I found this list of 100 questions for an artist so decided to add some of them along with my original Q&A's. I cut out a lot of the questions that I felt were unnecessary and added in all the questions that people keep asking me over and over again in emails, hopefully I'll be able to cover all your questions and curiosities. If you are interested in where I got a lot of these question check :iconcartoongirl17: page.

1] What is your pen name?
Shinigami Shimai: Sometimes written ShinigamiShimai, Shinigami_Shimai or Shinigami-Shimai, depending what the site in question allows.

2] How did you get the name?
It is actually the name of a group of girls from my long running manga and novel series, A Shadowlander’s Dream, and it literally means “Death Sister”. I adopted the name years ago when I discovered that most nicks online were taken. I wanted something that only I would use and that was closely connected to me, so people would know it was me anywhere I went. For those who keep asking this nick does not have anything to do with Death Note or Bleach for it was chosen long before those shows ever existed, we are talking late nineties.

3] What does "Jaa ne" mean?
It is short for "Jaa mata ne" which means "I'll see you later". I spent a lot of time around Japanese speaking people a few years back and as such learned a fair bit of the language. I got to the point that I could understand someone to some extent, but could not speak very clearly. I did not like how final saying "Good bye" or "Sayonara" was so I started saying "Jaa ne" which pretty much means "Later, kay?" After 10 years it sort of stuck. Sadly since getting married I’ve not spent time speaking Japanese, my wife finds it silly, so I’m pretty much forgotten what I’ve learned and can barely understand it anymore so don’t send me notes in Japanese, it will take a while for me to reply…

4] Are you really a Lesbian?
Yes, I don't know how many times I get asked this or why it is so important, but Yes I'm bloody well a dyke and proud of it. I've been kissing girls since I was in Elementary School and never stopped. So please stop asking me.

5] Are you really married to another woman?
*Hits head on desk* Yet another question I get way to many times. Yes, and it is 100% legal too. We got married on January 29th of 2005, exactly one year after we met online. It is not a fake marriage or some online thing. We have the certificate on the wall for everyone to see and wear silver wedding bands on our left rings fingers. We call each other "Wife" as that is what we are to each other and tend to like to keep things equal. We love each other dearly and never wish to be apart. So for the love of Cthulhu please stop asking me about this.

6] What happened to Shoujo-ai Canada and Kat & Neko Manga?
We shut it down and moved pretty much everything here. Still in the process of moving things for it is a large job. The reason for shutting the site down is answered on this page: [link]

7] When are you going to get back to writing "Fill in the blank" Story?
When I get around to it. I have a lot of work on my hands and 2007 was a rather busy year so I could not get everything done that I wanted too. However this year I hope to be more productive and be able to finish at least a few more stories. So don't fret, I have not quit on A Shadowlander's Dream and yes there are more plans for Morbid Tales, but that will be in due time. I'm a fast writing but not that fast. Give me a break.

8] Will you talk with me on Instant Massager?
No, for a long time I did talk to people on IMs but now I have a loving wife and tons of work that keeps piling up so I don't have time to chat with everyone online. So I've decided to keep my IMs to family only, seeing as it saves on long distance bills.

9] But I really want to talk to you, how do I contact you?
A: If you really want to talk with me either message me here or join one of the communities I run, but understand this. I'm very busy and will only reply if I feel I have the time to do so. If you don't hear from me it is more then likely because I'm busy working so please don't keep messaging me over and over again for that will just annoy the hell out of me. I'll get to people when I can and answer your questions. If you really want to talk to me then you can find me here, just note me and I'll get back to you if I find the time.

10] I'm a lesbian/anime fan, can we be friends?
*Sighs* I don't know how many times I have to deal with this question. Listen just because I'm a dyke and study anime/manga does not mean I'm instantly going to be your friend. I'm not the type of person who goes around saying "I love the L Word" or "I love Strawberry Panic". In fact I'm more likely to get in a discussion about the underlined aspects of a film then just talk about liking something. So if you don't have something intelligent to say then it is very unlikely that you will hear much in return from me.

11] I just watched "Fill in the Blank" you should really watch it.
Okay this is not a question, but it is something I'm getting tired of hearing. I'm not as much into anime/manga as I used to be and have very little time to sit down and watch the amount of stuff that I do have around here, which is over 400 DVDs worth of stuff. So please stop sending me messages about one anime or another. I've already seen Strawberry Panic, Girl-meets-girl and a whole string of other series that I don't really talk about online much. If I find something interesting I'll post about it on my forum: [link] so post there if you want to chat shoujo-ai or yuri.

