ask me questions!

[aimeekitty]

yeah, so everyone's been passin around that meme with questions, I'd rather you just ask me what you'd like to know.

So,... ask me a question and I'll probably answer it! Could be about my hobbies, fandoms, life, work, curry, whatever.

in other news, fun with physical therapy! :D

Comments

[citygirl2.livejournal.com]

So what exactly did you do to your knees?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

started a vigorous exercise regimen without shoes of the proper support. I over pronate (or whatever they call it) so I ended up getting runners knee which since then has never fully gone away. (though it's better now that I'm doing PT and have proper shoes)

[super-hoodzie-x.livejournal.com]

oooh, i have some overpronation too, and sort of mis-formed arches. By mis-formed i mean...i don't really have much of an arch.

(don't mind me, i'm a fan of yours and i just sort of lurk around your journal XD)

we caught the pronation kind of early though, and i've been wearing custom orthotics in my shoes to correct it. sadly, it hasn't helped the aching of my feet, just my balance and the pain it causes in other parts of my body (like my ankles and back)

I'm kind of excited to meet someone else who has a foot problem like mine. Yay! And also...booooo. hope you feel better!

[fanbot.livejournal.com]

How long have you and your hubby been together? You're lucky to have a fella who will play along. (And is cute if you don't mind me saying.)

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

^_^ of course I don't mind!
This December is our 7th marriage anniversary, and we dated for 2 years before that.
He is a good sport. I'm kinda OCD about my hobbies, so he'd kinda have to be. He loves most of the same types of movies and topics though that I do, within reason, and he loves to dress up.
(I don't require him to be interested in period romantic dramas or play with dolls. ^_^.... )

[mamamantras.livejournal.com]

Humm, I'd love to know what's your top three favorite mangas.

My eight year old daughter would like to know about (and maybe see a picture of) your favorite doll. She's a doll fanatic.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I can cut it down to three!

These are my favorites right now:
Fruits Basket - the art is nothing special, in fact, for years the art deterred me from picking it up... but I love the uplifting messages in it.

XXXHoLic - the story is ok, but what I really love is the use of stark black and white and art nouveau mixed with traditional Japanese motifs. It's obvious, also, that the artists really know kimono and kimono seasons. I love seeing the attention to seasons. Like the characters will all sit around on the porch because it's summer, and they'll have summer appropriate food, and they're dressed in appropriate kimono. It lends a feeling of nostalgia to it. Many manga don't really deal with this sort of thing at all. It's just some ambiguous time period unless it's a holiday.

Sugar Sugar Rune - I love the story, the art and the imaginative locations and costume design. When first looking at the art, it seems primitive, but it really grows on you. On the surface it seems like a vapid pre-teen girl's magical transformation show... but it's really a lot more than that.

Paradise Kiss - The feelings in this... really truly remind me of how I felt going to art college and how I still sometimes feel doing cosplay with close friends. I get a wonderful bittersweet nostalgic feeling reading it. I think it gets into a lot of emotional things that other comics avoid. I love the characters and the costume design, too. Again, at first I didn't like her art, now I like it a lot.

Bleach - I've stopped reading it because it's just SO MUCH, but his art is amazing. I'm constantly amazed by it, in particular his action scenes.

MARS - Just a great romance. Great art, too. Just looking at how she draws feet...!

LOVE*COM - I can really relate to the main character, the art is adorable, and it's both poignant and very funny at the same time.

.....


as to my favorite doll, that's an even harder question! All my current dolls are my favorites. I've tried to pick my least favorite and then think to sell one,... but I honestly can't choose a least favorite.

I guess I could try to think of it as which one would hurt the most to part with...?

My Madoka... I love her more traditional face.
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3999

I think I would choose her as my favorite, but even now it's hard for me to say that. I think I would say her or my white Chris, Edmond.
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105955
Edmond really is my dream doll in many ways, I'd been waiting for a white Chris painted like him for years. I'm not really into the gothic,... but certain things strike my fancy, and he is one! :)

I really really really love Kurumi and Jun T, too... and... aklajkklj...

