interview

New Interview with Archan Nair

marcos333 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:01:04 +0000

Archan Nair is a really kind person and one of the top notch digital artists nowadays. This is actually our second interview with him, as we always like to know more and more about him and all his knowledge thru this years working on the creative field. Hope this conversation will be useful and enjoyable for you guys.

If you want to know more about Archan, please acess his Website.

1) First of all I would like to thank you for doing this interview, it's an honor for us to present more about you to our readers. I would like to start asking you about when your interest for digital art and illustration began.

Thank you so much for having me again on abduzeedo and making me a part of this ever growing creative spirit here.The honor is mine .. and I am really glad to be back after a few years and sharing my journey with all the beautiful creators and co-creators.

I began working in the fashion industry around 2002, when I joined my family’s apparel manufacturing company with absolutely no formal training. Around Mid 2006 I started dabbling with a bit of photoshop, and was basically having fun everyday.. earlier days it seemed really fun and joy to create, but as I was exploring more, I started becoming really serious with creating and expressing myself through the digital medium. In about a year, I finally decided to pursue my love , to do what I really enjoy from the deepest corner of my heart, and to start my own studio where I could create all the time. It has been an incredible trip since then.

2) Which artists do you use for reference?

I admire a lot of artists, but usually in other fields of art like music or sculpture. I love a lot of visual artists also , but I never use any as reference. I really love artists or creators who are truly original in their style and just do what they love doing. and it really shows in their work.

3) People recognize you for doing some really intense and colorful mixed media art, a aesthetic that influenced a lot of designers and art directors on the last 5 years. How did you develop this style and how would you describe it?

I feel that the colours come so naturally to me, and that our culture has a major influence in the way I use my vivid compositions. It is definitely not a conscious effort, but it seems to be embedded deep within me.My inspirations comes from everything around me, life as usual. Conversations, music, movies, realizations, anything which could really inspire me at a particular moment would motivate me to express myself through that channel , and while expressing them on a manasic plane I translate them through vibrant love.

4) Describe us a bit of your creative process.

I love experimenting. and I get bored very easily .. so I always need new ways to innovate and create. When I am creating my subconscious always reminds me of how much more can I explore.. I usually would start an artwork by beginning with water colours to create a base, and then paint digitally. Print the artwork on a canvas and use acrylic paints, pens and markers for line art drawings, 3D objects or even scraps , and experiment with traditional and digital medias on and off the entire process , even images or anything which I would connect with during the creation of the artwork, until I feel I am ready.

5)You latest artworks seem to have a great influence of traditional illustration, more specific from watercolors and some abstract paintings.
Do you use to mix this medias? What you think about mastering traditional methods?

Oh yes absolutely. I love working with different medias. As I have progressed in this journey over the last few years, I have started loving different mediums of expressing myself and trying to merge them into 1 composition, that is really exciting me now. I am not sure about mastering, as I feel no one can master anything, as every process is infinite and never-ending, so even those we term as masters are still learning and doing new things too.

I feel that no matter which media we create on, we should just love creating , irrespective of the media.. and if someone is inclined towards a particular genre, he or she should try it out.

6) How do you describe your daily routine?

Sure. Well, I have no timetable as I don't follow time anymore, so I am creating all the time. I wake up early mornings usually and create , Love tingling my senses with great food. love dining out, watching movies with the family and friends. Love exploring sound and creating music, trying to spin both the sound and visual energies with each other now and absolutely loving it.

7) Which is your favorite piece so far?

I feel all my works are a true part of my being, my energy and all are my true expressions.. so selecting a piece or a few pieces is really very difficult, as they all have contributed to really connect me with my true self, and still help me grow and find answers everyday. Every one of them are my babies and really really special. I love them all!

8) Tell us five lessons you believe are really important

- I feel its important to really seek , admire and manifest your own reality. If you love doing something, you must do it without fear and go all out and do it all the time

- Contribute to the planet, by sharing and loving every living element , everything around you, because of which you are in such a beautiful space.

- Be original and do your own style, as that will make you unique and that is how you will find your true calling

- Working on your skills or technique is important, but not everything! Try to pour more love into your work than just focus on the skill part.

- Realizing how gifted we all our in our own special way and really using those gifts in society.

9) Tell us sites that you like to visit

These days I like going into tumblr, I love 1x.com, and I am a tech freak, love customizing my phone so xda developers as well :)

10) Thanks again for your time, please leave a final message for the ones who are starting out on this kind of business.

I feel that success is never about money or fame. Success is about finding your true creative spirit, knowing your gift and sharing your vibration in its purest form with the cosmos. Would love to just share, and say.. be original, love what you create, imagination is the only knowledge and when we listen to our heart, we have access to that knowledge. Thank you so much! :)

About the author

My name is Marcos Torres, I'm Graphic Artist from Porto Alegre, Brasil. You can get to know more about me by acessing my Personal Website or by following me on Twitter: @marcos333. You can also see some of my last projects at my Flickr.

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Interview with Dabs and Myla

marcos333 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:08:08 +0000

Today I'm going to introduce to you guys this adorable australian couple of graffiti writers, please welcome Dabs and Myla. These fellas have been doing some extremely funky and interesting artworks both on the streets and on galleries. So it's really nice to have a the opportunity to understand more about their story and other topics.

If you want to know more about this adorable couple, please visit their Website or their Blog.

1) In the name of the Abduzeedo team, I would like to thank you guys for your time and kindness to answer this interview. Let's start by asking you, when you start getting interest by Graffiti and Illustration?

DABS: We actually both started at different points, I had been writing graffiti for about 10 years before we met. We met and fell in love at Art School, and started working together. I taught MYLA how to use spray paint when we met, and the basics of style writing. She took it from there and developed her own skill set and style very quickly! We have both always been interested in illustration and painting though! Even before we studied together we had a similar interest in style and technique.

2) Tell us more about your influences and guys who inspired you.

MYLA: I think that we gain the majority of our inspiration from each other. We are really lucky to be able to share our lives and our artwork together, and we are constantly influencing each other and bouncing ideas and new theories back and forth. Outside of that though, I think we get a lot of inspiration from our friends and crew members. That's whats great about being in a crew, working with your friends on a large scale and constantly learning from each other.

3) I find your artworks and graffs really amazing, they're so colorful and happy. So, when you developed this aesthetic and how could you describe it.

DABS:Our style is something that has slowly developed bit by bit over the past 7 years. I think it comes from our early influences in illustration and old animation, as well as being a reflection of our attitude and day to day steez! We are really happy people! We love our life and enjoy pretty much every second of it...so I think our artwork and characters has a positive vibe on it just based on the people its coming from.

4) Nowadays, do you think that it's possible to make a living doing Graffiti and Street Art?

DABS: Of course!!...If your willing to work your ass off for it and have confidence in your own abilities.

5) How's you daily workflow?

MYLA: Hectic!!...We always seem to have more to do than we can fit into one day!!..But we love it that way! We love what we do, and love to work hard at it. We spend pretty much 7 days a week from 7am till 11pm working in the studio on our paintings. The only times we really leave is to go outside and paint a wall. We are lucky that we both enjoy the same things and have a similar work ethic which allows us to work like crazy like this!!

6) What's you favorite piece at the moment?

MYLA: I think at the moment our favorite piece is a painting that we just made for a show in Miami during Art Basel titled 'You are the light'. It's a bigger scale painting for us, and we are really happy with how it came out.

7) What are your future projects for 2012?

DABS:We have a lot of interesting things ahead in 2012. Like most years we will spend the majority of the year working on paintings for shows, but we are planning to take more time to paint more large scale murals this year, and will be traveling a bit too. We also will be curating a show at Thinkspace Gallery in L.A which i think will be pretty epic!!

8) Tell us five lessons you've learned till now on being a successful Graphic Artist.

*WORK HARDER AND LONGER THAN YOU THINK YOU COULD EVER POSSIBLY WORK.

*ALWAYS KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF AND YOUR STYLE.

