100 Questions for Artists

Saturday, July 4, 2026 | 4982 words

| #Art | #Questionnaire

Original questionnaire by Stupied.

1. Introduce yourself! What kind of art do you make?

I'm Triage. I like digital painting the most, but I also dabble in some traditional mediums, as well as fursuit building and 3D modeling.

2. How long have you been making art?

Since I could pick up a pencil, so since I was around 2 or 3 years old.

3. How many hours do you spend for each piece?

Depends, but I tend to keep it under 8 hours for my sanity and health's sake.

4. Do you prefer taking your time or do you like to quickly move on to the next thing?

I lean more towards moving things quickly since I have limited energy, but I still try to strike a balance between time and polish. I was also one of those kids who would watch timelapses and try to emulate their speed, even if I knew in my head that the video was sped up.

5. When do you decide a piece is finished?

When I get tired of looking at it (which usually happens by the aforementioned 8 hour mark.)

6. What part of the creation process do you enjoy the most?

Rendering!

7. What part of the creation process do you dislike the most?

Lineart. In fact I hate it so much that I almost never do it (unless the piece calls for it, but that's only rarely.)

8. Do you have a designated workstation or do you just work wherever?

Technically my computer desk is my "designated workstation," but I switched to using an iPad specifically to allow me to work on my art wherever I please. I'm bedridden too often to use a workspace all the time, anyway.

9. Do you monetize you work or is it purely a hobby?

I do commissions when I can and I'm also working towards my goal to make my own prints and stickers.

10. Where do you share your work? On social media or a personal websites? Do you keep to yourself and close friends?

On my website here! As well as various social media platforms. Fun fact but not all of my art is shared publicly, and many of it I only share with friends.

11. What's an aspect of your art you enjoy?

My painting skills and texturing, lighting, colour choices.

12. What are things you would like to improve on?

Anatomy, perspective, and environments.

13. Are you self-taught or had formal education?

Self-taught for the most part, never took art classes growing up because it didn't interest me at the time. Did go to art school... for about 3 months because I dropped out due to health issues, so I don't really count that either.

14. Do you research about old techniques or stick to newer ones?

I will die on the hill that more artists need to start cracking open the art books and studying art techniques from the sources. I find that a lot of art tutorials online don't really get into the meat of these skills and how to actually employ them into your work, instead opting to teach you how to cut as many corners as possible in your artwork. Which I do realize a lot of these corner-cutting techniques come from art schools that prime students to be ready to work in a fast-paced industry, but it's not something I ever agreed with and had any interest in employing within my own work.

Regardless, I still think those of us who are primarily digital artists can learn a lot of employing many techniques used in traditional art of many mediums, especially if you're a digital painter. Go and read some art books instead of constantly walking away from internet tutorials feeling confused.

15. What do you value more, experimentation or mastery?

Experimentation definitely. Not to say that mastery is inherently invaluable though, it's just a personal preference.

16. Do you practice drawing from the arm? What other art techniques do you practice?

No, even though I really should lol. I do use bulbous pencil grips on my utensils, however, because of hand cramping.

17. How frequently do you do studies?

I tend to do them a couple times every few months, but I really want to find time and energy to do at least 3 a month.

18. Do you understand color theory? How'd you learn or do you want to?

I'd say I have a good grasp of the basics, I.E. using complementary colours to draw viewers' eyes to a specific part of an art piece, using them for shading & lighting, gamut masking, etc.

19. Favorite color(s)?

I don't think I really have a favourite to work with per say, I just like my art to be colourful in general and I don't like to shy away from working with certain colours.

20. Are there colors you avoid? Do you think ugly colors exists?

Nope! I don't believe "ugly colours" exist because it all depends on what the piece calls for. If you know what you're doing, you can make any colour work.

21. Can you do perspective?

I used to be able to draw my own 2 and 3-point perspective grids and everything, but I've kinda lost that skill overtime.

22. Do you like doing lineart? How do you go about it?

No.

23. Do you have multiple unfinished projects? Will you ever get to finishing them?

You have no idea. Unfortunately I probably won't finish at least half of them, but I do try to keep the amount of WIPs I have to a minimum.

24. How do you start a new piece? Do you have a plan or just figure it along the way?

Bit of both? I do like collecting references before working on a new piece, but some aspects of my pieces come entirely from figuring it out along the way.

25. How do you handle art block?

I don't 👎 Most of my art block comes from exhaustion from my chronic illnesses, and when I'm in a bad episode there's kinda not much I can do about making any new art.

