Your Full Name
Ashley Walters (aka Lithriel)
Tell us about you
Well I have been drawing since I was able to pick up a crayon and I started drawing portraits professionally when I was 12. I participated in art programs and clubs throughout high school and I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in integrated studio art in 2008. Most of my training has been in traditional media but it’s all been within the past 5 months that I have tried my hand at digital painting/illustrating (which is very different from fine art ) so I am quite the novice.
I am also a classically trained singer and a professional web/graphic designer. I enjoy playing the piano, decorating, and playing video games. I married in 2006 and I have a 18 month little boy who I stay at home and watch while I work on freelance work.
In your opinion, what would be the secret ingredients to become a great illustrator?
First and foremost- having a good grasp on anatomy. Nothing can substitute for this vital skill. Second I would say a good grasp of light and shadow. Third- Being able to draw the viewer into the story through composition and concept. And finally- a good grasp on color. I have yet to master all of these skills.
Where are you located?
In the pacific northwest, US.
What is the most fascinating part of being an illustrator?
So far, the most interesting part of being an illustrator has been the amazing feedback I have had on my work. I already have people asking me for tutorials and I have just started. It’s a bizarre thing to be an inspiration to people before I even know what I am doing!
Where do you get inspirations from?
Everything I see around me. And of course, many great artists I stumble across on Deviant Art and various other CG websites.
Do you promote/ sell/ showcase your work? If so, how?
So far, not yet. Once I have established a gallery I am proud of, I will create a website to showcase my work. Until then, I post my work on my deviant art page at lithriel.deviantart.com.
What is your long range goals in your life?
I want to do what I love for the rest of my life- create art. It’s my hope that I will be able to support myself with my art so that I never have to put it aside. I want to continue to try new things and new mediums and improve my skills indefinitely.
What types of assignment/ project are you attracted the most? Why so?
Right now I would have to say fantasy art. I have always been attracted to the fantasy/sci-fi genre. Yes, I realize it’s cliché, but it’s what I love to do.
Who is an illustrator that you look up to? Why so?
I can’t just pick one, so I’ll name a few- Linda Bergkvist, Melanie Delon, Diane ﾖzdamar. These are my current inspirations because they do the type of art I am trying to learn at the moment. But I have many traditional masters I look up to as well.
Describe a difficult work/ project situation and how would you overcome it?
The only disappointments I have felt so far have been when the hard work I put into something never gets published or used because the project fell through. You just have to move on.
What do you think about the Internet and how it is affecting our lifestyle?
I can’t speak for anybody else, but the internet is my life line. As a stay at home mother who lives on the opposite side of the country from her family, it is my only connection to my loved ones and the outside world until my husband comes home. 
The internet profoundly affects my lifestyle. It’s through the internet that I am able to work remotely and without it, I would never get my name out there.
If you could turn back time, how would you do things differently?
I would have started digitally painting 3 years ago. Lol, sometimes I want to hit my past self upside the head.
How do you keep your work fresh? Do you need to consciously adapt your style or does it progress naturally?
My work is a fresh as it gets right now because I still don’t have a particular technique nailed down, and once I do reach that point I will branch out and try more loose approaches. I love all styles of art and all mediums and eventually I want to try them all. Then I have them all at my disposal should the need for them arise.
Name 3 of your favorite (art) books/ magazines.
Well I don’t really have 3 quite yet. I do enjoy imagine FX magazine but so far, it is the only one I have spent much time looking into. I never really owned many art books because I find working from life and doing my own projects helps me the most.
What is your life motto?
I don’t really have one. I do have an art motto however- “Draw what you see and not what you think you see”, which works great for fine art.
In what kind of a work environment do you do your best work?
In a quiet room with few distractions. Then I am able to “get in the zone”. It’s the same feeling I get when I do intense calculus.
What do you like the sound of? Why so?
I like hearing gentle rain, rolling thunder, and wind blowing in the trees because it’s relaxing and it reminds me of home.
If you have online portfolio, what is the URL?
http://lithriel.deviantart.com/
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