5 Years on DeviantART! [Please read please please]

Hello guys! Yesterday I noticed that my 5th year on DeviantART is coming! I joined this community on 7th March 2008.
I wanted to thank you for being with me and I would be happy if you spend a bit of your time reading this (I did that sketch in a mere 5 minutes )

Here we go:

I have no idea how I found this site. I joined when I was in my 8th grade, when I was 13. Now I feel old! D:

When I was 12 I received my first computer and I started to discover the Anime/Manga universe (the power of Internet!!). I've always been interested in drawing and I started to trace (shame on me) a lot of images.

Then I found DeviantART. At the time I wasn't very good with english but I was able to understand people used this site to show their artworks.
I found great artists, but I also found newbies like me *w* and it encouraged me to do my own drawings and show them to other people!

At the time I really sucked at drawing xP but I remember that some pictures looked awesome to me! Now I look at them and I'm like "Wooow...I really thought this was amazing... o.o"
When I started uploading my drawings I would be amazed if I got a mere 2 favourites for picture x3

I started receiving feedback and that made me really happy (sometimes I look at my old pictures just to read the comments). I felt really encouraged to draw and practice a lot! I used to search for a lot of tutorials on the internet.

I found some groups and I joined them. I don't remember very well but the groups some years ago were just normal accounts, right? And we had to send notes to the user to upload our drawings x3

There were a lot of great artists on DeviantART that would inspire me to draw!

In 2009(? not sure) I bought my first Pantone markers. I hated those markers, they would dry in a few days. But those were the only markers I could find in my country. Until 2010 when some portuguese girl on DeviantART told me about a shop in another city selling Copic Markers! I was like "OMG OMG OMG!" and then I went there and bought 2 sets of Copic Ciao markers and some extra colors *w*

I really loved to use Copic Markers and so I started to practice a lot with them x3

It took me 3 years to know about Commissions. I was curious and wanted to get some points to buy my first Premium Membership *w* In 2011 I opened Point Commissions and my first commissioner was .
Doing Commissions made me really happy! People were interested in my drawings and I had a chance to try to make other people happy with something I loved to do! Drawing!

I did about 25 Point Commissions from 2011 to 2012 x3 and then I closed them.

I wanted to try money commissions to save for things I would like to buy (I don't like to always ask my parents for money) but I was a minor and didn't have a bank account

Finally I was 18! But I still couldn't use PayPal.
I got a lot more watchers and I dedided to open Point Commissions again. Even if I didn't get money, it was a great chance to practice and improve my skills!

I started to share my artworks on DeviantART forums and groups and that helped a lot to get more views.

In 2013 with some help of friends I decided to make a PayPal account and finally opened money commissions!
Some people were interested and that made me really happy!

Currently I'm entering some contests to try different themes for my drawings and have fun



And I think this is all! ^w^

Thank you so much for watching me! Every watch, pageview, favourite, comment etc...means a lot to me!!
I need to thank to all my commissioners. For your interest and patience. It's really important to me to know you are interested in my artwork!

You guys give me strength to keep practicing and improving!
Some of you have been with me for 5 years, others have been with me for less time, but I hope we can all be together for a lot more years!!

Sorry for the long text and thanks for taking your time to read this gigantic thing!

Thank you so much!
Inês D.

Kiss