This October, FAE will be hosting a themed art show called “Merrymaking”. If you are a FAE member, you are invited to join in and submit your art. If you are not yet a member, why don’t you join our community and get to know us? 
Details/Rules/Deadline can be found here:
We are pleased to announce that our newest art show is now open for public viewing! Please enjoy the show our artists have put together for your viewing pleasure and see how they interpreted the theme in their own vision.
Just a reminder to all FAE members wanting to join in on the Springtide show. Art is due very soon (May 18)! Thanks!
If you are a FAE Forum artist and would like to be spotlighted and interviewed, go to the Artist Spotlight section of the forum and volunteer! Or you can email Carol at faescribbles@aol.com
Benefits of being spotlighted include your interview posted at the foum, on our Facebook, Twitter and Live Journal blogs for all to see! We also supply you a badge that links to your interview that you can post on your website or any social networking venues!
I usually ask approx. 12 questions and you can elaborate as much or little as you like! We want to get to know YOU! When you email me, please provide links to your website or any places that provide bios or other details about yourself so I can formulate interesting questions! You can also submit up to 4 images, including a photo of yourself and 3 choice works in .jpg format, no larger than 200 pixels on the longest side. Thanks!
Join Fae Forum at: http://www.faeforum.com/forum/
~Carol
We have a new community art show project posted for all our FAE artists to join in!
http://www.faeforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5626
Come read about it and talk about it with us and we hope you will join in and submit your art!
1. Maryanne, your art is beautiful! Are you a full-time artist or part-time? I see anime/manga style influence, but not strictly so. How would you describe your prime influences , what draws you to draw?
Thank you! Currently I am a part-time artist. I have a full-time job in order to pay the bills! My primary influence growing up was Wendy Pini. I’ve been drawing since I could hold a crayon properly (I honestly have! We have pictures of the mural I drew on the walls when I was 2! It wasn’t exactly pretty, but it was big. And purple. Very, very purple.) but I wasn’t serious about it until I was 11 or so and discovered ElfQuest. I used to sit for hours on end, painfully copying the comic panel by panel. I was pretty heavy into anime in college and I’m still fond of Rumiko Takahashi’s work (Ranma ½ and InuYasha) but I never got 100% into the style. The traces of it still linger.
2. Your use of Swarovski crystals to embellish originals and prints is gorgeous! Is this a signature of yours you plan to use indefinitely?
Thanks again! Yes, I do plan on using this indefinitely. I really like the decorative look it gives, and it shows really nice when you’re outdoors at a faire. Plus if you hang them in the right spot inside, when the light hits it right, they just sparkle non-stop.
3. You list watercolor, ink, pencil and PS CS2 as your main tools of the artistic trade. Do you have a favorite? And have you had any professional training or are you self-taught?
Watercolor pencil has got to my very favorite tool. I like the amount of control you have with them versus watercolor paint, which can sometimes come down to luck. They don’t have as many special effects as paint, but I found them much gentler to learn. I’m now branching out into watercolor paint and I usually blend the two now. I love India ink for line work, and I use a nib pen for it. I can’t get quite the same feel using something like Micron pen.
I majored in visual art in college, but I’ve also taken additional courses offered through one of the local art studios and got a certification in graphic design through an online school. My favorite extracurricular class was Comic Book Illustration. I still work on my education with tutorials and books. I have to give my parents a lot of credit for my education! Growing up they always made sure I had plenty of art supplies, from construction paper and glue as a child to art tables and easels in college. In fact, my mom was the one who got me into art class in my junior year of high school when the school insisted I wait another year.
4. Do you use reference material, follow trends, or are all ideas plucked from your fertile imagination?
I do use reference material. I’m constantly flipping through the Art section at the bookstore to find any book that I think I’ll be able to take something away from. I have a heavy background in figure work, but I just recently purchased manikins to help with the more difficult poses. I’d love to be able to get to some live drawing classes; sadly they’re all while I’m working.
I try not to follow trends too much, but if I get an idea for a piece, I run with it, regardless of if it’s trendy or not. Most of what I do is from my own imagination, but I sometimes do research on folklore to discover new faery types. I start with rough sketches, then move onto illustration board. I find it much more durable to the torture I put it through versus my old standard of bristol. I get a lot of ideas from music and find that my iPod is a bit of a savior in that respect.