*MAKE THINGS THE WAY YOU WANT THEM TO LOOK, DONT BE TOO INFLUENCED BY
TRENDS OR WHATS GOING ON AROUND YOU. DO IT FOR YOURSELF.

*DONT BE A DICK TO PEOPLE!!

*THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT...ALWAYS!!!

9) Tell us five site you love.

JERSEYJOEART.COM

SDMCREW.COM

THEWORLDSBESTEVER.COM

JUXTAPOZ.COM

SOURHARVEST.COM

10) Thanks for your time Dabs and Myla, please leave a final message to everyone how's starting at the creative field.

DABS:Its just art...don't kill your self over it!! Enjoy it and have fun!

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Video Inspiration #52

nathanbweller — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:28:49 +0000

Video Inspiration is a weekly(ish) post where we either feature a specific artist or show a sort of "best of" list of videos we've discovered during the week. Everything here may not be brand new, but we felt it worth sharing with the community. If you have good finds that you'd like to share, please feel free to send your links to nathan@abduzeedo.com with "video inspiration" in the subject line.

This week I'm featuring some rad videos I've found around the web. Enjoy!

Doomed from AllaKinda on Vimeo.

Troll Slayer from Jullien Brothers on Vimeo.

Network from Michael Rigley on Vimeo.

Skinner's Hell Dream from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo.

One Plastic Beach from High Beam Media on Vimeo.

About the author

Hi, my name is Nathan Weller. I'm a Columbus Ohio based artist, blogger and freelance consultant. I manage business development here at Abduzeedo. If you'd like to partner or advertise with us, email me at nathan[@]abduzeedo.com. I also write for some other cool blogs and post everything I write on twitter. If I'm not working then I'm either tinkering around with personal projects or posting cool stuff as I find it on my Tumblr. If you're passionate about art or even an artist yourself, I'd love to connect and learn about what you do :)

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Video Inspiration #49 - Reader Submitted Works

nathanbweller — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:35:42 +0000

Video Inspiration is a weekly(ish) post where we either feature a specific artist or show a sort of "best of" list of videos we've discovered during the week. Everything here may not be brand new, but we felt it worth sharing with the community. If you have good finds that you'd like to share, please feel free to send your links to nathan@abduzeedo.com with "video inspiration" in the subject line.

This week we've got another installment of works submitted by YOU the readers. Great work everyone! Fantastic submissions :)

[myoo-zik] from Nejc Polovsak on Vimeo.

BT Vision Christmas 2011 from weare17 on Vimeo.

Bram Adey // Artist - Tattooer from Matt Wiebe on Vimeo.

Realejo from ESTÚDIO TEREMIM on Vimeo.

Moon hooch - Low 4 NYC 2011 from eDsanca on Vimeo.

About the author

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Video Inspiration #48 - Inspiration Overload

nathanbweller — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:08:25 +0000

Video Inspiration is a weekly(ish) post where we either feature a specific artist or show a sort of "best of" list of videos we've discovered during the week. Everything here may not be brand new, but we felt it worth sharing with the community. If you have good finds that you'd like to share, please feel free to send your links to nathan@abduzeedo.com with "video inspiration" in the subject line.

Sooo, this week I decided to try something a bit different. I wanted to post a lot more videos under several different sub-headings in the hopes that if one type of video isn't your cup of tea, then another one will be. And if your problem is you just can't get enough great video inspiration, then you'll be in heaven :) These are my favorite finds from this last week. Enjoy!

P.S. I'll be doing my next reader submitted version of VI next Thursday, so keep sending in those submissions!

About the author

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Interview with Alexandre Farto (aka. Vhils)

marcos333 — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:29:19 +0000

Today we have the pleasure to show you a fresh interview with one of the big names in the urban art scene of the world, his name's Alexandre Farto aka Vhils. Alexandre is recognized by his "destructive" creations and in this interview he speaks about his background, techniques, style and other interesting subjects, check it out.

For more information about Alexandre visit his Website.

1) First of all I would like to thank you for doing this interview, it's an honor for us to present more about you to our readers. I would like to start asking you about when your interest for art, graffiti and urban art began.

I believe that my interest about the expressionist world began with everything I saw in the streets of Lisbon, Portugal while I grew up: a contrast among the decay of the political murals painted around the 70's and 80's, after the 1974 Revolution, and the overlap of the capitalist publicity and its colors and shapes, getting around in full speed by the end of the 80's. I started to do some graffiti when I was 10 years old and started to take it more seriously when I was 13. It was the graffiti that got my interest for art and everything surrounding it. It was the graffiti that made me study art in school, and everything I got to know after it in terms of world arts, contemporary or classic, everything began with my interest in graffiti.

2) Which artists do you use for reference?

When I started I really admired artists related to Lisbon's hardcore graffiti, some of them became friends, and I also admired artists from around the world that I got to see on magazines, movies, etc. Crews from Lisbon as GVS R1 3D 2S LEG 1003PV were big references, as the EWC from Poland, SDK from France and many others. After a while I discovered the work of Banksy, which inspired me to take a new direction, not in terms of style but in terms of concept and what to explore in urban art. Nowadays I admire the work of many people, including Gordon Matta-Clark, Katherina Grosse, JR, Conor Harrington, Word 2 Mother, NeckFace, Faile, Blu, Gaia, Barry McGee, Os Gêmeos and more.

3) People recognize you for starting a destructive urban art movement, something new and fresh that nobody tried before. How did you develop this style and how would you describe it?

The development of this line of work has essentially two bases: one is graffiti in its most destructive side, which I have been connected to for many years; the second is the stencil technique that I discovered while I was looking for new paths that allowed me to express a new way of communication. From the first one I picked up the concept of destruction as creative strength - based on this idea I developed a way of work that uses the removal, decomposition or destruction. The concept is the idea that we are made by a series of influences that shape us throughout historical layers, etc, that come from the environment where we grew up. In a very symbolic way I believe that if we remove some of these layers, showing other ones, we can bring to surface some of the stuff we left behind, forgotten things that are still part of what we are today.

Technology is changing things so quickly that we don't have enough time to think about what is changing (new layers), what is affecting us. I try to underline this process in general, my work can be seen as a kind of archeology that tries to understand what is hidden behind things. These ideas found expression when I started to experiment with the stencil technique and understood that I could revert the process to have more impact: instead of creating while adding layers, I explored the idea of creating by removing layers. I experimented with this process using several methods - cutting clusters of posters, corroding silkscreen ink with acid, etc. - and naturally things started to gain a brutal and raw shape.

When I passed the idea to walls it was natural to work with this removal concept, this negative field. The process itself can be brutal and violent, but the result in my opinion, is expressive and poetic. The result was visibly interesting and allowed to start to incorporate the wall as one of the physical components to the intervention, unlike what happened to the painting, where the wall was a base. From there, the usage of explosives was another step that evolved after a lot of research and tests. These testing stages are something really nice to do, it's actually a pleasure, and it usually results as a main part of my work.

4) Today there is a big discussion about the legitimacy of urban art and graffiti, what are the limits that an artist must put on his work and what exactly would be the public space. What is your opinion about this issues?

As a citizen I understand that this is a complex issue that can't be seen as 'light' or black and white, yes or no - there are a lot of factors involved in this. In a more personal approach, in the other hand, I understand that we shouldn't have limits in art, nor to the space where we apply it. No rules should be applied to art.

5) What do you think about the recent transition of several urban artists into fine arts and galleries? Is urban art still urban art inside a museum?

Yes, if the art is honest with its essence and if you take the space "to be what it is" and not be domesticated, which is a natural tendency in closed spaces because art in closed spaces is, essentially, marketable art. The museums may be exceptions to this because they disclose art, but not galleries, which usually are interested in selling art.

There is naturally a big difference between things produced freely on the streets and things produced to be showcased in a closed space, but I believe they are not opposites or exclude one another. For those interested in expressing their work both spaces are interesting, we just need to look at the productions inside their context. Street art is in a public space - what is produced for a gallery or museum is essentially a new version of a work, in a new context. What each artist makes with his work is something very particular.

6) How do you describe your daily routine?

