Hello, everyone!

It's been a while, hasn't it? I believe I am a tad surprised that deviantART has not deleted my account yet. I'm feeling quite guilty. I've been wanting to come back since the start of my freshman year in university, but it seems that I've been delaying it again and again. Now, I am a senior with a plan of pursuing a second degree in Aviation. Quite far from the 'Arts', isn't it? I would believe so, yeah. But I'm inclined to think that Art is in everyone, as long as they wish to continue creating something artistic to their own senses.

Anyway, I'm not really fond of reading other people's comments and criticisms to my drawings. My philosophy is that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I've long learned to brush off anything that I hear about myself--although words of praise are always welcome in my heart as it renders a fuzzy warmth inside me like everyone else.

However, due to some insane boredom, and after being away for almost four years, I've read some criticisms and found that some people have said something about the originality of my works. Now, I know some of the comments were said a few years ago, nevertheless, I can't help but give defense for myself. So, to shed some light to everything:

My works are completely drawn by my right hand and are not traced. I did them when I was 14 years old, experimenting with the charcoal and pencil techniques my drafting teacher taught me in junior high school. They were done in a heavyweight (approx. 120 gsm), 9" x 12" Canson sketch pad with springs, and I used variations of Staedtler and Faber-Castell graphite pencil hues (Charcoal, 8B, 4B, 2B, HB, F, H, 2H, 4H, 6H), a kneaded eraser for equalizing, a shading stump, and sometimes even my own thumb to create the contrasting shades. The subjects were derived from a Naruto card collectible, a Naruto manga cover, and a random Amidamaru picture on the net.

Now, for those who are wondering (in awe, or in doubt, I daresay) at the intensive amount of details in all of them, the reason lies in my own character and nature when I draw. I have a very horrible, indefatigable obsessive-compulsion to the minutest details of a subject. I just have to capture every thing, every line, every curve, every shade exactly and perfectly because anything otherwise is utterly senseless and worthless for me.

Can you understand? It is a terrible need eating up inside me every time I draw. It is not easy; it is very tiring and frustrating, especially when my neck is throbbing in pain from bending downwards for too long. I hate it most of the time, and if you were me, I believe you would hate it too. I reckon I use too much concentration. Even these days, I always end up feeling like I've run a 100 km marathon after my bouts of drawing sessions.

And that is not how art should be, right? Art should be relaxed and free. Once, I saw painters who paint as if they're just playing with the wind. If that is so, then I believe I have quite a huge problem to solve.

Nonetheless, as I have stated earlier, I have no qualms on what people say about my work, regardless of how insulting and disdainful they are. I was a kid when I drew them, and I just posted them here to see how the 'world' would react to them. Now, I just felt like I needed to clear the darkness spreading on my account, because I believe to have your work misunderstood is a very terrible fate for anyone, most especially for an artist.

In a nutshell, thank you for reading this. I'm hoping to come back real soon. I'm still drawing, although they're just some doodles I deemed not very worthy to show. I'm looking forward for something major someday, as I've got new inspiration.


So, until we meet again!