Hey, all! Remember how I said I'd do a gigantic feature journal to celebrate my subscription and dA in general? Well, here we are Now, I watch a ton of people, some more than others. If you don't see your art on here and would like me to feature you, please let me know. :3 That being said, on with the show!

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TThealer

The lovely deviant responsible for my current deviant state. ^_^ TThealer's dedicated his life to photography, and it really shows in everything he submits. He mainly does nature or macro photography, but there have been some exceptions spotted here and there throughout his gallery. Every picture seems to capture the essence of nature itself, however he choose to portray it. His journals are always worth a read, as well. Highly recommend a visit!



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SenshiStock

"In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" Those words live on in our hearts from when we were 8 and watched Sailor Moon every week religiously. (Well, some of us did ) And in the name of the moon, I declare SenshiStock to have the best stock gallery I've seen to date. All her poses are immensely useful. I've used them several times for drawings of my own. She's got everything here: males, females, couples, drama, normal life, and a little bit of perspective. The poses can range from mundane, to dynamic, to the just plain silly. I cannot recommend her stuff enough!
PS: She's holding a contest. Go check it out!



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Hadarniel

Fractals? Check. Flare? Check. Eye-popping colours, crazy combinations, and more sparkles than a Christmas tree? Check. Hadarniel's a man with a plan, and that plan is fun. As you can see, most of his deviations are fractals. In his gallery, you'll find his entire artistic evolution with that medium. From when he started with his Rainbow Blossoms, all the way to his somewhat haunting image entitled The Earth Feels. Since I know this deviant pretty well, I can understand some of the thought processes that went into his works. Though a vast majority of them are happy and bright, some of them feel darker, more cathartic. Though he hasn't been online recently, I do strongly recommend you seek out his gallery. It's a real treat to behold



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RockmanNeo12

Now, Rockman here doesn't really adhere to the normal ways of using a dA profile. Most of us will post our art, write about it, and generally keep our secret identities a secret. He's not a man of the pencil or pen, nor of paint or collage. Instead, he shows us his life in his gallery and his journals. Me? I find this endlessly fascinating. They're like little windows into his life as he sees it. Pictures can say 1,000 words, and every one of his photos has a story to tell. Speaking of stories, his journals are the first things I saw. They're very insightful, very interesting, and very awesome. Some recount the latest funny/strange event, while others offer a deeper look into various things. To be honest, if you want to know more, you'll have to see him for yourself. Rockman's not afraid to go out and say, "hey, this is me." And to that, my friend, I salute you! ^_^



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There are so many 's in my collection, I can't possibly put them all up! Instead, I shall pick randomly. Enjoy!



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Comments, feedback, requests for features, etc. etc.!

-Siraea, signing off :3

EDIT: Oh my god. So, here just gave me a 3-month subscription. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Seriously unexpected! Y'know what I'll do with it? Shameless Deviant promotion! Look forward to that tomorrow!

So, I've heard that October is "Self-promotion month" from my fellow watcher TThealer, so here we go! Let's put those sales skills to work and go to town!

PS: It's rather late at my end, so please forgive me if my answers aren't quite as constructive as they could be.
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QUESTIONNAIRE!

1. Who are you?
I'm a young 20-something from 3 corners of the British Empire. I've been drawing for almost as long as I can remember. It's my talent, my style, my gift, and hopefully, my future.

2. What is your artistic passion?
I honestly don't know how to answer this. My passion is my inspiration. Likewise, my inspiration is my motivation. All of these mostly stem from my life experiences, both good and bad. They're fuelled by my imagination, which is pretty active. I'll explain more in question 4. Also, sometimes, people I know will become my "muses," of sorts. This is rather apparent in my deviations.

3. Why did you get into art?
Why? Well, I picked up a pencil when I was 3, without really realizing what I was doing. I used to draw all the time in preschool, cuz I found it fun. As I got a bit older, I started drawing more and more. I suppose I've always been into art. I know I wanted to make it my career when I was 8 or 9 years old.