Actually it's a bit complicated because I never know what will happen... It depends on where I am, and lately I'm always doing something in different places, so things vary a lot. In general I work everyday, in my house, studio or even at the airport - when I'm traveling. I don't have a pre-defined space for work and pleasure, everything happens naturally. My life involves a lot of production, research and a lot of work, which I really like, so I don't separate that. It's pretty normal for me to be involved in several projects at the same time, and it's usually in different countries. I have a base in Lisbon and another in London, it's interesting to always be on the move but sometimes it's hard to manage everything - sometimes I really need to stop everything and take some days off.

7) Which is your favorite piece so far?

I'm not sure, I usually like my latest work the most.

8) Tell us five lessons you believe are really important

1- There are no rules

2- There are no small materials

3- Persistence is key

4- In error we find creation

5-Go with the flow

9) Tell us sites that you like to visit

woostercollective.com

unurth.com

notcot.com

10) We would like to thank you again for your time and kindness, have a nice day Alexandre.

About the author

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Interview with Matthieu Bessudo (aka. Mcbess)

marcos333 — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:44:25 +0000

Today is the lucky day for some of you guys, because we got a exclusive interview with one of the highlights of the illustration area: Matthieu Bessudo aka. Mcbess. So, we tried to make some questions funnier to him, less formal than usual! So our conversation could be way more spontaneous as normal interviews, hopefully you guys will enjoyed it.

You can see more of this beautiful madness created by this genius artist at his Website.

1) In the name of the Abduzeedo Team, I would like to thank you for accept taking part on this interview, it's a great pleasure for us. Let's start by asking you when all this madness started? It was when you're a kid with boxes of crayons?

Well I guess I’ve always been drawing but really it started in college, it’s like I’ve been drawing like a zombie for 19 years and then I understood what I actually could do with it. I was surrounded by people with taste and idea and it became a new way of saying things, violent things, unspeakable things, quickly became addicted to that form of expression. Music as always been taking a bigger place than drawings so I never really took the time to see the potential, it’s thanks to my friends that I’ve been able to see what could be fun in doing images.

2) Tell us about some guys you admire and why then.

Well I really like people with no bullshit, like louis CK, ricky gervais, josh hommes, it’s harder to find people like that in the “image” field because people think they’re all artists and keep raving about their concept. Obviously not everyone is like this and it’s why I love people like Chris Ware, Dave Cooper, their work speak for them and it’s say: “amazing”

3) I already tried to label your style several times as "50's revival cartoon with spice" or other bizarre genres, but it's unique and hard to describe. When you developed this style and how could you describe it?

Well It’s a mixture of things, I didn’t really think about it when I started it kind of came out like that . When I was a kid I was a fan of 80’s cartoons like ninja turtle and ghost busters and my dad would watch a lot of merry melodies and betty boop, that’s a mixture that always stuck with me . When I started to play with curves and colors this just became a natural thing, going back to what I knew best. I’m not sure how to label it, old school shit with newer shit, not that I don’t want to be labeled I just see them as drawings.

4) You're already tired of answering this, but why only black and white colors?

I am tired of that answer indeed, I’m colorblind, can’t see color so I always though that what I drew was purple and yellow. The real reason is that I was very poor when I started drawing and I never was able to afford colors.

5) So, how's Mcbess daily routine?

Coffee and croissant in the morning, I choose a good series to watch all day, then I draw . I surf the inter-web multimedia for in depth references or stories about things I like, then I look up a good place to have lunch. After lunch there’s my nap, for like 3 hours then I go to the pub to get smashed. When I’m really drunk I try to draw some more but it’s usually useless. I’d say that’s an average kind of day for me .

6) You're already a successful artist, tell us what were you're best moment and what was the worst moment in your career till now .

There’s never really been a worst moment, working for a commercial project is usually the type of things that I don’t enjoy but it also give me a reason to moan and I love that, bitching about the work and people . Best moment might during opening of shows, when you get to meet people and it’s the achievement of a long period of work, it’s hard to choose one, they’ve all been special .

7) What's the best media you've worked till now and why?

Well I’m a bit of a geek so I love working on the computer but more and more I try to stir away from it and use different kind of pens on paper, I really like that. Computer result is always very smooth and I love that, paper got more texture and it’s more real and risky so I love it too, I don’t want to choose .

8) Give us five sites you love.

9) Tell us your top 5 lessons you've learned to become a badass illustrator.

1. Do not care about what people say

2. Listen to what people say then immediately forget

3. Do not draw about things you don’t know about

4. Do not always try to do everything perfect, it’s usually makes it impossible to finish anything

5. Be proud about you work but not too much because it’s annoying.

10) Thanks for your time and attention, please leave a final message for every kid that's starting out as a artist.

Well I hope you’ll get to do or be whatever you want, as soon as you’re happy the work will follow and if you’re depressed, well it usually is a good time for creation that might then lift you out of depression then your work might not be as good but you won’t be depressed and if you get depressed because your work is not good well then it will be a good time to create something, it’s a very funny spiral . Just don’t get too cynical that kills everything .

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Interview with Jacqui Oakley

paul0v2 — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:06:16 +0000

Today we are going to have an awesome talk with Jacqui Oakley. For those who don't know her, she is an amazing illustrator from Canada. Jacqui has a very unique style that mixes hand drawings and illustration with a hint of watercolor, and the result is always on point. Check out the interview for some behind the scene talk.

Where to find her:

Want to buy some amazing illustrations from Jacqui? visit her shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jacquioakley

Website - www.jacquioakley.com

Blog - www.jacquioakley.com/blog

Twitter - www.twitter.com/JacquiOakley

Dribbble - www.dribbble.com/jacqui-oakley

1. First of all welcome to Abduzeedo and thank you for the opportunity to interview you. Let's start with the usual, please introduce your self and give us a little background on Jacqui Oakley.

I was born in Canada, moved really quickly to be raised in Bahrain, Zambia and Libya, while my parents travelled for work. We also went back and forth from England, where my parents are originally from & my siblings were born. In 1989, when I was teenager, we finally settled down in Canada, So now, I've been a freelance illustrator for about 10 years having clients such as Rolling Stone, Financial Times (UK), LA Weekly, The Boston Globe, ESPN, etc. I work on these illustrations in my Hamilton studio/home just outside of Toronto in Ontario, Canada & I also teach part-time at OCAD U, (Ontario College of Art & Design) in Toronto.

2. How early did you find the love for art and illustrations?

When I was really young I had a strange fondness for drawing mazes. That might have come more out boredom on long plane trips rather than interest though. But I guess I've always loved patterns and colour and really enjoyed the images my parents picked up from travels. I remember staring at Batiks from Malaysia, images of Thai gods & scenes of African Villages. I also loved looking at pictures from non-fiction books. Anything sci-fi or horror related aways grabbed my attention. Also, I enjoyed drawing birds and animals, especially ones from different countries. In Bahrain we only had geckos, goats and camels so visiting Canada with its multitudes of squirrels was pretty exotic at the time. So, drawing animals that from distant places was fun, and I guess that stuck.

3. How did you turn your passion into your profession?

I knew I always wanted to do 'art' but was never sure of the direction. I went to the University of Toronto for a fine arts degree but found I wasn't learning enough technique. I needed to be pushed and the talent coming out of Sheridan's Illustration program (Oakville, ON, Canada) was really appealing. So I switched and just fell into illustration without really knowing what it was at first. After I graduated I loved the idea of showing 'art' to people in their everyday lives, rather than to a few in an art gallery, and also the idea of being able to add to the dialogue of present issues. After school I waitressed for a while but then discovered it was sink or swim time. I focused fully on illustration after a few months and I've stuck with it ever since. It was sometimes tough at the beginning and there've been ups and downs but it's been well worth it.

4. I notice a lot of your work are actual paintings, explain to us the process you go through when creating an illustration.

