A budding artist has recently been thrust into the limelight all due to a single Instagram re-post by megastar Beyoncé.

A couple weeks ago, 20-year-old Baltimore artist, Briah Neale posted her painting of Beyoncé on her Instagram and it was re-posted by Beyoncé, which has since garnered immense attention towards Neale and her art work. The recognition which Neale has received by Beyoncé is something that she is humbled by and still in awe of.

“I was honored to have her recognize my artwork, I appreciate any and everyone who loves my artwork but it is amazing to have the person you created for to feel the same as well, sort of like an affirmation of a job well done. Beyoncé is very influential, not just in the music industry but in the world…right now it still hasn’t sunken it yet,” Neale said.

Neale has always dreamed of becoming an artist but she did not think that her dream would manifest so suddenly.

“I can remember being that kid in second when asked what I wanted to be saying an artist, or sitting on the curb at recess with my best friend drawing. I never wanted anything more; I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. However, I didn’t expect the recognition to come at all I never thought my art would have this affect. I just create because it’s what I love and I still would without any accolades or praise,” Neale said.

Neale has been painting in her animation style for about four years now and she first learned how to manipulate oil paints in the summer of 2009 during a portfolio building course taken at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

“The skills I learned there were traditional stylings but I have recently come into my own style, giving each of my pieces a sort of pop art feel,” Neale said.

The Beyoncé piece is 14 x 17″ and it is mixed media on a Bristol board. She used everything from a sharpie marker, to Speedball inks, acrylic paint, oil paints and gouache. She wanted it to be fun and playful like the image but she chose a more pastel palette because it seemed softer. Neale imagined Beyoncé being “very dainty, very feminine and I wanted to play on that.”

The enormous attention surrounding Neale and her work has become a whirlwind with her receiving countless emails, inquiries and comments through email Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram regarding the prints of the Beyoncé piece. She did not realize how many people saw the painting until requests started pouring in. She has heard from Singapore, Japan, France, Thailand, Australia, Canada, Germany, and London and all over the UK.

“Beyoncé has diehard fans who just want to feel like they have a piece of her and knowing she approves makes it that much more special,” Neale said.

Having such a strong demand for prints, Neale has decided to sell 99 exclusive prints that will be autographed for authenticity. She is building a website and will be releasing them and have her other artwork showcased at the top of this year.

“I chose to do 99 copies because to me the piece was special so I wanted it to be a rarity, a treasure. That much more exclusive knowing that only 99 in the world have been made and once they are gone they are gone. I will not do a reprint, each one of them will be number 1 of 99, 2 of 99 and so forth,” Neale said. She also plans to get the original piece sent to Beyoncé in the near future.

For Neale, having Instagram as the media outlet that got her noticed was a shock but it was not completely unexpected.

“I know the influence that social media has on my generation and the world as a whole in today’s society. I knew very well that it could be a gateway to get my artwork exposure, but I never imagine it would happen so quickly and on a scale of this magnitude,” Neale said.

She is grateful for the rise in recognition and as far as what it will do for the future it has definitely gotten her name out there and even better on a global platform.

“I am so excited for what is next for me, I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me, and I can’t wait to show the world my full potential.”

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Hannah Ayoubi, illustrator and animator, is currently studying at California Institute of the Arts. She has created award winning animations, as well as bringing inspiration to many aspiring artists. In this interview and on her blog, Hannah talks about her hopes and dreams as well as those who support her. The strength she finds in her faith is admirable and her views of herself as an artist as well as a Christian is refreshing. It is no wonder that her artwork brings joy to those who view it.

ToonariPost (TP): How has your college experience helped you further your art dreams? Any experience in particular that stands out from among the rest?

Hannah Ayoubi (HA): CalArts is an incredible school. I can’t even explain how much I’ve grown as an artist because of my three years there already. The biggest thing was just making an animation. It’s always the first semester you take a bunch of classes and do a lot of assignments, then second semester it’s like “Ok. Now make an animation. GO!” and you get tossed into an ocean and allowed to do whatever you want or whatever it takes to make a short film.

It’s really scary, but I don’t think there’s anything else that would have taught me so much than just going and doing something on my own and not having any limitations in what or how I do it. When I first came to CalArts and was told I’d have to make an animation every year I remember thinking “What? Me? Okay maybe you other geniuses can do that, but there’s no way I can ever make an animation by myself!” And now, three years later I have three completed animations under my belt (my latest one is called “Story Time Confessions“)! “Vampire Gastelbrau” recently even won “Best Animation” in The Light Factory’s Filmmakers’ Showcase. Crazy!