5. What has been your most successful mode of marketing? Online? Shows/faires? And what would you recommend to newly emerging artists as their best bet for breaking-out in the art world?
Renaissance faires have been my biggest success thus far. I really like being able to get out and talk to people who are looking at my art. I think people like to hear from the artist about their inspiration, how they create their art, how much fun they had while doing a certain piece or what gave them problems, all sorts of things. Connecting a face to a name is always a good thing and I do like to gauge the reactions my work has on people. Bringing a smile to someone’s face, however cliched that may be, is a huge boost for me.
I’d recommend a couple of things to new artists. One is to always keep a small sketchbook with you. Jot down ideas and thoughts, do rough sketches whenever you get the urge; keep it by your bed. Keep it by you at all times. Show it to interested people, to gauge what they like or don’t like. Put yourself out there as much as you’re comfortable with. Get a website on Elfwood or deviantart (both are free, so that’s very cost effective for new artists), join art forums (like FAE!) and participate. Take the constructive criticism to heart and ignore any nasty or negative ones. Don’t take it personally, you’ll learn quickly enough which comment is meant with an honest interest in seeing your technique grow and which one is only meant to try and make you feel bad.
Go to local faires (art shows, renaissance faires, arts & crafts) and see what the market is like in your area. Ask vendors how they’re selling right now and base where you want to start from there. Start small, start local. Keep in mind that most arts & crafts fairs tend to have a heavy ‘window shopper’ crowd, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing so long as you make your table fee back.
And oh, invest in good business cards! Always keep a few on you.
6. I see you have a great interest in gaming, role-playing, LARP’ing…..tell us about your involvement in this and how it influences your art, ….or does your art influence your gaming? Do you do portrait commissions for game playing?
I’ve been gaming since I was roughly 12 years old. My older brother played D&D, and I got my interest from there. LARPing is a natural progression from wanting that really in-depth immersive character, but I got into it in college. My dad and my older brother were both heavy into Tolkein when I was little and my mom is into sci-fi and horror/monster movies, so I was kind of fated from the start. Gaming really introduced me to fantasy artists like Larry Elmore. I don’t do as much gaming art as I used to, but yes, I do take character portrait commissions.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to LARP as much since the birth of my son. But he’s three now, and we’re starting to introduce him a little here and there to the idea of people dressing up and ‘playing’ even though they’re all grown up.
7. Are there art subjects you’ve not explored yet, but want to, or have a burning desire to try?
I’d love to try my hand at different cultures, but I’d want to research them before I do. One of these days, I’ll get more into digital art.
8. Do you do other arts or crafts? What are some of your non-art- related hobbies or interests?
I used to sew pretty heavily, along with dabble at jewelry making. My non-art hobbies, beyond tabletop gaming and LARPing, are playing World of Warcraft and watching horror movies (when my son’s asleep!) I love to read books about true hauntings, folklore and cryptozoology. I’m starting to introduce my son to Godzilla movies now and in a couple years the classic Universal monster movies. I *love* the creature features of the 50’s and 60’s.
9. Your Elfwood profile quotes, “Maryanne is a very odd individual. She prefers the term ‘freak’.” How do you define your own personal “freak”?
Hoo-boy. Yeah, I wrote that in my twenties, one of these days I need to change it to ‘charmingly kooky’. I’m into fantasy, hauntings and cryptozoology, which are usually considered odd at best. So when I got into the work force and didn’t mesh personality wise, kind of led me down into that ‘I must be a freak or something’ mentality. Fortunately, I’m now comfortable with the fact that my interests are somewhat off the beaten path and no longer keep quiet about whatever I was watching on TV the night before. J Yes, I would rather watch a good horror/monster movie verus the latest ‘chick flick’. Oh well!
10. You mention an interest in belly-dancing! How long have you been dancing, where do you do so, and what can you share with us? Do you use and make your own costumes?
I have been dancing at least 10 years now, on and off. I have studied cabaret, folkloric, tribal fusion and now tribal/American tribal style (ATS). I dance in the local area with some wonderful, gorgeous ladies under the tribal/ATS troupe Mahasti. Sadly, we’re all on a bit of a break right now due to everyday life kind of intruding on everyone and killing our schedules. I used to make all my own costumes, now I find deals on eBay or through reputable vendors. It’s actually had a big influence on my art, as a lot of what I draw has a belly dance feel to it, either through poses or clothing,
11. Are you attracted to other artists who mainly do the same style of art as yourself, or what other styles capture your attention?
