What inspired you to take up graphics and begin playing around in photoshop?
To be totally honest, it was sheer boredom. I had moved in with a friend and she had a computer, and before that I had never had a computer before or seen graphic art. She had Adobe Photoshop 6.0 I believe and used it for small things here and there but didn't really know how to use it. I was interested in playing around in it and she showed me how to place one layer over another and fade one because that's all she really knew how to do. So, I started tinkering around, doing small things at first and then more and more. I didn't actually read my first photoshop tutorial until a couple years ago, which is really hilarious to me because I learned how to do everything by basically trial and error.

What drives you as an artist?
I started drawing and painting at a very young age, so I was constantly doing some type of art. I had ideas left and right and still do. I'll be watching a movie or an episode, or listening to a song and suddenly have tons of inspiration. I am always trying to learn how to outshine myself. My fiercest competition would have to be the pieces I have already made. I try to stay away from falling into a pattern on every piece. The thing that drives me most though is my own life. The majority of pieces I've made are in reference to something that was happening in my life at the time. Some of my most personal pieces were my "I Can't Believe You're Breaking Up With Me" Bangel piece, my "There's a Hole in the World" Spike piece, my "Don't you Love Me?" Willow/Oz piece, My "But You Never Need Anything" Veronica/Logan piece, and my "This is When I Quit" Weight of the World piece. Those are only some of the pieces that are extremely personal and were made as therapy.

After having been around for some years now, do you feel like you still have much to learn?
DEFINITELY. There are artists that I am just IN AWE of. And like I said, I only read my first tutorials a couple years ago, so it's really been in the last few years that my art grew in leaps and bounds. I made my first art pieces in 2001, and it's only been since 2005 that I feel I've made the most progress.

What are your fanart addictions?
Well, let's see. I have a severe addiction to Line's textures currently, and have recently taken to smart blur. I have ALWAYS been addicted to Paint Daubs! I friggin LOVE me some paint daubs. OH! Another one most people overlook but I use on almost every piece is Diffuse Glow, it's something that has to be used in a very certain way though and is really easy to overdo. I'm also completely addicted to a few fonts: Garamond, Futurist, Arial Black, Porcelain, and a few others. I'm also in love with the "Mix and Match" gradient set from Daydreaming. As far as things I like to art, I do lots of Spuffy pieces

How does it feel to be a veteran and being an established artist who inspires others to do art?
It's kinda strange. I spent so long being somewhat of an underdog with the potential to be a good artist. I didn't realize for a long time that I had become what was considered a veteran. I didn't even realize I had become so much better at my art until I started looking at some of my old pieces. I was a bit taken aback by my own progress. I also get noticed much more by artists I've always looked to and respected which is an honor in itself. Inspiring others to do art is just awesome, the fact that someone might look to things I've learned to learn for themselves is really, really flattering.

When you disappeared online a few years back, what made you come back?
I was having a ton of life issues and things were pretty terrible all around. I didn't have the motivation to make art or any inspiration and was so wrapped up in craziness I didn't even try. I came back because I got away from the people and things that were making me miserable and got my life, myself, and my inspiration back on track. I had to re-learn who I was and what the things I really loved to do were, and art was high on that list, so here I am!

Who are you inspirations today?
I'm always inspired by Beth at Obsession of the Moment, because she's actually been an affiliate of mine for years and years I've watched her progress so much. Her gritty boxy style has inspired several of my own pieces. I have also always been very inspired by Zankai at Under Rug Swept, but she actually stopped making art a couple of years back, and took down her site. She had some of the best art I've ever seen and may ever see again. It's terrible that a lot of current artists never got to see what amazing vision she had. My current inspirations include Jessika at Weapon for her help, friendship, and awesome style over the years, Nikki at Misplaced Moments' coloring, Zugma at Ugly Business' placement, Jenni Lou at Daydreaming's promo pieces, Sayjay at Radiance's awesome use of gradients, Bre at Infinite Illusions brushwork, Natalie at Divined Weakness's layouts, and last but not least your use of grunges and burn tool.

What will happen next for you as an artist?
Wow, I'm not even sure. I've learned a lot recently regarding gradient maps and placement. I really would like to start arting some more shows and movies, it's just hard to move away from Buffy and Angel because they are my first love. I hope to move onto doing some promotional art because I tend to stay away from it. I just love using caps and doing scenes, but I have liked the couple of recent promo art pieces I've done, so we'll see where I can go with that.

Why Buffy and Angel?
When I was a kid, I went to see a movie called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At the time, I was really into the new Dark Shadows series, and vampires so I was pretty psyched. I loved the movie (as campy as it is, I still love it) and when the VHS came out my mom bought it for me and I watched it repeatedly like everyone does with their favorite movies as a kid. So, one day when I was in 7th grade, at lunch a friend of mine showed me an ad for the Buffy television series, and I flipped out. I began watching it right away, and was hooked and have been ever since. So really Buffy has been a part of my life since 1992 when the movie came out, and that's been 15 years now, so over half of my life I have been in love with a blonde girl with super powers.

Which shows do your prefer working with today?
I went through a period where I made no Buffy or Angel pieces and made a lot of movie pieces, then I went through a Firefly phase, and a Veronica Mars period. I've actually come back to Buffy and Angel over the last few months just because I've been rewatching the shows and they are really what made me do art in the first place. I want to start arting more Heroes, some more Lost, and want to make some Supernatural pieces because I've been enjoying that show recently.

