Welcome to the third issue of the
ANTHRO ARTIST INTERVIEW/FEATURE
This month we speak with *AtomicStoney
_{Special thanks to ^cooley for her help with the interview format.}



When I first asked *AtomicStoney if she could be so nice, kind and friendly to let me interview her for this set of articles, she told me in advance it was awesome because she loves interviews, but also she wanted to be sure I knew she rambles. A lot. Of course I didn't mind it at all, I know her since years ago so I was aware about it, and still love her as an artist and as a person

But you have been warned Hehehehe...



Personal Information:

So, tell us, to start with, what's your name?
My real name is Adrienne, but my friends just call me "Adri" (Ay-dree) for short. When I'm online, I just go by "Stoney".


OK then, Stoney; what is your age?
23


That's quite young, indeed. Do you possess any formal artistic training? (College, through work, etc...? )
Apart from classes I took in high school, I'm completely self-taught.


Tell us, Stoney.... do you feel like a furry, or are you simply an anthro artist?
I don't really have any qualms with calling myself a furry, since I do have an anthro persona and such. I'm not really into a lot of the things that most people tend to associate with furries, so... I suppose you could say I'm an anthro artist with furry tendencies.


Do you have a Web site we could visit?
I currently have one in the works, and I hope to have it completed before the end of this year.



Your Inspiration:

What is your source of inspiration?
My main source of inspiration has been and probably always will be music. Music defines a lot of what I put into my art. When I hear a certain melody or a lyric from a song, I get this picture in my mind's eye that I try really hard to translate onto paper (or a computer screen). I love all different kinds of music, so I have a lot of sources from which to tap my creativity.

Aside from music, I also draw a lot of inspiration from my friends and the artists I watch, both here on DA and elsewhere.

What artist do you look up to (a member here or a historical figure)?
Hmmm. I suppose I don't exactly "look up" to any one artist. I have a lot of favourite artists that I greatly admire... I could sit here and list them all, but we'd be here a while.


Hehehe, well, I bet there are also a lot of people admiring you and watching you every day to enjoy your art and new submissions... Knowing how prolific you are, what do you do when you come across an “art block?”
The one thing I probably shouldn't do: nothing. My art blocks don't come from a lack of ideas; most of the time, I just can't seem to get anything right when I draw. When you've got ideas flying out of your head at every second, but can't draw them out... yeah, it's really frustrating. Most of the time I just take a break from drawing for a little while, and try to find some other creative outlet, like writing.



Concerning Your Persona:

Who is your persona or most popular character?
Stoney:



How long have you had said character?
Despite several design changes over the years, Stoney has been my persona since 2001.


Wow, that's a long time! I think I first saw her in 2003 when I joined deviantART. How did you develop Stoney?
Stoney came from somewhat humble beginnings, as a Gorillaz fancharacter/persona (I was 16 at the time, don't hold it against me, lol). Her original design was a human, with long, purple rabbit ears. The design gradually changed from human to anthro over the course of a few years. I first drew her as an anthro in... 2003, which was about the same time that I started getting into the whole 'furry art' thing. Then it just grew from there.

I very rarely roleplay anymore, even less so with my own characters. Not that I don't enjoy it, I just don't think I'm very good. Hahaha~


What else would you like to share about her?
As a persona (or 'fursona', whichever your preference may be), a lot of my own personality and traits show through in Stoney, to a point where I dislike referring to her as a persona, or even referring to her in the third person. Stoney doesn't just represent me, she is me. And not because I believe that I have the spirits of rabbits dwelling within my soul or some kooky hippie crap like that. The connection I have with my 'fursona' is really more psychological than it is spiritual. She is all of my traits, my habits, my flaws, my mannerisms... everything I am, plus a little more, presented in the form of an anthropomorphic rabbit. I'm comfortable with how I present myself. If people choose to see me as a human, or see me as a sentient purple bunnything, it doesn't matter. It's two sides to the same coin.



About Media:

What media do you most enjoy?
I do like digital art a lot, and working with digital media programs, like Photoshop. But, on occasion, I'll work with traditional mediums, like coloured pencils. I enjoy just about any sort of medium I can get my hands on, really.

I've just recently started tooling around with vector, and I really enjoy that, as well.


Then, which media do you like the least?
I can't say that I dislike any specific medium; each different type has their pros and cons. I'm willing to try anything at least once.



Now, Stoney, please share with us your favorite piece from your gallery. Explain why you favor it.
Oh, man... this is a tough one. I'm far too critical of my own art to pick something out that I like. There's always something that I end up hating about it. ...But I'll give it a shot. LOL



This one is pretty recent, but I still enjoy this image a lot. I don't draw humans as often as I probably should, and I'm usually not very confidant in my ability to draw human faces. This was one of those rare instances where the image in my head translated almost exactly the way I wanted it to on the paper. I had a lot of fun drawing this.


Evil as I am, I challenge you to try something new. If you have the time, what might you try?
I've always wanted to try doing something with art markers, but I could never afford to buy a nice marker set like Copics or Prismacolors. I'm continually blown away by some of the things that other artists can achieve with markers.



DeviantART as a Community:

How has DeviantART aided you in developing your artistic talent?
I hold DeviantART singularly responsible for my progression as an artist. I've been a member of this community for nearly six years now, on two separate accounts. If I hadn't joined DA back in 2002, I can safely say that I probably wouldn't be at the skill level that I am now. Being able to talk to and network with other artists is awesome, and that's the main reason that I've stuck around as long as I have.


That's great, Adri! I'm glad you feel like that! What do you enjoy most about being a member here?
Meeting new artists, getting feedback on my art, learning new things... etc. etc. I love going into the chatrooms, too. It's like a perpetual brainstorming session in there.


What would you like to see changed in order to improve the anthro community?
The majority of furry artists that I see tend to draw the same things over and over (case in point: myself, lol), and I'd like to see some contests or events that really utilize creativity or inspire artists to step outside of their comfort zone a little bit. The "Unusual Anthro Contest" was a really good example. I'd want to see more things like that.
You will, you will



Last Thoughts:

Have you any advice on building a better portfolio?
I'm still in the midst of building mine! But I will say: don't be afraid to mix it up a little. Not every little piece of art in your portfolio has to be a perfect masterpiece.


You know this interview will get a lot of exposure: What other wisdom would you like to impart to our readers?
I know this doesn't apply to all of you, but seriously... stop with the whole "popular DA artist" business. Just because a person happens to have more pageviews or whatever does not mean that they automatically think that they're more important than you or that they somehow need to be treated like some sort of a celebrity. It's okay to admire or be a fan of another artist, but just keep in mind that, at the end of the day, artists are still just human beings. Contrary to the general opinion carried by many users here, popularity is not the most important thing in the world. Especially not internet popularity.


Well said. Now, before we end this nice interview I have enjoyed a lot, do you have any other comments you would like to share?
Yeah. You all just lost the game.