A: No, it's my pen name. My pseudonym. My alias. My screen name. Whatever you want to call it, it's not my real name. I wanted my pen name to look like a real name, but I will also freely admit that Kira Ani McGrath is not my real name (or freely (but gently) correct, as some people have assumed that it's my real name and I've had to (kindly) set them straight XD).

A: My friends call me Kira, because they know who they're referring to and so do I. But Kira is a bit of a common internet name now (especially with Death Note lovers), so I usually just go by KAM.

A: First off, Kira did not come from Death Note. I was finally made to watch Death Note this past August (2009), however I have obviously been calling myself Kira for a much longer time. As you can see in this deviation, there is hard evidence that I was calling myself Kira before Death Note even came out in Japan (much less the US).

I've actually been calling myself Kira online since I first started using the internet, which was back in the summer of 2001, when my family moved to a place close to the public library. The reason for this was that my use of the internet came with stern warnings from my parents, teachers, and librarians never to use my real name online, lest some internet predator deduce my identity, find my address, and come kidnap me (hey, I was 13, okay?).

But my use of Kira is even older than that. I originally came up with "Kira" in 1999 (the end of fifth grade (age 10) and the start of sixth grade (age 11)). I needed a name for my original character that I was making up for Pokémon (which was brand spankin' new at the time, thank you very much). At first I was thinking about "Kara", because I liked the name. But I wondered what I would get if I changed the vowels. So I played around with the name on the mini chalkboard that hung on the wall beside my bed (yes, I actually remember doing this), going down the list of vowels: "Kara" "Kera" "Kira" "Kora" "Kura" "Kyra". I liked Kira and chose it as the name for my character. When I started getting into other shows (Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!), I used Kira as a first name for my character for those shows as well (but I differentiated them by middle names). Because when you're that young, you pretend/act/feel like you are those characters you make up, I "became" Kira. So when it came time to start using the internet, Kira was the natural choice for a name so that I wasn't using my real one.

"McGrath" was added as my alias last name (what can I say, I wanted a full name) soon after I started using the internet. The first drawing I can find on my computer where I signed my name "Kira McGrath" was dated May 6th, 2002, so I added McGrath on or before that date (although I'm pretty sure it was before). I really don't remember how I came up with McGrath, but I *think* it was the last name of a character on a show I watched at the time (I think it was one of those kid's cartoon but in 3D types of shows). In any case, McGrath was added. When I joined dA in 2003, I was Kira McGrath, hence my dA name. (When I joined back in '03, I'm pretty sure dA didn't distinguish capital letters in user names (I would have tried doing it because I'm anal like that), so that's why my user name is lower case and hyphenated to distinguish the first name from the last name.)

"Ani" came sometime in 2003. The first instance I can find of me signing my name as "Kira Ani McGrath" is dated August 3rd, 2003, but there are also a few drawings with a date after that which are still signed "Kira McGrath". So I was in the process of starting to sign my newly extended name. By September of 2003, I was signing everything "Kira Ani McGrath." I don't remember how I got Ani... I think it was a name I came up off the top of my head back when I would just write down lists of names I thought up for use in future characters, and then when I decided I wanted to add a middle name, I got Ani from going back through such a list.

"KAM" was the natural shortening of "Kira Ani McGrath" (I think I got tired of signing such a long name *LOL*), and the first time I signed a drawing as "KAM" was January 31st, 2004. I've signed my drawings as KAM ever since.

TL;DR- I made it up!

A: If you have to ask this question, you either don't know your way around dA, or you think I'm lying. My age is shown in the info at the top of my main page (underneath my name, where every deviant's age/sex/location is shown if they've made it available), and in the info below my deviantID, also on my main page.

A: What I mean is a bit lengthy to explain. Firstly, I personally do not enjoy anthro art. However, that doesn't mean I hate anthro/"furry" characters. For me to take a character seriously, it all depends on the setting of the character. I don't have a problem with anthros being in a fantasy setting (like all of the fantasy that I don't read but has the possibility for anthro creatures) or an all-anthro setting (like Swat Kats). What I do have a problem with is people who make anthro characters to be in settings where anthros have no business being - basically any fandom or world where the canon dictates that there are only humans in that realm. For example, I've seen drawings of people's "Pokémon trainers" that are anthros - foxes, cats, dogs, you name it. I find it utterly ridiculous. That's like me insisting that I can put a human character into the Swat Kats realm without completely screwing with the canon. It just doesn't work.

