Zindy
01-04-2012, 10:29 AM
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/bright_lights.jpg
Well, my name is Maria Sweeney and I’m seventeen years old. I was adopted from a small country called
Moldova, hence my username. I’m in my senior year and (so far!) I’ll be attending Moore College of Art &
Design next fall. I do an online school program and although it has a lot of drawbacks, I’ve met some really
wonderful people and it’s given me more time to draw!
How did you find the ZindyZone Foums?
You know, it’s been so long (well only a year but it FEELS so long!) that I can’t quite remember. I think I
googled “art forums” and Zindy’s seemed more like a real community. Everyone knows each other on a
more personal level and that’s the environment I wanted to be a part of.
How long have you been doing art and what got you started?
Compared to a lot of the people on the forum, I haven’t been doing art for that long. I’ve seriously pursued
art for about 2 years. I got Photoshop Elements when I was eleven and I was interested in HTML coding/
webdesign so I worked at that for a while. I did a lot of creative projects, but they were only slightly
involved with drawing. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school (during geometry class!) that I
really started drawing – and failing math! ;D
What medium/materials do you like to work with the most?
A few months ago I would have said Adobe Photoshop but being a part of ZindyZone has pushed me to try
other mediums. Photoshop will always be the easiest for me since I know it well. But I like colored pencils
and recently watercolor painting has been fun but I’ve only dabbled in it.
What's your favourite motive and why?
I used to draw a lot of female faces because they’re easier. But I’m trying to break myself from that. I
suppose my favorite motive right now is still people, but conceptually done. I like rough textures and
mixing many colors together. I’m not skilled in color theory at all but I do like to have contrast.
My favorite motive, as in something that motivates me would probably be my boyfriend. He’s a creative
person, too so it’s cool hearing different ideas. He pushes me to try new things and a lot of my progression,
concept-wise, is because of him. I’ve done several art pieces for him and each one I feel like I’ve gained just
a bit more skill, if not knowledge.
What are your favourite pieces of yours?
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/mahself.jpg
Though it’s in black & white and pretty simplistic, it’s one of my favorites because it’s my first recognizable
self-portrait. It’s easy to get likeness with a photograph, but I used a mirror with this and charcoal (which is
still new to me) and after attempting a lot of self-portraits, I was happy that I caught my emotion and my
likeness in it.
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/night_lights.jpg
I’m proud of this one because I went out of my comfort zone and drew buildings. It took a lot of prepping,
reference studying, and re-doing but I think it’s a strong piece of mine.
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/reach_for_the_colors.jpg
This one started as an experimental one, just to relax. Prior to this one, a lot of my portraits were detailed
and stiff. I felt like I reached a different stylized level with this one and I could feel myself truly enjoying the
painting process, for once.
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/under_the_fiery_sky.jpg
I remember feeling really annoyed the day I drew this one and somehow adding deep, rich colors reflected
my mood. I threw leaves here and there and when I was done, I felt in a better mood and I also thought
this might be a good expressive piece, too!
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/down_the_colorful_road.jpg
forreal traditional painting, and on canvas! I’d love to have some time to paint again.
Where do you find your inspiration?
A lot of things inspire me but I think more cynical, almost painful images are my favorite. I’m not sure
why, because I’m a pretty happy person but human suffering intrigues me. Blood, gore, sadness, darkness,
things that kind of encompass that will definitely catch my eye. Things don’t have to be overly depressing,
but hints of it are what I like. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate happy, joyful images, I do! But it’s not as
inspiring to me.
What is your favourite season and does it influence your work?
My favorite season used to be autumn because of the bright colors but winter has been my favorite for
a while now. I like the brightness of Christmas lights but I also like the look of the barren, naked trees. If
trees could look venerable, they’d definitely look that way during the winter.
I’m not really sure if the seasons influence my work, though. I know I get IDEAS on drawing wintry themes,
but the winter is my busiest time so I rarely get the chance to put my ideas on paper.
Do you have any new projects/artwork we can look forward to?
I’ve been kind of hibernating with art lately but I’d really like to get some traditional paintings out there. So
you can expect maybe less digital art, and instead more traditional. I’m trying to find a balance between
abstract and realism so I’d like to work on that, too.
What are your goals for the future?
Semi-short term goal is to get myself as fully prepared artistically for college. I want to go into college
knowing I’ve done the best preparing that I could. Long-term goals are to do well in college, and find a
good job. But that’s what everyone wants ;)
Is there anything you'd like to say to everyone at the forums?
I’d really love to say thank you to every on ZindyZone. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, you’ve all been
such a support. And not just to me, but to many other members! I’ve tried other forums and none has
equaled to this one.
