DeviantArt meme

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Okay... after being tagged for the 9234792374892374th time, I'll just join.
Just kidding. It just felt like fun... doing this meme again after so many years. And perhaps some of my new (recent) followers are interested in getting to know a bit more useless little facts about me :la:


:bulletblack: 1. How did you join dA?

I had this friend in high school that had an account on DeviantArt back in 2002 or 2003 or so. But back then both DA and my internet connection were slow as hell, the page loads took ages, and I kept scolding him "Can't you show me any of your drawings that aren't on that crappy slow website!??". Back in time I used to have my own website for my art and story's. It was really common to have your own site in that time, as there were no social media websites or whatsoever and back then all of us internet people were programming nerds (or so I like to pretend -- to make me appear less nerdy). But over the years it got harder to maintain hosting. The quarrels about maintaining hosting, and having to transfer the website 230980384 times... made me eventually grow sick of it. So I decided to abandon the idea of an 'own website' altogether.

Around that same time, I also began working in the web industry. And I guess working on other people's websites so much, pretty much took the fun from spending hours on my own website at home. I just sought for a place to upload my art and that was about it. DeviantArt did have quite a good uptime and a convenient user interface in that regard. 


:bulletblack: 2. What does your username have to do with you?

Originally I used the nickname Mikaz, which was derived from an RP character I used to roam the Dutch forums with.
As the internet expanded, however, and more and more nicknames were taken by default, I added Damai as a prefix. It was a reference to both my real name Damaris (minus the r and the i -- to match the 5 letter count of 'Mikaz') and a reference to Damai Katah, which was one of the leading Fawo characters around the time I thought that nickname up. As for now, I've been using the nickname for 12 years already, and it has become such a part of my identity that even some people in real life call me by that name.


:bulletblack: 3. What is your current avatar of?

My character; Anima

ANIMA - Imprisoned by DamaiMikaz

Anima is a character of mine that origins from a novel that I'm writing. While he does play an important role in the story, I must admit I kinda have an obsession drawing him due to his sleek character design which I find both easy and comforting to draw. It has gotten to the point that the character has become more or less a recognizable selling point of my account; more than my own image. Hence many people think I'm a boy, instead of a girl Sweating a little... 


:bulletblack: 4. How many watchers do you have, and how many do you watch?

Watchers; 34.864 (but seriously. This is outdated by the time I post this. There's no counting them)
People that I watch; 1057


:bulletblack: 5. Do you have more than one account?

Yes, I have an account for my old art: damaimikazold
At a certain point my free hosting decided to kick my account (it went bankrupt), which meant all the drawings I had store there would be removed. I still had them on my own computer, but I wanted them to be somewhere online. As I had already used my current DeviantArt for a few years... I thought it would be weird to spam all of my current followers with 200+ (!!!) of my old drawing all of a sudden. Not to mention that the dates wouldn't match and the order of the drawings in my gallery would be totally messed up. Therefore, I decided to create another account.

So no, no other accounts out of childish reasons or teenage drama. Just reasonable stuff.


:bulletblack: 6. Name three of your favorite artists on dA.

Oh... this is so hard. I have so many that inspire me that I can't even begin to mention them all...
:iconyuumei::iconnanfe::iconchriscold:

yuumei was my first inspiration on DeviantArt. The one that showed me that there was more to manga than just the default kawaii-desu manga figures. And up until today I think she still has amazing storytelling quality's. I admire NanFe for the way she manages to portray such strong emotions in just a few brush strokes. I like ChrisCold for his painting style in general. It's a style that I would love to move further towards myself, yet I'm still nowhere compared to that when it comes to skills.
But those are just 3 of the wide spectrum of artists I follow on DeviantArt. I think looking into my favorites gives you a more balanced look on what I like. 


:bulletblack: 7. What deviant(s) do you admire because of their personality?

:iconcaniroth::iconlight-lein::iconbyassu::icondaddyhoggy:
Caniroth being my boyfriend.
Light-Lein being my Mangaschool workshop partner. I kinda admire her social skills... as she has way more of those than I have XD
Byassu is a fellow artist that I sometimes talk to. Always calm, thoughtful and kindhearted.
DaddyHoggy is good companionship on DA. I kinda like the long discussions we have about... basically... everything XD


:bulletblack: 8. How many deviants do you actually know in reality? Post their avatars.

:iconcaniroth::iconlight-lein::iconmangogloor::iconkellodrawsalot::iconyaminayugineatema::iconmellon-snow::iconidiottwins::iconappeltjesgroen::iconcallesthe::iconblackinkbarbarian::iconippen::iconkoyomel-doughnut::iconnat-chan::iconscream-of-existence::iconmanimeminam::iconssj-videl::iconrhiusvell:
... and I might be forgetting a few


:bulletblack: 9. Do you comment, fave, or both?

I fave more than I comment. I immediately admit that.
Lack of time, mostly... T__T


:bulletblack: 10. What do you typically post on deviantART?

Manga/Anime-ish art. Mostly characters and scene's from my Emion storyline.
Oh... and journals with tips, tricks, encouragements... and basically everything that comes to mind.