A: Indeed, I am a follower of Christ and He is my Lord and Savior. I believe that Jesus, God incarnate, died on a cross, bearing the punishment for my sins, and then rose from the dead three days later, conquering death and giving me and all who believe and open their hearts to Him the gift of eternal life.

You may or may not agree with what I believe, just as I may or may not agree with what you believe. However, my main page, gallery, journals, avatar, signature, etc., are all mine and part of my little nook of dA, so I am free to express my beliefs within them, just as you are free to express your beliefs within your area. I understand and respect that you have the right to choose what to believe, just as I do, and I will not go onto your page and put down your beliefs or trumpet mine. Therefore, I expect the same respect from you when coming onto my page. I am open to honest and polite questions and calm and polite discussions, and though I am no scholar, I will try to answer to the best of my ability.

A: Well, basically, my rule is "This is mine and you have no right to take it or use it." If you would like a more in-depth explanation of my policies, please refer to my "DISCLAIMER/RIGHTS/RULES" journal.

A: Please refer to my "ART SERVICES" journal.

A: Short answer: no. Long answer: I do not "watch back" and I will not watch you because you ask me to. I only people with art that I find interesting. Don't be insulted; what I find "interesting" is very limited (because I am a boring person *lol*). Also, be aware that just because you devwatch someone, that doesn't mean you are their friend, even if dA automatically checks this box. The only people who I have checkboxed as friends are people I know in real life (not that it really matters anyway since I don't show my "friends list" on my main page and I link my best buddies in my journal).

A: Well, I may glance through it, but I think asking someone to do this is a bit rude due to the blatant self-promotion. Now, if you were to say, "Hey, I'm a big Teen Titans fan too, and I've got a bunch of fanart in my gallery if you'd like to check it out," then I would be much more inclined to take a look around your little corner of dA.

A: To be honest, asking me this is going to drop you a point or two in my book. I'm a quiet person who takes a long time to get thoughts from head to paper or type (God forbid speaking), so I don't appreciate you jarring me out of my peaceful dA existence by throwing a question at me that makes me look like a jerk if I say no and makes me stare at a screen for half an hour in order to comply. In short, it's better not to ask, because if you do, I may end up just ignoring you.

A: If you're specifically asking for critique (versus asking for a comment, which implies you want to have something favorable said about your work), you're not going to lose any points (so to speak), but I'm still going to be hesitant. I don't consider myself worthy of critiquing someone else. However, on the other hand, because I'm only a so-so amateur artist, I can see why other artists might see me as more approachable than a better and/or more popular artist. So if you ask for a critique, I may comply or decline depending on how I feel.

Q: You devwatch me but never comment/ my work!

A: Probably because I don't feel like it. I do look at most of the submissions of those that I watch, but a comment and/or from me is actually quite rare. I just prefer quietly taking in the art you've created and then moving on. (This is consistent with my personality, and yes, I do act this way in real life. I observe - listen, watch, study, think upon - everything, but I hardly ever say anything.)

A: First off, I probably don't watch your journals. I only watch the journals of my friends and a few select others. If I do watch your journals, I don't usually comment because I usually have nothing to say. As I said above, "I observe - listen, watch, study, think upon - everything, but I hardly ever say anything."

Q: You ed my work without commenting!

A: If you specifically say in the description of your work to "comment before faving," I will respect this and try to put something together out of the crazy-lightspeed-mess that is my brain. However, if you don't say anything in the artist's comments (and I always read the Artist's Comments), then I'm just going to without commenting. I only leave a comment if my brain is able to put one together. [This is why I detest people who say "COMMENT BEFORE YOU FAV", because that's just forcing people to come up with something in order to respect your wishes, instead of letting them come up with it on their own and take the initiative to tell you something about your work. ¬_¬]

A: What I fav is really none of your concern, but if you insist on complaining, here's my reply: That's because most of the time, for me to something, I have to like the art and the subject. What do I know about this original character? Nothing. What do I know about the characters from my favorite fandoms? A lot. Also, I don't something just because it's art of a character I like - I have to like the style and depiction of the character as well in order to it. Sometimes I will pieces of original characters (or even of characters from fandoms I don't like) because I just like the art that much, but usually if I have no context, then I have no interest. (Yes, I understand that this would also apply to my own art, which is mostly of original characters that only ~tashi-yoshima understands. That's why I am perfectly fine with my most looked-at and ed pieces being my drawing bases.)

