Stoic Canadian princess ,Sally Choi, is a personal friend whom I have kept through most of my adolescence. Sally is a 19 year old Taurus (being a Virgo, her and I are very compatible) with a great sense of humor and an awful pun problem. She will not partake in mango or mango-flavored treats telling me once that they could “man-GO away”- but she does favor gamjatang, which I was inclined to believe she made up until further inspection revealing it to be a spicy pork-bone based soup of Korean origin. The impressive Sally is also currently in her second year of college in an honors Psychology program with a sociology minor. All jokes aside, this little lady has been a great companion and inspiration for me through a pretty large portion of my own menial lifespan. I would love to elaborate on her art’s general aesthetically pleasant magnificence. And so our story begins…

Joley: Hello there, little Sally, when did you start creating art generally? And when did it become more serious?

Sally: As far as I remember, I’ve started drawing since I was very little. I’m not really sure how old, but I know that the first drawing I ever did was of a rather misshapen rose, in all its crayon glory. I probably started to take myself seriously as an “artist” around 1st grade; I remember specifically doing a school assignment where I gauged my improvement from one point in time to another (though at this time, I copied a lot of anime drawings. I do not encourage this behavior, especially if you are more than 12 years old).

I know you’re currently enrolled in a psychology program but there is no harm is asking- If you’ve spent such a large portion of your life so seriously enthralled in increasing your abilities, do you ever plan to make a career out of them?

I honestly am not sure what I’m striving for in life, much like anyone else I suppose. I would love to make a career out of art, but I’ve grown up being constantly told that art as a profession was difficult to pursue, and art school was too expensive of an option for me. However, I still have hopes that one day I might be able to do some freelancing, since I don’t really see myself going to grad school at this point in time.

And I hope life complies to your wishes; but, what is your biggest inspiration?? More plainly stated- what exactly do you model your art after? I notice most of your pieces are character-oriented, how do you come up with character designs?

I know this is a pretty cliché answer, but my biggest inspiration is my friends, many of whom are artists themselves (including writer/author extraordinaire Joley Odom). Just about everything I take in influences my style in some way, from animation and comics to bright graphic shapes and photographs. I’m usually inspired to design characters after being exposed to something exciting to me, which includes games, animation, stories, or even just theoretical concepts. I might pull up a lot of references of historical or cultural clothing, and just generally try to pair different combinations of features, shapes, and colours that look appealing together. Generally, the more diverse sources of media you experience, the more likely you can come up with something convincing and interesting.

Aw, ok, I am blushing now you big cheese. Are there any cheeses that are strictly Canadian? Enlighten me.

Cheese curds? Poutine? I don’t know.

And so your species has been identified. Finally. Back to the hard hitting question- Can you elaborate on your artistic process??? How do you even begin on a blank canvas? What mediums are you most comfortable with? 

I usually start with very vague guidelines to get an idea of the composition and pose. I then sketch over that, usually changing things in the process and following my guidelines very little. At this early stage, I try to make sure the pose is dynamic and fits into the space, and may plan out perspective if the picture calls for it. I might refine that sketch and then go ahead to colouring. Since I work lineless, I rarely do lineart for a full-colour picture. I find it better to plan out all the general colours and lighting before spending a lot of detail on one spot. I am most comfortable with digital media. I enjoy working with watercolours most when it comes to traditional media.

What exactly do you mean by “digital media”? For the lesser technologically savvy readers-

I use Paint Tool SAI and Adobe Photoshop CS5, as well as a Bamboo Fun tablet.

Okay! Thank you for your time and patience young soldier. One last question for the night: As a Canadian, and this is important- Do you know who Micheal Jackson is?

The king of soda

You are so right.

Do I win? Is the price right?

The price is so right.