Stuff like this;
Sketchdump April 2013 by DamaiMikaz Those Hollow Eyes by DamaiMikaz EncouragementWhen I started out on DeviantArt, I used to be one of those artists that thought I could never do art properly.
I'll start saying that I spend most of my childhood getting only little encouragement.
My parents were, like many other parents, convinced that art wasn't that much of a useful skill since it's nearly impossible to earn money with -- and would've liked it if I spend my time doing something more useful instead. At school I was that pathetic kid without friends. Creative, yet very introverted. The one that gets bullied in the schoolyard. Needless to say; it was rare to find people saying something nice about me, and it was even more rare to find someone actually encouraging me.
Back then, I used to believe that I was alone. I initially signed up to DeviantArt to find people with similar interests. But it happened to change my mind along the way. When I came into contact with other artists, I came to realize that there were in fact many people just like me. People th



:bulletblack: 11. Do you participate in clubs or contests here on dA?

I used to do it a lot, but I'm not that active anymore lately. 
A lot of the old clubs I was active on became more or less abandoned nowadays. 


:bulletblack: 12. What is your most popular deviation? As in most viewed or most favorited?

Views 
(Looooooong tutorial so small thumb)
[Tutorial] Beginners mistakes, and how to fix them by DamaiMikaz

Faves
Crowned with chaos by DamaiMikaz



:bulletblack: 13. What's your favorite submission in your gallery?

Beaten up by DamaiMikaz

(but it's usually the latest digital work, as I think it shows my latest improvement)


:bulletblack: 14. What are things you wish you could draw better?

Do you have an hour... or four?
- Hands
- Advanced posed / Foreshortening 
- Environments / Landscapes
- Interior
- Anything less static than it is now


:bulletblack: 15. Do you have a premium membership?

Yep, I got my first premium membership in 2010 from BlueRoseStudios
I've been premium member ever since -- although mostly bought the feature with points.


:bulletblack: 16. How many hours a day do you spend on dA?

I don't want to know
I'm not addicted... I'm not addicted... I'm not addicted... I'm not addicted... I'm not addicted... I'm not addicted... I'm not addicted... 


:bulletblack: 17. Are you a fast, slow, or medium typer?

I can still remember the weird looks the entire office gave me when I had to type reports for the first time (instead of code, which generally types slower, due to the many strange characters), and the endless complaining of family members and co-workers of my keyboard being too damn noisy.
I guess that makes me an awkwardly fast typer. The only factors limiting me are non-native languages (English, programming languages) and wrist problems. But then I can keep up to average typing speed with ease. I guess spending most of my teenage years behind of a computer wasn't a complete waste of time. 


:bulletblack: 18. What is the most annoying thing people ask you?

"Can you make me art for free?"
"Can you donate me points?"
"Can you donate me money?"

Eh... do I look like a freaking bank to you? 0__o




:bulletblack: 19. What is the most annoying/offending comment you've ever received?

I've been called so many things that most things on the internet that I couldn't care less for most of them.
Getting told to "go kill myself" because I posted a tutorial was even for me one bridge too far, though.


:bulletblack: 20. What/Who inspires you?

We have a meme for that! :la:

Influence Map by DamaiMikaz


:bulletblack: 21. Do you use guidelines when you draw?

YES!!! SO MUCH!!! 

Loomis, Bridgeman, Hampton... studied them all. They're awesome. Go check them out :D




:bulletblack: 22. Do you associate people on deviantART with their icons?

Yep. I'm terribly guilty of that.
So if you change your avatar, I'll forget you. Now you know XD


:bulletblack: 23. Have you ever suggested a Daily Deviation?

Yep. 
A few even made it to the frontpage, if I recall :)
3D background Tutorial by yuumei GhostBlade - Chapter 0 (Intro) : Heaven Eye by wlop

For those that wonder how to suggest DD's 
suggesting DD's (daily deviations)Edit on Sept 3, 2013: I changed this article a bit after I had a friendly chat with some of the (former) volunteers and senior members of the website. I hope the details help you in making even better submissions :)
Everybody on DeviantArt seems to know about the Daily Deviations, or DD's. The handful of artworks that makes it to the frontpage every day. The artworks that are shown at the bottom of the site all day long, and get loads of exposure. I guess they're the wet dream for many people on DA. 
DD's are usually a reason for discussion. I can't even begin to count the topics on the forums that are about why some deviations are chosen over others, and how the quality of those deviations keep declining year after year. Not many people know, however, that's it's not entirely up to the staff which works are picked. And that we can have our own vote on this. 
:bulletgreen: So I can have an influence



:bulletblack: 24. Everyone has considered leaving dA once or twice. Have you? Why?

I wasn't overly dramatic when it came to leaving DeviantArt. 
But I've had times of inactivity in (between 2008 and 2010) in which I drew so little that it felt like it made no sense to be on an art site.
Nevertheless I was too lazy to remove my account or whatsoever XD 
© 2014 - 2024 DamaiMikaz
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CreativeSoul007's avatar
Cool to know more about you.