Minutes from the Chat
Sorry this took so long to update, but this is the log (with a few things like join messages excluded). But every question from our hour long experience.

Once again, Thank you `hibbary!




<starfoxx2020>What tools do you use besides rust? Or is it all rust?
<hibbary>8D I'm ready ha ha
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<starfoxx2020>What tools do you use besides rust? Or is it all rust?
<kasumichan2003>Ooops XD;
<hibbary>starfoxx2020: I'm not entirely certain as to what you're asking. Rust certainly does not compose the entire scope of my media.
<hibbary>rust only really comes in one or two colors
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<hibbary>I like to try anything and everything. Watercolor, oil, pencils, pastels, inks, etc.
<hibbary>whatever I can get my grubby little paws on.
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<starfoxx2020>thank you

<Silverfang-SteelWolf>What sort of art do you find the most exciting or interesting?
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<hibbary>I'm a chronic nibbler in all aspects of my life. Art, music, foods, etc. The only common ground, really, is novelty. I'm a neophile. So if I come across some new, curious art or technique, I'll spend some time learning about that.
<hibbary>There's no particular type of art I find especially exciting.
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<Silverfang-SteelWolf>Thank you, How has the internet effected your art?
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<arwing3>Katmomma: will I be notified when I can ask a quetion (if I can think of one worthy to ask ^^'
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<hibbary>Any art or discipline that has had a good deal of thought and structure put into it is more interesting to me. I like to learn new things. The internet? Well.... it's a great way to network and meet new people, clients, and artists. I'd say the internet is how I've been able to survive this long as a freelance artist.
<hibbary>It's also been my major social outlet, aside from school.
<Katmomma>arwing3: read the directions above, and get on the waitlist. When you are promoted to Currently Speaking, you may ask your question
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<hibbary>I like to connect with like-minds and intelligences. My home town isn't exactly unfriendly to me, but the internet just opens up the whole world.
<arwing3>Katmomma: must have missed that rule, sorry.
<Silverfang-SteelWolf> What has been your biggest Influence or inspiration?
<sarahddl>I'll be right back, so Katmomma could you wait at least 5 minutes before making it my turn?
<hibbary>In artwork? Probably my mother. When I was extremely small, she was in school getting her art therapy degree. She'd take me to classes and I'd play with art supplies as a means to entertain myself.
<Katmomma>sarahddl: yes
<Silverfang-SteelWolf>So would you say she's responsible for "starting" you on the path to who you are right now?
<hibbary>well we could say that for our parents in general. But yes. In terms of art.
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<Silverfang-SteelWolf>Almost done here, What is your greatest distraction?
<hibbary>distraction? Oh lawd. The internet, definitely. It's such a black-hole. I'll get sucked in for hours, browsing in circles. Some places are better than others. Wikipedia is a wealth of knowledge. I don't really mind getting lost there for a while. But there are other, seedier venues that rot the mind rather than feed it.
<Silverfang-SteelWolf>Lawl, ok and finally; What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
<sarahddl>(back)
<hibbary>Radically alter some of our more poisonous social systems. Bring around various equalities for good and for all.
<Silverfang-SteelWolf>Thank you for your time, and thank you everyone for your patience

<Lindsey-S>do you listen to any sort of music for inspiration or while drawing? If so what kinds?
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<hibbary>I have a tendency to binge on music. Some days I'll need it. Others, I'll put in a movie. Sometimes I just like the silence. Some great art music includes: Iron and Wine, the Doors, Moby. More backgroundy stuff.
<Lindsey-S>nice taste! thanks.

