Hello, and thank you. 🙂 I didn't think anyone would reply to this thread anymore. It has been inactive for some time now, and I've updated three times since this thread.
Anyway, to answer your questions:
1.) I've been drawing since I was a child, but never really concentrated on it or took it seriously until about after high school actually. Thats when it really started to develop, especially after I started drawing anime-style. I graduated in 2001, and have been drawing anime-style since 2001.
2.) I took Art II my senior year in 2001. I do not however credit my skill or attribute it to the class, or even the teacher. I wasn't interested in the subject matter she was teaching and she didn't accept some of my projects for grading because they weren't created according to what was technically being taught or what was required. She was a nice teacher though, and was kind enough to let me pass dispite my slacking off towards the end of the final semester. I negotiated with her and said "give me the grade I deserve, a D-". She agreed and let me pass the class because thats the grade I did deserve and I had no problem excepting it because I did in fact slack off terribly in the last semester BUT I did enough of the work required by her to pass. The final grade was mutually acceptable, even though I proposed it. It had nothing to do with my art however, it was more about the slacking off than anything. The class just really lost my interest in the later half of it.
However, everything you see and everything you have come to know about me in regards to my art, Ive taught myself and developed by myself. I just learned and adapted to a new style, namely anime/manga, and as of late 2001 tickling and fetish pictures as well. I suprize even myself sometimes. I've come a long way in a very short ammount of time and I have no one to thank or attribute the success to other than myself. I also get better and better with each passing picture. I don't even practice either, the pictures just come out looking good anyways. Its like I have a gift or something thats just growing on its own. So if I've ever seemed arrogant to you or others at times it is because of these very facts. I am the chosen one. The one who will bring the Force back into balance. LOL ^___^
I no longer need to validate my existance here as I am now one in the "brotherhood" of artists here. I do however feel competitive at times and would like to compete but don't, and I don't exactly feel the same way about tickling or fetishes in general as perhaps they do. This makes me the odd ball of the group, and thats ok. I like being different, as different as my art and style is from theirs. We need variety and different points of view here anyways, its just a given for a group or community to function properly.
Finally, your advice is well taken and recieved. I've been practicing just that, and its paid off in more ways than one.
Feel free to ask more of me if you wish. I ironically don't get to talk much like this. This is either because the other party isn't as interested as I am or they mean to only take my work and leave.
In either case, thanks for posting. 🙂