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ZombieErnie

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Why do you art?

10 min read
Man, talk about not doing anything with the tools you're given. I don't seem to ever...EEEEEVER do anything other than post art here. And, strangely enough, I'll respond to these tags. Why? Well, I guess to get to know my art bros and to get my art bros to know me. So, I was tagged in this by Shellsweet and am always looking for chances to interact and respond to talented (and adorable) artist. Here we go.

First, the fine print:
Rules:
1) please re-post the rules and questions!
2) answer at least 5 of the questions!
3) tag as many people as you know, there is no limit! (just tag someone QwQ)

Questions for the artist:
1) why do you draw/paint?
2) what do you draw/paint, and why?
3) how long have you been creating art, and what sparked your passion?
4) what forms of art block do you usually get?
5) what causes your art block? how do you try to break the block?
6) what/how do you wish you could draw/paint, other than what you draw/paint now?
7) who are the artists that inspire you, and why?
8) do you like drawing for others, or just yourself? or both?
9) do you like the artistic style that you have created? why or why not?
10) small challenge! post a "then and now" picture! an artwork that you created in the beginning of your artistic journey compared to how you draw now!

Good? Good. Let's rock.




1) Why do you draw/paint?
There are tons of reasons.
Fun. Creative outlet. Working out the ol' brain goo. But I'll bring up the most prominent one as of late: To feel good. Sounds strange considering I'm my own worst critic. But it's true. The distraction from everything else. The feeling of creating something from nothing (in the aspect of a blank page anyhow). Of all my reasons, the biggest is if I do something that inspires or sparks with someone else, be they fellow artist or otherwise. I'm at the point where I want to leave something for others to enjoy. Be it a drawing, doodle, photo, memory, inspiration, or my encouragement. I do for me by hopefully doing for someone else. Kinda like a weird self service hoping to service another...I guess.

2) What do you draw/paint, and why?
Comic book stuff. Cartoon stuff. Pinup stuff. Because every bit of those has molded me into the giant manchild/weirdo/dorkchop that I am. I look to my heroes in the business of each and hope I can do the same for some up and coming manchild/weirdo/dorkchop.

3) How long have you been creating art, and what sparked your passion?
As long as I can recall holding a crayon or marking device. Not sure what inspired it, but my longest running memory was my mom reading the comics page from the daily paper with me.

4) What forms of art block do you usually get?
I'm familiar with the leveling system to a degree. Stage one would be not being able to finish a piece on time due to constant re-works. Two, unable to get the image you have in mind in physical form. Three, getting so engrossed with the idea that nothing you do matches up and suddenly everything you've done is garbage no matter how much time you've spent or how much people love it. Four, being so uninspired you can't even sketch or exercise without giving up suddenly. And five, the one I've suffered more than I care to mention, not even being able to force yourself to sit down in front of whatever medium and work something out.
I usually get forms two and five most often.

5) What causes your art block? How do you try to break the block?
Exhaustion. Depression. Finishing a piece and seeing all my mistakes after it's done (over analyzing it, basically). I try to break the block by stepping away for a while...day...month...hell in 2004 I stepped away from art for three years. Not recommended, by the way. To better help the block breakage, I look to my heroes and art bros work to help inspire me. Most often than not, riling me up due to extreme jealousy! HOW DARE THEY BE SO AWESOME! I'LL SHOW THEM!

6) What/how do you wish you could draw/paint, other than what you draw/paint now?
Oh man we're going to be here all day. No, no I'll make this a quick answer before I drive myself into a spiral.
What?- More detailed stuff. Especially in color and shading.
How?- More like the artist who are doing the lineless color and finished paint look. God that'd be awesome.
I'm okay with a lot of what I'm doing, but I still feel like there's a whole world of art I'm missing out on due to lack of skill/patience.

