this is going to be a permanent 'sticky' journal. i'll update it from time to time, but i don't see the point in keeping a da-journal when i have a lj for the same thing :]

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::COMMISSION STATUS - permanently closed.
::TRADE STATUS - closed // finishing workload

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
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q.) why is your username 'fop' // what does it mean?

a.) the term fop is described by dictionary.com as:

fop:
–noun. a man who is excessively vain and concerned about his dress, appearance, and manners.

[Origin: 1400–50; late ME foppe, fop; akin to fob]


—Synonyms: dandy, coxcomb, popinjay, peacock, swell, dude.

i've always been a fan of writer/poet oscar wilde, who often wrote foppish men or dandies into subjects of his storylines or poetry. my character fabian is also what you could categorize as a 'fop.' on top of that, i've always liked the word! also, as a sidenote : my username has nothing to do with the 'fairly odd parents' tv show, which i'm sure has caused some confusion.

yes, i'm a heterosexual female, and i know its a bit confusing. also, F.O.P are not my initials. my real name is aryana, but i don't expect a lot of people to know that.

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q.) you've had a lot of usernames on deviantart over the past couple years. why do you keep changing/why don't you just stay put?

a.) i. . .really can't explain that one, hahaha. xD sometimes a username just doesn't feel comfortable or representative of the stuff you do, i guess. i started out here under the name 'ichabodkitty,' then came over here to this name for a little while. i was using it for anthro and human art, then created a name under 'cradle-of-cats' to separate my anthro work from human. i later abandoned that idea because it was too much work, and started uploading both anthro + human here again. after a while, i moved to the name 'blondieholliday' which was supposed to be a pen-name, but i ended up using the name for one of my characters, which got really weird and confusing. i was going to make a new da-username, but i kind of like 'fop' and always have, so i came back here and don't really plan on going anywhere. :] its just a username, and i don't want to give people a headache chasing me around like i used to do.

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q.) you draw anthro stuff sometimes. are you a furry?

a.) no. i don't practice furry lifestyle and i don't use the term 'furry' to describe my characters or art (unless people are asking whether or not they have fur.) i've been to a few furry conventions in hopes of making money, but it turns out that they're really not my thing. i know some people who classify themselves as furries though, and i have nothing against anyone who considers themselves such, but i'll the the first person to be honest and say that i don't like being grouped in with the sexual aspect of the 'furry' subculture. i'm not sexually aroused by animal-people, which is why i don't like it when people draw my characters in a sexual manner.

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q.)how long have you been drawing for? where did you learn?</

a.) 6 years now, going on 7. i started in high school when a girl named stephanie taught me a few things about anime. as i grew into my own style, i sort of out-grew anime and moved on to learn other techniques. i consider my style a blend of 'everything' that i've learned over the years - a little bit of disney/cartoon influence, a little bit of realism, a little bit of pop-art, some comic-book, and even a few anime techniques from back in the day are some of the elements that make up my 'style.' my favorite artist, though, is skateboard deck designer todd francis, whos work taught me a lot about composition and color experimentation. experimenting is how i learn, i'd make a terrible art-student and probably won't ever attend art school. though i may take a few classes to learn new skills/gather critique, i think of art as a hobby, something to do to relax and ejnoy. i do own a plethora of 'how to' books, as well as anatomy books and art-books by artists i admire, and those help a ton!

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q.) can i use ______ picture on my website/myspace/as a wallpaper?

a.) of course! go ahead. all i ask is that you not remove my watermark or signature from anything you take. other than that, go ahead! i'm flattered when people ask me this question and i'm glad when they say they like my stuff. makes me feel all fuzzy inside. ♥

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q.) your character looks like a character i rp. can i use your picture on yahoo/a forum/etc as a reference image?

a.) honestly. . .i'd rather you not. i don't rp my characters, and it makes me feel funny when i see people using pictures of characters that aren't theirs as references or for rps. its perfectly understandable to want to have images of your characters, but please don't use mine. thanks!

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q.) how do you draw/color?

a.) its kind of a mesh of stuff i've learned over the years, through observation, experimentation, or things i've been taught/learmed through tutorials. i normally sketch my image, scan it, make it blue, print that image, make it blue with microns, scan it back in, fix the lineart, then color with photoshop or print out another copy and use prismacolor markers & pencils depending on what i feel like or feel is best for the picture. my process is really kind of random!

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q.) do you have another gallery?

a.) yes. besides da, i upload to three-point-one-four on fa often - if not more often than i do here. lately i've been draing a lot of anthros and put sketches and things i don't feel people here would really enjoy. . .over there. i never, ever draw porn, and even though adult art is allowed over there, i don't really look at it, nor do i draw anything past tasteful nudity. i'm just not intereted. i also have a livejournal, where i upload the occasional sketch or doodle to. i'll only give it to people who i'm at least a little acquainted with because most of it is about my personal-life and things i do day-to-day/feel weird about people i don't know reading stuff that may bore them. try sending a note my way if you want to get to know me better/want the journal.

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q.) do you take commissions?

a.) no. i don't take small commissions anymore. for me, it sucks the fun and free will right out of the project. i'm currently refunding people who have paid me for art. if i owe you something and you haven't heard from me, please gather up payment messages and emails and whatnot and we'll discuss refunding and whatnot. i don't want anyone to feel i ever 'ripped them off,' and i always pay back what i owe, even if it takes a while. if the situation is dire, i'll do everything in my power to make sure someone who needs their money back gets it as soon as possible. however, if you are a band or business in need of a teeshirt or other graphic, please email me. CIGARMOUTH__AT_GMAIL__dot com to discuss pricing.

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q.) do you take art trades?

a.) normally, yes, but please don't get upset if i'm too busy or have too many at the time! i don't always have the time or energy to draw, and i want to give everybody who i trade with the best stuff i can do, so every once in a while when i'm feeling overwhelmed with a workload, or just can't draw due to work and school obligations, i'll close. check the status above this journal to see if i'm up for trades before asking, please! if i am, send a note my way and we'll discuss. normally i don't do large art trades, and limit myself to icons and badges for people on again, due to time constraints. :[ i'm a busy girl more often than not.

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q.) how come you're never online?

a.) i don't like instant messenger programs very much, and i'm not an 'internet' person, really. i work and go to school, i also have a lot of other hobbies, like skateboarding, that take up a good chunk of my time. when i get home from a day, i'm normally a little stressed and will pop on aim from time to time, but more often than not i avoid it because online, i come off as shy, awkward, and grouchy. :[ i also, like i mentioned before, don't roleplay any of the characters i draw with people, especially people i don't know, so aim is just. . .odd for me.

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. . .if anyone has any questions they feel i should add to this, or something they want to know about me, feel free to speak up and as me!