Personal Information:

Please share your full name (if you are comfortable):
Well, my full name isn't really a secret, but I prefer to be known by my screen name or just Holly :3


What is your age?
19


Do you possess any formal artistic training? (College, through work, etc. if applicable.)
Well, I don't think any special, formal training as such, but general secondary school art classes and I am currently studying Graphic Design in college (though, that may not be for long...). I would consider myself mostly self taught


Are you a furry, therian, or simply an anthro artist? Explain why.
I am simply an artist who draws anthro.
I feel that "furry" is something that you decide to call yourself, that you identify yourself as, and I just don't think of myself as such.


Do you have a Web site?
No, I don't think I'd be organized enough to run my own!



Your Inspiration:

What is your source of inspiration?
Oh, many things! The world around me and general life experience, deviantART artists, computer games and TV... But my largest source of inspiration would have to be music.
I can get lost in the visions that appear in my mind when I listen to music, the colours, the feelings... I often create entire animated music videos in my mind, and often wish that there could be some sort of projection device so I could show the world. I credit music with the creation of almost all of my characters and concepts :3


What artist do you look up to (a member here or a historical figure)?
I used to have idols on dA, but as I've been here for almost 6 years now (the entirety of my teen years!), my fangirl-ish worship has faded with age It's strange, I find that the artists I most look up to now, the ones that I admire most and make me feel happy when a new picture appears in my devwatch, are people I would consider my friends :3 It sounds sappy, but it's true.

(and if you would like to see any of them, just look under my "friends" list on my page. They are ALL worth a look!)


What do you do when you come across an “art block?”
Cry, usually I know, that's not very helpful!

If it persists, I try many different things, and it's down to whatever works best for you or the situation. I sometimes draw until either the block or me breaks, or I stop myself from drawing anything at all for a bit. If it gets too stressful, don't push yourself, you'll only upset yourself further and that makes the block even more stubborn.



Concerning Your Persona:

Who is your persona or most popular character? (Thumbnail please):
Well, I don't think she's my most popular character, but the one I would consider as my main one, would be my screen name’s sake, NekoPhoenix:



How long have you had said persona?
I have had her for about 6-8 years I would say!


How did you develop said persona? Do you role-play with him/her?
I do not role play her or any of my other characters at all, but her development and evolution has been strange.
The name "NekoPhoenix" actually came first, before the character. Her original design was just a regular, orange, stripey tiger-girl with my own hair style but she's come a long way since, incorporating more of the "phoenix" part of her name with the fiery base colours, and making her a virtual doodle pad by leaving her markings unset, and her appearance mostly left up to personal interpretation which makes her fun for me to scribble, and hopefully for anyone else too! :3


What else would you like to share about him/her?
I used to draw Neko as a self representation, but I consider her and myself seperate entities these days. That's not to say that she, or any of my characters, are not important to me! I just don't think of myself AS her, if you know what I mean.



About Media:

What media do you most enjoy?
Colouring pencils :3 I also quite using watercolour and marker too, but colouring pencils will forever be my babies.


Which media do you like the least?
Oil paints, I have absolutely no patience when it comes to waiting for things to dry! and clay. I cannot stand clay >:c It breaks in my hand while I'm trying to sculpt, and just, no... too many frustrating, failed experiments.


Please share with us your favorite piece from your gallery. Explain why you favor it.
I have a couple that I take pride in, and I never have a definitive favourite, but I think I'll pick this one:

Despite it not having a background, I was just so proud of how it turned out. I had the idea in my mind for a while, but everytime I tried to draw it, it didn't work. Months later, I was just idly scribbling, and it came out almost exactly how I wanted, and I was just so happy. I still count it as one of my favourites :3


I challenge you to try something new. If you have the time, what might you try?
I'm afraid I don't have too much time for challenges outside of college these days :c But this is a bit of a confusing question, because if you're challenging me, surely YOU should pick the challenge! X3 I might try to... sit for an hour with a cup of tea. Well wouldya look at that! Challenge accomplished!



DeviantART as a Community:

How has DeviantART aided you in developing your artistic talent?
I think it's been a great aid! Without dA, I wouldn't have met so many diverse artists, gotten hints and tips on drawing and colouring techniques, and although my family have always been supportive of my work, being here has encouraged me to keep at it even more :3


What do you enjoy most about being a member here?
I enjoy interacting with everyone! Getting to know people, seeing new work everyday. I do love receiving feedback, but I also love giving it too!


What would you like to see changed in order to improve the anthro community?
It might be a bit of a controversial idea, but I'd actually prefer it if deviantART was seen as one BIG, diverse community, rather than having separate ones for solely anthro, solely anime, etc... I understand that the feeling of belonging to a group is important to some, and maybe it's just because it isn't all that important to me that I feel this way, but the art site itself is, as are the people the friends I have made on here.




Last Thoughts:

Have you any advice on building a better portfolio?
Try a variety of different thing, sculpture, drawing, painting... don't just limit yourself to one thing, to one subject or medium.


What other wisdom would you like to impart to our readers?
In terms of artwork, don't just assume your art teachers or critiquers are giving you a hard time by suggesting you break out of your box or draw something "other than catpeople" (as I got many a time from my own teachers ). The basics of perspective and anatomy may be as boring as watching paint dry, but they can really help to improve your personal works in leaps and bounds!

In terms of attitude, there is something I've noticed with a few anthro artists and furries, that they have quite a persecution complex.
If someone's acting like an arse to you just because you're drawing anthro characters, if they spout off the old "dog shaggers!", "all furry art is dirty yiff!" stereotypes, just try your best to ignore them. YOU know they're wrong, and most intelligent folk out there know they're ignorant, and by getting defensive, getting up in people's faces, retorting back with "I'm FURRY, gotta problem with that?! DEAL WITH IT! " is only making YOU look bad.
Not everyone is going to like your work, it's impossible, so just enjoy doing what you do!


Do you have any other comments you would like to share?
A simple and honest comment can make someone's day, or even week! Take some time out to let your friends and watchers know how much you appreciate them :3