@Lt-Abdelhak - @Aalasteir (Q)

Q: Your experiences with the Internet and how did you find Newgrounds?

My experience with the internet was very mixed, I have been exposed to many things in my late childhood, Things that I am sure I was not meant to stumble upon so easily, especially at that early age haha. So the internet sure did have an impact on my life, now whether it was a positive one or not, I don't really know.

And as for Newgrounds. Well, I guess I discovered it in the same way as the people of our age did, by playing flash games and waiting for that big black and yellow Newgrounds loading screen to finish ',:]

Although I never really bothered to look into it, I was too young and my English was very poor, so I only saw the site one time and never bothered again until around the late 2019 when I remembered its existence and gave it a go.

Q: How do you feel about the Newgrounds community?

Well, I think the people here are angels compared to the users of other platforms/websites. And not the fruity egg shell walking fake smiling hypocrites type of "angels" like on tumblr for example lol. No, I mean decent people with the best of intentions, most of them at least, which is more than good enough for me!

Q: When did you get interested in reading news posts on Newgrounds? What do you look for in a News Post?

I think it was a gradual process, the more time I spent here, the more I became interested in what people had written as their news posts, from both artists and just regular users.

And honestly, I have no idea what I am looking for, I just look at any post that has an interesting or appealing title, and then see if I can or should reply to what has been written, pretty easy.

Q: How did you get interested in creating art?

From cartoons, of course! like The Flintstones, Ghostbusters, Inspector Gadget, Loony Tunes... etc. It was my dream to do the same thing when I was an adult, but as you can see, that dream never came true. But I never gave up, I think that's what's important!

Q: How did you decide on choosing military motifs in your art?

I mean, my Newgrounds gallery is pretty varied. But to answer your question, I think it is because I like the "aesthetics" of it, like guns, fatigues and vehicles, and also because I appreciate the lives of the conscripts and the freedom fighters who selflessly sacrifice themselves for their both nation's right of self determination and governance and their family. You really can't help but respect that.

Q: How do you feel about the Internet?

Haven't I already answered that question? Alright, alright. Well, think of it like this, the internet is like a gun in the hands of a civilian, either the civilian chooses to be a hero and do good, or be criminal and do bad (or store it away in the attic to collect dust lol). 

The point is that I feel it is a tool, and whoever uses it, determines its purpose.

Q: Your advice for artists

OK, what I am about to say is the best thing you will ever get out from me, so please pay attention and don't just take it for granted, I would like you to put it in your heads, especially you stubborn artists. You are a much better artist than you think! but many of you have sadly convinced yourself with this stupid pessimism that you are not. And I know why, you look up to your favourite artists, be it illustrators or animators or any artist, and you get intimidated thinking that you can't do what they did, which is not true at all. Who do you think they are? Cyborgs or perhaps genetically enhanced beings? No, they are flawed human beings, just like you and me. If they can do it, so can we! So go ahead and dare! Try what you think is cool and see for yourself! you will most likely succeed, and if you don't, so what? you saw your strong points and weakness, next time you'll know what to do! That is what I and others have done ;)

And it does not matter to just improve fast and draw every day or something, in fact I think you'll grow to dislike your hobby because it became a chore. It's about progressing and enjoying it, period.