12] Will you teach me how to draw/colour/write like you?
No, I don't have time to take every student under my wing. I'll be posting my tutorials later if anyone is interested and I’m willing to help out where I can, but I’m not going to be anyone’s teacher. Sorry if this seems rude, but I just don’t have enough time to teach every person who asks me too.

13] Do you use PC or Mac?
PC

14] What software you use most often?
Photoshop. I started with 5.5 and worked my way up to 7 and now use CS2. I fought tooth and nail against moving to computers and then moving from one PS to another, but I’m happy with the choice I made.

15] Do you use mouse, or tablet?
I never use a mouse. I mostly use a Logitech Trackball, which I have been using for about 10 years now. About 5 years ago a friend gave me her old Wacom Tablet so I use that a lot, but still find myself falling back to the trackball every now and then because I’m the most familiar with it.

16] The colour you use most often is?
Browns, I like autumn colours and find myself using a lot of browns and oranges in my works, also blues for some reason.

17] What area of the pictures do you put most effort into?
Hair, I love drawing and colouring hair so I spend the most time working on that part of any image.

18] How long does it take you do draw a picture?
Drawing only takes a few minutes. I can draw a quick sketch in less then ten minutes, but with more detailed pieces it can take about an hour or so.

19] Do you keep your rough drafts?
Most of them, I used to have all of them in a big box, I work on 14x17 pads so the box needed to be big, my wife however felt it was time for me to clear out that box a bit because I literally kept everything and what used to be about a two foot deep box is now about half a foot worth of things I need to work on more.

20] What kind of font do you use most often?
Flat Brush… I just like the look of it.

21] What's the dpi when you scan?
600 for the most part, but since I’m not planning to sell prints as of late I’ve been scanning at 300.

22] Do you do anything else when you're drawing pictures?
I spent a lot of time referencing people before drawing and then I draw in blue pencil and use a B4 to darken the lines. I find this allows for a lot of room for errors and changes as I go along and I like working with blue pencil, I wish I had started working in blue a long time ago.

23] How many pictures do you draw in a month?
About 5 or 6, I used to do many more, but I need to balance my life between art, writing and my family and art is the one that suffers in the end.

24] What kind of paper do you draw your pictures on?
14x17 Canson 65lb sketch pad. Acid free and 100% recycled paper.

25] What kind of paper do you use for sketches and drafts?
Same as above, I also have a smaller sketch pad made of the same paper that I some times carry with me to sketch out ideas, but I don’t use that one very often.

26] How long does it take to ink something?
Depends on the detailing on the image. A single character can take a little as a few minutes to nearly an hour depending on how detailed I’m going with them.

27] Do you do doujinshi or original manga?
Original, I would rather work with my own characters. Check here for my Original Manga Projects: [link]

28] Do you like doujinshi? Is it fun making it?
Not really, I don’t read it much either.

29] Ever submitted anything to a magazine?
Several times.

30] Did it get published?
Just a few pinups, not much more.

31] Who are your favourite artists?
Satoshi Urushihara (Plastic Little, Langrisser and Chirality) Who is my fav. artist for a long time and I always wanted to colour like him.
Kenichi Sonoda (Bubblegum Crisis and GunSmith Cats) I was a huge fan of Priss when I was younger, one of the first lesbian anime characters that I encountered back then. I was also a big fan of Rally and Misty, one of my fav lesbian relationships, even if it was not fully portrayed in the story.
CLAMP (Cardcaptor Sakura, X) I read Rayearth a long time ago and then was a fan of CCS before it was popular. I found some fansubs on one of my first trips to Toronto's Anime North and remember spotting Tomoyo's affections for Sakura and simply fell in love with the story. I was pissed off with the ending mind you and most of CLAMP's ending for that matter which is why I don't read any of their works anymore.
Takehito Harada (character designer for Disgaea), I discovered their works before Disgaea's release and was so happy to find out that they were doing the designs. I love the cutey style and colouring. Check out their site: [link]
Goto or Gota, not really sure, he usually goes by Galaxy Child and I discovered his works in Magicu back in the early 2000s. I really love his illustration style and colouring. Check out his works here: [link]
Kenji Gotoh, character designer for Uta-kata, Nadeshiko, Gatekeepers and so on. Love his colouring styles.
Hitoshi Tomizawa (Alien 9)
Barasui (Strawberry Marshmallow)
Guy Nakahira (Figure 17).
Yoshitosho Abe (Lain, Haibane)
Koge Donbo (Pita Ten, Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar)

32] What's your favourite Anime/Manga?
It is a very long list, but you can probably guess from some of the artist I listed above

33] Favourite Characters?
CCS: Tomoyo/Sarkua, Strawberry Marshmallow: Ann/M , Alien Nine: Yuri/Kumi, and more.