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<sarahddl>I have a huge problem with completing artwork. I start it, but then I lose interest within minutes and it never gets finished. I'm afraid to consider taking commissions because of this. Did you ever have this problem, or do you ever? When you do, how did you fix it, or how do you think I could?
<hibbary>You and I both, lady! XD Oh yeah. Honestly, all artists do this. It's really just a part of the natural art cycle. Some work never gets finished. Some work doesn't deserve to be finished. When it comes to commissions, you sometimes just have to stick it out, start over, or worst case scenario, give the commissioner their money back. So long as the end outcome is ethical, I don't see the problem. But you shouldn't beat yourself up about not finishing work, unless it's a chronic problem that you NEVER finish work.
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<sarahddl>Unfortunately I'd say it's a chronic problem. I've only colored about 10 times ever.
<Sepiaa>*waves*
<hibbary>Not all artwork needs to be colored, and it's a mistake to feel that way. There are some very prominent artists who work their entire art careers with pencils.
<tigsie17>nah. i agree that every artist hast his problem. sometimes i dont know when to stop an image and overwork it >o>
<tigsie17>same with pencils or ink :3
<tigsie17>*nodnodnod
<Katmomma>........clap time?
<sarahddl>Well, it's not that I don't want to color things, it's just that I have an awesome amazing idea, I start it, then I quit and tell myself I'm gonna finish it. Yet I never do
<Katmomma>sarahddl: I've had those days... especailly if it's a project I don't want to do in the first place
<Katmomma>sarahddl: I have to follow my moods
<Silverfang-SteelWolf>
<tigsie17>sarahddl: Put it somewhere where you'll see it everyday and then it just lingers >:3
<hibbary>Art takes discipline. I tell people that they have to follow their gut instincts, but that doesn't include being lazy. Making art and being a career artist isn't, and isn't meant to be, a hippy wonderland where you just do what you feel like. Sometimes you have to force yourself to finish something, because you just know it has to be done, and nobody else is going to do it for you.
<sarahddl>tigsie17: Yeah. I do tend to hide them. xD
<sarahddl>Thank you hibbary. c: And, just one more question.
<sarahddl>Do you ever find yourself using different colors when you're in different moods?
<sarahddl>Also thank you Katmomma.
<Katmomma>sarahddl: welcome
<hibbary>I can't say that I do. More often I use colors in a more exacting way. I yo-yo so much as a result of chronic experimentation, I don't have the chance for it to be mood based.
<hibbary>Also, I have done so much work art lately, my moods (sadly) don't figure as much into it. But that's going to change when I shut down commissions and dig into my own work more.
<sarahddl>That's interesting. I do hope you do more personal pieces, they're more insightful than commissions, I think.
<sarahddl>Thanks!
<Katmomma>yay for Hibbary personal enlightenment! :woot:

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<kasumichan2003>Hello hibbary! I only have one question for you: I've seen a few realistically looking pokemon pieces in your gallery. What inspired you to create those interpretations of the creatures?
<hibbary>hi there :3 Ah well... my friends and I were into pokemon when we were younger, and I love animal drawing, so I suppose it was a natural fusion. I'm certainly not the only one who's tried it out. I've seen a lot of realistic pokemon around on DA.

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<Avalik>Sorry if this question was already asked, missed a bit. Anyways, do you use references for your art, and if so how heavily do you use them?
<hibbary>It really depends on the art piece. A lot of it just comes right out of my head. But honestly, the only way to get realism is with references. I sometimes sketch direct references as a means of practice. I sometimes use reference indirectly just to learn the physical aspects of some animal I don't know very well. One thing is for certain, you need reference and life drawing to become a better artist.
<Avalik>hibbary: Alright, thanks! Next question... For paintings (acrylics, oil, gouache, etc) what kind of tools do you use (large variety of paintbrushes/palette stick/etc?) and particularly what brand of paint (acrylics) do you use?
<hibbary>I'm a bit of an art scrub when it comes to painbrushes. I tend to buy the cheap kind. The more expensive ones (long stemmed) are for painting large, but most of my work is under printing paper size, so I don't need to worry about that. As for paint and the actual application media, the general rule is, the more expensive it is, the better it is. With other things like toilet paper, you can get off brands, but you just can't get cheap paint and expect it to work the best. For acrylic, the big lovely brand everyone talks about is Golden Acrylic. I just got myself some, and it's amazing, really high pigment, high quality paint. More expensive paint is definitely worth it, because you use less of it and it's less tempermental.
<Avalik>hibbary: again thankyou, I'll definitely try out that paint when I get the chance. Last question I believe now... For your mixed media paintings/drawings (i.e Phantom Wolf, Tiv, Is Winter Over Yet?, etc), what exactly do you use in them?
<hibbary>Yes, do! It's great stuff! For my mixed media, it really depends. Most of my mixed media is a combination of color pencil, watercollor and/or acrylic ink. The ink/watercolor is to fill in large areas of color, and the pencils for little detail work, and outlining. Lately I've been going paint exclusive, though, so I get just the colors I want. The trouble with pencils is that you can only blend them on the paper.

