What? My newsletter is 2 weeks early? Why yes it is! AR is launching a new project which seems real exciting. I have posted part of the informational journal here. I would highly suggest that you check out ^guruubii ' s journal for a complete idea of what is going on. I chose to only post part of it to bring you an insightful interview from these amazing ladies.

I would like to introduce you to: ^guruubii and her partner in crime ^misskittyoooo
Now, we have been blessed because they are both communicative and this journal is quite long. Enjoy it!!

These are two wonderful ladies with incredible zeal, drive, talent and a real love for the dA Community!!

Without further ado:

shell4art: Before we jump into the interview ladies, I would appreciate it if you can tell me your inspiration for this wonderful Community Awareness Project?

Please tell us anything else you would like us to be aware of. I know that this journal explains it in detail, but perhaps you can add your personal aspirations regarding this whole thing.

Guruubii: I think just overall with my being a GD for the time I have been, and seeing the developments that have come from this community and the amazing staff (in particular Danielle who I think is the single most valuable part of DeviantART as a community, and a business), I have always seen the theme that communication is the main issue that plagues all the 'roblems' that arise on DA. It’s always the staff that always ends up saying "yes we will try to improve our communication" but I think the reality is, it’s not only the staff that needs to improve that, it’s the entire community! This is why we find "problems" on the site and not "opportunities". When that gap is filled in, there will be a drastic rise in the potential for good ideas and solutions to arise without the drama and suffering that problems cause.

shell4art: I like what you have done to the logo. Did you do that? The two of you work extremely well together. Have you known each other long? Has dA forged another great friendship?

Guruubii: Misskittyoooo did the logo because I was trying to come up with something to make it stand out. I wrote everything (if you can call what i do 'writing' my grammar is terrible!) to be used with the AR update CSS. I wanted to stand out. She did a great job
We work well together because we are sisters Twins actually. so ya, we've been collaborating on every project since we were small little muffins

shell4art Now that is so exciting!! I am envious. It must be nice to both be so talented and be able to work together and collaborate in different areas, highlighting each other’s strengths! I would also like to note that many a great writer is at the mercy of their editors!

shell4art Again thank you for agreeing to this interview.
devguruubii: Thank you for asking I feel honored that you thought of lil' ol me for this

shell4art Do you remember art being a big part of your childhood?

Guruubii I don't remember a time when I wasn't an artist. Even as a baby my mum says we drew like crazy.

shell4art Who was your inspiration as you played with your finger paints?

Guruubii I think it was movies like 'The last Unicorn' 'legend' and 'mac and me' movies have always been important to us. Disney is big too. of course started my love of animation and leading to my career.

shell4art Were you supported by others to create?

Guruubii We got praised a lot, but when the concept of doing it for a living came up it seemed to throw red flags up with our family. I think they are surprised I've done it, but also expected I would. i have a way of getting what I want. I'm willing to earn something I want.

shell4art Did you continue to create in school?

Guruubii For sure, all the way to post secondary, art was always the focus. In high school we skipped all the other classes to stick around in the art room. I had no other ambition other than to create. Of course then I went to Vancouver Film School for animation and that I think was the best time of my life.

shell4art What medium did you use as a child?

Guruubii its pretty much always been watercolors and pencil crayons until I found markers. and pen and ink i picked up early as well

shell4art Was your first computer mainly for art? Explain.

Guruubii No, I never really considered the computer as an artistic tool until I needed it for jobs. I remember my dad buying a computer and telling us about this cool thing called the World Wide Web. He talked to people across the world on the computer. it was a black screen with green text.. Boring... then when I got a computer of my own, we used it to make websites. I was quite a web designer in my younger internet days hundreds upon hundreds of them. and little animated pixel things. HAHA good times I still miss those days of having the Quilting bee club, but it grew too big to manage.


shell4art What is Art to you?

Guruubii Life. I just... cant put it any other way. It’s essential. Its communication, its entertainment, its business, its fun. It’s everything.

shell4art What are your aspirations regarding your art?

Guruubii I hope to develop my animation career further. Mainly I want to finish that damn film I've been working on for the better part of 10 years now, but its a long process to make a feature length film on a home computer, classically animated with a team of 1. HA!

shell4art What is your favorite medium?

Guruubii Classical animation... if that’s a medium? If its not, then Tria markers are my favorite!

shell4art If you could, you would?

Guruubii Keep doing what I am doing now, except not have to leave home to go work in a studio. I want my studio to be up and running. I know I'm on that path now though so I'm not stressing it.

shell4art You are a huge supporter and encourager on dA. Have you always been this way?

