Griffsnuff is a 22-year-old artist from Norway, whose mom got her into art at a very young age.  She spent a lot of time drawing with her daughter by holding her hand and starting out with simple subjects to draw.  This special bond between Griffsnuff and her mother allowed her affection to grow towards drawing and kept her at it.

She did not have any help with her art until she joined an art school in 2005, where she learned art basics.  She also joined the digital art community that same year and associates this with her improvement skyrocketing from thereon out. Griffsnuff agreed to do an interview, and her responses appear below.  Toonaripost will appear as ‘TP’ and Griffsnuff as ‘G’.

TP: What mediums do you use for your art work?  Which is your favorite and why?

G: I would call myself a digital artist by now.  I do some traditional works as well, but most of the time I draw digitally. My favorite medium has to be Photoshop. There’s just so much you can do there, even if I might not use many tools, it’s good to be able to have them. I also love using Flash just as much, its great to draw quick, simple drawings and to animate them, which I also love doing.

TP: What piece of your work is your favorite and why?  Which one are you most proud of?

G: My favorite artwork that I’m most proud of is Deathfight.  It may not be the most detailed, rendered, or most cleaned-up scene I’ve done, but I was able to portray exactly what I wanted. This made me very proud!

TP: When you first started, did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? What were they, and how did you overcome them?

G: Ever since I can remember there have always been bumps and blocks, sometimes they were hard, sometimes they were easy. But they are important! Because each time I improve by learning how to fix them.  So you could say anything has been a bump sometime in life. Humans were a big one of them early on and during art school. I love drawing cartoon-y, so when we had to draw realistic ones, I struggled a lot.

TP: Who, or what, are your inspirations and why?

G: Everything is my inspiration. I can be inspired by mostly anything. I think it’s important to be open to where inspiration can come from and not just stay inspired with one thing or just a few things.

TP: Have you ever had to deal with a situation where someone else took credit for your work?  If so, what did you do to resolve it?  How did this art theft make you feel?

G: I’ve dealt with all kinds of scenarios where people stole or heavily copied my art. At first, this pissed me off so much, and it hurt me and my pride. This is a fairly normal response when something personal has been taken. But now I’m very open, having a huge following, there are many people who are inspired by what I make.

I no longer see a problem with people copying me, there will always be those who never give credit, and it’s not that big of a deal to me anymore. I am glad that I make things that others want to make too.  But there have been times when people have actually taken what I’ve made and claimed it to be theirs.

When this happens, I just try to talk to them, there’s no reason to create a huge angry storm over it.  I have the proof that I made most of my things, anyway, so it usually gets resolved nicely.

TP: What is your favorite subject to draw and why?

G: I love to design things, whether it be creatures, landscapes, characters, and so on. I love to try new things and draw in several different ways. This is why my gallery has such a variety. I would get bored drawing the same thing over and over.

TP:   If there was any art medium that you wish you could master, what would it be and why?

G: Traditional watercolors! Oh, I would so much love to do that. It’s just so beautiful and delicate! I love art that’s been made with watercolors so much. I guess I am too impatient to do much of it at the moment, though.

TP: Outside of Deviantart, what is your life like?

G: Outside of Deviantart,  I am a concept artist at a newly started game company in Norway called Krillbite. I started working there this January, and it’s what most of my time goes to. Other than that, I live in a tiny apartment with my pets.

TP: What is it like to be able to be part of a community (Deviantart) that allows you to share your artwork with artists from all over the globe?

G: Its great! It’s the main reason why I’ve improved so greatly, having so many different inputs and comments on what I create. It has also let me inspire and help so many others, which is the best feeling in the world.

TP: What are your goals in life?  Do you plan to continue art as a hobby, or make it a career?

G: My goals in life are to help others and inspire others as much as I can, and create things. I will keep doing art as a hobby and as a career like I am doing now. I love drawing, and I don’t think I will ever stop.

Image Courtesy of   http://griffsnuff.deviantart.com/

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About the author

Kala Istvanek
Presently, I am attending Carthage College in Kenosha, U.S.A. I will be graduating with a degree in Asian Studies, with a minor in English and Studio Art. I have been a bookworm ever since I could read and I can never turn down a book. Art is also one of my loves and discovering new artists is always a thrill for me.

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