I’m attracted to all styles! I love everything from light and delicate watercolors to digital pieces created in Painter. I’m pretty eclectic in what I like. Anything that has a really strong sense of humor to it generally leaps to the forefront though.
12. Do you have a personal totem? I see hints of wolf in several of your works. What is the meaning behind your screen name of “Wulfemoon”?
Oh yes, Wolf is definitely my totem! Wulfemoon is a wink and a nod to my first inspiration, ElfQuest, as well as being two things I’m naturally drawn to. Why I spell it “wulfe” as opposed to “wolf” is pure chance. Years ago, when I was on AOL, I went to get the screen name Wolfmoon, which was already taken. It was my husband who came up with the alternate spelling. I’ve been Wulfemoon ever since.
FAE members, there is a poll going on now for the next 2 weeks here:
http://www.faeforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5600
It concerns our art shows, so if you are interested in them (or not, I want to know that too!) please do vote in this poll. I would greatly appreciate it.
Show is now live and we welcome you to visit and enjoy the many different visions our artists created for the Spirits and Spiritual Beings theme.
Sasha…you are currently a full-time art student, and run your online art business, and have what appears to be several major art projects (including a book) in the works…how do you manage it all, allocate time for each in your days?
That does sound like a lot, now that I think about it! Art and business are my two greatest passions in life (travel is my third). Because I love both disciplines so much, I find it very enjoyable to pursue them with all my time and energy. School is tough, but, as they say, time flies when you’re having fun!
2. I see you do traditional as well as digital art…do you prefer one medium more than the other, does one come more naturally to you, and why?
I definitely prefer using traditional mediums for my paintings and illustrations. I find it takes me much less time to complete a picture traditionally than it does digitally (especially when it comes to things like inking an image). I also suffer from tendonitis when I’m on the computer too long which is actually the main thing preventing me from doing a lot of work digitally. My favourite mediums to work with are Winsor Newton Watercolours, Copic Sketch Markers, a pen with a nib and India Ink, and my trusty bic mechanical pencil.
3. You live in Vancouver, British Columbia—very beautiful country! Do you draw much of your inspiration from your surroundings? (I’m often curious if you take an artist out of their beautiful location, if it stifles their ability to create.)
Thank you! Yes, we are renowned for our mountains, trees, city, and torrential rainy weather. I think the thing that inspires me most about my surroundings is the greenery. I didn’t realize how much it meant to me until I went to Europe. The thing I missed most about home were the lush tree-lined streets, and beautiful mountains and the view of the ocean. We tend to take things for granted and only truly appreciate them when they’re gone. I’m not sure how leaving my surroundings would affect my art. I think that I would try and use the change positively though and let it flow through my work.
4. Please tell us about your coming book project collaboration with other artists! You seem very confident of your projected follow-through plan for it. Are you intimidated at all by the amount of work involved? Do you have established plans for marketing it?
The book project is something I’ve wanted to do for a while now. My sense of confidence in the project comes from the talented artists involved, and the vision of the finished book I see in my mind’s eye. I have confidence in my ability to create unique and professional page layouts, and to blend all of our pieces together. I plan to make a different page template for each section of the book to keep it uniform and to ‘recycle’ it so that my work is cut down. I’m actually looking forward to designing the page layouts and working on the design part of the book. If I weren’t a fantasy artist myself, I think this is a career I would be interested in pursuing in an alternate universe.
The daunting part, that will surely test my ingenuity, is the publication. It involves a lot of shameless grunt work. I’m going make cold calls to agents, publishers, and book distributors; I’m going to send out draft manuscripts, and hopefully meet with some publishers and give them our pitch. I am lucky to have the added advantage of being in a program with teachers who are actually in the industries of art, illustration, design, and publication, and will hopefully give me feedback and contacts to call.
It may take a while (and immense determination), but I’m convinced that this dream is possible. I’m very serious and passionate about making a professional, worthwhile product and pitching it to major players in the publishing industry.
*I have also had some artists offer to help put everything together, and I really appreciate it. This is a team project to the core. Something that will hopefully launch us into the public eye and inspire others. Are you excited? I’m excited.*
5. In an industry genre often referred to as “over-saturated”, what do you feel you do to stand-out and be unique? What must anyone do to stand out and be unique?