I start off with brainstorming with words and small doodles of random ideas that come to mind, then maybe collecting a bunch of reference images, and onto roughs and linears. Once a linear is approved I blow it up to the size I'm going to work with and transfer it onto paper. I used to work a bunch in oils but these days I usually block out a few areas in acrylic paint, trying to keep it loose and keep texture in there with dry brush. Then I go onto inking lines, and then maybe a few spots of colour again in acrylic or coloured ink.

5. What's your favorite type of work? The one that gets you really excited to start, and when you done you wish that was more.

My favorite work really depends on the article or idea that's proposed to me. If I can conjure up visuals rights away then I can get really excited. I love when a painting is so engrossing it doesn't feel like a job anymore. Of course it's amazing to work on larger pieces for art shows and I'd love more of an opportunity to do that. Some recent jobs I've really enjoyed have been the EP cover for Two Crown King – the band was totally open and supportive of my ideas, and I got to collaborate with my husband who's a graphic designer. It's the first time we've done that together which was awesome!

6. By your process we can tell that you don't get too near a computer, how do you feel about that living at times where everyone is getting their work done on a screen. Do you feel more of an artist than an illustrator because of that?

Even though it doesn't look like I do, I spend most of my time in front of the computer. So, much of a freelancer's time is taken up with emails, contracts & promotion, so I'm often staring at the screen like everyone else. When I'm working on a complicated linear I often draw pieces separately and then scan and move them around in the computer. I find this allows me to experiment a bit more with the composition. Sometimes, for final illustrations, I ink the lines by hand before adding the colour in with Photoshop. I always prefer a hand drawn feel, so I try to maintain that and stay away from images that look too 'glossy'. That said, there are lot of artists I know who work fully in the computer and I really admire their work. For me, I just enjoy the spontaneity of working more by hand. Since I spend so much time on the computer, it's nice to have a break and paint by hand, listen to some good audio books, and see where it takes me.

7. We have a lot of users that are just starting up on the design world, what tips and advices you have for them?

It's tough at first going out on your own. Remember that everyone has had really slow times. Just keep promoting yourself and doing good work and it'll pay off. It's silly, but don't forget that you enjoy art & design. Sometimes when art becomes a daily routine it can seem like a job. So, try and remember to work on personal projects when you can, collaborate with friends, & continue looking at things to keep getting excited & add to the vocabulary of your work. It'll come through in the end.

Thank you Jacqui, was great talking to you and we wish you the best on your career!

About the author

Hi there! I'm Paulo Canabarro, 26 year old web designer - paulocanabarro.com I'm from Brazil currently living and working out of Providence RI, USA. I'm truly passionate about design of all kinds, finding and sharing inspiration here has become part of my life. If you like to know more about me or get in touch visit my website paulocanabarro.com Stock me at Twitter and Dribbble

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Interview with Antoni Tudisco

marcos333 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 05:00:52 +0000

Today we're going to interview a really young talented mate, Antoni Tudisco. Antoni is a graphic artist based on Germany, he started out on the creative area really earlier, however he already had the opportunity to work with some big clients as MTV and Kellogs and show his powerful skills.

Here're a couple of links where you can find this bud:

1) In the name of the Abduzeedo team, I would like to thank you for your time and kindness to answer this interview. Let's start by asking you, when you start getting interest by Graphic Arts?

It all started when I was 13. I had a Myspace account and if you can remember, you can design your own profile page with HTML/CSS etc. so I started experimenting around with design to have the coolest profile among my friends and through that, i learned to how to create websites with the help of some tutorials of course. And then I discovered that you can edit pictures using some programs so I started editing photos using Photofiltre ( a freeware) and Gimp. I sometimes sat for 3 hours editing just one photo only adding texts and applying auto contrass because i really had no idea about anything. :) As a "newbie", I really thought I was the best graphic- artist back then until I bumped into your website. After seeing the posts on your site, all I could say to myself was: " Man, I aint got nothing on them! Not even close man!" And I always asked myself how can this people do something breathtaking? Then I swore to myself to be just like them someday or maybe even better, and have an article at Abduzeedo, but before I start, I have to find out where to get 400$ for a program I can use. At the age of 16, I established a clothing line named "Manila apparel". And because I am half Filipino, I sold T-shirt and Hoodies with typical filipino designs on it. It was really in demand back then but I had to cut it out because of copyright issues.

2) Tell us more about your influences and guys who inspired you.

My inspiration was and still is my own life. My childhood was strongly influenced by the 90's cartoons/ series like Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and VoltesV and as time went on, I started to develop my own style in Illustrating. But aside from that, I also idolize some veteran artists like Onur Sentürk, Shepard Fairey and Brian Donnelly.

3) Even doing a lot of commercial projects, you keep woking on your personal stuff often, which is quite amazing. So, when you developed this aesthetic and how could you describe it.

I already reached it this far, that my artworks are being recognized and appreciated and even to the point that my style has been a trademark where people can immediately say: " That's Antoni Tudisco's work!" just by looking at the actual photo. And that's one thing I constantly do with every projects I get. And it was really a long and hard way before I reached it this far.

4) You're a quite young mate, yet you have already worked with some big brands. So, can you tell us how you had the opportunity to work with them?

In the past couple of years I built up a "Contact Tree". I gathered contacts to every field. (Music, Films, etc.) especially those who has influence in the industry they belong to. I also fulfilled different projects from different Agencies/ Companies. However, 80% of my projects comes from Asia.

5) How's you daily workflow?

I've been suffering from this so called "Zombie-Mode" for years. I work primarily at night because I spend the day brainstorming what to design. Everytime I get projects, I read the briefing and request of my client and just sit down and just do everything on the spot without drafting. But I won't recommend it to anyone because sometimes it doesnt turn out to be good. But that's how I do it and my clients actually likes my finished product. I also try to do things as uncomplicated and as fast as possible so I get to finish my work done in a short period of time.

6) What's you favorite piece at the moment?

I don't really have a favorite artwork because I love every single artwork i make! ha!

7) What are your future projects for 2012?

I have some stuffs I'll be releasing on 2012 but i'm not gonna reveal all of it now. But one thing i'm gonna tell you is that i maybe releasing my own brand of vinyl toys. So please be patient in waiting and stay tuned to it.

8) Tell us five lessons you've learned till now on being a successful Graphic Artist.

- STAY ORIGINAL

- HIDE YOUR SOURCES

- PRACTICE LIKE A BOSS

- It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.

- A picture is a poem without words.

9) Tell us five site you love.

http://antonitudisco.com

http://shadowness.com

http://tutorialstorage.com

http://abduzeedo.com

http://9gag.com

10) Thanks for your time Antoni, please leave a final message to everyone who's starting at the creative field.

Follow your dreams.

About the author

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Interview with Shelby White (Wanken) + Giveaway

AoiroStudio — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:46:55 +0000

Shelby White also known as WANKEN is visual designer and photographer currently living in Portland, Oregon. His blog is part of a quality content that will surely inspired your retro side on visuals and photography and more. He's also the creator of Designspiration.net, image-based inspiration resource that is really on the verge of taking our internet image research experience to a whole new level.

For more information on Shelby White, check out his blog Blog.Wanken.com or follow him on Twitter @Wanken.

You can also check out his website Designspiration.net or follow Designspiration on Twitter @designspiration.

Shelby White (Wanken) - Image by Ian Matteson

1. Can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? Where you studied, what courses you took?

I'm a visual designer and photographer working under the moniker Wanken and currently living in Portland. I also am the founder of Designspiration. Wanken originally started as a video production venture by brother and I in 2004. After a while video production become less of an interest so I took Wanken and ran with it in a different direction involving design and photography.

In 2007 I moved to Seattle to get a bachelors degree in graphic design at the Art Institute. At the time I was heavily into photography but had no interest in going to school for it. Since the degree was so focused, most of the classes revolved around the principles of design.

2. You're also a writer for the ISO50 blog; tell us a little bit about that story?

I followed ISO50 Blog for years and actually started WANKEN around the same time. Gradually I was finding that my interests were quite aligned with Scott's and Alex's. Randomly one day I received a message from them asking if I was interested in coming on as a writer. At first I almost ignored the message because I thought someone was playing a joke on me.