TP: I am particularly fond of your “Vegetable Kids” series. Can you tell me more about these adorable characters? How did you come up with their concept? Which of these little squirts is your favorite?

HA: Haha! Well… I just love vegetables! I love vegetables probably more than most normal human beings do. They’re just so wonderful and cute and colorful and fun and there’s so much variety to them (not to mention they are tasty roasted in olive oil). You  know those vegetable plush toys from Ikea? Better believe I got em all on my bed.

I took a character design class last fall and my teacher, Phil Rynda, gave an assignment to create characters based on flowers, and I asked if I could do veggies instead. I made them kids because kids are just fun to draw. (I was also thinking about the term “nursery” and how it can apply to both a garden and a place where kids are taken care of) As far as which one is my favorite…probably the lanky little cucumber lad. He’s cool (get it? get it?).

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

HA: I wish I was a real master with real watercolors. There are SOOOO many cool things you can do with watercolor if you take the time out to practice and explore with it.

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

HA: Well, before I am an artist, I am a Christian. God created me, and He gave me any ability and desire I have for art. “Nothing is my own” (1 Cor 6:19-20). He gave Christ to be sacrificed for my life; so I want to be able to give my life back to Him by serving Him through the gifts He gave me. I really want my identity to be found in Christ before it is found in animation, though it can be hard to make that statement in the entertainment industry.

I’m hoping that I can use my art to reflect that in some kind of ministry someday. My roommate and I are about to start a blog that’ll be dedicated to dwelling on God, theology and thankfulness. I go to Grace Community Church and I really super dig Charles Spurgeon (google him, he’s pretty cute. And he has two pugs. What’s not to like?).

I am absolutely disgustingly crazy in love with my dog, Momotaro, Momo for short (named after my favorite Japanese folk hero “Peach Boy”; also he is small and fuzzy like a peach). He’s my little pekingese. Seriously, it’s really obnoxious how much I love him (but if you met him you would understand why, ok? He’s the best). I love biking. I will kick your butt at Just Dance 2 + 3. Right now I’m spending my first summer in an apartment in Valencia instead of going home to Houston to see my family like I usually do.

I’d like to spend my time now drawing and brainstorming all these ideas I have, but I’ve been in such a lazy slump lately. I’ve been a vegetarian for a few months now, and pretty much the only things that keep me from being vegan are frozen yogurt, goat cheese, and sushi. I love watching all those food documentaries on Netflix.

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

HA: My secret dream is to marry a farmer and live on a farm like in Babe and just grow tomatoes and draw funny pictures on my blog for all of my days. But more realistically…I’m just going to work on seeing if I can get hired by a studio. I’d like to work in storyboarding or character design. I’ve only got one more semester left of school which is really exciting…hopefully I’ll get hired somewhere soon!

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

HA: Hmm…I never thought about it. I wouldn’t say I had a super, significantly different upbringing than most other people. I did get to travel overseas a few times which were great experiences, though.

The article Artist Spotlight: Illustrator and Animator Hannah Ayoubi, Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Illustrator and animator Hannah Ayoubi combines her quirky style with her passion for character design, her adorable dog, and her favorite veggies in each of her works. Take a deeper look into her world by visiting her blog and perusing her illustrations and award winning animations.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Hannah Ayoubi (HA): I can’t remember a time I wasn’t drawing. Ever since I could hold a crayon I was spending hours and hours in front of the TV watching cartoons and tearing through stacks of copy paper with drawings. I copied a LOT of stuff: cartoons, illustrations from books, comic books, advertisements in magazines…I also took lessons in an art school when I was a kid, which was great for learning how to handle different tools and mediums properly and learning things like proportion and value. When I was a teenager I took a class that taught Photoshop, which was REALLY valuable.

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

HA: I love the aesthetic of watercolor, it’s definitely my favorite…but I actually don’t use it that much! I think it’s just because these days I’m just too lazy to get out paints and bother with cleaning them up and stuff, so I just use Photoshop and have some brushes and techniques to make drawings look like watercolor. I wish I used real watercolor and Prismacolor pencils and markers though…nothing ever beats the real thing! Most of the time these days I sketch in moleskins with whatever black pen I have on hand. Now that I think about it, I haven’t drawn with a pencil in a long time!

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

HA: I don’t know if it’s my favorite or not, but I really enjoyed drawing the “Chicken Farmers” I designed. I love farmers, I love families, and I love chickens!