7) Who are the artists that inspire you, and why?
I could talk all day about the big names that have molded me to become what I am.
Chris Bachalo, Adam Warren, The Kubert bros, Akira Toriyama, any and all that have ever worked at the Capcom art department.
But I've talked of that before and I'm sure I'm not alone. But let's talk people I know. Personally.
SpazChicken has inspired me constantly throughout my arting. Not in his work, but his words and belief in me. Can't really repay a lot of it. He's why I'm even doing it still now, really.
DarkArtist81 also falls into that category, but he's taken such a strongly different path since my days arting with him, I find he's inspiring me in a different way nowadays.
gregbo is more my rival in a way. I'll never be on his level or do the things he's done, but I've done so much work with his art due to my ties with the con that I have no choice but to soak it in and try to find a way to reach where he is. It's like he's challenging me without even knowing it every time I have to do things with his art. And I love it.
Shellsweet is the closest I've come to finding a potential superstar in the making that I can think of. She's this adorable little ball of positive energy and talent that I've had the privilege of knowing. She inspires me by surprising me every time she post something new. Every time I speak to her about her art or my own. She just genuinely makes you feel awesome every time. Be it with her words of encouragement or with her rad art. I get the feeling I'm going to be telling people "I knew her when" stories one day.
Speaking of "I knew her when", There's FallenDarkRain too. Another "why aren't you a big star yet?" situation. I can't even say I get as much inspiration from her as I do pure jealousy!

 
8) Do you like drawing for others, or just yourself? or both?
I do my best work when I know it's for someone else. Even if I know it's to be seen or admired by someone else.

9) Do you like the artistic style that you have created? Why or why not?
Kinda, yeah. I mean, I've got a groove I've molded for myself and how I project things on paper. But I always feel like I could be doing better. My style doesn't really translate a lot of what I want extremely well at times. That'd be my main complaint I guess.

10) Small challenge! post a "then and now" picture! an artwork that you created in the beginning of your artistic journey compared to how you draw now!
Hmmm. Let me see.

Here I don't have a lot of my "old old OLD" stuff largely because a lot of it has been lost. I gave a lot of art away as a kid.
In terms of traditional art, here's a piece I did in 94.
Dead Eye by ZombieErnie

And here's one I did in 2015
Inktober day 16 by ZombieErnie

And for poops and giggles, the oldest digital piece I have (start to finish in digital) here from 2004.
MS Paint Hot Potato by ZombieErnie

This would be the most recent start to finish digital I've done.
SuperGirl by ZombieErnie


Alrighty then. All done. LET ME TAG YOU SO YOU CAN DO THIS TOO BECAUSE WE SHOULD ALL SUFFER HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
iPandaDrawer Self-Ship-Nerd EmzieFun DanielHooker HaruBlossom Gunslinger-of-Hearts PandaPawZzzz partsunknown1 SnowboardingTaco suicidalassassin littledozerbaby Juliett-Dark-Angel DoomBerryArt 
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Tagged by HaruBlossom

*shakes fist*
You're lucky your awesome....


RULES:
-You have to say who tagged you!
-NO DOUBLE TAGGING!!!
-You must be truthful.  No cheating!
-You must answer ALL questions!
-You just lost The Game.
-If you don't tag anyone at the end, I will EAT you!

Y-You'll eat me? Woah. That...That's kinda...Is this that area of Deviant Art I was trying to avoid?

The Basics 
1. Full name: Ernest Lee Suggs
2. Age: 32
3. Birth Date: 08/02/81
4. Birth Place: Darlington, SC
5. Gender: Male
6. Occupation: Unofficially, Pro Airplane Player. I also work electronics retail.
7. Primary School: Pate Elementary
8.  High School: DHS
9. College/University: I'm poor enough as it is....
10. Eye Color: Brown
11. Hair Color: Blackish brown.
12. Currently Living:Flo-town, South Carolina

Do you really want to know this crap about me? C'mon.

Favorite... 
13. Food: It'd be easier to tell you what I wont eat...
14. Drink: I'm a sucker for some tea.
15. Band/Singer: Look, I can't just name one. There are quite a few. Depends on mood.
16. Song: See: Above.
17. Movie: Again, See: Above
18. Tv Show: WHEN WILL YOU GET THE HINT. I HAVE TONS OF MEDIA I LOVE AND NO LIFE. THERE'S TOO MUCH TO LIST!
19. Book: Alright, how about if I just list the last three books I read? Hm? WILL THAT APPEASE YOU? House of Leaves, Sandman vol. 7, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Treasury
20. Color: I've always been fond of Green. Orange. Red. Black.

Again, telling you without telling you. I'M STILL MYSTERIOUS! WOOT!

