What software / materials do you use?
Digital Art
I use an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil 2 after finally upgrading so I could do bigger projects along with Procreate for all of my drawing and basic lettering (I hand write it all or use the font I created from my handwriting).
Anything more technical is usually done on Photoshop such as compiling things into a proper character sheet.
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About digital brushes - I usually stick to the same few brushes I liked from various brush packs I've acquired from other artists (Lotusbubble, Modauth, Olguioo, etc) while some that I use are from the default sets in Procreate. I've also adjusted some to fit my needs but don't dabble in custom brushes much.
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Something my professor taught me was to hone your skill using about 3 or 4 brushes in any given program instead of bogging yourself down by using too many. He also advised that when you want, you can switch out one of those brushes or add a new one to your arsenal, but basically not to just add more for the sake of it.
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Traditional Art
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Paint - I mainly use watercolours from various brands but my most recent set is by Reeves. My acrylic set is by Royal Langnickel. I have no idea how either came into my possession but they've served me very well!
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Brush - I have had the same set of brushes by Artist 's Loft for almost a decade now and something about them just really works for me. I got two new specific sets of round and square brushes from them as well not too long ago but have yet to use them in favour of my old ones.
Pencil - I have loved the watercolour pencils by Staedtler for how many ways they can be used (wet on wet, dry on wet, any other variation like this). As far as coloured pencils go, I've only ever owned Prismacolor ones and they were very smooth.
Paper - I really like the different pads of paper types (mixed media, watercolour, etc) from Canson and usually go for those cause they're easy to find and not crazy expensive. If I get back into more traditional artwork then I'd want to find some better quality paper for sure, but these do just fine for how often I need it.
What does your process look like?
My process always follows the same steps but how much time I spend on each depends on how much time the idea has been sitting in my head for.
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Sketching - This happens in two parts. The first part is always on sticky notes and are usually loose gesture sketches to capture movement or the focus of a piece. These sit on my desk or stick to the wall for a while as I ponder the ideas. My go-to pencil is 3.5mm mechanical pencils, I just love the finer control it gives me.
Then I sketch for real in Procreate as I figure out details and make sure everything look good. Sometimes it takes a couple iterations.
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Lineart - I used to loathe this step until I finally decided to switch which brush I use for my lines. Only recently did I realize that part of why I love sketching so much is because of the soft brush I use - so I figured why not make a little adjustment to that, make it a little smaller, and use it for lines as well?
I like to have line weight variance so I just go over some parts to add that weight where it feels right.
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Colours - First I lay down the base colours and get them to a spot where it all feels cohesive. This can often take a bit of time because something just feels wrong until suddenly I change one thing and it works. Then I go in to add shadows and highlights and little details like the shiny bit in eyes.
Lineart again?? - This is where everything comes together! I finally tried out coloured lineart on my drawings and saw that it really works. So now I find the perfect colours for each section and really make the art glow!
Finally we have a healthy dose of worrying that I forgot a spot then posting before
I find the mistake and saying "oh well" at the end of the day.
What are your favourite things to draw?
Any cute lil animal friends are such a welcome break in drawing. I always give them a cozy, whimsical vibe meant to bring smiles to all who see them (including myself).
I also love creating characters and creatures with fantastical abilities based on a mish-mash of mythology and research I do on the natural world.
How did you find your style?
Any tips on developing my own style?
I can't say that I really have a distinct style since I experiment with new techniques all the time or try things out because "what if". It's a slow process that I adore every second of. It lets me evolve with time and find a natural progression for my skills.
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One thing I tell myself all the time is that if something isn't working out that day, then I wasn't meant to do it yet. Sometimes I shelf the idea for a couple days and sometimes for a month or more before I feel ready to come back to it. By not forcing myself to complete a drawing and allowing time to let the idea sit in my mind for a while, I have always been happy and proud of the final result and glad that I waited. I really recommend to anyone to try and be more forgiving of your "bad days" and recognize that art is not a race.
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If I absolutely had to define my style, I would break it down into two parts.
Cutesy - Anything falling under this is full of bright colours with a soft, whimsical feel to it sorta like a storybook or fairytale. This art is cozy and friendly.
Fantasy - Usually more detailed and slightly more realistic than the cute stuff with lots of bits of texture and subtleties. This art has some darker tones both artistically and figuratively with its themes.
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As for developing your own style, once again I say do not force it. Focus on getting a good understanding of the fundamentals and draw from life as reference whenever you can. This practice will then translate to any time you draw afterwards. Every colour you pick, themes you focus on, the choices you make to make something look a certain way, this is all part of what defines your style. Keep drawing what you love and your artistic style will find its way to you!
What inspires you?
Honestly anything could inspire me, so I always have sticky notes and a mechanical pencil with me wherever I go.
I often find myself getting ideas from the shapes in clouds, from plants I pass by, or animals that cross my path - this is why I love being able to go for walks all the time during the warmer months! Otherwise, I pull a lot of inspiration from topics or media that I find interesting like JRPGs, Ghibli films, D&D lore, myths from around the world, or just cool facts in general about nature's wonders.
I have a growing collection of books about the language of flowers, herbs, and other plants as well as some about armour and fashion through the ages that I sometimes like to flip through for ideas or reference.
Overall, I like to look at the world and add my own touch of whimsy to it. Every piece I create has the goal of evoking emotion in the viewer as share my characters and build their stories up piece by piece.