I love my Kurumi, Usagi:
http://denofangels.com/25/aplum08.jpg

I love my little Lin:
http://denofangels.com/26/sakura0807.jpg
She's so easy to take anywhere with me and I love her cute face and warm hair.

you may have to copy and paste some of the urls.... *_* I have a no-hotlinking thing on DoA.

[mamamantras.livejournal.com]

Ah, it looks like I'll have to become a member at Den to see the photos.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

sorry about that, I can try to reupload them later

[mekkio.livejournal.com]

What music do you like to listen to while drawing?

What music do you like in general?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

oh... well, if the piece I'm working on has a strong sad mood then I will listen to sad or atmospheric music to help keep me in the mood. Like those super angsty Doctor Who pictures. In some cases, I listed the song I was inspired/listening to with the artwork that I posted.

Otherwise I tend to listen to my ipod on shuffle and I just change the song if I don't feel like listening to it.
I also have a heavy rotation of "current favorites" which is about 400 songs, which I listen to on suffle.

favorites from my heavy rotation list right now:
The Snake the Cross the Crown
Smokey Robinson
ColdPlay
John Legend
John Mayer
Nelly Furtado
Feist
Deathcab for Cutie
AC/DC
AIR
Brandi Carlile
Donny Hathaway
Imogen Heap
Muse
Prince
Vampire Weekend


I guess in general I like really pretty movie soundtracks (not too dramatic as that gets me too distracted or upset)... I like some sugary peppy beat pop (including some k and j pop),... I really love oldies like the Temptations and Marvin Gaye, I like some RnB, some trance/world music and um... I dunno what to call the rest of it. :)

I don't listen to music a lot at home, so this page is not as accurate as it could be, but when I listen at home it gets fed to this page:
http://www.last.fm/user/aimeekitty

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

ps, if I'm working on something very difficult, like say a storyboard sequence or a really hard animated scene, then I listen to classical or non-verbal soundtrack music or dance/trance type stuff (again non-verbal).

But if I'm doing a single drawing (no matter the complexity) it doesn't take as much concentration, so I prefer to listen to verbal music on random, typically. Again, unless the picture has a very strong mood, like despair.

[giant-sandwich.livejournal.com]

lol i've had that done to my knees! the physio lady put it on so it would slowly increase the shocks and then decided to leave the room! it wasn't so bad at first but the last couple of shocks i was like JESUS CHRIST THATS PAINFULL!

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

oh good! I thought I was crazy that it hurt at the end and she wasnt there! I was all... "am I supposed to ring a bell or something?... there's no bell. what do I do?"

[giant-sandwich.livejournal.com]

they probably have a set up so they can watch from another room, "look at her writhing in pain, and doesn't know what to do about it, Hilarious!"

[team-tim.livejournal.com]

Is Youta as adorable in person as he is in his pictures?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

he's way more adorable in person. My photos suck. :D
He's very laid back and doesn't really mind anything. You can hold him like a rag doll and he's just all "ok. whatever".

unless you are a big scary man and then he runs into poles.

[pixie-a-la-mode.livejournal.com]

Haha they did that to my back. I love your kitty picture.

[dusk-in-dendera.livejournal.com]

Out of the ten Doctors, which one would you choose to travel with?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

well, I haven't seen the other doctors except for 4, 9,10...

but of course I would travel with 10. I'll have a soft spot for 9 always as my first doctor, but,... I think 10 will always be my favorite. (though we'll see what happens in the future, huh?)

I think 10's combination of seriousness and fun would mesh well with me. Again, I haven't seen the "older" doctors, but I really like 10's sense of wonder over the mundane. I'm always "DUDE! they have SPRINKLES! Rainbow SPRINKLES!" so, I think we'd get along and have a fun time.
I think I would give 9 a hard time and he'd shove me out in the vortex. :D

I'm not any fitter than Donna and Donna got by, right? (haha...) and Billie Piper has bad knees, too!!

[black-raven-87.livejournal.com]

What was the first fandom you ever drew?

hehe, great drawing as always. :)

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

oh, good question!
The first one I can really remember drawing for is "Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers" (1989) (AHAH!)
I did whole comics for them. I made paper dolls. I collected every cereal box with them. It was a problem. I'm a little more tempered in my fangirl-ness now. :D I don't collect cereal boxes.
But I was a little girl then! I wasn't "online".

