I haven't been around DeviantArt so much lately due to a hectic life etc, but I checked in yesterday only to find that one of my drawings had been awarded a DD (Daily Deviation) for this drawing.



To say I was gob smacked is an understatement. In fact I had to check, check and check again to make sure that I hadn't misread it completely. I have to say that in all my time here at DeviantArt, one thing I thought I'd never get was a DD. When I first joined DA I thought to myself that I'd love a DD someday but never, ever actually expected to ever get one. Getting this DD is actually one of my proudest achievements as an artist so far, mainly because of how hard it is to get a DD based on the high quality of work from so many other artists and the sheer number of artists here at DA which makes the odds of getting a DD very slim indeed.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone that's ever viewed my artwork, provided feedback and critiques and for generally being very supportive. I also want to thank those that inspire me (too many to mention) and make me want to produce better and better drawings. Without their inspirations and support I would have given up a long time ago. My drawing style has evolved a lot in the last 3 - 4 years. I used to think that my drawings from years ago were pretty good.............until I joined DA and saw just what some people were producing with a simple pencil. Initially I thought that I would never be able to do that myself, but with a little hard work and determination I learned to draw differently and now produce good quality drawings that I'm very proud of.

I'm sorry for not responding to a lot of the comments that I get on my drawings but rest assured that I appreciate each and every one, although I have noticed since getting this DD that a minority of people are 'hating' on my drawing but I guess that's to be expected. In fact I have no problem with anyone that dislikes any of my artwork as they are completely entitled to their opinion. What does bother me though is when people simply 'hate' for hating sake. They don't give any feedback as to what they dislike which just a bit lame on their part really.

I've also noticed a couple of people suggesting that this drawing isn't actually a drawing but rather some kind of photoshopped image that I've made to look like a drawing. These kind of opinions are also to be expected but I actually take these comments as a bit of compliment. If I can produce drawings that are as close and accurate as I can humanly produce with a pencil so that someone thinks it's not a drawing, or is a photograph or is a photoshopped image then I've done my job well as far as I'm concerned. After all, my style is Photorealism. I do generally upload WIP's in order to show my drawing process and to further show that what I do is a painstaking and often very long process for me to get my drawings as photorealistic as possible, but also I hope that they show the doubters that all my work is hand produced using just pencils, an eraser and a grid to get proportions as close to perfect as possible.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone.

Cheers,

Dez