Guruubii No, when I started on DA I was as confused as everyone else when they start. I flooded the site with 40+ submissions and met a few very good friends my first couple days. That’s what made me stick around and once I got to know the way the site worked, I knew I wanted to be a part of the bigger picture. I'm ambitious :B

shell4art How did you find dA?

Guruubii My friend Obliviousally showed me it. I thought she was nuts at first. HA!

shell4art Did you use other outlets for your art?

Guruubii I tried Sheezy art, it sucked, Elfwood sucked as well, y-gallery and rubber folks.. nothing compares. Just my personal domain and DeviantART is all I have ever really stuck to.

shell4art Why dA?

Guruubii Nothing else on the internet compares with the exposure you get from here. The community and the admin are better than on any other place. I just can’t imagine anywhere else.

shell4art What would you like to see here at dA?

Guruubii Excited about Film... I hope that this will make animation a larger part of deviantart.

shell4art. What is your favorite part of dA?

Guruubii My gallery Director Position. Its inspired me to be a better deviant, a better artist and it has opened doors that I am really grateful for

shell4art Do you tell offline friends about dA?

Guruubii DA should pay me for advertising. People sign up to shut me up. i have half the studio converted. I'm working on it.

shell4art If you could tell the world about DA what would you say?

Guruubii Its become an essential gathering place on the internet for artists of all walks of life to be more in touch with the industry, and create connections. I think its the future of the art world on the internet. I'm not much for speeches... I usually point

shell4art Now, please take the time to tell me more about yourself.

Guruubii Well, I'm sort of just getting started on the "career artist" thing, so life isn't terribly exciting to tell about. I am finally at a point where I am now making my living off of art and its something I am really proud to have accomplished even if I am still on the low end of the ladder. I've been working on my Feature film called 'Conflagration' for the better part of 10 years, and its my major piece. I began revamping the story and the concept of it in the past few years. Its rewarding to see it taking shape finally. My recent work consists of working at Mercury FilmWorks as a digital paint artist on the TV series "Class of the Titans". Episodes I've worked on are airing in Canada on Teletoon. I've also picked up a freelance job doing some work for a singing Pair in Vancouver called 'Bobs and Lolo' as well as a few other freelance things. It gets hectic, but i am happiest when kept busy.

Thanks so much for the interview shell, I had fun.

shell really likes this one! I bought prints and the mug hehe!
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shell4art Before we jump into the the interview , I would appreciate it if you can tell me your inspiration for this wonderful Community Awareness Project?
The two of you work extremely well together.

Misskittyooo ^guruubii and I are actually not friends, not bosom buddies, compadres or roommates. We are twin sisters. I’ve flicked burning incense onto her eyelid and thrown forks at her forehead and she’s crippled me for life by twisting my pelvis. Good times. We get along awesome, like jam and bread. That’s why we work so well together.
So when Guru decides to keep me up all night with her wandering thoughts talking about this project she’s had on her mind, I humor her and pretend I’m paying attention. Eventually, after she’s yelled at me for having to repeat herself, we start tossing ideas around. I can’t really take much credit though, this was Guruu’s project idea. I only helped her flesh out ideas and I setup the launch package and edited the Artists relations CSS header to include the project title “Community Outreach”. I don’t even deserve credit for that logo, another talented person made it, I just added another line following their setup to work with the project.
I think the whole project came about simply through observations through our years on DA. We’ve both been on DA since 2002, I joined a month after Guruu and in that long a time you tend to see a lot of things going on and you tend to experience a lot. In it all we realized that people who are less prominent can get lost and buried on this site and noone can hear their calls for help. So who better to help the community, than the community? If the more active and prominent deviants share what they see, and those deviants friends share with them what they see and the chain eventually leads up to us through certain trusted deviants, and down through the trusted deviants and into deviantArt we’ve created a web of communication. Trusted and reliable communication as well as a path for concerns to trickle up and the information get into the hands of people who can do something about it. I really hope this becomes a success because if people participate and cooperate we can stop much of the problems that happen on DA before they become big issues that are harder to fix.


shell4art Do you remember art being a big part of your childhood?

misskittyoooo don’t remember a time when I haven’t been drawing, painting or sculpting. It’s always been the one constant in my life, there really is nothing more important to me. I’ve always been critical of my work too. I remember a long time ago, I think in grade 2 I drew a picture of a Clydesdale horse rearing and the teacher wanted to hang it on the wall and I distinctly remember saying “No, the proportions are all wrong!” I don’t even think I knew what that meant. Of course she hung it up anyway and I cried, but then later wouldn’t stop pointing out to people that it was mine.

shell4art Who was your inspiration as you played with your finger paints?