4. How do you inspire yourself
On all occasions, I'll listen to music and, basically, zone out. Let my mind wander, and see what it comes up with. Sometimes, I'll get a good idea from that. In periods where motivation seems scarce, I'll think about what I like to draw the most. See what I could stand repeating, and where I could push my limits and see how to expand my horizons. For example, I used to stick with pencils alot. Nowadays, I usually turn to markers for colouring my images. I'm more into traditional media than digital. To that end, I want to explore (and practice with) as many different types of media as I can. So far, I've had experience with quite a few, but I have my (obvious) preferences. I need to do much more practice in digital painting. When I get a new PC and dig out my tablet, you can look forward to Photoshop pieces in the future!

5. Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years.
Well, let's see... I'd be 25 by then. (Old?!) Ideally, I'd like to have an art career by then (illustration or graphic design, preferably). I'd also love to be living independently, and being able to pay the bills, food, and rent with some cash to spare at the end of the day! Being with someone's on the list, as well, but... we'll see. Travelling is also in there somewhere. Actually, I think that's also something that inspires me, though I've yet to completely prove this theory.

Apparently, a feature is also in order. But since I don't have a subscription, it's gonna be a bit untidy. (I am perfectly okay without one, so no need to worry about subtle begging .) Please click on the links if you wish to see the works! Picking my favourites (both technically and sentimentally) from oldest to newest, so you can get a sense of how I've improved.
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FEATURE!

Jake Gyllenhaal - [link]
Also affectionately called "Brokeback Darko." This is one of my earlier portraits I drew in August 2004 for one of my best friends. Just after we watched Donnie Darko for the first time, I got the sudden inspiration to draw the leading man. I used a magazine clipping as reference, and it took me several hours over the course of an evening and a morning. Though it's unfinished, I quite love the attention to detail I used. This was at a time when I drew to my heart's content, without really questioning or scrutinizing my work too much. (I put it down to childlike innocence. This is not a bad thing.) The rough sparseness of the shading gives more emphasis on the face, which is the most expressive part, aside from the posture. I really should look at this again for ideas when I draw portraits in the future.

The Second of May - [link]
The first piece I ever submitted to DeviantART. This was drawn on May 2nd, 2005, as the title suggests. Back then, I was very taken with anime of practically any form. Naturally, my style began from it. Technically, it doesn't have that much to offer, in terms of unique breakthroughs or looks. But the context has a great deal of meaning for me. The story's too long to fully explain here. In short, this was my grade 10 year summed up on a piece of paper. You still make me laugh, and you always will.

Siraea Truesomo - [link]
She is my avatar, my character, my "other self," per se. She grew out of the name I gave myself when I created this account over 2 years ago. This particular piece is my very first drawing of her, done in April 2007. Since her initial creation, her looks have changed as I've grown up. If I got short hair, so did she. If my taste in fashion changed, so did her costume. She's gone through quite the evolutionary process. Unfortunately, I never though to properly document it. But she does appear a few times throughout my gallery. I drew this without any reference pictures in the middle of the night. So this is quite an achievement for me, both technically and otherwise. Details are my best friend, now and forever.

Portrait of a Friend - [link]
After years and years of trying, I finally did it. I drew a portrait of my "brother." This was done in June 2008, during an Illustration/Design summer course at my college. I took 25 hours out of my spare time, applied the "grid method" of portraiture, and feel immensely proud of the result! It's so rewarding and satisfying to have a piece come out so beautifully after so much effort, especially if past attempts have failed miserably. D: I learned so much since I started doing portraits back in '04. However, I know I have to practice much, much further to get to any level of true mastery.

Three-in-one Feature!

Rock the World, Man [link] ; Coloured Clock Strikes 12 [link] ; Clockwork Hearts [link]
Even though these are 3 different works, they are connected by a central theme very important to me, created by my muse. "Rock the World" was drawn in February 2009 as an early birthday gift to my best friend and man. He requested the male character, but the female character was of my design. In fact, she is the most recent incarnation of Siraea herself. Pixie short hair, mechanical wings, and steampunkish attire are her current traits. Though it feels sort of bland, technically, it has alot of sentiment to it, like The Second of May.

Coloured Clock Strikes 12 was a piece created through many a long hour, with many marker stains on my hands to show for it. I'm sure the real clock struck 12 at least twice while making this work! This was drawn in mid-June, 2009. Though it did show up a little bit in Rock the World, Coloured Clock really introduces the theme of time and clockwork into the series. I honestly don't know how or why this concept came to be, but it seems to fit with my muse. Things from the Victorian era feel very mysterious and romantic. Items, such as pocket watches, are rare commodities these days. I personally find Steampunk to be fascinating. What if such technology really had been invented in the Victorian era? What if it had worked? How would the world have changed? Another thing I pride myself on is my tendency to not only exploit details, but also symbolism. I don't think I've done another piece to date with so many little messages hidden in penstrokes and colours.