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<bed-of-razors>Have you considered making any books, a comic, etc. or do you already have some material out?
<hibbary>bed-of-razors: Yes, definitely. Once I get my commissions over with, I want to begin working on larger projects. I don't have any material out yet, but I hope to publish some art books (perhaps through lulu) and I have a few children's books and possibly a comic series in mind. I'm just really bad at working on largescale, longterm projects, so we'll have to see.
<bed-of-razors>Next question: Do you have any words of advice for art students seeking a professional career?
<hibbary>bed-of-razors: well... I'm kind of unorthadox when it comes to my own ideas of what a career should and shouldn't be. Ones that don't exactly vibe with the current status quo. In general, you have to work hard, make your decisions based on your own ethical standard and in order to improve the quality of your society. Wherever that takes you. It's a tough path, but an honest one. Building an art career is difficult. It takes a helluvalotta work. Just be ready to sweat blood and get paid peanuts XD
<bed-of-razors>alrighty, more of a comment than a question: I really admire your journals, with all your wisdom/commentary/ranting. I really enjoy reading them (especially your journal "It's Okay to Suck") Just thought I'd mention it.
<tigsie17>especially if u wanna freelance. its all word of mouth and promotion o.o
<tigsie17>and as the saying goes its all who you know in the end. i got a lot of jobs just by that XD
<hibbary>thank you, bed-of-razors I know how difficult making art is and feeling good about it. I know how difficult it is to feel good about ones self in general! So I want to do everything I can to make people feel happy and healthy about making and sharing their artwork.
<Katmomma> whoring! Shameless self promotion!
<tigsie17>HEE XD

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<kitsuneleah>What do you plan out first when you’re about to start a piece? I mean- do you start with a subject in mind, or a set of colors…?
<hibbary>Well, I do a lot of commissions, and obviously I already sort of have limitations I've got to stick with. For my personal art, sometimes I start with nothing, and just stare a hole into the paper while some thought is forming. Other times I'll have had an idea, and I sketch it out fast before its lost. I have to admit that colors come to me last. I've only just started this year or this past year to seriously explore color, color theory, and painting. Color isn't the first thing that usually comes to mind.
<hibbary>Ha ha ha. And when I DO have a color theme in mind, it usually changes drastically while I'm working
<kitsuneleah>> < Same here. I have some serious color failure. You've helped me explore some more tho, btw.
<hibbary>I'm glad to hear that, kitsuneleah. I'm doing my best. I've learned a lot, but I have a long way to go!
<kitsuneleah>Next question!: You seem to have a wonderful understanding of the structural systems of all sorts of animals! I’m trying to learn/brush up on the basic anatomy of cats, dogs, and horses- and it feels like such a daunting task. Do you have any tips for breaking it down a bit?
<hibbary>kitsuneleah: Learning such a complicated thing like the complete structure of an animal is extremely daunting, yes. It's like eating a mountain with a spoon. You've just got to do it step by step. Honestly, it takes a lifetime to become confident in naturalistic animal painting. Reference refrence reference is all I can say. Look at real animals. Paint and draw them whenever you get the chance. Go to natural history museums. Go to the zoo. Watch animal programs. Intern with a taxidermist for a while Whatever you can do to study those animals closely.
<Katmomma>kitsuneleah: Gesture drawing will help you grasp the basic underlying shapes of figures, and then using life references will guide you

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<bah-zero99>Ok, first, I guess it hasn't been asked yet, but what got you into anthro in the first place? any interesting stories you'd like to share?
<hibbary>Heh heh. Well, bah-zero99 I've always loved animals and loved drawing animals. They just came more naturally to me. I like them personally. And I liked to give people animal traits and so on. I was drawing 'furries' before I even knew what furry was. My first big uploading hangout was The LionKing Fanart Archive. I wasn't especially keen on the Lion King in particular, but it was just such a fun and friendly place, and I didn't know of anywhere else to upload my art. I met a number of fellow artists there who went to cons to sell their work, and they suggested I try it out as well. So I did. I've been taking anthro-related commissions since. I'm not really anthro exclusive personally, though. I love all kinds of fantasy illustrations. I love drawing humans and landscapes and so on. I just never get the chance with all the commissions I've got.
<bah-zero99>Next question, now for something a bit different. I suppose you're aware of the negative connotations of being an anthro artist, mostly associated with the controversial side of the furry fandom. Being a very well known artist, has it affected you? and what are your thoughts on it?
<hibbary>As for myself, I've had a few people who have come in and tried to troll me. I didn't even realize it at first. I just asked them what they were about and what the trouble was. Trolls are human beings, too, and they deserve a certain amount of respect and benefit of the doubt, even if they do come in with the express purpose of stirring up shit. I do my best to hear out their side, keep a cool head, and talk to them like I would anyone else, and I really haven't had any serious trouble.
<hibbary>I'm a big believer in artwork being exempt from rules. We make art to get out all the nasty, wicked, revolting things that we, as human beings, have inside of us. I can draw some really disturbing stuff. It's not that I'm a bad or wicked person. It's just a way of exploring everything the universe has to offer. There are some commissions that I wouldn't want to take simply on the principal that I don't know whether I'm feeding some awful and true craving. For example, kid or cub porn doesn't sit well with me, even if it is just a drawing. It's not something I feel should be portrayed as sexy.
<hibbary>Most porn in general I have a serious problem with. Not erotica, mind you. But porn. there's a big difference that people don't often distinguish.