Do you prefer...
21. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi. Some CM Punk mark I am. *sips Pepsi*
22. Anime or Disney? Depending on what both are offering at the time.
23. Guys or Girls? Girls. Unless your Robert Downey Jr. Or Matt Smith. Thems mah man crushes. *blush*
24. Lips or Eyes? I would want you to have both.
25. Kisses or Hugs? I WILL CUDDLE THE HELL OUT OF YOU!
26. Eating or Drinking? The hell kind of question is that? DON'T I NEED TO DO BOTH?
27. Novels or Comics? I read both.
28. Summer or Winter? Fall/Winter for the win. 
29. Outdoors or Indoors? Nature can suck it. 
30. Camera or Cellphone? I don't usually leave the house with either.
31. PS3 or Xbox 360? I HAVE BOTH SO I'M FINE.
32. TV or Computer? >Implying people watch TV anymore.

Okay, this is just getting silly now.

Something personal...
33. Why did you choose your username? I've been using the screen name ZombieErnie for over ten years now. I actually did a article about this recently. But the abridged version; It originally was a Simpsons reference that gained meaning later in that I'm a zombi slave to the things I love. Media, art, photography, and so on.
34. What is your favorite piece of your own work?  Show us: The Endless by ZombieErnie Honestly, I can't pick an exact favorite. The Endless bit I did some time ago that still hangs in my room may be the winner for no other reason than it's one of the rare pieces I've done that I've kept. I rarely keep my stuff.
35. What is your most popular Deviation?  Show us: I honestly don't know. You guys tell me?
36. Look to your left.  What is the first thing you see? Ghost in the Shell Poster.
37. Now to your right: My TV.
38. Something you can't live without: Oxygen. Have you tried that? Impossible.

The last... 
39. Person you saw: The roommate.
40. Person you hugged: Megan.
41. Movie you watched: The newer FMA movie.
42. Song you listened to: Jump Around.
43. Book you read: I did that already.
44. Thing you ate/drank: Bourbon Chicken and Rice.
45. Time you cried and why: Uh...maybe two weeks ago? I STUBBED MY TOE AND IT HURT! GET OFF MY BACK!
46. Time you laughed and why: Yesterday. Kitty failed at making the jump from the table to the couch.
47. Time you went out: What? Outside? Screw that place. Hermit Life kid.

The first...
48. Person you dated: Really? REALLY? The hell? Fine. Helen.
49. Person you kissed: See: Above
50. Crush you had: When I was a kid? Totally had the hots for Kim, the old babysitter.
51. Thing you think about when you wake up: Sleep.
52. Best friend you ever had: No one knows my lame ass like Wallie.
53. School you went to: Pate Elementary.
54. Big holiday you went on: I'm too poor for vacations.
55. Award you got: Participant in PE.

Have you ever... 
56. Broken the law: Deliberately? Nah.
57. Been arrested: Nah.
58. Had a hangover: Maybe once.
59. Been in hospital: When I was a kid. Hospitalized for severe allergies.
60. Been in a car crash: Not any fatal ones.
61. Flown on a plane: Nope.jpg
62. Been on a boat: Not a like...big one, no.
63. Travelled overseas:  Nope. Too. Poor.
64. Had sex: Not enough to brag here.
65. Gotten pregnant: Just gave birth to a little brown baby boy. Named him Baxter.
66. Had an abortion: Well...does flushing count. I'll miss you Baxter.
67. Been to a concert: Yeah, a number of them.
68. Pretended to be sick to avoid doing something: I'm feeling feverish as we speak.
69. Skipped school/work: What? Never! *cough*acoupleoftimesmaybe*cough*
70. Broken a bone: Thankfully, no.

Deviant time...
71. Who is your closest friend on Deviant Art? Oh I've plenty of DA bros, but I owe a lot to SpazChicken
72. What is your favorite Deviation by them?  Show us:  <da:thumb id="41506160"/> Lot's of memories tied to this one.
73. Which Deviant's artwork do you like the most?  So many. I can't pick one.
74. What is their greatest work?  Show us:   <da:thumb id="443967113"/> Reincarnation by MedusaJuice AT-alphanauts by SnowboardingTaco Boomer by WelderFace Jet Set Radio fanart : Cube by Rafchu kill kill kill kill mom mom mom mom by Gashi-gashi The Hounds and The Beard by suicidalassassin
75. Any favourite Deviant Art groups in mind? Not really in many or follow many..
76. What is your favourite artwork by the Founder of the group? N/A
77. The Co-Founder(s)? N/A
78. How about the Contributors? N/A
79. Who was your very first Watcher on Deviant Art? SnowboardingTaco
80. What is your favourite artwork by them? AT-alphanauts by SnowboardingTaco
81. Have you ever had any Daily Deviations? How would I know?
82. Have you ever won a contest with your artwork? Not yet...
83. Show us the first Deviation you submitted to Deviant Art: MS Paint Cloverfeild Monster by ZombieErnie
84. Show us your most recent submission: TMNT WIP by ZombieErnie


