DeviantArtist Questionnaire

How long have you been on DeviantArt?
3 years

What does your username mean?
Seracen is a play on the term "Saracen," which was the name given to the Ottoman Turks during the Crusades. Beyond the cultural connections & connotations, I fell in love with the term when I first saw a Robin Hood movie as a kid. They referred to this huge sword as a "Saracen sword," and sometimes people ran in terror at the sight of it, haha! At any rate, I wanted the name as a handle online, but found that I also wanted a unique spelling for it (so that it would rarely, if ever, be taken). I'd had several online monikers I'd gone under, even at the various fan art sites, but "Seracen" is the one I took on board and connected with the most.

Describe yourself in three words.
Passionate, reserved, daydreamer.

Are you left or right handed?
Right.

What was your first deviation?
On this site...Mass Effect 3: Requiem. But as for my first "fan creation," most likely some anime or other videogame related story (which I shall not recall here for the sake of my personal sanity and pride, haha)!

What is your favourite type of art to create?
Literature, and for the longest time that was all. I initially got into this because I refused to say goodbye to my favorite stories, and needed an outlet. Or, I'd refuse to accept a certain rendition of the events, and created another adventure. Sometimes I'd manipulate images and Photoshop funny pictures (oddy enough, most often custom covers for movie and game cases). Only recently have I started in with XPS art (posing 3D models). Initially, even that started off as a simple way to generate covers for my stories, but I've since started to have fun creating wallpapers and such!

If you could instantly master a different art style, what would it be?
Any sort of advanced drawing style. My idol in the comic book world is Jim Lee (both for his skills and personal life), although I also love the art of the Brothers Hildebrandt (which itself recalls to me the work of Boris Vallejo). Barring that, probably some musical instrument (guitar or piano).

What was your first favourite?
I'd lurked around DA for quite a while before actually creating an account, so I'd saved my faves as bookmarks or wallpapers. However, most likely something Persona (SMT) or Mass Effect related, or perhaps even something Shadow Hearts related.

What type of art do you tend to favourite the most?
I enjoy a myriad of different styles, so anything will go into the Collections, haha! I will admit that game related art takes up a bulk of my collections though. However, I am a big fan of fantasy/sci-fi wallpapers as well!

Who is your all-time favourite deviant artist?
I can't possibly answer that! My DA fave and viewing habits are basically cat-behavior: "OOH SHINY!!!"

If you could meet anyone on DeviantArt in person, who would it be?
Honestly, anyone that I follow or friend. Although, I met my surrogate sis through the fandom, and she brought me onto DA. So if any ONE, JackieAlmasy (even though I've met her practically a few times).

How has a fellow deviant impacted your life?
Well, as I said earlier, JackieAlmasy became my surrogate sister. She initially started off as a fan of my writing (I'd been posting at Fanfiction and other fansites). We ended up joining the same writer's groups, where a bunch of us would chat about various topics and share opinions. The rest is history! I'd also have to give thanks to  Nightfable, BarbDBarb, elmjuniper, and a few others, whose work and advice encouraged me to start creating XPS art.  Nightfable, in particular, really took me under her wing, and selflessly gave me some crash courses, despite her own busy schedule! More recently, I've reveled in discussion with some awesome people and artists (Savvid, TheGhostWithNoName).  I'll never be able to thank these people enough, even if it seems (to them) a small thing! Just viewing their work, and corresponding with them, has been inspiring! But overall, it's been an amazing experience to communicate with fellow artists and fans (both here and at other websites), and I've too many to name here. It's been a real community of friends, and family as well!

What are your preferred tools to create art?
XNA/XPS, MS Paint (yes I know, I'm still a n00b, haha), Photoshop (which usurped GIMP), and MS Word (although I'd STILL been using MS Works up to a few years ago). Trying to learn other toolkits (DAZ, 3DS, even the Skyrim Construction Kit). I've probably toyed with and dropped more various modder resources for games than I care to remember (everything from MUGEN to the various Bethesda and Bioware toolkits).

What is the most inspirational place for you to create art?
It all depends on my mood and location. Usually, at my desk, and usually at night. Honestly, anywhere that I can pace in peace, because I will often daydream entire scenarios I am either trying to write or render...props are sometimes involved, haha! I find that it is still the best way to conceptualize a scene sometimes, and hearkens back to when we all played make-believe as children!

What is your favourite DeviantArt memory?
Well, as I said, I've made some amazing friends here, and some have even become like family! Sure, I've come across moments of...let's just say "social awkwardness," but that can happen anywhere. I am generally an outgoing person, and it doesn't take a lot for me to feel compelled to engage in discussion. It's been an amazing overall experience, and I can't really point to any one particular memory, haha!