26. Do you listen to music or watch something while working?

Almost every time, it feels wrong not to have something playing in the background. If it's not music, then it's YouTube videos or livestreams.

27. When are you most motivated to create? In the morning or evening? Rainy or sunny?

Motivation strikes me at complete random and I have no control over it. Sometimes I'll go weeks or even months without being motivated to do any art, only to follow that up with me wanting to do nothing but work on art.

28. Are your sketchbooks messy or aesthetically pleasing?

A confession, but I don't really keep a sketchbook because I am working with just 60% of my functioning ability every day which makes it so that I have to pick and choose what kind of art I work on. I also just can't be arsed to keep a sketchbook, it doesn't interest me whatsoever.

29. Do you like showing sketchbooks to others?

No.

30. Do you have any art friends? IRL or online?

Both! I love my artist friends so dearly.

31. Do you collaborate frequently with your friends? Is there something you'd like to work on together?

I haven't done a collab yet, but I would love to one day.

32. Have you created art to gift to others? How do feel about parting away from your work?

Yes and I love making art for my friends! Most of the time it's done through trades because I'm a little too tired to give fully-fledged paintings to others with no strings attached, but I'm perfectly happy doing small sketches for friends.

33. Have you drawn for someone else? Like commissions or requests? Did you enjoy it?

I have! Commissions can be a mixed bag on whether or not I enjoy doing them, but I generally enjoy doing art trades when I'm also happy with my part.

34. How's your posture?

Bad, next question.

35. Have you ever been injured making art?

Making fursuits? Yes countless times. Making digital art? Not yet, but I feel like it's only a matter of time before I develop carpal tunnel syndrome.

36. What's a medium of art you've wanted to try / currently attempting?

Currently attempting oil pastels, and I really want to try gouache some time.

37. Do you prefer stylized or realistic art?

Definitely stylized, but I'm also pretty blown away by realism when I see it. I even tried out realism multiple times throughout my life, with varying degrees of success.

38. Do you like hyper-realistic art?

Again, I prefer the more stylized look, but hyper-realism is impressive in it's own respect.

39. Do you like abstract art?

Yes, yes!!! I adore abstract art and I'd love to make some abstract work in the future.

40. How do you feel about fine art?

No strong opinions on it.

41. How do you feel about outsider art? Do you think you fall in that category?

I like it, and you could say I'd fall into that category under the fact that I haven't had any formal training.

42. Do you follow art trends?

No, I couldn't care less.

43. Do you think your art is influenced by what's currently popular?

See my answer to the question above.

44. Do you compare yourself with others? Does it affect you negatively?

I try not to, and I am working on seeing my artwork as being worthy of being created, but I can't deny that I do have a habit of comparing my work to others. It fucking sucks and I don't recommend starting if you're a new artist, even if it's really hard to resist.

45. Your controversial art take?

The only prerequisites to learning how to draw are the elements of art. That is it, once you know what those elements are then you're set to create whatever the fuck you want.

Also I refuse to make Reels and TikToks of my artwork. I don't care that I'm essentially inhibiting my ability to grow a large audience from this decision, I would feel like I'm being inauthentic if I were to do that.

46. Art related pet peeves?

I'm one of those people who thinks that shading with black and lighting with white makes your work look muddy.

47. Who or what are your inspirations?

I have way too many inspiration sources to list! Honestly, I take inspiration from a little bit of everything that I'm interested in.

48. What's an art piece / artist you wished got more attention?

I don't knowwwwwwwwwww

49. Have you touch grass recently? Do you go out frequently or do you spend most of your time indoors?

Funny question. Depends on the weather and my overall health, but I do love going outside when I have the opportunities to. I love driving my scooter around my neighbourhood and even going on a hike every now and then.

50. Do you create art daily?

Fuck no, I'm too disabled for that shit.

51. Do you take breaks from creating? How frequently?

Very frequently. If I didn't then I'd probably make myself extremely physically ill.

52. Do you set deadline for your work?

See the answer to question 50.

53. Do you archive your work? Do you keep old pieces?

I deleted all of my artwork before 2012 unfortunately, and I also don't have everything from 2012 to 2014, but from 2014 onwards I do keep my old art on an external hard drive.

54. Are you embarrassed of your old work? Or are you indifferent by it?

A bit embarrassed, yes, but I mostly respond to it with "Oh that didn't look how I wanted it to, glad I learned from that since."

55. Do you seek out for criticism? How do you handle feedback?

If I'm stuck on something with my art I might reach out to other artist friends to ask for advice or criticism, but otherwise I kinda don't want to hear other people's feedback if I didn't ask for it, I think it's a bit rude.