34] Any artists that you'd like to draw like?
I like to draw in my own style, but I wish I could be more detailed like Aoi Nanase, Kenji Gotoh or Abe

35] Do you buy books a lot?
Used too, but not as much as of late. I would buy art books and manga by the loads, never mind my collection of novels. Lately there hasn’t been enough money to buy all the things I wish I could own. I want a library room with shelves running floor to ceiling and covering every wall, that would a dream come true for me. *drools*

36] Did you ever buy a book to inspire you to draw?
Yep, many times. I bought a Pita Ten and Sister Prince book just because of the clothes and the many different characters, that is just to name a couple of the books I own.

37] Any video games you enjoy?
Yep, Survival horror is my new addiction. I used to be a big RPG fan, but recently I’ve found my tastes have been changing majorly.

38] Any favourite characters from video games?
Jennifer and Wendy from Rule of the Rose.

39] Do you have a favourite writer?
John Saul, Stephen King, Poe and Lovecraft.

40] Any books you really enjoy?
Yes, I love good horror stories and find myself returning to many of the books that I read as a child. I’ve reread most of John Saul’s original works and even Kings older works, up to Needful Things.

41] Do you write fanfics?
Nope, I don’t like the idea of writing using someone else’s characters. I do have one story that would be considered fanfiction, but I don’t think of it that way because I’m trying to retell the story exactly as it was told in the game, but in novel formate so others can enjoy it as well.

42] Any music that you often listen to while drawing?
Yep, Duran Duran, T.a.T.u, Barenaked Ladies, ELO, Savage Garden, Roxette, Anne Lenox and more.

43] Are you a computer expert?
Not by any extent of the word. I actually hate computers and use them only to achieve my needs.

44] Any other specialities besides drawing?
Writing, doing lectures and what have you.

45] Have you ever entered art contests?
A couple, but I tend to not like entering contests for personal reasons.

46] When did you start drawing seriously?
Back in the early 90s.

47] Anything that you often use as a reference when you draw?
Photographs, there are so many great stock photos here on DA and I love it. I also have some pose books and other reference around here.

48] Have you met any of your fans online?
Yep, many during my convention days.

49] You have a lot of pen pals?
Nope, none.

50] You have a lot of friends that draws?
I don’t know if one could call them friends. I have very few people that I consider friends, but I do know quite a few artist and writers that is for sure.

51] What time do you usually go online?
Between 10 am and noon, then again around 4pm-5pm.

52] What would you say to the person you admire?
I’m not worth admiring; I just do what I can to pass the time and to keep myself from completely losing my mind. So there isn’t much to admire really.

53] Do you think of things when you draw?
My next project mostly.

54] Have you drawn bad because you think too much?
Sometimes, then I usually take a break from things until my mind is more focuses.

55] Do you have any friends who are professionals?
A few.

56] Has your drawing style changed a lot?
A fair bit, check my manga and colour progress charts.

57] How does it usually change?
More detailed mostly and smoother.

58] Have you experienced artists block before?
For about 3 years actually.

59] How did you escape from it?
I got married. LOL

60] What happens when you have artists block?
I tend to not have any amount of creativity or thoughts of drawing. During those times I turn to my writing more then anything else.

61] Any artists that have influenced you a lot?
That is another long list.

62] What made you start drawing?
I’ve been drawing since I was very little. Since as far back as I can remember writing and art were my main ways of expressing myself, because I found it hard to speak.

63] If you can get any person's autograph, who's would you get?
Miyazaki

64] What would you say to that artist when he/she autographs for you?
I would just thank him for making such inspirational films.

65] Do you have fans of your art?
A few here and there.

66] Did you take art lessons other than from school?
I took many art lessons from everywhere I could. Even got lessons from an oil painter who lived down the street for a bit.

67] What's your favourite phrase/quote?
“There is no such thing as evil, only levels of eccentricity.”
“I live, I always do.”

68] What's your goal now?
Finish as many of these half finished projects as I can throughout the year. Complete another two full-length novels and maybe some more short stories.