What I’m most proud of is the animation I made at my second year at CalArts, “Vampire Gastelbrau“. It was super, super fun to make, because I was really attached and excited about the world and its characters. Everything about it was inspired by a trip I had the summer before to Romania–it was a 10 day missionary trip with my church. I absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere and the people. Gabi (the little girl) is inspired by a real little girl I met there with that cute haircut.

And Gerta (the grandma) was inspired by the MILLIONS of adorable old babushka women that were everywhere you went. I wanted to feature a vampire because Dracula is from Romania, and my mom came up with the name “Gastelbrau” (she was talking about our last name, Ayoubi: “I don’t understand why people can’t pronounce it! It’s not like….uh….Gastelbrau or something!”) and I loved it.

I also had the best tasting tomatoes of my life in Romania. So I just kind of combined all of these inspirational ingredients in a pot and made this short. The animation itself is pretty sloppy and full of cheating (not my strong suit!) but I’m pretty pleased with how it came out.

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

HA: Oh, yeah. When I was in elementary school and junior high, especially. I remember getting really frustrated a lot when drawing, like it was so hard to translate what was in my head on paper, and nothing ever came out right. Like, I’d try to draw a character and I’d end up drawing the foot over and over and over a thousand times and never get it how I wanted it, things like that.

The only way to get past that blockage is just to push through and keep drawing. Also, copying is important! Draw everything. It’s how you study and grow. The more you draw things you see and observe the more you’re building your artistic arsenal, if that makes sense.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

HA: As far as other artists’ work I really love Jill Thompson‘s work, especially “Scary Godmother” and “Magic Trixie“. Her pen work is really fun and her full watercolor comics are so gorgeous, on top of the fact all of her characters are just super lovable. I adore Milt Kahl‘s animation, also all the old UPA cartoons. I love John Bauer‘s illustrations, too. There are tons of artists that inspire me all the time, I wish I could list ‘em off more easily! Oh, and Sailor Moon was definitely my first huge inspiration–need you ask why? She is awesome.

TP: Have you ever had to deal with a situation where someone else took credit for your work? How did this art theft make you feel?

HA: Someone once took one of my drawings and was trying to sell it on a t-shirt on ebay. I was flattered that someone thought my work was good enough to make money, but also annoyed that they didn’t ask my permission or anything like that.

TP: You do graphic novels and animations in addition to your other art works. Is there one of these formats that you prefer over the others?

HA: I think graphic novel is my favorite. I love animation, but the actual process of animating is a struggle for me. I prefer capturing moments in a single story-telling drawing. It’d be a dream for me to make a living doing graphic novels and illustrated books. I need more practice though; it’s very time consuming!

TP: Can you tell me a little more about the work and process that goes into making your animations?

HA: The first thing that happens is a whole lot of thinking. Lots of thinking, lots of brainstorming, then sketching ideas out into little vignettes. Then writing out a really rough script, if you even want to call it that, just to organize sequences of a story to tell. Then storyboard, try to get it reviewed by teachers and classmates and make adjustments to shoots and ways scenes can be made funnier or more effective.

Then pop it into after effects and time it out to make an animatic…then animate! I use a combination of flash, after effects and Photoshop to animate.The way I animate is really weird and not practical or professional at all (seriously, like I said, not my strong suit) so I won’t even get into that!

TP: Outside of a class assignments, would you consider drawing your own comics? What ideas do you have for them?

HA: Yes!!! Like I said before, I really love making sequential art. Honestly, I’d love to continue the “Gastelbrau” story through comic form. I have a lot of ideas for those characters, including more vampires, some of Gerta’s back story, and even a werewolf (of course!). I actually have a lot of ideas floating around in my head to make comics out of…I also have an idea about a family of kappa (Japanese water spirits) but we’ll see if that ever gets anywhere.

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MortMorrison brings characters to life in many mediums. From traditional to digital, Morrison has something for everyone to enjoy. His work has been so well received that he has been asked to be a part of at least two charity artbooks (Kingdom Carousel – to help out the St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital and Yum!Jinka- to help out a fellow artist fund a study abroad trip in Japan).

Toonari Post (TP): What artists would you consider working with to do a piece?

MortMorrison (MM): I admit I never considered working together with someone else. Aside from some minor collaborations, I have never shared my work process with anybody. I would only consider a partnership if I could really trust that person and only if our art styles are similar.

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

MM: I would wish to be a skilled master of CG. I really want to become faster so I can do more work in less time and it won’t be so energy-sapping. That way, I may be able to make a living through my art.