My first online fandom I drew for would be Disney's Gargoyles.
The first drawing I ever drew and posted online was for Gargoyles. I was seriously active in the Gargoyles fandom for years and I'm still friends with some people from it. My husband and I kinda met through it, too.
Here's one I drew in 97:
http://aimeemajor.com/images/portfolio/gargoyles/hugbig3.jpg
... but I'm sure there's older stuff (by years) that's crappier that I've done.

[black-raven-87.livejournal.com]

hehe awesome. :D I never watched Gargoyles I'm afraid, but Chip n Dale, HELL YES; still a terrific drawing though. That's cool to of met through a fandom. :)

[rach3.livejournal.com]

hahaha I have to go to physiotherapy for my shin splints (which can happen when you go from a very sedentary desk job to 3 hours of ballet a week!) I get the Lower Leg Massage From Hell, and then 4 electrode-sucker things on each leg that go bzzt bzzt bzzt bzzt. But at least I get to crank it up/down. The physios probably get a kick seeing their patients' facial expressions when the voltage gets cranked up! XD

[kaylamay.livejournal.com]

When did you decide you wanted to be an animator? had it been a dream all your life or did it just happen one day?
Also, have you ever felt down about animating ( I am asking this question because I have felt down about it.....I just feel like I wasn't taught enough in college and I am scared to venture out there)....
those are my questions :)

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I remember watching "the making of Beauty and the Beast" on TV, and that was the first time that it clicked that animation was a career and that I could do that. I absolutely ADORED that movie.,... so basically since 1991 definitively. However, my whole life I've loved cartoons and I can't really remember a time that I wasn't drawing cartoons.

Even in 89 I was drawing comics with Disney characters in them.

Yes, I've definitely felt down about my own animation and about the industry in general plenty of times. When I graduated college was right when Disney fired all the 2d animators. Can you imagine how I felt? My master plan was to work my way up in feature 2d animation... when I graduated that option was completely unavailable after I'd spent all those years working towards it.
It took me years to reconcile that and realize that I truly was happy with the alternatives that were available to me.
I can't give you pat encouragement though. This industry is rough. There are very experienced animators who are out of work. All I can say is that if it's truly your passion then keep learning and pushing yourself. work hard and make contacts.

[kaylamay.livejournal.com]

wow. thank you so much. You have no idea how much it meant for me to hear that. for the longest time I thought I was the only one who felt like that.

seeing your animation in my animation 1 class in college inspired me so much. My teacher was amazed by it too. he would run it in slow motion and tell use to look at all the beauty in it.

thank you once again for your words :)

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of people feel frustrated by the way the industry is right now, definitely.

which of my films did you watch? I'm extremely flattered that they would do that.

[kaylamay.livejournal.com]

it was " My Own magic".
He would always let us watch the CALarts reels. he loved them very much and wished we could do that sort of thing at our school. :)

[xenarocks2.livejournal.com]

How did you meet your husband? What was your first date like???

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

My husband and I met through mutual friends. I'd met those friends through the Gargoyles cartoon fandom. So basically, we met through Gargoyles. haha.

Our first date... I THINK it was to see this horribly lame Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, I think it was called "End of Days". So horrible movie, but I thought Mitch was handsome and smart. :) I liked how he could discuss the movie with me and he knows a lot about a lot of different subjects.
Also, he's still this way, but he's very chivalrous, you know opening car doors and such. So I'm sure that probably made an impression on me, too.
I was pretty young, I think I'm lucky that I ended up with a good guy.

[black-raven-87.livejournal.com]

Ah ok, indirectly met through a fandom. :p

[lizzelizzel.livejournal.com]

Ah, when I dislocated my knee, they did the same thing to me. I'm still convinced it doesn't do shit.

[zorichan.livejournal.com]

You and my mom would make quite the pair. She slipped and fell at work and is now at physical therapy and they're doing the electro knee thing too... Have they made you do the bike exercises yet?

[joshuaaaaaa.livejournal.com]

I gotta be honest. I don't think the cat's thoughts went much past "Some of that food is for me, right?"