A: Like many artists, I've been drawing ever since I could hold something that made marks on paper. *lol* I was always drawing, and loved doing it. In 1999, Pokémon hit the US, and I started shaping my drawings into an anime style (vs, uh, this). I've never taken art classes beyond what was required in elementary and middle school (not that they really taught anything), and I've never had any sort of mentor, so I am self-taught in regards to me finding information and applying it to my art. When I joined dA in 2003, I had a crude anime style that looked like beginner's work - nothing special about it. Joining dA really helped me improve; with all the tutorials, references, and artwork to study, I really started making noticeable strides in my artistic abilities. I've bought a few books over the years that have also been helpful, but I still think dA and all the amazing artists on here helped me the most. I didn't even get many (if any) critiques; I got better simply by studying the resources I obtained and applying what I learned and noticed to my drawings. The last few years I've been swinging my style over to a more western (American) cartoon/comic look, but my style is still (and probably always will be) very simple since I hate drawing super-detailed things. At the moment, I believe I have a rather unique style of drawing, although I can't say recognizable since I'm not any sort of famous. But of course, I've still got many things to work on and I'm still studying away to improve my art.

A: While I'm flattered that you think I'm good enough to do this, I'm just not the teaching/tutorial type. It's difficult for me to explain how I draw, because there really is no "how." Some people start with a stick or bean figure to position their drawing, while I just start from the head and work my way down the body (which is a very bad way to learn, and leads to lots of erasing for me since things can get disproportional). Not to mention that my work is inconsistent and drawing something that I actually like, not to mention something tutorial-worthy, is hit-and-miss.

Here are some links to tutorials/images that I've ed over the years that might be helpful:
Library reference-Humans
Tutorials and Stock
Tutorials
For the Untalented - Face - 1, For the Untalented - Body - 1, and For the Untalented - Body - 2 _{(if you want to see the other parts I haven't linked to, just look through the artist's gallery)}
How To's
TUTORIALS
Torso Tutorial: ZC Style

A: Well, I can only tell you how I improved, and maybe you'll find some usefulness in my methods. For me, it was a lot of observing; I'm good at noticing details. Since I wanted to improve my anatomy, I would make mental notes of things I saw in others' drawings or in real life and then apply them to my drawings. It's a continuous process, noticing something that looks better / is more accurate than what you're currently doing. For me it wasn't so much practice (not like some people who do "warm up drawings" and "draw a sketch/character/pose every day") as it was consistently learning small things and changing my anatomy/drawing process bit by bit.

A: To be honest, asking me this is going to drop you a point or two in my book. I'm a quiet person who takes a long time to get thoughts from head to paper or type (God forbid speaking), so I don't appreciate you jarring me out of my peaceful dA existence by throwing a question at me that makes me look like a jerk if I say no and makes me stare at a screen for half an hour in order to comply. In short, it's better not to ask, because if you do, I may end up just ignoring you.

A: If you're specifically asking for critique (versus asking for a comment, which implies you want to have something favorable said about your work), you're not going to lose any points (so to speak), but I'm still going to be hesitant. I don't consider myself worthy of critiquing someone else. However, on the other hand, because I'm only a so-so amateur artist, I can see why other artists might see me as more approachable than a better and/or more popular artist. So if you ask for a critique, I may comply or decline depending on how I feel.

A: Yes. To read them, click here.

A: Yes, yes, for the love of God, yes! That's why I post these bases online! That's why they're all in the "Stock Images" category!

A: Yes, please and thank you. I want to be credited for my work just as much as most other people do. Whether you're using a base directly or referencing it, it's proper artist etiquette to credit your source.

