Here is an FAQ page about my art, covering my technique, influences and all the official bits and bobs. If there is anything you would like to know which isn't covered here, don't hesitate to email me

How long have you been drawing?
As long as I can remember. When I was younger, I spent hours drawing and designing characters, giving them complete personalities and histories and writing stories about them. Even from a young age, the vast majority of my art was animal related.

What influences your art work?
Usually music. Most of my art is dreamed up while listening to some song or other which puts ideas and pictures in my head. I rarely just listen to music as background noise; Im usually imagining events taking place to it and some of these, or bits of them at least, become pieces of art.

Are you a furry?
I draw cartoon animals. I like to draw myself and my friends as cartoon animals, purely because its fun and everyone seems to get a kick out of it. Thats really about as far as my similarities to the furry fandom extend.

How is your art created?
Most of the art you see on this site is digital. However, there is a tendancy to assume that this means the computer has 'done it for me'. The computer actually does very little and the pieces take as much effort and time as non-computer art.
Once I have an idea for a piece, I sketch it out by hand. Sometimes I sketch out ideas months before actually doing anything with them, and I often have to grab scraps of paper to get an idea sketched out before I forget it. Once the picture is sketched, I use my scanner to transfer it into the computer. I then use Paint Shop Pro 7, or occasionally Photoshop, to draw in the outlines, and add colour, shading and texture. I own a tablet, but I rarely use it for anything other than colouring techniques. I feel it is important to add this since I see too many people bitching about how they 'can't do good art because they don't own a tablet!' My outlining is all done with a mouse. A tablet is a nice accessory to own, but by no means essential.

How long does each piece take?
It depends completely on how involved the piece is. A single drawing of a rat standing on a white background will obviously not take as long as 5 rats all dancing about in a laboratory with cages and test tubes. I have been known to spend as long as 12 consecutive hours on one piece. On average, however, to create the typical sort of pictures with simple backgrounds that you see on the site, it takes me perhaps 6 or 7 hours. I often do the whole piece in a day, but sometimes, especially if it's a daunting piece that Im finding a challenge, I will spread the work out over a number of days or weeks.

Do you do comissions?
Please see this page for commission info

Okay, how about art trades?
Pretty much the same applies to trades as to commissions; my inspiration simply isn't reliable enough and trades can take me months to finish.
I might accept the odd one here and there if its with a good friend, or an artist I really admire, but otherwise I will reject them.

What happens if I see some of your art somewhere else on the net?
The first thing to do is to check if my website URL is on it (usually simply 'shadowrat' written in small text somewhere at the bottom of the pic) and a link made back to this site. If both those things are present, then it's likely that I have given permission for the art to be used, but mail me about it anyway just to be on the safe side. If neither of these things are on the art, then I have not given permission for it to be used, and I'd be really grateful if you would email telling me where you saw it. This goes for Neopets too. Art theft is an all too common problem online, and I will not tolerate it. All my art is copyrighted before it's put up here and if you steal it, you will inevitably be discovered and chopped into little bits. My style and subject matter is rather recognisable and I have many friends online who would know it straight away, so it's really not even worth it.

I do not allow my work to be traced, altered, or heavily referenced.