[ajmeow.livejournal.com]

I hear ya! That would been Yoyo and Bobo. Youta isn't much of a human food magnet though... so maybe he had a more coherent thought than our cats woulda. ;)

[fushugikb.livejournal.com]

where do you get your fabrics?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I get most of my fabrics from the Los Angeles fabric district (corner of Maple and 9th street in downtown LA, roughly.) I do sometimes get stuff at Joann's fabrics, but most often I can get more variety and cheaper prices downtown.

[fushugikb.livejournal.com]

thanks for the reply. thats pretty interesting. would you have any suggestion for parking in the area? i'm soooooo bad with downtown LA (thats if i ever go...)

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

there are plenty of parking lots right around that area, you'll see them!
less places are open on sunday, so go during the week or saturday. it's cheaper during the week for parking and it's less crowded.

[slai.livejournal.com]

Hi Aimee,

Sorry to hear about your knee ;(. My Mom has a bum knee right now too that she's trying to deal with. She was going to get cortisone shots today after another painful incident, but the doctor thought they could try something else first in addition to the $2800.00 kneebrace she's wearing. Physical therapy will be part of it too.

As for a question, what's your favorite place to eat?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

oh, that's a tough one.
I love Chick Fil A, I love really good teppan places... I love really good indian and japanese curry places.

[ajmeow.livejournal.com]

My question: What do you think of the crazyass girls you cosplay with?

LOL. j/k. I'm not sure I wanna know. ;)

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I love them THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS much.
Sometimes I worry that my great love will creep them out or that they will find out that I am terminally geekier than them. and then they will defriend me. and then I will be sad.


MISS YOU

[ino-chii.livejournal.com]

Did you feel that college was a valuable asset to your art skills? and are there any classes that you felt truly helped you in your art career or any classes that you enjoyed more than others? And what's yours and your dolls favorite lolita piece?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

college was very valuable. The main thing was being pushed to try styles and projects that I wouldn't have done on my own and having teachers to push me in different and better directions. Doing a film on your own from start to finish having definite deadlines and feedback all the way from teachers and other students was a very valuable experience. I have a BFA in Character Animation from Calarts, so all of the classes I was taking were animation related (mostly). I'm not sure if I can say that any one class was more useful than the others. My animation class itself was probably the very most useful. That and storyboarding.
But another thing was, since the teachers were people currently working in the industry, I got a lot of perspective and connections through that, which is helpful, too.

my current favorite lolita dress is this one:
http://aimeemajor.com/gothloli/cherrysundress.jpg

although these two are also favorites:
http://aimeemajor.com/gothloli/mermaid.jpg
http://aimeemajor.com/gothloli/sleepingbeauty.jpg

my favorite lolita dress for my dolls is this one:
http://site.volksusa.com/html/2007/dolls_party_la_2007/market/baby01.html

[4thpandora.livejournal.com]

hey aimee, since you talked about calarts and how valuable college was for you - I have another question, of which I'm not sure if it's appropiate (if not, well, just don't answer, I would understand): if you had to take any loans for your education, have you been able to pay it off already or will it be much more time before that happens? I'm asking because as Austrian student, who doesn't have to pay for college or university, I've always wondered how you do it over there in the US, especially in a field like animation...

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I had loans, yes, but not big ones. My parents worked extremely hard to pay most of my tuition themselves, which really was saying something. My parents are not rich and CALARTS was very expensive. I really believe that we were blessed in that way.

I got married very soon after graduating, and I also already had a full time job in animation my junior year of college (and immediately after graduating) so I didn't really experience struggling with paying student loans so much. That's not to say that I've never had financial hardship, but that's more due to the ridiculous prices of housing in southern california than my student loans. They're paid off now, yes.

I could have gone to several highly regarded liberal arts colleges on a full ride due to my grades, etc... but I wanted to go to one that specifically taught animation and was well regarded for it.
Thinking back on it now, it was the right choice, but it's easy for a high school student to make such choices and not think as much about how much money their parents will have to sacrifice. I'm extremely grateful to them.

[4thpandora.livejournal.com]

thanks for being so open about it, I really appreciate it - it's good to hear that not everybody struggles with loans until retirement! :P