Introduce yourself!
Hi, I'm
SecondGoddess! My real name is Stefanie and I'm a 24-year-old student currently living in Mainz, Germany.
Do you remember when you started drawing? Did something or someone in particular inspire you to pick up your pencils? "When I was maybe 12 or 13, I started reading Manga. Back then, my favorite artist was Kaori Yuki and I wanted to be able to draw just like her (you can probably still find some of my poor attempts hidden in the depths of my gallery...
) . Soon, I started to experiment with other art styles and to practice more seriously and somehow I ended up doing mostly realism."
Did you go to art school or take art classes/courses, or are you mainly a self-taught artist?"Just the 'normal' compulsory art classes at school, nothing special. I didn't learn a lot there so I'd say I'm pretty much entirely self-taught."
How would you describe your progress over the years? Where did you improve, and what would you still like to improve? "When I started, I knew absolutely nothing about anatomy - looking at some of my old drawings makes me cringe because they're so badly proportioned. It's something I still struggle with sometimes, but it's getting better. I'm also getting more and more comfortable with using colored pencils which makes me very happy. What I'd still love to improve is drawing bodies in motion and people interacting."
Have you ever had your work published? If so, where and when? "Years ago, I participated in a local art contest and won third prize. The twelve best entries were printed as a calendar and my painting was the picture for December. (It was a fantasy watercolor painting I had to do in a hurry because of the deadline and I actually never really liked it so it's not even in my deviantART gallery.
)"
How do you incorporate your art in your everyday life? How much time do you spend on your artwork during an average week?"Basically, I draw in every free minute I can find. It's not easy at the moment because I have so much work to do for university, but I try to draw as much as possible, even if it's just a 30- minute sketch during lunch break or some doodles next to my lecture notes.
If I have time, though, for example during the holidays or at the weekend, I often draw for 5 or 6 hours (or even more) without a break."
Have you ever considered making art your profession (if you haven't done so already)?"To be honest, I can't imagine being a professional artist. I'd be too afraid that drawing wouldn't be fun anymore but rather feel like something I
had to do. And actually, that's the worst thing I could ever imagine. It doesn't mean I'd never sell my work to make some extra money, though, and I'm also thinking about offering some commissions soon."
What are your other interests besides drawing?"I have lots of other interests such as reading, music, sewing, playing the piano... but my other big love, apart from art, is science. I'm studying medicine to become either a forensic doctor or a pathologist and I'm currently an intern in an histopathology lab. Also, I'm writing a dissertation about the treatment of chronic wounds (which is a lot more interesting than it sounds
). Still, I wish I had more free time for art-related stuff - there are so many things I'd like to try, such as sculpting or making jewellery."
Your gallery mainly contains fan art from TV shows and movies such as Sherlock, Supernatural, Harry Potter, and The Avengers, interspersed with portraits of actors, actresses, and musicians, and a couple of fantasy drawings. What is it that inspires you in these subjects? "Drawing fan art is my way to show my love for the subject. Sometimes when I watch a show or a movie, there's a scene that just
forces me to draw it, I can't really explain. Fan art is also a great way to get in contact with other fans, to meet new people and talk about things you like. The same goes for actors etc.; by drawing their portraits I want to honor them, to show my respect and support."
Do you have a muse? Someone you know (a teacher, for example) who never fails to inspire you, or a certain celebrity that you just love to draw? "This changes constantly. I guess you could say that everyone in my gallery has been my muse at the time when I drew them. Also, my friends never fail to inspire me."
What are the reasons why you draw (e.g., as an outlet for your emotions; to inspire others; etc.)? "Simple reason - because I love it. Everything about it, actually; from looking for reference pictures to making the first sketch, shading, adding details,
everything. Also, it feels great to hold the finished product in your hands, knowing it's something you created entirely by yourself with your skill and hard work."
What do you try to achieve through your art? "In general: creating pictures people enjoy looking at, something that makes them happy. For myself: practicing and learning new techniques while drawing things that I find beautiful."
What do you do when you get stuck with a drawing you're working on? Do you take a break and try again later, or are you one of those people who just keep going? "Either I stare at it for hours trying to figure out what's wrong or I just continue and hope that the problem solves itself along the way - it depends on how much time I have already invested in the drawing. The more hours I have already spent on something, the more careful I get because I'm always afraid to make a mistake I can't fix anymore."
Are you a perfectionist when it comes to creating art?"Definitely! I have tons of drawings I've never posted on deviantART or shown to anybody because there's just a tiny little detail I don't know how to fix. It's also the reason why I spend so much time on every drawing."
Do you ever ask someone's advice when you're working on a drawing?"My best friend
seerdahn is often a great help, although our art styles are very different. Sometimes you just need a second pair of eyes because you're blind to your own mistakes."
You have a very unique, recognizable style, which is mostly characterized by the incredible amount of detail you put into drawing people’s faces. For example, take your drawing of Benedict Cumberbatch; how did you go about creating all the lines, wrinkles, and spots on his cheeks, nose, and forehead? And is there a reason why you choose to depict people’s faces as realistically as possible, instead of smoothing out the irregularities? "Wow, thanks, that's a great compliment! Well, in general, I start with the basic outlines of the face and from there I just add more and more details until I reach the texture level that I want. About creating the texture itself: it's mostly just random scribbles in many, many thin layers. I try to get accuracy by looking for shapes and patterns in the reference picture, e.g. 'that wrinkle is somehow shaped like a L' etc., which helps me a lot in achieving likeness.