Clockwork Hearts is, essentially, a continuation of Rock the World. Drawn in late September, 2009, it's an early gift to my muse for, well, being my muse. Among many other things, he's always proved to me a constant inspiration to me, in art and life. I took Rock the World's elements and composition as the basis for this piece. What I drew in the former work, I sought to improve dramatically in the latter. I put much more attention and thought into the creation of the male character's costume and face. The female character looks much the same, with some (moderate) costuming changes. Though it's hard to see, if you look closely, you'll spot little clocks on each character's chest. That's the exact same timepiece from Coloured Clock. The thought came to me a little while after finishing Coloured Clock. Even though I couldn't use the piece for its intended purpose, I wanted to have the clock make a comeback somehow. It's become an important symbol of sorts for me, so guaranteed, you shall see it again.
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If you'd like to see the rest of my works, please take a look at my gallery! If you've read all the way down to here, I salute you and give you a free cookie It really means alot to me that you would take the time to read all of this, rather than simply skimming through to see how long this is. I've been taking art seriously since I was a child, and have filled many sketchbooks during my teenage/young adult years. Even though I might scowl at my drawings from 5, 6, 7 years ago, they were crucial to how I evolved (artistically and mentally) to where I am now. Even though I don't entirely realize it, art has become the thing I am best at. It is my talent, as I said at the beginning. Perhaps I was born to do this? Maybe I was saved so I would, one day, drag an orange pencil over a piece of A4 paper on the main staircase, marveling at the line it made. When I am stressed or upset, art ideas instinctively take over, to prevent myself from feeling too much pressure. When I listen to music, fantasies fill my head so often, and I feel I *must* record them somehow.

When you clear away all superfluities, all the extra thoughts crammed into your head by daily life, everything else you deal with... Art is as an integral part of me as my family is. As love is. As breathing is. A pencil or a pen can feel like an extension of my hand at times, and I can think of absolutely nothing else. Those who mean the most to me prove to be the best muses I could ask for, without even trying. Simply by existing, by conversing and learning little things about them. Their personalities and traits, their hopes and fears, things we have in common, they all become a little universe on their own. I use that to fuel my imagination. In the end, everything comes down to Art. Art keeps me alive. That's probably why I got into it.

Now, I'd like to hear from all of you! Questions? Comments? Stories? Flames? (Constructive criticism is welcome!)
Til then, this is Siraea, signing off. Have a good night!

...so here's a name game for you.

1. YOUR REAL NAME: Sara

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (1st 3 letters of ur first name +izzle) Sarizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (ur fav color color & fav animal) Purple Cat

4. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (1st 3 letters of ur last name & 1st 2 of ur first name) Morsa

5. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (ur 2nd fav color & fav drink) Green Coffee

6. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (both parents middle names) Tracy N/A

7. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black +pet's name) Black Lisa

8. YOUR NINJA NAME: (1st 2 letters of ur name +ruto) Saruto (oh god )

9. YOUR PIRATE NAME: (ur middle name after Captain) Captain Louise

Just busy, and afflicted with the horrible yearly art block that never fails to come around every September. Every time I almost get inspiration/motivation to do anything, it leaves. >.< Guh. It's fun, suure! I'll get over it, though, no worries.

Apart from that, everything's cool. Sup with y'all in the deviantUniverse?

-Siraea

Taken from because it's fun. I love these things. Hope you have fun, too!

"YOU WATCH ME. I want to know 28 things about you. I don't care if we've never talked, never really clicked, or if we already know everything about each other. Let me know with whom I'm friends with!"

1. Your Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favourite Film:
5. Favourite Song or Album:
6. Favourite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. Do we know each other outside of dA?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favourite memory of us?
14. What is your favourite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarkey) - what are they?
17. Can we get together and make a cake?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your big weakness?
20. Do you think I'm a good person?
21. What was your best/favourite subject at school?
22. Describe your accent:
23. If you could change anything about me, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Trousers or skirts?
26. Cigarettes or alcohol?
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?
28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?