More personal stuff...Damnit.
85. Religion: Pastafarian.
86. Social class: White Trash.
87. Ethnicity: White Trash.
88. Languages spoken: English...barely.
89. A scar you have: On my right elbow. Banged the hell out of it on a bookshelf.
90. Preferred medium? Nah, I'm an 2XL.

Totally random...
91. Where is your dream holiday location? I wanna go to someplace cold, but not snowy. Mostly green and hills. Like...like where did they film the LOTR?
92. What are you wearing right now? Robe.
93. What is the last thing you bought? Paper Towels.
94. When did you join Deviant Art? May 2012.
95. WHY did you join? SO SnowboardingTaco WOULD PLAY WINDWAKER!
96. What type of membership do you have?  The free one. 
97. Are you playing The Game? This interview is over.
98. Are you a member of any other websites? The usual garbage.
99. Do you enjoy answering pointless questions like these ones? ONLY BECAUSE I LIKE HaruBlossom
        
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I had this recent surge of artistic output that has recently kinda hit a wall. I'm going to try to get past it, cause I got an awesome thing I want to do. But that's not what this is about.

It's about you. You guys here on DA.

I don't just follow or favorite art for the sake of doing it. I do that because I see something in your art. Your drawings. Photographs. Whatever it may be. I see something that speaks to me and makes me say to
myself "Geez, why can't I do that?"

You guys inspire me. And I wish I could feed off of that alone. If I could channel one thing about each of your traits I WISH I could go near, or add it to my own skill set, you better believe I would.

SnowboardingTaco's amazing (and sickeningly cute) coloring.
HaruBlossom's boundless positive energy (that reflects in her art.)
DarkArtist81 and his sick sculpting skills (and years of inking my stuff back in the day to make it look way more bad ass than it should!)
DoomBerry83's dedication. He's been here for a while and I can't say I've seen a hiccup in his output. More than I can say!
WelderFace's amazing line work and detail and willingness to help.
ilLIZtrator making me dreadfully jelly of her skill set.
JBowmanPhotography being the most brilliant photographer I've known personally (and despite his desire to not update often enough here!)
Gunslinger-of-Hearts and her quite literal punch drunk punk rock layout and drawing style.
KhalilK and his ever growing talent!
lbstephens218  with her ability to adapt so fast it's scary. She's already awesome, and will continue to grow. Frightening.
MedusaJuice, who honestly should be a huge freaking star by now.
There is NO reason she shouldn't be selling prints to all of you right now.
And of course
SpazChicken who has pretty much supported me nonstop artistically and beyond. If he put half the effort into world domination
that he puts into motivating or helping my lame ass, well,
I don't know what he would re-name the earth, but we'd be calling it that.

I wish...I truly wish that I could inspire anything or anyone the way you guys do me. There are more.
More artist who inspire me or make me sick with jealousy. But I just want you guys to know that you are amazing.
Great artist. Inspirational. You guys and people like you are why I keep this thing going. Please.

Don't stop.
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Old art

1 min read
Inspired by that amazing artist loish (loish.deviantart.com/) who recently posted that she remade a couple of  old pieces of art she did, I decided to go through a selection of what old art I still had (not a whole lot of it. I rarely kept my old art.) and see if there was any of it I wanted to re-do with my current set of skills vs my set back then.

So. Look forward to some old ass drawings from me being posted..
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So I finally got around to uploading my photography. And also the whole "putting things into categories" deal. I'm lazy guys.
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Featured

Why do you art? by ZombieErnie, journal

Got tagged. Eh, why not? by ZombieErnie, journal

To all of you... by ZombieErnie, journal

Old art by ZombieErnie, journal

Memento Mori Photography by ZombieErnie, journal