A: You don't need to show me, but it's not like I'll mind you dropping me a link. I do enjoy seeing what others do with my bases, even if I don't have a chance to comment. So drop me a comment with a link to your piece if you feel like showing me how you've used my base.

A: I originally created my first "drawing base" for character designs. It was a simple stiff pose to be used for drawing out costumes, since I disliked having to draw from scratch every time I wanted to test a new costume idea. The other use I had in mind for them, but rarely ever do, is coloring. I really hate coloring (whether with traditional or digital media), and it's even worse when I draw from scratch but need to color the image (like with reference pictures for my characters). But with a drawing base, the basic form is already available, so I could just slap on a costume and colors to create a color reference or colored piece. Basically what pixel doll bases are for pixel artists, these drawing bases are for "traditional" artists, but they're a bit more versatile.

You can pretty much do anything you want with my drawing bases except claim that you drew them and/or repost them unaltered.

Here are just some ideas of how the bases can be used:
-- Print them out and keep them handy; when you get an idea for a clothing, costume, or character design, quickly draw it using the base before you forget the idea
-- Use them for pose/composition inspiration or reference
-- Turn them into pixel doll bases (but giving me credit for the original image, of course)
-- Download them and use an image editor to draw your character over the base for a less time-consuming image
-- Use multiples of the same base to compare fashion or character designs

A: Yes, but you must give me credit for the original drawing, and you must give me a link. Please refer to my base rules.

A: Yes, but you must give me credit for the original drawing, and you must give me a link. Please refer to my base rules.

A: No, unless you get prior permission from me to do so. Please refer to my base rules.

... a gift? A: Yes. You can use a base directly or as a reference. You must still give me credit.
... the linework for a collaborative art (collab)? A: Yes, you can use a base directly or as reference as long as the colorist approves. You must still give me credit.
... my half of an art trade? A: Yes, you can use a base directly or as reference as long as the other artist in the trade approves. You must still give me credit.
... a contest entry? A: Only if the base is used strictly for reference and is not used directly.
... a commission? A: NO. You may neither reference nor directly use any of my bases for a commissioned artwork.

A: OK? Why it's just fine and dandy! My rules don't say that you can't put two different poses from two different deviations together into one - in fact, it makes your use of my bases even more unique!

A: As long as you are only changing it for your drawing. I don't want edited versions of my blank bases floating around.

A: I have gotten this question A LOT, especially on the variations of my "Ultimate Reference Sheet". In regards to the "Ultimate Reference Sheet", I am going to be working on a male version. As for my other bases, no, I am not going to "redraw" that base and make it male.

A: Well, first, I hope you realize that just chopping the boobs off my bases is not going to make them look male. Men have a different physique (body structure) than women, so if you don't make the proper changes, your male character is just going to look like a flat-chested lady. That being said, you can change the gender of my bases only for your own drawing. What I mean by this is that you cannot make one of my female bases male (or vise-versa) and then post that edited base. You can only change the base's gender when you are using it to draw your own character. Basically, I don't want gender-bended versions of my bases floating around the internet.

A: Honestly, this is the same thing as a request, which I don't do (see my "ART SERVICES" journal). However, since it is a base, I will consider these as suggestions. I may or may not actually draw them. Please go to my "ART SERVICES" journal in order to suggest a base.

A: Yes. To read them, click here.

A: Yes, as long as the work is in my "Coloring Book" gallery folder, and as long as you follow the rules!

A: Yes, please and thank you. I want to be credited for my work just as much as most other people do.

A: You don't need to show me, but it's not like I'll mind you dropping me a link. I do enjoy seeing others color my line work, even if I don't have a chance to comment. So drop me a comment with a link to your piece if you feel like showing me how you've colored my lines.

A: No, unless you get prior permission from me to do so. Please refer to my "Coloring Book" rules.

... a gift? A: NO.
... a collaborative art (collab)? A: NO.
... my half of an art trade? A: NO.
... a commission? A: NO.

A: Probably not. I usually don't go back and rework my art.

A: No, unless you get prior permission from me to do so. Please refer to my "Coloring Book" rules.

A: No. Honestly, this is the same thing as a request, which I don't do (see my "ART SERVICES" journal).