It’s always a huge fun to draw for me or for friends, but I still need 4-6 days for works like these two.

TP: You are taking part in the charity art book project, Kingdom Carousel. Can you tell me more about how you became a part of this project? How did you choose an art piece to be used in the project?

MM: The organizers of Kingdom Carousel asked me to join their project. At first I had no idea, but as I became acquainted with the project I saw it was for a good cause and I gladly accepted.

According to Kingdom Carousel they intended me to do an animal themed picture. After long deliberation I chose once more the dog because I like those kind of characters. I was really anxious to meet the standard of quality of the project. I really did my best and luckily the organizers were happy with the results. I can’t wait till the artbook is published.

TP: You are also taking part in Yum!Jinka’s art book project and various animation projects. Can you tell me more about these projects and the role you play in them?

MM: Poiizu, the founder of Yum!Jinka’s Art Book initiated the project to raise funds for her trip to Japan. I appreciate the concept of reaching out for a goal with work and creativity. Besides,  I was intrigued by the idea of anthropomorphized food.

My first animation project ever ”The incredible Dr Onozaki” was a student project I did in collaboration with a friend of mine. I did the overall coloration and animation, while my friend did the lines and storyboards. It was a hell of a lot of fun.

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

MM: I will do what appeals the most to me. It’s tough and complicated to turn a hobby into a profession. You never know if it is worthwhile or going to turn out well. I am also interested into 2D animation, 3D modeling and animation in general. I’ll let life surprise me.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

MM: I feel more fascinated and influenced by foreign cultures. They are interesting and I always like to learn more about them. In fact I can’t feel any difference between me and other artists. I feel just like everyone else.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

MM: I have had a lot of good and bad experiences in my life, like everyone else. Of course they brought me to be the person I am today, but none of these events are worth talking about. It was and still is the support of my family and friends that makes me be satisfied with myself and has helped me to be the person I am.

The article Artist Spotlight: MortMorrison Interview, Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

MortMorrison is an artist of varied skill. His portfolio ranges from CG to pixel art and from traditional pieces to animation. Although Morrison is rather humble and always believes his pieces can be improved, anyone who looks at his art will be amazed at the technique, time,  and imagination that is put into it. The characters he brings to life are a joy to behold and each new artwork is a relief to those waiting to see what he comes up with next.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

MortMorrison (MM): I have been drawing and painting ever since I can remember. When I was 9 years old I stumbled upon my first influences, manga and anime series. At this point I was drawing just for fun. I was fascinated and inspired by the new impressions. Not until I was twelve years old did I began to exercise my art skills seriously. I bought some “How to Draw“ books and learned for first time about topics like proportion and perspective. From this point on I was addicted to learning as much as I can.

Nowadays, friends of mine don’t understand why I still buy these “How to Draw“ books, but I think I can still learn something new and if not they’re refreshing my mind and I like to look at them. I just never considered visiting any art classes because I was satisfied the way I was learning already.

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

MM: I started with traditional methods like colored pencils, watercolor, and acrylics. I analyzed my idols’ works and tested different techniques. After a while I stumbled upon alcohol based markers like copic markers. I also tried airbrushing and colored ink. The result was that my traditional works become a mixture of markers, crayons, watercolor, colored ink, acrylic paint and airbrush. Every time after coloring a piece my room looked like a mess. The markers are still my absolute favorite of the traditional methods. I love how they work and their color range.

I did not bother to paint digitally for a long time – not until 2009. Still insecure, I blindly took my chances with the new tool. Suddenly, I grew an awareness of the differences between traditional and digital drawing and I noticed the advantages of digital art, like being able to redo everything for improvement over and over again. This is, by the way, another reason why my works took around 3 weeks to accomplish. Even today I need at least a week to finish a picture. It is indeed a double-edged sword.

I appreciate both – traditional and CG equally. My traditional work is fast paced and the smell of the materials reminds me in some way of my childhood. CG granted me new possibilities to visualize my thoughts – I consider it a new stage of life. But it also turns drawing into a long and exhausting process.

In 2010 I finally colored the first time a piece with a detailed background

TP: Which piece of your artwork are you most proud of?