bulletpurple: misskittyoooo Van Gogh. I always tried to make my paint thick and to make those awesome swirlies. Of course I wasn’t using oils I was using that cheap craft paint so it was watery and it usually ended up in a big bluey-purpley-gray mess. A great disappointment. Another HUGE influence was the movie “The Last unicorn” and the TV show “She-ra” which I now own both on DVD. I think most of what I do today was influenced from them.

misskittyoooo Not always no, I remember as a kid getting lots and lots of praise, but as you get older and it starts to consume time rather then fill it people become less and less supportive. I will admit I was beaten down to do something I regret. Instead of going to art school, like I so desperately wanted to and STILL want to, I took a some general business and web applications course to learn to make websites and use Microsoft programs. I hate the debt and everything that came with it. I spent thousands of dollars to get a certificate to say I know things I already knew, or could have learned from the help files. That’s what happens when you get low self esteem and lack support. After working in some government jobs and slowly loosing my passion for everything and everything I got a job in an animation school in an admin capacity and slowly and surely grew back my confidence on my own to be at the level I am now. Now, I get more support because I more or less tell people to back off when they try and sway me in my ambitious artistic goals. I find I only hear any positive feedback from some family if they are trying to show off and take credit for it. I do get lots and lots of support from my amazing friends I’ve met on DeviantArt though, and that’s enough for me!

shell4art Did you continue to create in school?

misskittyoooo In high school yes. I even had a whole year of only art classes ^guruubii and I, dominated the upstairs balcony. We would staple our huge canvas right to the wall and paint for hours and hours. That’s was fun. But in collage, I tried, but no, I was too frustrated and upset 24/7 to create anything. That was not a good time for me.

shell4art What medium did you use as a child?

misskittyoooo I used watercolours, mostly. The cheap kinds of course, we grew up pretty poor, but they worked non-the-less. I also used to sculpt with Das clay, I remember my mom swore by that stuff and bought it for us all the time. I think she liked sculptures. Even to this day she say, “You should buy some Das clay and make some sculptures.” Mama loves Das. I also used coloured pencils, but that was never something I enjoyed.

shell4art Was your first computer mainly for art? Explain.

misskittyoooo My first computer was a huge grey box with a tiny black screen with green writing. I remember my dad typing in commands in DOS to find files. Eventually my dad starting putting more parts In this grey box and got games one it. We would play Wolfenstein 3-D and oooh and aaah at the graphics and how cool our computer was. So no, there was no art happening on those computers. Art and computers only first made a connection to me when my dad brought home this little hand held scanner you’d put on top of a picture and click a button and roll over your drawing. It only scanned in grey scale of course and the image was always gimped from your hand jerking. That’s still pretty much the only connection computers and art have made for me.

shell4art What is Art to you?

misskittyoooo Art is subjective. I don’t like to define it. Some people think art is communicating through images and I think I agree with that. Comics communicate a story with images, animation communicates motion, paintings and other art can communicate so many things from beauty, hate, violence, politics… so I’d say art is a form of communication. A way to express ideas and images for those of us not as articulate with words perhaps, or for those who’s passion and imagination are too much to contain. I suppose some people would even use images because an image can be more powerful than words at times.

shell4art What are your aspirations regarding your art?

misskittyoooo My honest and true goal is to work at home doing art, whether it be comics, or illustrating kids books or both. I think my art is very suited to children’s storybook illustrations, even my comic art at it’s most violent has a somewhat children’s book illustration quality to it. It might be the colours and the medium, but whatever it is, that seems like it would be fun and rewarding. As for comics, I’d like to be independent with that. I’m not really interested in working in mainstream comics, as fun as they are to read, it really isn’t my thing. So I guess the ultimate goal for me would be to work freelance on illustrations for various things while also working on some indy comics. Yes, that’s what I want to do.

shell4art What is your favorite medium?

misskittyoooo Oh defiantly watercolours. I’ve been using them for years and years and my love for them grows more and more each day. They are my thing. I have used oils and acrylics as well, and I enjoy them too, but I always go back to watercolours. I also use dipping ink and nibs to ink much of my work. I love the look of it and the feel of it when it’s dry. Im a very tactile artist, I like getting my hands right in there and feeling the pen across the paper and using my fingers to blend the paint.


shell4art If you could, you would?

misskittyoooo If I could I would quit my job right now and go to art school and absorb so much knowledge and experience my brain would burst. I want to go to art school and I want to work from home. OOH, if I could I would.

shell4art You are a huge supporter and encourager on dA. Have you always been this way?