Textures or brushes?
Textures, I used to use wayyyyy too many brushes. I went brush crazy for a while, but now I use textures for coloring, filling backgrounds, and for overall texture period. I use brushes mainly on text areas and icons now, but textures for the overall piece. They really can make or break the entire thing, but I try not to completely rely on them.

How did you come up with your unique text style?
I actually discovered how to turn text backwards and upside-down on accident. I was trying to move the text and was in a rush and randomly turned it completly around. At first, I thought ACK!! And then realized I really liked it, and have been doing it ever since. Some of my older pieces have plain text and while that's fine for some people, I want my text to always add to the piece and be a work of art in intself. Sometimes, I'll take the same line of dialogue or song lyric and replicate it five or six times in different sizes and fonts. I like doing pieces where you sometimes don't even notice some of the text at first until you look closely at the entire thing.

What do you think makes your art stand out among others?
I'm not entirely sure, but the things I've been told many times are that my art is very personal. I have a tendency to capture emotion in a way that is somewhat difficult to get across in art. Often while making a piece, I'll ask someone if it makes them depressed, or happy, and if they say yes, I know I've accomplished something. I'm not afraid to use songs outside the typical spectrum of music used, and I don't shy away from cursing or nudity in my art. I can be somewhat morbid, or strange, touching on subjects that a lot of people might avoid arting. I use text far more than most people, and I try to keep making it more and more interesting to look at.

Have you gotten any "real" education in graphics and HTML/PHP/CSS?
Hahahaha, actually in high school I took a graphic arts course and a webdesign course and failed both becuse I put forth very little effort. I was told by both teachers I would never learn to do either and at the time, I didn't have a ton of interest in either so I didn't really care. The funny thing is, that the courses were so incredibly basic that I could teach both classes now, so hah in your face teachers. Beyond that, no I have no formal graphics or webdesign education. I'm proud to be self-taught.

What tips do you have for new artists just starting out?
Don't compare yourself to veteran artists. It's discouraging and unrealistic. They've been doing art for a long time and have taken the time to learn, you can do the same. It will get easier for you, just keep going. Don't expect to be this fantastic artist right off the bat and most importantly, BE YOURSELF. Don't steal from others trying to be a better artist than you might start out to be. READ TUTORIALS. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to read these things. Take criticism to heart. If someone tells you that they think you should try something, try it. Don't take it personally, they are only trying to help. I wish more people would have given me feedback when I started but I didn't really know any other artists back then.

What kind of impact has working with fanarts made on your life?
As I've previously mentioned, art has become an amazing therapy for me. It channels a lot of what I'm feeling and what I'm going through at a particular time. Even though I don't always come right out and say it, it has saved me from a lot of heartache. I've also made some really great friends from all over the world that I never would have made otherwise. Many of them I have become friends with outside of art, and has gone over onto Myspace, Livejournal, AIM, and some I talk to on the phone.

Icons or Wallpapers - if you had to choose to do one or the other for the rest of your life, which would it be and why?
Oh, wallpapers for sure. I started out making wallpapers, I love making wallpapers, I don't even make smaller blends ever. I love the size, I love the room to create, I love that people (including myself) can make it their desktop wallpaper. I've never been a master icon maker, but I have gotten better over the years. I become inspired to make a particular icon occasionally but my real love lies in wallpapers.

Who/What pushes you to go the extra mile with your art?
Other artists. Myself. My own progression. Encouragement from others letting me know that I've come so far. Inspiration from life experiences. Sometimes something as small as a brush set or a texture by someone can inspire me to do a really nice piece of art and so really, other artists keep me motivated to keep learning, keep going, and to make the best art I possibly can.

Where does the name "Reflection" come from?
It's the title of a favorite song of mine. At the time I first started making art, things were a little bleak and I was having a struggle with hard times and feeling pretty down. I loved a song this song by a group named Twiztid, and some of the lyrics are "Look in the mirror, tell me do you see clearly? They have it shattered and cracked, it's so crazy, My minds stuck inside a cycle of depression, The reflection." I loved the song and I loved the word reflection, and so when I began making my artfolio, I named it that. I wasn't sure if I would stick with it, when I opened my domain 3 years ago, but by that time, the word had a new meaning for me. It meant less about my own reflection in the mirror, and more about my reflection on the past and on how far I had come from that time. So, like everything else associated with my art, it's something personal and close to my heart.


I asked Amber to choose three wallpapers to be featured with this interview and below you'll find them together with an explanation as to why she chose them.

	Coloring This is more of a standard blend piece but I have always liked the subtle greens and purples of the coloring. sometimes the best coloring isn't so in your face and is just nice to look at.
	Text Style Even though this one is very recent, I spent days on the text and it is my favorite text I've ever done. It makes me proud to look at this piece and see that it came out exactly as I had envisioned
	Placement I worked on this piece for a couple of days, a little each day and wasn't entirely sure where I was going with it, until I sat back and looked at it. I love how it came together, and it's always been a favorite.

MONTH AND YEAR	WINNER AND SITE	INTERVIEW
CURRENT 2009	ARTIST AND SITE	Read the Interview
February 2008	Nikki @ Misplaced Moments	Read the Interview
December 2007	Bre @ Infinite Illusion	Read the Interview
October 2007	Amber @ Reflection	Read the Interview
September 2007	Jenni Lou @ Daydreaming
June 2007	J.J @ More Adventurous
November 2005	Slayer @ Slayerverse
September 2005	Ehlwyen @ Quicksand

Be kind Rewind