MM: It’s hard to be proud or satisfied with my pictures and to overcome the feeling that I could have done more. There is always something I want to improve afterwards. I feel like for the time I spend on the piece it should come out better. I still have to learn to appreciate my work, but I am equally proud of all of my pictures.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

MM: Absolutely. I had and still have, sometimes, motivational issues to overcome. It’s a nasty, but natural part of my working process. When it happens, I lay down the pencil and let time go by. Part of the problem is my attitude, wanting to solve a problem when I see one. Working around it is not an option. If something does not work I will try and try again until it does.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

MM: My inspiration is also my first memory of a manga. My father sat down with Dragonball Volume 22 and I luckily got my hands on it. I read and bought volumes 1 through 4 the very next day and I continued to buy them (only hindered by my pocket money). I was fascinated by the drawings and the story and most of all, the humor. I admire Akira Toriyama for those books and for the impact his art has had on my life as an artist.

After that I turned to the anime Sailor Moon. It was broadcasted on television and I remember drawing lots of Sailor Moon fanarts. To this day, I am inspired by their art. Its amazing. Further, I have to mention artists like Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Yusuke Murata (Eyeshield 21),Takeshi Obata (Bakuman, Death Note) and Masakazu Katsura (I”s) which are great inspirations for me. I still look at their work with great admiration.

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Gloenn is a German artist and musician with an inventive process of creating art from splotches of color. Since these splotches are unpredictable they lend that characteristic to each of his paintings. Viewers will be intrigued and mystified by each new piece that comes from Gloenn’s creative mind.

ToonariPost (TP): When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

Gloenn (G): When I think about it I can’t recall any specific thing. I can just say that I’m really overstrained when I see all these confusing laws about taxes that I have to remember if I want to sell my art. I really don’t know anything about this topic, regardless of how often I read something about it. It just gets more and more confusing to me. This thwarts me a lot, because I don’t know if I have to pay taxes after selling a work. So I’m very scared to sell my art via internet. All these rules really piss me off.

Maybe another point is that I feel depressed when I see the flood of amazing artists that you can find all over the internet (especially on DeviantART). It’s motivating on the one hand, but on the other hand it’s quite mind-blowing and daunting. I really respect all of the awesome artists out there!

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

G: The thing that inspires me the most are color splodges. Mostly I do a mess with my colors on paper and then I look at which freaky faces or creatures I can see in these splodges. Animal books are inspiring for me too, especially books about insects or water creatures. There are so many incredible life forms with extraordinary body shapes that fascinate me.

I think it’s remarkable that I’m a fan of Alex Pardee. His art is really inspiring. I have never tried to copy what he does. I drew monsters before I saw his art, but there is still a lot of his influence in my art. Additionally, I’m a fan of pop surrealism, there are a lot of awesome artists in this genre!

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? Why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

G: Well, I would like to work together with a lot of other artists, there is not any one who I  prefer at this moment. Maybe because I only think about what can be done together and not who the person is that I could possibly work with. Sure there are some idols, but I think most of them are unreachable for me. A really cool thing would be to create some great wall paintings with artists from different genres, or some experimental paintings. Another idea is that one artist creates a concept for a painting and another artist implements it. Some shirt graphics can also be created in collaboration. There are a lot of artists who can create together. I’m really open to teamwork. This would be a great experience and something new for me.

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

G: I wish I had the time to learn how to work with oil paints. I like the color gradient that can be made with oil colors and the fact that they dry slowly which allows you to edit the painting for a long time. You can create such real looking paintings, that’s incredible. I think oil colors are difficult to use, I will try them out as soon as possible, and then I will see if they are really as challenging as I believe them to be.

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

G: Definitely art as a career, but also as a hobby. I mean it this way, that the fun of making art should be in the foreground and money in the background. I don’t want to become rich because of it, but my dream is that I can live from art and music. I cannot imagine myself doing a “normal” job in the future, this wouldn’t make me happy, it just wouldn’t be me.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

G: If you mean the German culture in general, the only thing that comes to my mind to answer this question is that Germany is a fulsome bureaucratic country. Everything has to be well-ordered, for everything you need a permission, contracts everywhere, so that everybody nearly loses sight of  real life. This sucks a lot. I hate this controlled atmosphere. Maybe this is the reason why I hate to draw according to known “art-rules”, if you know what I mean, something you learn in art-education or from “how to draw”-books and stuff like that. Additionally an important component of the German culture is beer… you can think of the rest.

Image Courtesy of  Gloenn

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Gloenn is a German artist who grew up in a village where his brother, cousin and himself were full of mischief. They never took anything in life too seriously, and this still remains the same today. When he was a kid all he wanted to do was to have fun and goof around. Later, he started a metal band with his cousin and brother, but they always faced one problem; whenever they tried to make a song they would all just pick up an instrument and start playing. So, instead of metal music it was more like overdriven punk music, but it was still a lot of fun. Eventually they started to develop and Gloenn is still in the band (called “Brainpoor”) today. He also plays in two other bands, “Balls of a Mammoth” and “Suffelicious”.