As for the last part of the question: I simply feel no need to smooth out anything. It's the irregularities that make us unique and I think that's also what makes us beautiful. I want to draw people like they really
are, not like those unrealistic, Photoshopped, plastic puppets you often see on billboards and in commercials."
You seem to be comfortable working with a lot of different media: graphite pencils, colored pencils, markers, ink, acrylic paint, on various types of paper. Is there one medium that you prefer?"Graphite will always be my favorite. It's the medium I have the most experience with, so it's also the easiest for me. Another important factor is that I can achieve the highest level of details with graphite (compared to colored pencils, for example)."
Is there a style, technique, or medium you’d still like to try out?"Digital art! I'm so tempted to buy a tablet, but for now, I have decided to work on my traditional skills first. I feel like I don't have the time and energy at the moment to start completely at zero with something and that's what I'd have to do with digital art. But I'm sure that, someday, I'll try it!"
What, according to you, are the main differences between working with traditional and digital media?"In traditional art, there's no CTRL+Z. If you make a mistake, often you can't just erase it but have to fix it otherwise or work around it somehow. This can be frustrating, but on the other hand it's also a good lesson. Personally, I think I have learned a lot through mistakes."
Do you have a favorite art supply (e.g., a particular brand of paper or pencils)?"I really love Faber Castell pencils and colored pencils, I just wish they weren't so expensive.
On the other hand, I've done some of my best drawings with cheap, no-name products, so in the end, I don't really think that brands matter that much; it's much more important to know how to use what you have."
Is there a specific method you use to approach your art (e.g., the grid method, the free hand method)? Do you ever use different methods or do you stick to the one that works best for you? "I have tried the grid method a few times, but it doesn't really work for me. Usually, I draw free-hand, using a ruler every now and then to check if the basic proportions are right."
What are the parts of a drawing that you find the easiest and the hardest to do?"The easiest part for me are definitely the eyes. It's also what I enjoy most. Hardest: that kinda depends on the drawing, but in general I'd say that I'm not very good at drawing ears."
How would you describe your perfect working environment? For instance, do you listen to music or watch TV while you work, or do sounds distract you? "I absolutely can't work in silence, so I almost always watch TV while drawing. Mostly movies or series I've already seen a hundred times so I don't really have to look at the TV and can just listen to the dialogue while having my eyes on my drawing, only taking a peek at the screen every now and then for my favorite scenes.
If there's no TV around, I listen to music or audio books."
Where do you usually work?"Sitting on my couch with a drawing pad on my knees and my laptop with a reference picture on the screen on a small table in front of me, the TV in the background. I guess it looks ridiculous."
How do you preserve your artwork (e.g., do you use a fixative, frame your drawings, etc.)? "I always use fixative to prevent smudging, then I either store the drawings in a huge folder or put them on my walls. Without frames, though, that would take up too much space. (All my walls are basically a collage of all kinds of stuff.) Also, I often give drawings away as presents for friends."
Do you edit your work on your computer before you post it? "Unfortunately, I have to. My old scanner is terrible and especially colored pictures always look horrible at first. I only edit my drawings to make them look like the 'real thing' again, though."
For many deviantART members, scanning a drawing can be quite a nightmare. Scanned drawings seem to always look worse than the 'real deal', at least in the opinions of the artists themselves. How do you get your drawings scanned? "It's a nightmare indeed! As I already mentioned in the previous question, my scanner sucks, so I usually have to adjust contrast, brightness etc. afterwards for which I use paint.net. I don't really have a standard procedure for that, I just play around with all kinds of settings until I get a good result. If somebody has scanning-related tips, I'd love to hear them!"
Which piece from your gallery do you think is your best work and why? "That's a difficult question, because there are several drawings I like for completely different reasons, but if I had to choose a single piece, it would be
The Path to Decay. I instantly fell in love with the reference picture that I used and I just
had to draw it, and I also think I learned a lot in the process, about texture, lighting, and a ton of other things."
"I instantly fell in love with the reference picture that I used and I just had to draw it" Who are your favorite artists, both in general and on deviantART?"In general: H.R. Giger, Vania Zouravliov, and Zdzislaw Beksinski. On deviantART:
1nimra,
euclase, and
WickedIllusionArt. It's a tough choice, though, there are so many great artists here."
Do you have any tips or tricks for people who have read this interview and are now thinking, 'Oh, I want to be able to draw just as brilliantly as her!'?"Practice. I'm afraid there's no way around that and it's never easy. Just don't stop and never give up, even if you think you're not making any progress. In the end, you
will get better, I promise. To avoid losing your motivation, practice by drawing things that you love, that you have strong feelings for. If you have a specific problem or question, try asking one of the many, many great artists here on dA. Not everyone will reply, but there are lots who will love to help you! Me, for example."
If you could suggest an artist for our next interview, who would it be? "I'd love to suggest
Blacleria! She's incredibly creative and talented and has one of the most inspiring galleries I've ever seen."
Do you have anything else you'd like to share with us before we end the interview? "Thank you so much for this great opportunity! I really enjoyed answering these questions and I hope it was fun for you to read as well!"
