Frequently Asked Questions
Who made your profile picture/PFP?
My profile picture was made by Cele! I commissioned him to draw an icon of Aqua, one of my characters, in his style. The result is adorable, and I recommend that you view his work! A lot of it is centered around the Danganronpa games, but even if you are unfamiliar with the series, his art style is fantastic.
Why do you go by "Arrowarchive?"
Arrowarchive is the name I post my art under. I want to keep my username the same across multiple platforms, but my previous aliases were taken. I changed my alias to Arrowarchive as a result, and I've posted under that name ever since.
What program do you draw with?
I draw with Clip Studio Paint on iOS. I have two years of experience with the PC version, but I switched to the iPad version in June of 2020.
What are your favorite things to draw?
I love drawing characters! I've designed several of them, and about 95% of my drawings are characters I have made. I draw fan art occasionally, but not very often. I sometimes draw fan art, but I rarely share it online.
What kind of art do you draw?
I've worked with several traditional mediums in the past, but my website will exclusively feature digital art, as it is the field I want to pursue.
Do you take commissions?
As of the time of writing (), I do not. I like the idea behind them and they can help the artist make money, but I do not have enough time and I want to refine my skills before considering it. If I consider taking commissions, I will update this page and my terms of service to reflect it.
What programs do you recommend for someone who is new to Digital Art?
I recommend Clip Studio Paint, but it has a learning curve so I'd suggest using the free trial first. I also recommend Paint Tool SAI, Pixlr, FireAlpaca, and Medibang, as I've heard great things about each of them. For iOS/iPad users, I suggest Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, and Tayasui Sketches.
May I repost your art on my account?
NO. you are not allowed to repost my work, even if you say you will give me credit. This is because even with credit, people may still ignore the artist's account in favor of the reposter. I don't mind reblogs, retweets, or a platform's equivalent, however, as they show more support towards artists by linking to the original post with the piece/pieces while appearing in someone else's timeline. It serves as an indicator of what someone likes and what they want other people to see without negatively impacting the amount of attention the artist gets.
May I use one of your drawings as a profile picture/banner?
Of course! As long as you ask me first and credit me in your bio, You can use one of my drawings as a profile picture. If you want to use it as a profile picture for a platform where you can't credit the artist (ex. Discord), then all you need to do is ask me.
May I use one of your drawings as a wallpaper?
Definitely! I doubt that a lot of my drawings will fit the aspect ratios for iPads, computers, phones, etc. but if you can make it work, go ahead! My only request is that if you decide to share what your current wallpapers are on social media (which I have seen people do), please credit me if one of my drawings is your wallpaper.
I have seen your work posted on someone else's account. What should I do?
I hope this doesn't happen, but in the event that my work is reposted on someone else's Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, DeviantArt, etc, please send me a message and provide a link to the account or post. I want to resolve the conflict peacefully, but I will be less forgiving if my work is reposted and my watermark is removed. I've detailed my thoughts on my ToS, which can be read here.
Why GitHub?
I took a class in September of 2020 where I had to make a website using GitHub or WordPress. I chose to work with GitHub, since I enjoyed the program's learning curve. I plan to continue taking those classes, so my website may change a lot over time. If you read my Terms of Service, I will always issue a notice when I'm going to make changes here.
What social media platforms do you have?
All my outlets are listed here
Do you have any advice for artists who want to start posting over social media?
Be yourself! I could write an entire blog post about my experience, but I will keep it short. Here are my main pieces of advice for putting art on social media:
Know the limits of the platform you use. On Instagram, for example, you can only post photos in 1080 x 1080 or in 1080 x 1350. It's unorthodox if you are working digitally, since it means that it will crop your work if your image is above their size limits (and don't get me started on image compression), but if you want to post on Instagram, I'm not stopping you.
Always, ALWAYS watermark your work! I've known artists who have had their work stolen or reposted because it was not watermarked or the watermark was in a place where it could easily be removed. Find a place where the watermark can fit so it is difficult to remove or crop out, but doesn't negatively impact the quality of the piece.
Don't hesitate to participate in art shares/events! These are more common on Bluesky compared to Instagram, but these events can boost smaller artists. Share some of your work, comment on the work of others, and interact with the community. DTIYS (Draw This in your Style) challenges are also fun to participate in, but participate only if you know that you can get the project done.
Are there any art resources you would recommend?
Yes! this applies mostly to character artists, but I frequently refer to Adorkastock when drawing poses. They have references for all genders and body types, and I highly recommend them. I also recommend SketchDaily, as they have pose references in addition to photos of certain parts (ex. hands), a variety of animals, and a small library of plants.
(I will update this question if I find more resources, but if you are struggling to find a certain pose, why not do it yourself? If you have a camera, tripod, and maybe some friends willing to assist you, it could help you get the result you're looking for)
What is your stance on NFTs/Non-Fungible Tokens?
I have an incredibly negative stance on NFTs and cryptocurrency as a whole. I do not condone it and I refuse to support it. With that said, NFT markets are breeding grounds for art theft, so if any artwork I have made is made into an NFT, immediately reach out to me and tell me where it was found. I will issue a takedown/cease and desist on the token, since it violates my terms of service by reproducing the artwork without my consent, but also attempting to claim ownership of my work for the sake of "profit." If the thief also edits the artwork and/or removes my signature, I will be much less forgiving during the takedown process.
What is your stance on AI Art?
I don't consider artwork generated by AI as art of any kind. The best way I can describe it is that it's an amalgamation of preexisting art and digital assets warped and twisted into something supposedly new at the press of a button. In other words, I don't think of it very highly; there is debate online if using AI to generate artwork is considered art theft, and in my humble opinion, it is a form of art theft. Questionable consent is the foundation of my opinion (just look up what's happened with Deviant Art recently), but I understand using AI for two reasons and two reasons ONLY: entering absurd prompts to see what the heck it generates, and using it as a tool for brainstorming ideas.
I accept the first reason because the jokes are written at the AI's expense. For the second option, I am a believer that visual aids contribute to a better artistic result. Using references is a good thing, but sometimes it's hard to find a reference for something specific, and people have had to make what they were looking for themselves, either using Photoshop on a series of images they've saved to make what they were looking for, or cut out pictures from magazines to make their ideal references. At best, it's a reference generator for artists that draw traditionally or digitally. If someone takes an image that AI generates for them, posts it on social media, claims it as their own, and calls it art, I suggest that they grab a pen, pencil, or tablet pen and try drawing what they needed AI to make by hand. It's not as easy as it sounds. Hopefully it will give them newfound respect for artists who put quality over quantity, never gave up despite algorithms working against them, spent hours hunched over a sketchbook/iPad/art tablet because of how passionate they were for their craft, and lost sleep bringing their art to life. The passion and dedication of artists is what gives artistry heart and soul, something that an artificial intelligence can never achieve, only feigning and impersonating what real artists can do because that's what it was programmed to do.