Inspired by Supernatural: Art by RosyOpal
We have so much talent in the Supernatural fandom! Fans draw, edit photos and videos, write fan fics, create costumes or props, make jewelry and much more. It’s time to showcase the #SPNFamily’s talent and ask the people behind the creations some questions!
This time I want to share my interview with Eva, aka RosyOpal.
We talked about her incredible art (including a hand painted flannel!).
Let´s start with the interview!
Enjoy reading!
How and when did you get trapped in the Supernatural fandom?
I started watching Supernatural during my summer holidays in August, 2017.
I knew about the show, but I never got into it before that. I remember a friend of mine mentioning Supernatural back in, I think, 2012. They were like “It’s this crazy show with the two brothers who die and go to Heaven or Hell a lot.”
Also, before watching the show, I always thought Castiel was a police detective who was secretly an angel.
What does the Supernatural fandom mean to you?
I got to know and meet some amazing people through it. I would definitely say that the fandom and the cast have made a very positive impact on my life.
If I’m honest, I don’t know what kind of person I would be today if it wasn’t for the Supernatural family.
Not only did I learn a lot about myself, I also improved with my art.
How and when did you start drawing?
I’m a self-taught artist, so I would probably say since I was able to hold a pencil.
Creating fanart specifically started around 2013/2014.
What pencils, papers, colors and/or brushes do you use?
For my colored pencil art, I use the Faber Castell Polychromos colored pencils. More recently, also the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel pencils, but for some drawings I like to use both of them. Besides colored pencil drawings, I started drawing a lot of ballpoint pen drawings in the last few months. For those I like to use the Stabilo Pointball pens.
I paint with watercolors as well, but the watercolor palette I use is a rather cheap one from a local store and I want to get a better one soon.
For paper, I mostly use the Daler & Rowney Fine Grain Heavyweight paper. I also have the Strathmore Toned Gray paper, which I use when I’m drawing with my Faber Castell Pitt Pastel pencils.
Are you also into digital drawing? If yes, can you recommend a program/tablet?
I’ve only gotten into digital art quite recently, so I’m no expert. I ordered the XP-PEN Star G640 graphic tablet a few months ago which I can connect to my laptop and draw with it in Photoshop. I’m having a few difficulties with the software at the moment which is why I currently stopped doing digital drawings.
It’s definitely something I want to practice and improve more in the future, though.
What was the first picture you drew? The first Supernatural related one?
My first “real” fanart was a portrait of Iron Man in 2014 that I drew with some rather cheap colored pencils. I had started to watch all the Marvel movies at that time.
I drew several Loki and Captain America drawings later in 2017. When I started watching Supernatural and had gotten new and improved colored pencils, I drew my first portrait of Dean Winchester.
I always love to see the progress people make with their art. Would you like to share a ‘then’ & ‘now’ picture with us?
It always motivates me and maybe others, too.
Seeing yourself improving in the things that make you happy is such an amazing feeling. Often I get asked if I have any tips for people who want to improve their art and most of the time it’s the same answer. PRACTICE. I know it’s the most unhelpful and predictable answer for someone just starting out, but it’s so important to keep trying to improve and to learn more. To quote the great Bob Ross “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”
The first picture is a colored pencil drawing of the British singer Ellie Goulding I did in 2014. The second one is one of Rob Benedict I did last year.
Can you explain how/why you choose the pics you draw. What inspires you?
I usually look for reference pictures with a reasonably high resolution and not too many crazy details. I also want to say a big thank you to some of the amazing photographers in this fandom who let me use their photos as reference pictures. You are incredibly talented!
Sometimes I also just have a rough idea of how the drawing should look. I then either do a quick pencil sketch to see if it works or use Photoshop to make a first draft of it.
How long does it take you to finish a portrait/drawing?
It really depends on what materials I’m using. If I do a, for example, ballpoint pen drawing, it usually takes me about 2 to 3 days. Last year for the 300th episode, I finished 4 ballpoint pen portraits of TFW 2.0 the day before it aired.
