend any art school? If so, which one?
A: No, I'm self taught. --EDIT-- I recently took 2 months of private lessons with the painter Zhong-Ru Huang.

Q: Who are your favourite artists?
A: Craig Mullins, Casey Baugh, Andrew Loomis, William Bouguereau and John Singer Sargent.

Q: What are you using to record the screen?
A: I use a program called Camtasia Studio.