I get a lot of the same questions every day. Instead of trying to answer all of these questions individually, I have decided to compile them all into this one big FAQ list. If you have other questions (that aren’t tutorial requests) you think would be good to add here, let me know!
QUESTIONS ABOUT ME
Where are you from?
I was born in the Philippines, grew up in Canada, lived in the United States, and now I work in Thailand. I don’t really consider myself as a person from one country.
Are you Filipino?
Ethnically, yes. Mabuhay!
Who’s your favorite superhero?
From Marvel, I like the Thing. From DC, I like Nightwing.
Marvel or DC?
This is not one of my favorite questions and I have explained why in this video.
What’s your phone number?
Believe it or not, I get this quite often. Sorry, but I don’t share private information like this to my audience because I like to keep my personal life separate and private.
QUESTIONS ABOUT ART
When did you get started drawing?
I didn’t have an official start date. I’ve been drawing since I was a kid.
Did you go to art school?
No, I did not go to art school. Most of what I learned is self-taught and developed through trial and error. I read a lot of books and practiced a lot.
What tools do you use?
For my drawing tools, click here. For the equipment to make my videos, click here. And for my office equipment, click here.
Can you give me tips?
My basic tip: Get a simple sketchbook, a good pencil (I like 2B), a good eraser (I use a kneaded eraser), and practice everyday.
I’ll make a video some time about what it takes to become a better artist.
Who are your artist inspirations?
Tons! Jim Lee, Greg Capullo, Marc Silvestri, Joe Madureira, Art Adams, Skottie Young, Olivier Coipel, Leinil Yu, Neal Adams, Frank Cho, and Steve McNiven to name a few comic artists.
On YouTube, I like Jake Parker, Mark Crilley, Heather Rooney, Proko, LethalChris, Kesh, Will Terrell, and so many more.
QUESTIONS ABOUT MY TUTORIAL VIDEOS
Can you draw this character from so-and-so show/movie/comic/game?
I have a comprehensive method of choosing my drawing tutorials. I will make a separate post about this soon.
How do you choose which characters to draw?
For the most part, I choose characters that are trending, current, and popular. It’s called trend-surfing — releasing content based on current hot topics or trends. Often I choose from movies/TV shows/games/comics that are set to be released in the immediate future. I get my cues from companies that are doing promotional marketing aggressively, which is usually just days before release dates.
Can you draw this character from the trailer?
I don’t usually draw from trailers for a number of reasons: 1) Trailers can be misleading (remember how misleading the trailers were for Infinity War?); 2) The character designs aren’t 100% finalized in trailers; 3) I wait till the movie comes out because that’s when the characters and the movie are at their most popular.
Why don’t you draw full-body?
When I make videos I always take into consideration how long the video will be. Viewers generally don’t like super long videos, so I try to make my videos as short as possible. The more details a character has on his/her costume, the longer it takes to draw. If the costume is relatively simple, I am able to draw more of the body. If the costume is complex, I draw less of the body. In the cases of extreme detailing on the costume, like Bumblebee for example, I end up only doing the head. Watch this video for more details.
Why don’t you color?
Coloring a drawing takes as long as me penciling and inking it. So essentially, if I started coloring all my drawings I am doubling the time it takes to make a video. The more time it takes to do a video, the fewer videos get made per week.
Why don’t you shade?
When I first started doing tutorials, I learned that people wanted the drawings to be as simple as possible. Therefore I keep my lines clean and simple, and that means little to no shading. Also, shading adds an extra 15-30 minutes to a video. Since my videos are already really long, you can probably imagine how that’s a problem.
Why doesn’t the drawing look like the actor/actress?
The goal is to draw a likeness of the character, not the actor or actress who plays him/her. Don’t be disappointed if your drawing doesn’t look anything like the actor’s/actress’ face. If the drawing looks like the character, then you’ve succeeded.
Also, because the camera is rolling, I can’t stop to fix mistakes. It’s kind of hard to nail an actor/actress’s face in just one shot.
Why don’t you make tutorials on real people?
It’s just something I decided for my channel early on. I limited myself to just fictional characters and sports logos because I have to draw the line somewhere (pun not intended). When people see my channel I want them to have a pretty good idea of what I draw and don’t draw. So hopefully when you visit my channel, you know what to expect — fictional characters from nerdy movies, TV shows, comics, and video games. And sports logos, because I like sports.