56. Are you harsh on your own work? Or do you love your work despite all it's flaws?

I'm almost totally ambivalent about it. I don't hate my work or think I need to be this masterful artist or anything, but I also am not the biggest fan of my own work. It's in the middle where I feel like my techniques are decent, but I'm not making anything truly impactful.

57. Do you get compliments frequently? How do feel about them?

I do, and I do try to accept them because I know that people are being genuine about how they like my work, but I sometimes have trouble doing that with pieces that I'm not completely happy with.

58. How do feel about the rise of generative AI? Do you use it for getting ideas or references?

My opinions on genAI are rather complicated, with there being so many nuances about what is considered "real art" that I think a lot of people end up oversimplifying and making themselves look like asses.

I also think people on both sides of the problem use disabled people as part of their arguments in very belittling and ableist ways, I.E. "Disabled people are always unable to do art by themselves (far from true,)" versus "Disabled people can do anything they set their minds to if they just try hard enough (also far from being true.)" You can argue that disabled people aren't completely incapable babies without turning us into inspiration porn.

All that being said, I have many concerns about it's effects on labour and the environment. The rise of genAI is evidently causing corporations to devalue the labour of their workers, and the number of data centers being built is alarming, considering how much non-renewable resources they require to operate. I also find it curious how our governments don't have enough money to invest in adequate healthcare, housing, and basic income, but suddenly have all the money in the world to build all of these data centers. Not to mention how many of these data centers are being built in black communities where resources are already being spread thin.

I also think it's odd when people use it as reference material because, like, did we forget that it's not going to be completely accurate and is prone to cobbling together what it thinks is good anatomy, lighting, etc.? I truly don't understand the reasons to use genAI in this manner.

59. How do feel about tracing? What about tracing 3d models to streamline art process?

I don't give a fuck. If you're tracing other people's artwork then maybe keep that art to yourself, but tracing 3D models is a nothing issue. Sure, relying on them too much might make your posing look more stiff, but it's really up to the artist's creative decisions.

60. Drop you art resources!

Here is my Internet Archive list of art books, use them to your heart's content.

61. Do you prefer making fanart or original content?

Almost entirely original content. I've tried being primarily a fanartist a few times, but it never really stuck because my interest in media is rather fleeting.

62. Do you think original content are more creative than fanart?

Not inherently, no, but I also completely understand why original content is prioritised in professional portfolios.

63. Do you strive for originality?

Nobody has had an original thought in their lives and we all take inspiration from each other, so being completely original is not something I regard super highly.

64. Do you draw from imagination or heavily rely on references?

Both, because I have like partial aphantasia where I can see my ideas in my head, but it's like I'm looking at it without my glasses so I can't see anything clearly.

65. Do you think using references is a crutch?

Literally everyone uses references and knowing how to draw from them is actually a really good skill to have. Telling artists that it's a crutch is just inhibiting their growth, because do you really expect every artist to know what a horse looks like from memory?

66. Do you like to make mood boards or scroll through Pinterest?

I like Pinterest for references sometimes. Making mood boards doesn't really feel necessary to me though, unless I'm working on a character design.

67. Does your work have a story behind them or do you just make things that you think look neat?

Both, but I do tend to favour my pieces where I've concocted a meaning behind them. I'm a really big fan of symbolism, metaphors, etc.

68. Do you think art should have a purpose?

No. Art can exist because the artist just wants it out in the world, nothing truly needs a "purpose" to exist.

69. Favorite aesthetic?

Medical themes. My alias is Triage, after all.

70. Do you have a muse or a theme you fall back to?

My common muses tend to be my fursonas because I really like using art as a vehicle for self-expression, especially when I've had to repress this aspect of myself for so long.

71. If you could eat you art, what would it taste like?

Friends of mine say cotton candy, Sweetarts, conversation hearts, rainbow sherbet, and Haribo Strawbs.

72. If your work suddenly became sentient, would it adore or hate you?

I'm not entirely sure! But I think it'd go from hating to loving me cyclically.

73. Based on previous question, can you win in a fist fight against it?

Probably not.

74. Is your art style consistent? Do you prefer making a wide variety of art?

I prefer to make a wide variety of art, but I do feel like having a consistent style makes taking commissions more predictable for the customer.

75. Do you revisit old concepts or sketches? Do you touch em up or leave them as is?

I tend to leave them as-is, but sometimes I might completely redraw these concepts/sketches from scratch.

76. Do you believe in talent or is it all skill?

It's all skill, baby.