3. Could you describe for us your typical 'Start to Finish' workflow on a project and what programs do you use the most?

Every project is different but I try to stick to a similar process each time. I start with defining a clear goal of what the project needs to do. I really believe this is essential. After defining goals I try to get ideas out of my head as quickly as possible by sketching. This goes for any print or web work. Actually, it goes for anything you do.

Filtering out bad ideas quickly is the next step. If I really believe an idea is worthwhile, I'll take it through questioning as if I'm trying to hire it. If the idea or feature isn't doing the job that it should be, then it should be fired.

When I first started designing I had to use Paint because I didn't have Photoshop. Now I regularly use Aperture, Illustrator, Indesign, Photoshop and Coda. I work between two stations: a Mac Pro desktop and a MacBook Pro laptop as my travel station. The laptop serves more of a developing station and the desktop is the design/photo station. As of right now the majority of my work is being done on the MacBook Pro.

4. Where does your inspiration come from?

A portion of my inspiration comes from specific aesthetics of design or photos. The rest that I have control over, comes from imaginative interpretations of feelings or nostalgic moments that I've had. The most typical and clear form of inspiration I get, is from reading about Mid-century or Swiss design.

Regularly I'll sift through archives over 10,000 images and only ended up with 4 images that truly inspire me. For now I may have found what inspires me, but it will continue to change. Of course I have to mention that I browse Designspiration on a daily basis in search of inspirational images.

What is the concept of Designspiration.net?

Designspiration.net is an image-based inspiration resource that allows anyone to search and explore images to get inspired. The site is aimed at helping inspire students and professionals in all of the creative industries: architecture, design, fashion, photography, etc.

There are a number of features to better the experience on Designspiration: the live search function which allows you to just start typing at anytime to search, searching by color, using the keyboards arrow keys to go to next/previous posts & pages and then the ability to traverse the site using tags.

I've written a detailed article about the time it took for me to build the site and the process behind it. The project overall took around 2,000 hours to complete and exposed me to more great design than I knew existed.

6. What are your plans for the future; any new projects?

As of right now you can expect to see some Wanken t-shirts being launched by the new year as well as more posters. I've been working on the Designspiration iPhone & iPad app. The site itself will receive some updates as well to enhance the experience. Wanken will also get some new updates.

7. How does your job as an designer influence your life; do you feel that you see things differently?

Since I've gone through school, I've definitely had to change the way I look at things. During my first year in college I would return home and see the design of local businesses and just hate it. There definitely is a point when you have to learn to disconnect from design just enough so you're able to enjoy things for what they are.

About half way through college when I started revisiting my entrepreneurial interests, I also realized the importance of knowing more than just design. Knowing about business, social media and just about people has really helped me.

8. Once again, thank you very much for the interview. As a final word, do you have any tips for upcoming designers?

I have three pieces of advice that I've found enormously helpful: learning by trial and error, aligning your goals, and being positive.

Learning by trial and error is something I can't stress enough. I've done it and succeeded so there's no reason you can't do it too. It's natural that you may be afraid to try new things but you can't be worried about failing. The fact is, you'll most likely fail at first, but get past it quickly. The only way to get better is to try and try again—you have nothing to lose.

Alongside trial and error learning is aligning your goals. Figure out what your larger goals are for what you want to do or who you want to be. Align yourself with your larger goal and you'll find yourself creating smaller goals that fall perfectly into place. Sounds cheesy doesn't it? Wildly successful people don't question whether or not they can do something or if they'll hit their mark, they know they will because they've aligned themselves to do so.

Learn to focus your positive energy. The more positive you are the easier it will be for you to envision your goals and to reach them. Be positive, but remember to be honestly honest with yourself because if you have your positive energy flowing and you don't know how to do something, you will be able to do it.

Giveaway

To end this interview, Shelby was kind enough to make a little giveaway to our readers. He's giving away this beautiful poster entitled: "The Typefaces of the World".

To participate is simple, just leave a comment with your valid email in the comment box below and we'll pick one lucky winner by the end of this week. Good Luck!

About the author

My name's François Hoang and my alias's Aoiro Studio. I am a self-taught freelance graphic designer from Montreal, Canada. I've been designing for the last 4 years and really have a huge passion for creative work that makes a difference in our world. If you wanna requests some posts; I can be found on Twitter or feel free to contact me.

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Interview with Mike Austin (Human Nature 84)

marcos333 — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:44:43 +0000

Today we will have the pleasure to interview one of the best vector illustrator ever: Mike Austin also known as Human Nature 84. Mike have impressed everyone on the digital art community with his new approach on making vector graphics and being a high defensor of this media. Hope you guys dig this enlightening interview.

You can find more about Mike on:

Flickr

Devianart

Twitter

Vectology News

1) Before we start, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to interview you, it's a great pleasure Mike. First I'd like to ask you when first go in touch with art/design and when did you become interested in illustration?

Well, where do I begin? I guess it all started with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That cartoon introduced me to a world of fighting ninja turtles, old ninja master rats, and insane animation. Drawing those little green turtles for classmates made me feel like a star in my elementary classroom. I was cool without having to be a class clown or a sports freak...and the rest is history.

2) What are your influences? What artists and illustrators inspire you?

Well let me just say that my major influences aren’t all necessarily figurative or part of the art scene. One of my major influences, for his dedication to his art form is the one and only King of Pop Michael Jackson. I would watch him dance and sing and though “man, that guy must practice like all day long” so I took that regimented approach and apply it to my artwork. My screen name HumanNature84 is two-part homage to the king of pop and my lovely wife Amanda, (Human Nature is my favorite song by MJ and my wife was born in 1984 the same year the song was released). A list of my style influencers as follows:

Glen Vilppu

Bert Monroy

Carlos Huante

Burne Hogarth

Michael Hamilton

3) So, when you had the idea to try to do concept art using vector graphics?

I started out with PS like everyone else, but my school also taught Ai. I fell in love with vector around 2008 when I stared dabbling in animation and I discovered a lot of similarities between Ai and Ps and the rest is history.

4) You're not just an excellent illustrator, but you also got a really particular style. When and how did you develop this style? How would you describe it?

I have always been keen on cartoon styled artwork but I also love the old masters dedication to the figure and 3d space. I combined fun world of cartoons and the old masters mentality, so I guess you could call my style Cartoon Realism.

5) After reading some of your comments on your DA profile, I notice that you're really worried about the future of graphics and, more specifically, vector art. So, what's the main idea about changing how people see this kind of art?

I really feel that the vector art documentation is lacking, that’s pretty much the simplest way I can explain the situation.

6) How would you describe your daily workflow?

I basically sketch something, then it’s on to Ai.

7) What is your favorite artwork and why?

My favorite is Calling Home because I really pushed myself to the limits
with this piece.

8) Tell us five characteristics necessary for every vector illustrator and why.

All are self-explanatory:

1: Master your tools.

2: Stay original.

3: Keep a positive attitude.

4: Find someone that has mastered what you are doing and study his or her' work.

5: Practice, Practice, And Practice!

9) Tell us five sites that you'd like to recommend.

vectologynews.wordpress.com

cgsociety.org

figuredrawing.info

conceptart.org

characterdesigns.com

cgmwonline.com

10) Thanks again for the opportunity to interview you Mike, please leave a last advice for the students and everyone who is beginning at this kind of business.

DRAW, DRAW, and DRAW!

About the author

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Video Inspiration #37

nathanbweller — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:07:15 +0000

Video Inspiration is a weekly(ish) post where we either feature a specific artist or show a sort of "best of" list of videos we've discovered during the week. Everything here may not be brand new, but we felt it worth sharing with the community. If you have good finds that you'd like to share, please feel free to send your links to nathan@abduzeedo.com with "video inspiration" in the subject line.

This week I'm featuring some cool videos I've found since last week. Enjoy!

Soundlapse from Fruit Bonus on Vimeo.

"Golden Tree" by Martin Brooks from Ninian Doff on Vimeo.

Rendezvous - The Murf from Scott Benson on Vimeo.

Anthony Lister from Spencer Keeton Cunningham on Vimeo.