Colored pencil portraits take me around 2 weeks if I have enough time and motivation.
Not sure if you can decide, but what is your favorite picture, and of course why? If you can´t pick just one, two or three favorites are also fine.
I managed to break it down to three drawings. It is really hard to decide, because when I look at my art, I don’t just see a drawing. I see how I felt when I was drawing it and what was going on in my life during that time.
The first one is a colored pencil drawing of Jared. It will always remind me of how much I improved with my art skills during that time. It’s also one of the drawings I got signed at Jibcon in Rome.
The second one is one of my bodypaint drawings I did of Team Free Will. I really enjoy doing those kinds of paintings, because they are temporary.
The third colored pencil drawing is of Misha. It’s probably one the most important ones to me. Not only did I get the chance to show it to Misha in Rome, I also made pins of it and handed them out at Jibcon, which helped me get to know and talk to other fans from the show and even make new friends.
How many awesome drawings do you have until now? How many full Sketchbooks to you own?
The non-Supernatural related ones included, around 268 drawings and three full Sketchbooks so far.
Did any of the stars see your drawings? If yes, what was their reaction?
They did and it still feels very surreal. JIB10 2019 in Rome was my first ever Supernatural convention where I got to get quite a few of my drawings signed.
Everyone was so incredibly sweet! Next to that, I also gave Misha and Jensen framed drawings as a present –
one of Danneel for Jensen and one of Misha with his kids, Maison and West.
Later that year, in November, I was at the Rockwood Music Festival in Germany where I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Berry.
A few months before Rockwood, she had tweeted out a quote and jokingly was like “I want this on a shirt”.
I made her that shirt and gave it to her in Germany, plus a drawing I did of her.
She had seen quite a few of my drawings of her and her character Billie on Instagram before so she recognized me and asked me to sign the drawing I gave to her. This was probably one of my favorite encounters with someone from the cast I’ve had so far.
Another great moment from Rockwood is when I got to show my Louden Swain tattoo I designed to all of the guys from the band.
On your Instagram, I saw drawings from a wide range of fandoms. What are your Top 3 fandoms and/or stars you like to draw?
I’m not sure if I have a favorite. I usually just draw the things which currently interest me the most. For example, I might do a drawing of David Bowie, since I started listening to his music a lot recently, or a character from a show I’m binging at the moment.
Are you creating other art besides your drawings?
I am. Sometimes I do bodypainting with acrylics on my legs or arms.
I also hand painted a flannel with a portrait of TFW.
I also enjoy creating art with makeup.
I know you’re open for commissions. Are there any rules? What is the process?
If someone is interested in commissioning me for a drawing, they can choose between five types of drawings.
They can choose what size they want their drawing and with what material they want me to draw it.
If they have a specific picture in mind, they can send it to me or they just tell me their ideas.
I prefer PayPal as my method of payment since it’s easier than, for example, wire transfer.
Base pricing ranges from 25-50 Euros.
After I’m finished with the commission, I’ll send it to the client by mail.
What are your next projects?
I’m planning on doing more hand painted flannels or tote bags, but I also want to do more body paint projects.
All of them require loads of free time, which sadly I don’t have a lot of at the moment.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the fans? What more would you like to tell us about your art or yourself?
I’m so thankful for all the support, nice comments or just kindness in general I received from this fandom and the cast over the last few years.
Now it’s time for the question I ask everyone. If you could change only one thing in the world right now, what would it be?
Stop climate change.
Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me!
Please share your comments, questions, and reactions below! If you want to follow Eva, the links are below:
Twitter: rosyopal
Instagram: rosyopal
Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/rosyopal
etsy: https://www.etsy.com/de/shop/rosyopalart
Thanks for reading.
Bettina Bier
-Using Words, Telling Stories, The Writer Business-
You can read more of my articles by going to my Writer´s Page!
Read More Stories of Fans who have been “Inspired by Supernatural“! They can all be found in WFB’s “Lighter Side” articles!
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