77. What's your favorite thing to draw / make? Do you prefer making living things or still life?

Animals.

78. Do you create your art with a specific audience in mind? Who?

I draw for myself and anyone else who gives a fuck about what I do.

79. How do you feel about people taking inspiration from work? Do you think art style theft is real?

Art style theft is a nothing issue and I feel extremely flattered when people take inspiration from my work.

80. Do you participate in art conventions? Do you sell your work or support everyone else?

I love conventions, and I'd love to try selling my artwork at a dealer's den one day.

81. Are you art materials expensive? Do you hoard any tools?

Not super expensive by any means, but I try to buy materials that are both high quality and affordable. Plus, you technically don't need to break the bank when doing art, and I've seen some amazing work made with Crayola products. On that note you really don't need Copic markers for alcohol marker art, just get them from a brand like Ohuhu.

82. Do you organize you supplies and tools systematically?

I recently reorganized my art supply shelf and it felt amazing, I truly thrive when things are in their proper places.

83. Do you clean up after a project? Or do you just leave everything lying around till you need the space?

Yes! If I don't then I go insane from not having my space back immediately!

84. Do you have a ritual before you start creating? Do you have a drink or some snacks?

Nah, I don't feel the need to.

85. How do feel about censorship in art? Where do you draw the line for inappropriate art?

Complicated question that requires a complicated answer. Censorship in art eventually trickles down to really hateful ideologies, but at the same time I think you're a total nonce if you draw loli/shotacon or NSFW cub artwork, for example.

86. Do you censor your own art? Do you feel like you leave out details for it be socially accepted?

Not really, but that's because I keep "censor-worthy" artwork to separate accounts.

87. Do you feel intimated with starting a new projects?

Depends on the type of project, but I usually keep to what I'm already skilled at, while slowly introducing new techniques and skills gradually.

88. Are you scared of your art regressing? Do you think it's even possible to get worst at art?

I don't think art necessarily "gets worse," it more so changes fluidly with you depending on your life circumstances. I know people love to bring up some pretty infamous examples of "art regression," but I think dips in quality are kinda normal as one progresses through making art. It's pretty common for your skills to plateau or even drop off depending on a variety of factors.

89. Do you frequently make compromises for your work? Does your art come out the way you envision them?

I recently made the decision to cut down on how long I spend on each piece, because before I'd spend upwards of 10 to 16 hours on a single piece. This is all fine and dandy, but if you're like me and wake up every day with a small amount of energy, then you kinda don't want to use all of it just on creating one piece of art. Plus, I was getting very frustrated with creating pieces that I'd spend that many hours on, only to turn around and dislike it and regret the amount of time I spent on it. I also really like that my current art style shows how intentional my brush strokes are, and that it gives you the opportunity to zoom in and find the little details in my rendering and texturing.

90. How well do you manage your mistakes? Do you stress about them?

I honestly tend to feel pretty embarrassed about mistakes in my artwork because it makes me feel like I'm bad at the one thing I have going for me, but it's something I'm working on.

91. Do you make lists of things you'd like to make? Do you actual commit to them?

Yes, otherwise I'd completely forget every art idea I've ever had in my life.

92. What is your ultimate goal of your work? Like, is to tell a story, connect with others, or just to enjoy the process?

Selling and making a reasonable amount of money from my artwork, streaming my painting process, maybe even tell a few stories, and overall just continuing to enjoy the act of making art for as long as I physically can.

93. What's something you've recently worked on that you're really proud of?

Heat is a piece I'm pretty damn proud of, from the concept to the execution. I adore drawing these characters because I represent my relationship with my partner, which is a very important part of my life.

94. Do you have any dream projects? Have you started on them?

Would love to do comics one day, but those are such huge tasks and require a lot of time, energy and commitment that I currently do not have (and I also have no experience in making comics, so there's that.

95. Would you prefer unlimited money or unlimited time to make your projects?

Unlimited money so that I can pay for the expenses I need to be my healthiest so that I can have more time to make my projects.

96. Why do you create art?

Because not creating art makes me want to die.

97. Are you happy with what you create?

See the answer to question 56.

98. Do you think everyone should make art?

If it interests you, absolutely give it a shot! Doesn't have to be just limited to visual arts either, if you wanna make music, act, film a movie, write a book, or whatever-have-you, then don't keep looking for an excuse and just do it!

99. What's advice you'd give to newer artist?

I have most of what I'd say to new artists on my FAQ page if you feel so inclined.

100. When did you finish this? How'd you feel?

July 3, 2026. I feel ambivalent.