About the author

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Interview with Bruno 9li

marcos333 — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:45:59 +0000

It's a pleasure to me and for the Abdz team make a interview with such an important artist as Bruno 9li. Really cool to see an artist from our home town achieving such success on his career and now we have the opportunity to ask him about his life journey. So, I hope you guys learn more about him and with him after this awesome interview.

You can check more about Bruno at his Personal Website.

1) Before we start the interview I would like to thank you for this opportunity. First I would like to know more about your background and when you started to get interested in illustration and art?

I'm self appointed for being the creator of concept of the "Universidade Autoindicada". I choose my masters and my disciplines, creating a research system based on freedom, often crossing disparate subjects, often times contradictory or without any common connection. Therefore, subjects form an imaginary high degree of entropy, full of bumps and contrasts. It's from the energy of these contrasts that my art gets its strength. I believe in learning through intuition and feeling - intuitive knowledge. When you learn from feeling, the object of study and the student connect metaphysically and this enhances the learning experience. I've been to the School of Visual Arts while I was in NY a couple of years ago, and I've also been to Atelier Livre da Prefeitura de Porto Alegre, besides being in other design universities in Brazil.

2) Who are your influences? Illustrators and artists you admire?

I like subjects that range from Philosophy, primitivism, graphism and primitive registers, futurism, mythology, occultism, music, religions, rites… as I'm metagraphist I incorporate the wild and primitive imagery and contrast it with the the urban-metropolitan perception with the idea of creating new dimensions to my visions. And actually there are not a lot of artists that inspire me, that touch me. I do like the visionary and visceral medieval masters of Gothic painting from Europe and a lot of unknown primitive artists from different cultures, from South America to Africa - that many times created objects, masks and clothes to spiritual endings, with no relation to art as we understand it today.

3) You developed a pretty particular style during the past 10 years. How did you develop your style and how would you describe it?

As I mentioned before, I'm metagraphist, my work is the result of collisions and fragments that form its own mythology. I think about my work as the incorporation of several transmuted experiences into images of different dimensions. And as I mature, my work gets stronger. The imagery that I create is in a constant renovation because I envision renovation. Everything on earth is renewed.

4) What made you decide to focus more on art than the illustration market?

I actually search for something to give me strength and to be a free field for me to develop my manifestations, and the arts field can give me that. As an example, I feel free to collide primitivism and futurism. Mythology and philosophy, organic and straight lines. The market is a consequence of my production. I never saw myself as an illustrator, especially because I would have to work with some limitations, and this is not an idea I like since I would lose my freedom. Illustrations have a function, they are created to represent something, differing from my art. But in rare occasions my original work was used to illustrate.

5) Today you basically work as a full-time artist, something that doesn't get a lot of recognition in a country like Brazil. What do you think about the art scene in Brazil? Do you think you can make a living from art there?

Yes, it is possible to make a living out of art in Brazil. I'm Brazilian and I live and practice art. Many times there is the wrong idea that is not possible to make a living out of art in our country. There are economical circumstances that may interfere in the way of people in this path, but it's your choice to take the path. Art is not a commodity, it is not a basic human need, but we can say that art makes us human. And the art scene not only in Brazil but in the world is really wide, fragmented, diversified. It's even hard to explain what I see.

6) What is your daily routine?

I wake up with Aru (my cat) wanting to play around. I eat my breakfast and go to my atelier to work. During most part of the day I read, paint, think, envision… I usually meet some close friends and I really miss my girlfriend, who lives in another city.

7) You are recognized as a great Brazilian artist. Up until now, what is the best moment of your career? Could you also mention the worst moment?

I'm happy but never pleased. My hunger for work is insatiable and this reflects in everything I create. But I'm still pretty young, I have a lot to learn and develop. But if I have to mention the worst moment of my career, I have to say it was the time where I had to work on something with no freedom to pay the bills. Tough times, but good to learn and to keep looking forward.

8) What are 5 lessons you consider crucial to get you where you are.

Renovation, constant research, discipline, visionism, and freedom.

9) What are 5 sites you like to visit and why?

Instead of mentioning 5 I will mention one, Google. My internet researches are so fragmented that it's hard to point 5 sites. I search for subjects that interest me and many times things are spread, they are not only in a single place.

10) Bruno, once again I would like to thank you for your time and for the opportunity. Can you say a few words for those starting the art path?

Listen to your internal voice. Choose your own masters in this field. Be free. True ideas are pure and shatter times. Envision! Transmute! Search!

About the author

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Interview with Joshua Smith (aka. Hydro 74)

marcos333 — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:01:28 +0000

Today we're really glad to publish a high anticipated interview with Joshua Smith, well known on the design community as Hydro 74. Since I started on the creative, I always loved Hydro 74 artworks, so this is quite a great accomplishment to me ann the blog. I hope you guys like and learn more about Josh and his life experience.

Here a couple of links to find Hydro 74 online:

Website

Behance Profile

Twitter

Facebook

Exclusive Discount Code at Hydro 74 Shop:

Also Joshua was really kind and offered a special discount code to our readers, so go to Hydro 74 Shop and grab some awesome posters before it's over ;) .

Coupon code: 'abduzeedohydro' is good for 30% off of everything.

1) Before we start, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to interview you, it's a great pleasure. First I'd like to ask you when did you become interested in Graphic Design and illustration?

Appreciate it. Sorry it took a minute to get back to you on this, but just been nutty busy of late.

You know, I never wanted to be a designer. Never had much interest in it nor thought about it. It wasn't till a couple years into college (1996) going for the teaching degree that I became upset with the program since I was too 'punk rock' at the time to allow to student teach. I was just poor so the best I could do for cloths was Thrift Stores and didn't care what I looked like on campus since I was there to learn. I ended up taking some art classes (painting, drawing, etc) to keep my GPA up since I decided to switch to liberal arts and get the hell out of there. A new class started called Visual Communications where they were going to teach Photoshop, and basic standards in Graphic Design. I got hooked playing on the computer. I think I took design actually seriously was when I got a couple illustration gigs for various record companies. They paid well and supplied me with a lot of music, so it was total win. About a year out of the program I decided to drop out since I was on the same learning curve as the professor at the time and my fine art professor was giving me shit about being a graphic designer. He insisted I should focus on Fine Arts. I disagreed since I already had a hell of a school debt.

So yeah, getting into design was all chance. I always doodled and took art classes because they were easy, but nothing I ever wanted to take seriously.

2) What are your influences? What illustrators inspire you?

I'm a bit old school when it comes to the people who's work I appreciate. There are a lot of great new designers but they are just creative replicas of previous designers. But the short list: Rick Griffin, Jim Phillips, Greg Irons, Michael Manoogian, Gerard Huerta, David Quay, Giant, Obey, Aaron Horkey, Munk One, 123Klan, Julie West.. So on, so forth

The thing that inspires me is not so much the designer but the technique. When I see different artist doing things with pen and ink or in typography I always ask myself, how can I accomplish that in Illustrator. So my list is short, but there are quite a few.

3) I'm great fan of your illustration style, since he's really remarkable and detailed. Nowadays he's quite copied by some illustrators and digital artists, what shows how popular you've become. When and how did you develop this style? How would you describe it?

Trial and error really. It took me years to redefine my technique to create pieces that are put together in a structuralized fashion that is easy to work with for clients. Before I use to create shapes and place shapes on to shapes and use that as the basis for a illustration. But over time I've become rather a annoying perfectionist to my line work. I hate brushes and strokes (but use them from time to time) because I like to draw the whole line. I like to make it feel raw, organic and not clean. I believe it was a few years back when I was looking at something as simple as deer skull and noticed it wasn't smooth. The core smooth areas are limited thus having the time and effort to make sure each line is unique expands the over all structure and makes it more prolific. But that is me tho.

I don't know tho. Just took me years to figure out. Almost every time when I do a illustration I always try to find more methods and new ideas to expand upon my work.

4) Nowadays you work at your own studio and you're your own boss, being well known thru the design community as one of the top vector illustrators. How was this transition from working at agencies to becoming a freelancer?