Well, my name is Maria Sweeney and I’m seventeen years old. I was adopted from a small country called
Moldova, hence my username. I’m in my senior year and (so far!) I’ll be attending Moore College of Art &
Design next fall. I do an online school program and although it has a lot of drawbacks, I’ve met some really
wonderful people and it’s given me more time to draw!
How did you find the ZindyZone Foums?
You know, it’s been so long (well only a year but it FEELS so long!) that I can’t quite remember. I think I
googled “art forums” and Zindy’s seemed more like a real community. Everyone knows each other on a
more personal level and that’s the environment I wanted to be a part of.
How long have you been doing art and what got you started?
Compared to a lot of the people on the forum, I haven’t been doing art for that long. I’ve seriously pursued
art for about 2 years. I got Photoshop Elements when I was eleven and I was interested in HTML coding/
webdesign so I worked at that for a while. I did a lot of creative projects, but they were only slightly
involved with drawing. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school (during geometry class!) that I
really started drawing – and failing math! ;D
What medium/materials do you like to work with the most?
A few months ago I would have said Adobe Photoshop but being a part of ZindyZone has pushed me to try
other mediums. Photoshop will always be the easiest for me since I know it well. But I like colored pencils
and recently watercolor painting has been fun but I’ve only dabbled in it.
What's your favourite motive and why?
I used to draw a lot of female faces because they’re easier. But I’m trying to break myself from that. I
suppose my favorite motive right now is still people, but conceptually done. I like rough textures and
mixing many colors together. I’m not skilled in color theory at all but I do like to have contrast.
My favorite motive, as in something that motivates me would probably be my boyfriend. He’s a creative
person, too so it’s cool hearing different ideas. He pushes me to try new things and a lot of my progression,
concept-wise, is because of him. I’ve done several art pieces for him and each one I feel like I’ve gained just
a bit more skill, if not knowledge.
What are your favourite pieces of yours?
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/mahself.jpg
Though it’s in black & white and pretty simplistic, it’s one of my favorites because it’s my first recognizable
self-portrait. It’s easy to get likeness with a photograph, but I used a mirror with this and charcoal (which is
still new to me) and after attempting a lot of self-portraits, I was happy that I caught my emotion and my
likeness in it.
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/night_lights.jpg
I’m proud of this one because I went out of my comfort zone and drew buildings. It took a lot of prepping,
reference studying, and re-doing but I think it’s a strong piece of mine.
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/reach_for_the_colors.jpg
This one started as an experimental one, just to relax. Prior to this one, a lot of my portraits were detailed
and stiff. I felt like I reached a different stylized level with this one and I could feel myself truly enjoying the
painting process, for once.
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/under_the_fiery_sky.jpg
I remember feeling really annoyed the day I drew this one and somehow adding deep, rich colors reflected
my mood. I threw leaves here and there and when I was done, I felt in a better mood and I also thought
this might be a good expressive piece, too!
http://zindy-zone.dk/images/mixed/up_close_and_personal/moldova/down_the_colorful_road.jpg
forreal traditional painting, and on canvas! I’d love to have some time to paint again.
Where do you find your inspiration?
A lot of things inspire me but I think more cynical, almost painful images are my favorite. I’m not sure
why, because I’m a pretty happy person but human suffering intrigues me. Blood, gore, sadness, darkness,
things that kind of encompass that will definitely catch my eye. Things don’t have to be overly depressing,
but hints of it are what I like. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate happy, joyful images, I do! But it’s not as
inspiring to me.
What is your favourite season and does it influence your work?
My favorite season used to be autumn because of the bright colors but winter has been my favorite for
a while now. I like the brightness of Christmas lights but I also like the look of the barren, naked trees. If
trees could look venerable, they’d definitely look that way during the winter.
I’m not really sure if the seasons influence my work, though. I know I get IDEAS on drawing wintry themes,
but the winter is my busiest time so I rarely get the chance to put my ideas on paper.
Do you have any new projects/artwork we can look forward to?
I’ve been kind of hibernating with art lately but I’d really like to get some traditional paintings out there. So
you can expect maybe less digital art, and instead more traditional. I’m trying to find a balance between
abstract and realism so I’d like to work on that, too.
What are your goals for the future?
Semi-short term goal is to get myself as fully prepared artistically for college. I want to go into college
knowing I’ve done the best preparing that I could. Long-term goals are to do well in college, and find a
good job. But that’s what everyone wants ;)
Is there anything you'd like to say to everyone at the forums?
I’d really love to say thank you to every on ZindyZone. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, you’ve all been
such a support. And not just to me, but to many other members! I’ve tried other forums and none has
equaled to this one.