What’s your next drawing?
I don’t tell! Where’s the fun in that? You’ll have to wait just like everyone else. Sorry!
Why do you go so fast?
We all draw at different speeds, so it’s impossible for me to find a speed that will work for every single viewer. I draw at my own pace and I just ask you to pause or slow down the video if you need to catch up.
QUESTIONS ABOUT MY CHANNEL
Why don’t you respond to my request?
I get hundreds of drawing requests a day in all of my social media, and it would be time consuming for me to address them all. Please watch this video for more details.
Do you do giveaways?
I used to, back when I lived in the US and postage was a lot cheaper. But now that I live internationally, sending packages has become way, way more expensive. So short answer: No because it costs too much.
What happened to your projects?
Some projects had to be set aside and put temporarily on hold because I stopped doing YouTube full-time. This includes the Pokemon Drawing Project, Anime Thursdays, Nerdcrafting, and Art Challenges. This also explains why my Sports Logo Tutorials project is going very slowly.
Ever since the Adpocalypse, YouTube isn’t as lucrative as it used to be, so I have had to find other means to make income. Unfortunately, working part-time means I make fewer videos. I simply don’t have the time to keep continuing all of these projects. Rest assured, they’re not permanently gone.
Watch this video where I explain more about why Anime Thursdays is on hold.
Can you make more videos per week?
I wish I could, but YouTube doesn’t pay as much as I wish it did. Because of that, I work at another job and therefore don’t do YouTube full-time.
Where can I show you my drawings?
You can post your art in the Google+ or on Instagram. Those are where I can see your drawings. Email is good too, but I usually use my email for business-related purposes.
Sub for sub?
Unfortunately, that’s now how it works on YouTube. If you want people to subscribe to you, you must provide them with high-quality content they want to watch. That’s how you earn subscribers.
When do you livestream?
I used to livestream a lot, but since I moved to Asia, I can no longer livestream at the times when most of my audience is awake.
How do you make money?
You know those ads that play before and during my videos? Yes, those are how this channel generates income.
How do I download the colouring pages?
Right click on the image and save.
Can I use your images?
For personal use, yes. If you intend to sell it, no, you do not have my permission to do that. If you want to share or repost my images on your social media/website Kindly ask first.
Can I download your videos?
If you have a subscription service to YouTube (like YouTube Red), you can use the download button in the app to temporarily save my video to your devices. Besides that, I do not give permission to download my videos. That would be a violation of the YouTube Terms of Service.
Can I embed your videos on my website?
Sure!
QUESTIONS ABOUT MY SERVICES
Can I pay you to make a tutorial video?
Yes you can! As long as your tutorial request still falls under my request guidelines, you can become that video’s sponsor. You’ll get your name mentioned in the video and everything. Email me (drawittoo@gmail.com) and let’s talk.
Can you give me feedback about my drawing?
This is a time-consuming question, and I get this a lot every day. As you can imagine, responding to all of them would take me a long time. I try my best to give short critiques, but I cannot give much more than that.
Having said that, if you want a comprehensive critique, I gladly offer my paid services. This is a part of the coaching/consulting part of my business. If you are interested, send me an email and I can give you my pricing.
Can you draw my friend/family member?
My channel is all about popular characters, and for every single video I make I consider how many people in all parts of the world would benefit from that video. So as an example, think of how awkward it would be for me to teach the world how to draw your dad, or the girl you have a crush on.
If you are interested in hiring me to do a pencil portrait drawing of your friend/family member as a gift to them, I can do that. Email me and I can tell you how much it costs.
OTHER
What is that on your tongue?
I have a tongue ring. I wear it often.
What toys are those?
Marvel Legends. I have been collecting them since 2002. Here’s a brief look at some of my toys in my collection. It has grown since then.
Where did you get those action figures?
I get them from retail stores like Walmart and Toys R Us, online via BBTS.com, or by trading with other collectors.
Can I get a shout out?
Sorry, I don’t do shoutouts, unless you are a paid sponsor. If you want to sponsor a video, email me (drawittoo@gmail.com) for details.
Can you follow me on Instagram?
Sorry, I cannot. I made an agreement to only follow the people who support me financially on Patreon. If you are interested in donating, please head over to patreon.com/drawittoo for more details.