Well, I was never one to play nice with others. Actually I enjoyed working a few companies as I was starting my career. I learned so much from trial and error and learned to take each project in stride. Some of the places I worked taught me to work really quickly and figure out simpler solutions but making it feel more complex. The moment when I decided to go independent was at a pretty amazing time. As a Creative Director at this one company, I was at my mental end with the boss because he would never remember if he approved something or not. I was scared to be honest, never knowing what the road ahead had, but I took the chance and quit my job.

Since then I have never looked back and don't miss it. I enjoy setting up my own rules and my own approach. I can work as early or as late as I desire and also have time to focus on self & marketing. I love it. It isn't for everyone in the end. The only way I was able to even consider my plight to being a freelancer was because I saved up 3 months worth of income that I could rely on if freelance didn't go well. From there I could gauge each month if I met budgets or not. If I didn't, then after that 3 month span, I would have to look for employment.

5) How would you describe your daily workflow?

Pretty standard. Wake up, coffee, email, twitter, figure out what I'm doing, do it, play a little Xbox, work more, coffee whenever the cup is empty and .. More work. If I have nothing going on, then I focus on creating fonts or organizing for the next project.

6) You have worked for many apparel labels and, since you got famous on the web, some people started copying your illustrations, tracing them and using it without your permission. What's your opinion about your artworks copyright? And what is your concept about inspiration and plagiarism?

It's a tough one. As designers there is limitations to what we can sue and not sue for. It's just about how much you want to invest for a limited return. There isn't a whole lot a person can do about it unless it's a major company. I personally just contact them and try to deal directly with them. Most of the time it's a overseas vendor who hired some kid in Indonesia and paid him a few bucks.

But on the same token, I try not to stress about it.

7) You're probably almost 10 years or more working as a illustrator, what you think was the best moment of your career? And what was the worst moment?

Best: Probably getting my first project from Nike. I was on Vacation in Key West when I got the job and it was a quick flip so I cut my vacation early and worked on it. I would of never of expected Nike to contact me for anything. So it was a big deal. Worst: Probably those times when clients don't pay you. It's rare, but it happens and it's just depressing that you are taken advantage of.

8) What is your favorite artwork and why?

Julie West's work. Just like her work a lot. I guess it's because it's something I wouldn't do and appreciate the fact that her work looks amazingly clean both in vector and illustrator.

9) Tell us five characteristics necessary for every illustrator / artist and why

1. Be Nice – Obvious really
2. Your clients are human, they want to go home, so make their jobs easier when you can.
3. Step away when you are not feeling it. Let the mind and hand unite
4. Market yourself, or just learn basic marketing
5. You don't always need to upgrade. Upgrading is a money pit. Use what you love and upgrade software when you really find a use for it.

10) Tell us five sites that you'd like to recommend.

1. http://www.legacyofdefeat.com (shameless plug)

2. http://lostinasupermarket.com/

3. http://inkbutter.com/

4. http://soundcloud.com/thefuturecop

5. http://counter-print.co.uk/index.php

Thanks again for the opportunity to interview you Josh, have a nice day.

About the author

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Interview with Timba Smits + Giveaway

aloa — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:51:04 +0000

I was one of the lucky winners of his book giveaway at OFFF Barcelona this year. After his presentation I knew he deserved a spot on our magazine. This is by far the most interesting interview i've done. Check it out.

For the giveaway please scroll down to the bottom of the interview.

First of all we would like to thank you for taking the time to provide abduzeedo.com with this interview. Please tell us more about your art and design background and what made you become an artist and designer?

You're welcome! It's nice to meet you and be invited to talk to your readers. To start off, my name is Timba. I'm a graphic artist originally from Melbourne now living in London. I first got into art and design like most passionate artists or designers… it came naturally. I grew up on a healthy diet of drawing, saturday morning cartoons, sunday cowboys and indians movies, lego and models. When i got to grade five (age 10) i won the class drawing competition for my sooper-rad-to-the-max drawing of Raphael (my favourite ninja turtle) in a fight with Shredder (evil bad dude). I remember feeling like i was famous in the school for the guy who could draw good. i also won a set of coloured pencils which i thought was the best prize ever and i'd never really won anything before so i thought hey… if you can win pencils being an artist then fuck! I'm going to be an artist when i grow up. From here i studied art all through high school and aimed to be the greatest artist that ever lived. Then i learnt about bills. So, i took a short course in how to use computers and become a graphic designer and like they say… the rest history. Well, not really because i've got a long way to go and mountains to achieve yet. I believe to be good at something takes time, to be great takes a lifetime! It's funny because i always said i'd never have a job or work in some field that meant i'd have to use a computer because i fucking hate them and now look at me? haha! But, i wouldn't have it any other way now as i believe my background has made me the graphic designer i am today with an original style and great reputation and my graphic design career has also helped me develop my art in ways i could never have imagined.

How did you come up with your style, what made you explore more this style and what in your opinion is the main characteristic of it?

This is a rather common question and my response is always honest. It's been an evolution of 15 years of experimenting, success, failure, trial and error to get my work to where it's at today. I think it's important to evolve as an artist and always attempt to try new things. What i'm doing now is better than what i was doing back then but still has a connection to an underlining style that has been with me from day one. I'm very interested in and inspired by the past so my work has a very kitsch or nostalgic visual tone. I dislike the term 'retro' used to describe my work as that is a term used commonly in an attempt to make things look vintage. I don't try to make my work look vintage, my work is just looks vintage because of the processes i adopt to make my work which is very traditional. The main characteristic of my work is that it is almost always 3 parts hand made, 1 part computer finished. This is a result of my background in art and illustration. It's always been this way for as long as i've been making art and probably always will be and that is purely a reflection of the things i love. I love old signage, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Errol Flynn movies, the pinup art of Mel Ramos and George Petty, rock n roll, rockabilly culture and girly magazines. Seriously, sometimes i believe i was born in the wrong era! Take me back to the 50's!

How would you break down your workflow in steps?

Everything starts with an idea. I like to go on walks with a notepad in hand to look for my ideas. There's a power in being outside that you cannot replace with a computer and the internet. I get my ideas from the things i see around me. I like to people watch, interact with the friendly staff of my local coffee haunt and look for signs in the environment that may spark an idea. I will then sketch these ideas down before heading back to the studio to begin drafting something up. I then spend a few hours creating quick draft sketches of whatever the hell i'm working on. Once i have my idea down on paper, my composition sorted and a process in mind i will start the time-consuming part… making it come to life. Now this varies depending on what i'm working on. If it's a pinup i will render the entire illustration by hand using 2B pencils. The finished drawing then gets scanned with minor adjustments made and coloured using photoshop. Because i silk-screen a lot of my work i halftone bitmap most of my drawing which give it that lo-fidelity look you see in my work. This is a classic process in screenprinting. However, if it's a character or some type i'm working on i'll just jump straight onto the computer after completing my rough draft and finish my design using illustrator to create my vectors. But then sometimes i will print my vectors out, cut them back using masking tape, sand paper and ever water to create my distressed look before scanning these back in and converting them to bitmaps. So my workflow is always very HANDS ON. You wont see me using any photoshop filters, i'm oldschool man!

What's the importance of the computer in the creative process?

Well, it's a very important tool i must say. But one that i keep at a distance as i prefer making things by hand. I treat the computer as a finishing tool. The final step between my ideas and getting my art reproduced. This is generally speaking however I run a magazine and the computer plays a HUGE part in the production of this. At the end of designing an issue you would be able to hear me from miles away screaming i never want to look at a computer screen ever again. haha!

I am a big fan of your Wooden Toy Quarterly books. Please tell our reader how everything started & what your books are about?

