Welcome to the fourth issue of the
ANTHRO ARTIST INTERVIEW/FEATURE
This time we speak with =kamicheetah
_{Special thanks to ^cooley for her help with the interview format.}



When I asked =kamicheetah if she would like the idea of being interviewed for this set of articles, first thing she said was some of her answers could come off as being kinda mean, but Kami prefers to answer honestly if she has the chance to xD; I know her since years ago, even before we joined the deviantART community, and have had the chance (and the honour) to do some collaborations together. She's an amazing person, and even a better artist, she doesn't mind if you're popular or not, a great artist or not, to listen to you and be as supportive as she can be (when she doesn't just bite your head, hehehe) and if I ever have the chance to meet her live, be sure she will get my tightest, most friendly hug ever If she can survive that!

Someday Hehehehe...



Personal Information:

So, firstly, please will you tell us a bit about yourself? For example, what's your name?
Aja Johnson.


And, even if it's not really polite to ask a lady about her age.... how old are you?
25...6 in a few days HA.


Well, happy birthday in advance then! Do you possess any formal artistic training?
I have a very bare bones education in pottery and jewelry making. The rest is self taught, honestly.


Tell us, Aja.... do you feel like a furry, or are you simply an anthro artist?
I wouldn't know if I'd consider myself furry so much as just an artist. It's onna those things I guess that if someone's going to call me a furry just cause I draw animal people then whatever. However, don't try and correct me if I say I'm not furry or I'll have a few choice titles to call you in return. ;3


Hahaha, I bet you could, you know me since years ago enough to even be able to blackmail me, indeed! So, to end this interview block, do you have a Web site we could visit?
Just here and FurAffinity



Your Inspiration:

What is your source of inspiration?
Oh man. A lot of things inspire me. Usually it's things about the world and nature. I pull a lot of inspiration from things I find interesting and my boyfriend helps a lot too. He's great for bouncing ideas off of.


What artist do you look up to?
lol Honestly? My friend ~satougaki. And Berbalang, not alot of his works there but he's great, trust me.


Also, being a well-known artist since years ago, what do you do when you come across an “art block?”
Take a small break and come back to it. Usually read something. I found that if I try and force myself to draw, my mind is preconditioned to just be stubborn. So why fight it? Everyone needs a time off.



Concerning Your Persona:

Who is your persona or most popular character?
Kami:



How long have you had said character?
Since junior high, she started off as a character named Dice and was actually a secondary character to another character I had named Spyder.


Hehe, what an interesting evolution! How did you develop Kami this way?
A lot of trial and error really. When you're young you put alot of crazy extra crap in a character and then as you get older you realize you don't need all that and start taking things off. Kami started off with spots, pink hair, soda based magic and argh... just argh. But now she's fairly simple. I like that she's pretty basic in looks despite what's hidden under all that. I do RP her at a pchat when I'm not too busy for like the past 6-7 years.


What else would you like to share about her?
Actually I use her for alot of alternate settings so there are probably 20 something versions of Kami. Not all of them are furry either. She's my longest running character and pretty much my sandbox for any other characters I make. Cause, all of the errors I learned when making her I now avoid when making new characters. I really feel she's helped my character creation process.



About Media:

What media do you most enjoy, Aja?
Digital.


Short and accurate xD;; Which media do you like the least?
Paper Mache.


Now, Aja, please share with us your favorite piece from your gallery. Explain why you favor it.



I got so much help with this one, it actually has inspired me to retry this piece. Getting me to go back and redraw something is pretty dang hard indeed.


Let's say, I challenge you to try something new. If you have the time, what might you try?
Challenges can be fun. It really depends on what you'd have me do. Sadly, work kinda... takes priority so I can't really say what'd I'd be up for..



DeviantART as a Community:

How has DeviantART aided you in developing your artistic talent?
Sad to say very minimally. I actually get more help from fellow artists I talk with and research on my own. I see this place as more of a networking site than a good place to grow. Which is really sad! There's a big 'if you can't say something nice' feeling to this place that sorta bleeds into the helpful critique area and it's just frustrating at times. Yanno you want to be helpful but if you don't praise something folks jump down your throat. So argh. I just point out what I like most of the time and leave it at that.

There's always room for improvement, so I'm glad to read also some constructive criticism in this interview, really. On the other hand, what do you enjoy most about being a member here?
Having a nice organized place to keep my work and discovering folks I never would have heard of before or finding old friends and family.


What would you like to see changed in order to improve the anthro community?
Less encouragement of 'eyeballed' drawing and more of a push for people to be less popular oriented and more geared toward artistic growth. Folks who don't just pander to artists cause they draw their favorite subject matter but do it horribly. BE HONEST. These people won't grow if you just blindly praise them or hold their hand all the time. HAH that's like wishing for world peace though, right?
Maybe, but what would we do without wishes?



Last Thoughts:

Have you any advice on building a better portfolio?
Try EVERYTHING. Work outside your comfort zone. Realize that you're going to get folks who love your work, don't care and down right hate your stuff. But you gotta keep trying. Just build your folio with what you feel are your best works and don't be afraid of being turned down. Opportunity is everywhere. Be confident but know when to accept when you've made a mistake and take advice (even harsh stuff) with a grain of salt. Don't get depressed cause you're not good now. That's why you practice. Don't buy into the whole 'it's not what you do it's what you use.' mentality. Having a certain program or tools won't abbreviate the years of practice you'll need to get anatomy and coloring right.


You know this interview will get a lot of exposure: What other wisdom would you like to impart to our readers?
There are no shortcuts. Sorry, but it's true.


Never said often enough, I agree. Now, before we end this short but honest interview I have enjoyed a lot, do you have any other comments you would like to share?
Stay in school, don't do drugs, drink milk.



Some works by =kamicheetah