misskittyoooo Yes, I’d say so. I’ve always been annoyed at people who complained about it even from my first year here. I’m sure I’ve complained as well when I was new, but I never would complain about not having MORE. I remember way back when being flabbergasted at people saying they wanted more, more, more. This site has so much freedom and people still wanted more.
I remember despising DA for one single day because they deleted a picture of mine as a copyright violation. It wasn’t, I had to show my sketch to show it wasn’t a screenshot. Personally, I still don’t think it looked even close but the admin are human, mistakes can get made. It was no big deal. The next day I was re-in love with DA and was excited at how fast they dealt with my help desk ticket even though I was being a complete jerk. That was my first year here. I’m sure everyones had one or two things annoy them on DA, it’s inevitable, the key is not to dwell on them.
My first year was rough but through it all I was supportive of the site and enjoy my time here. Eventually about a year ago I was made a senior member and became even more active. I’m only surprised it took me nearly 5 years before I decided to apply to be a Gallery Director.

shell4art How did you find dA?

misskittyoooo Actually, Guruubii pressured me into joining, I don’t know how she found it. I wasn’t too active at first because I was in my bad point when I was in college. I was confused and she had to show me around most of it before I could get the hang of things. It’s not easy being new on DA, that’s for sure.

shell4art Did you use other outlets for your art?

misskittyoooo I tried Elfwood, but that’s sites hopeless. Other than DA the only outlet I use is just my website where I sell my commissions. Nothing really seems to be as useful as DA.

shell4art Why dA?

misskittyoooo I use DA because it’s large, directly suited to artists, it has the BEST prints and products and the subscription is actually affordable. Not that I have to worry about subscriptions anymore (whoo hoo). Being on DA is inspiring. It’s amazing how just being around artists can be so much help to know you’re with people who understand you.

shell4art What would you like to see here at dA?

misskittyoooo I’d like to see some more personalization in each gallery. Different artist types have different needs and I have some ideas for comics that I would love to see implemented. The only thing stopping me is the fact that the collections that are due to come back can do something similar to my ideas, but not quite as efficiently, but it’s not really worth DA’s time to put so much effort into single sections. We can’t be selfish, we must think what’s best for the whole community, not just a few.
…. Maybe one day I’ll bring it up.

shell4art What is your favorite part of dA?

misskittyoooo Well, I personally like the deviation page setups, so I like browsing, but I also play in the Damn chat rooms quite a lot lately. I used to play in the forums a lot but when the old people I used to talk to started to clear out of there it got boring. Mostly I just browse and read peoples journals. I like to go everywhere.

shell4art Do you tell offline friends about dA?

misskittyoooo I talk about it constantly. I’m sure people wish I would shut up. Everything I say starts with “On DA today…”.
I’m sure it drives people crazy. At work it’s open all day long and everyone knows it when they see. I often answer questions about their prints program and the features of DA and tell them it’s worth their while to join.

shell4art If you could tell the world about dA what would you say?

misskittyoooo If they don’t know about DA, they have been living under a rock. This is the best place for artists to learn and get exposure for their work. It’s not just a website, it’s a community.


shell4art Now, please take the time to tell me more about yourself .

misskittyoooo My real name is Jeri Weaver and I’m afraid of moths and butterflies. When I go to the Vancouver Aquarium and I have to walk through that butterfly area it makes me cry with fear. I’m Canadian, that’s why I spell colour with a U, and it annoys me that Word marks it as a spelling error. I work in an animation studio as a production coordinator for several flash shows, story boards and other things such as Skunk Fu, Chaotic, Edgar and Ellen as well as some others. When not at my day job I am at home working on my comics and commissions.
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Thank you ladies so very much!!
shell

I would like to hear from you if you think an active member of dA that you know would be a good candidate for an interview!!

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<div class="title">Community Outreach</div> Recently in an AR update ^guruubii posted "project un-named". The Plan: To start a Community Communications Web for deviantART. Recent and past events, such as The issues with the Fractals Community, made me realize that Gallery Directors do our best to create as much information as we can, we try to lead people down the right path, but sometimes our reach falls a little short. Artists Relations is constantly buzzing with activity. We are always looking for ways to better serve this massive community and sometimes we fall, sometimes we hit a home run, and sometimes - we just don't see you at all. Some of the communities within this community are small, but they are as important as the whole community. We need a connection point. That connection point is you - the community.

<div class="title">The goal</div>

The Gallery Directors role is to create a link between you and the administration.


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These matters are close to my heart as are the women who are campaigning for our help!
1. Moonbeam13's Walk for Breast Cancer
2. Opioid's Cause for Lyme disease Awareness.
3. shell's and Mom-the-bomb's Awareness for Fibromyalgia [link]

Thank you.

Above all we can show our support to deviants who need a hand, kind words, support, and not only deviants but people around us in our family, relatives, neighbors.
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Daily Deviations are an honor of DeviantART
Send your suggestions.
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Thank you very much!
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Feel free to use my stamp in support!!
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