Here’s what I try to do:
One, have kick ass art that competes with established artists. Take what inspires you (whether it be from life, imagination, other artwork) and translate it into something unique and personal.
Two, determination; never give up! Always draw draw draw! You are constantly improving.
Three, promote yourself in any way you can. Make a personal website, put your artwork up on sites like our Fae Forum, or Deviantart, participate in local markets and contests.
Four, be yourself and let your awesome personality shine. Have a strong online identity and you are less likely to be forgotten.
6. Artists are so much more than their art. Who are you besides an artist–what other interests/hobbies/quirks/unique peculiarities?
I really love watching a good movie, having a strong cuppa joe or a soothing green tea, camping and kayaking, being nuzzled by my kitten, eating white cheddar popcorn, organizing my bedroom, reading the latest young adult fantasy novel, and carrying on with my crazy market pals.
7. Have you ever worked jobs other than art, and if so, what?
I’ve had a few. I worked in a movie theatre selling popcorn to the masses, at a grocery store as a demo girl, and selling soap at the market I work at now for my mom. I can’t wait until my artwork becomes my full time career.
8. Did you always know you wanted to be an artist? What tipped your scales into going to art school? What advice would you give other artists trying to decide about whether to go to art school or not?
No. In fact, I never called myself an artist until I decided to go down that career path. I have a great love for history and archaeology (and Indiana Jones lol) and was convinced I wanted to be an archaeologist. When I got out of high school I took some college courses and discovered that I was more engaged in my drawing and doodling than my classes and school work. Then I did a little soul searching and decided I wanted to become an artist; specifically an illustrator (which I needed to be educated for to enter the industry).
My advice to those artists that want to pursue a full time career in the arts to definitely go to school. At school you get to use state of the art equipment, and are taught by people who work in the industry and have important knowledge to pass on. Also, you have the opportunity to make connections with like-minded people and key industry pros that could lead to future career opportunities.
From my experience, art school is divided into two groups; artists and designers. Artists are, to be cliche, those funky, expressive people, who are more about the message than superficial looks of the piece itself. They want to share their messages (such as environmental, social, and political issues) with people in shows and public places. They focus on experimentation and ideas, and are generally into modern art. Designers, on the other hand, focus more so on the aesthetics of a piece. They create art that can be used in commercial work and publication or even galleries (such as a company logo or an illustration for a magazine or a group art show). Figure out which side you fit in, and choose your courses/program from there.
9. If the world did not have the internet, how do you imagine you’d be marketing your art?
The internet has been an amazing asset to artists. To be honest, I’m not sure how artists marketed themselves in the past. I imagine their success depended on connections, exposure, and luck.
10. Is there subject matter you’ve not attempted yet to paint that you wish to, and if so, what?
I’m trying to work on more pieces that involve characters interacting with each other. Like hugging, kissing, or walking together… It really challenges me! I’m also practising painting backgrounds. I would really like to get a convincing old craggy stone effect like other artists I admire do.
11. What other artists (living or deceased) have had the most lasting effects on you in developing your own style and why?
When it comes to colour, style, and mediums, I’m most inspired by Kmye-Chan, Lois Van Baarle, Nati Pierandrei, Stephanie Law, Antonio Gaudi, and Alphonse Mucha. I love the Art Nouveau feel and careful colouring and textures created by these artists, and hope to emulate a similar style in my own.
12. Does the most rewarding compensation from others for your art come via sales or appreciative compliments? What drives you most to create art? Is it for you, or for others?
I really appreciate thoughtful comments on my work. Even if they aren’t compliments, the fact that something I drew made someone stop and say or write something to me… that’s just too cool. When I was younger, I drew to express the characters and worlds running through my imagination. Since I started posting my work on the internet and gaining a small following of online friends and admirers, I find that I am driven to create art for them. I want to hear what they think and feel about what I’ve made.
I feel most confident when I’m drawing or painting something. I feel totally in my zone.
~Sasha Fitzgerald
Call for Art! FAE will be hosting a Spirits & Spiritual Beings themed art show in December. All members of the FAE forum are welcome to participate, so if you are an artist and would like to participate, please do become a member of the forum and join us!