Thanks! Wooden Toy Quarterly was a zine i first started in 2006 with a friend at the time. It was created first and foremost as a diary of the cool creative things we were seeing surrounding the culture of skateboarding - hence the name 'Wooden Toy' which, is an old slang word for a skateboard. In the beginning, Wooden Toy was more focused around the creative lifestyle of skaters who made art, photos and other creative shit. Over time it's evolved into more of what i call a lowbrow culture Boogazine (half book/half magazine) about art, design, photography, street culture, fashion, extreme sports and everything else in between. It's a real mixed bag of lollies! But don't let the name fool you… Wooden Toy Quarterly is the only quarterly boogazine to come out once per year and proud of it. haha! A result of the amount of hours that go into each edition with 1000 being poured into the last edition alone. It started off as an A5 86 page soft cover sine into the 160 page fully packaged and numbered book it is today complete with print inserts and even a certificate of authenticity to seal the detail with a kiss. It's an evolution that would make Charles Darwin blush! To touch briefly on the differences of Wooden Toy compared to anything else in the print magazine scene today you will find contents pages made to look like epic artworks in their own right, page layouts so beautiful you could frame them, no advertisements and over 35,000 words to sort through featuring in-depth interviews and features on some of the worlds most inspiring and emerging artists. There's no rules to Wooden Toy, it's whatever goes. See for yourself www.woodentoypublishingco.com

Apart from the profits, what type of satisfaction do you get from your work?

Profits? what profits? We do this for the love of it don't we? haha! To put it simply I chose a different path to a lot of people. One built on integrity and a quality of work likened to a master painter. I've never been motivated by making dollar profits or being rich however i'm the richest man alive in knowing that i get to do exactly what i love doing every day of my life. They say you are what you do, well, it's true! But the downside to this is struggle street. It's been a hard road with lots of sacrifices i've had to make along the way but one that has been incredibly fulfilling knowing that my work inspires and influences thousands of people around the world. It's a powerful thing to be able to inspire someone and so i'm thankful i got to experience that in my life. I'm blessed.

What are your favorite 5 websites, and why?

grainedit.com - A great reference website for vintage and kitsch design. Drool worthy!
supersonicelectronic.com - A great website for lowbrow art, illustration and street art.
verynearlyalmost.com - Documenting UK street art and street art related events.
booooooom.com - A website by artist Jeff Hamada that fosters a community of creative people for arts sake.
make-everything-ok.com - Because it makes me laugh! Everytime!

Any advice for those who are starting out their career? What kind of references are important for those who want to work with this kind of style?

Geez! Where to start. There is so much i would have liked to hear when i was starting out so i think i'll go with some of the BIG things i've learned along the way. Be Authentic! The most powerful tool you have as an artist is your individuality, your own unique style and look on things. It's time to stop listening and looking at what others are doing and make your own mark. If you want to reference something then reference something that's happened to 'you', like a childhood memory or a story. Something that nobody else would have access to or has referenced before because it's yours. Being original is king! Try and work harder than anyone else because like i said earlier, to be good at something takes time, to be great at something takes a lifetime so be patient. Oh yeah… and have FUN! >.<

Where to find Timba Smits on the web

www.timbasmits.com
www.woodentoypublishingco.com

More work by this artist

Giveaway

We will giveaway 2 copies of the current Wooden Toy Quaterly book. To take part just RT this tweet

About the author

Aloa is the moniker of the german/greek graphic designer/filmmaker & musician Alexis Papageorgiou. Im glad to share great artistic work with the readers on Abduzeedo. Contact me on aloa@abduzeedo.com or follow my Twitter and Facebook page

interview

New Interview with Archan Nair

1) First of all I would like to thank you for doing this interview, it's an honor for us to present more about you to our readers. I would like to start asking you about when your interest for digital art and illustration began.

2) Which artists do you use for reference?

3) People recognize you for doing some really intense and colorful mixed media art, a aesthetic that influenced a lot of designers and art directors on the last 5 years. How did you develop this style and how would you describe it?

4) Describe us a bit of your creative process.

5)You latest artworks seem to have a great influence of traditional illustration, more specific from watercolors and some abstract paintings. Do you use to mix this medias? What you think about mastering traditional methods?

6) How do you describe your daily routine?

7) Which is your favorite piece so far?

8) Tell us five lessons you believe are really important

9) Tell us sites that you like to visit

10) Thanks again for your time, please leave a final message for the ones who are starting out on this kind of business.

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Interview with Dabs and Myla

1) In the name of the Abduzeedo team, I would like to thank you guys for your time and kindness to answer this interview. Let's start by asking you, when you start getting interest by Graffiti and Illustration?

2) Tell us more about your influences and guys who inspired you.

3) I find your artworks and graffs really amazing, they're so colorful and happy. So, when you developed this aesthetic and how could you describe it.

4) Nowadays, do you think that it's possible to make a living doing Graffiti and Street Art?

5) How's you daily workflow?

6) What's you favorite piece at the moment?

7) What are your future projects for 2012?

8) Tell us five lessons you've learned till now on being a successful Graphic Artist.

9) Tell us five site you love.

10) Thanks for your time Dabs and Myla, please leave a final message to everyone how's starting at the creative field.

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Video Inspiration #52

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Video Inspiration #49 - Reader Submitted Works

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Video Inspiration #48 - Inspiration Overload

Have a Very Merry Anti-Christmas

Interviews & Web Series to Look Out For

Music Videos

Short Films

VFX & Motion Graphics

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Interview with Alexandre Farto (aka. Vhils)

1) First of all I would like to thank you for doing this interview, it's an honor for us to present more about you to our readers. I would like to start asking you about when your interest for art, graffiti and urban art began.

2) Which artists do you use for reference?

3) People recognize you for starting a destructive urban art movement, something new and fresh that nobody tried before. How did you develop this style and how would you describe it?

4) Today there is a big discussion about the legitimacy of urban art and graffiti, what are the limits that an artist must put on his work and what exactly would be the public space. What is your opinion about this issues?

5) What do you think about the recent transition of several urban artists into fine arts and galleries? Is urban art still urban art inside a museum?

6) How do you describe your daily routine?

7) Which is your favorite piece so far?

8) Tell us five lessons you believe are really important

9) Tell us sites that you like to visit

10) We would like to thank you again for your time and kindness, have a nice day Alexandre.

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Interview with Matthieu Bessudo (aka. Mcbess)

1) In the name of the Abduzeedo Team, I would like to thank you for accept taking part on this interview, it's a great pleasure for us. Let's start by asking you when all this madness started? It was when you're a kid with boxes of crayons?

2) Tell us about some guys you admire and why then.

3) I already tried to label your style several times as "50's revival cartoon with spice" or other bizarre genres, but it's unique and hard to describe. When you developed this style and how could you describe it?

4) You're already tired of answering this, but why only black and white colors?

5) So, how's Mcbess daily routine?

6) You're already a successful artist, tell us what were you're best moment and what was the worst moment in your career till now .

7) What's the best media you've worked till now and why?

8) Give us five sites you love.

9) Tell us your top 5 lessons you've learned to become a badass illustrator.

10) Thanks for your time and attention, please leave a final message for every kid that's starting out as a artist.

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Interview with Jacqui Oakley

1. First of all welcome to Abduzeedo and thank you for the opportunity to interview you. Let's start with the usual, please introduce your self and give us a little background on Jacqui Oakley.

2. How early did you find the love for art and illustrations?

3. How did you turn your passion into your profession?

4. I notice a lot of your work are actual paintings, explain to us the process you go through when creating an illustration.

5. What's your favorite type of work? The one that gets you really excited to start, and when you done you wish that was more.

6. By your process we can tell that you don't get too near a computer, how do you feel about that living at times where everyone is getting their work done on a screen. Do you feel more of an artist than an illustrator because of that?

7. We have a lot of users that are just starting up on the design world, what tips and advices you have for them?

Thank you Jacqui, was great talking to you and we wish you the best on your career!

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Interview with Antoni Tudisco

Today we're going to interview a really young talented mate, Antoni Tudisco. Antoni is a graphic artist based on Germany, he started out on the creative area really earlier, however he already had the opportunity to work with some big clients as MTV and Kellogs and show his powerful skills.

5)You latest artworks seem to have a great influence of traditional illustration, more specific from watercolors and some abstract paintings.
Do you use to mix this medias? What you think about mastering traditional methods?