Aside from the experiences with his band members, meeting the love of his life at a metal-festival has also greatly influenced his art. Gloenn has said that from the second that he met his love they were on the same wavelength. She is just as wild has he is, but has brought him to think more about his life and makes everything appear more real.

Gloenn believes that there are many experiences in his life that have shaped both himself and his art to make him the man he is today. From all of these he has taken away the idea that his life and his art are not planned. The future will come soon enough so why try to expect what is coming? He doesn’t plan what he does from piece to piece, he just starts his art process and the rest comes as he goes. This makes his work highly unpredictable and all the more enjoyable to ponder over.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Gloenn (G): As long as I can remember it was always fun to me when I had a pen in my hand. I can remember that I always drew little faces and stick figures everywhere. Later the borders of my school papers were my main drawing area. This was all only a lot of scribbling.
I started practicing purposefully when I was 13/14 years old, when I had the dream to become a tattoo-artist. I noticed that was not as free on skin as on canvas or paper with my art, so I gave up practicing with my tattoo-machine and started practicing traditional art on paper and canvas more.

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

G: For my work I use different mediums and I’m always trying out new mediums, but mostly, I work with watercolors, acryl, markers and ballpoint. My favorite is watercolor, because of its great characteristics. I love how it looks and the unexpected textures one can create with it. Besides watercolor, my new favorites are UV-reactive colors. I simply love things glowing under a blacklight.

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

G: My favorite work at this moment is “cthulhu” because it’s the first work I did on canvas, I would never sell this one. The question about which one I’m most proud of is hard to answer. I’m proud of every piece I create, but there is no one in particular that I am most proud of. I think I will need a lot more practicing till I create a work that makes me completely proud. I believe this is an aim I will never reach because there is always something that can be done better.

TP: How would you describe your artistic style?

G: This is a difficult question. It’s always difficult for me to describe my own work and to put it in a genre. I think this is easier for an onlooker. I don’t know whether my art fits in the field of surrealism or maybe to psychedelic art genre. I would call it splashy-splatter-pied-imagination-monster-chaos-…-style.

Image Courtesy of  Gloenn

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Hakumo is both a digital and traditional artist with pieces featured in a variety of art books including Kingdom Carousel, Quixotic, and GAIA. Each of these art books’ proceeds go towards a charitable cause (St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, American Cancer Society, and the Red Cross of Colombia, respectively). Hakumo’s skills range from digitally drawn fanarts of anime and other interests to creating fantastical pieces inspired from childhood memories.

ToonariPost (TP): What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? Why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership? If not, what are your reasons?

Hakumo (H): For the time being, I’m not mentally ready to work with other artists. As far as I know I have a strong urge to control. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be fair to the other partner if that happens. If I need to do it, something that’s humorous or playful, like maybe working with friends or people I already know is a possibility, or doing a meme of sorts actually feels like a way I could work with the artists who made it (and most of the time the answers are pretty much, ridiculous, haha).

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

H: All! Well, that would be too good to be true. As for me, I would like to master pencil and pen. I was inspired by manga and aspire to do my own comic one day. I think the two are a fundamental part of starting it. Not just that, it’s simply amazing how a piece of work can look with just a pencil or a pen! To be honest, I think there’s never enough practice for any medium, you keep finding different ways to play with it and that’s never boring.

TP: You are taking part in the charity art book project, Kingdom Carousel. Can you tell me more about how you became a part of this project? How did you choose an art piece to be used in the project?

H: I was kindly invited by the organizer and it was a great pleasure for me! How I chose the piece: there were 3 or 4 ideas to choose from. From them I took one that fit the criteria first, and then one I had the urge to do very much, to make sure I expressed the feeling well. The ideas are mostly my impression of (my) childhood; warmth, comfort, whimsicality, and fantasy because when you’re a kid it seems like your mind is at the wildest, isn’t it?

The piece submitted is the one I wanted to do at that moment, I loved working on it; crazy hours but I learned a lot. When I have time in the future I would love to complete the other ideas as well.

TP: What is your most memorable moment from any convention you have been to?

H: Aside from learning to organize, I got to meet people who enjoy doing what I enjoy to do! Not just the artists’ themselves (in real life!), but also people who enjoy the artworks: people who’re willing to buy, even just saying that they like it. I met people I didn’t know before and they became my friends. I think that is one experience you don’t get often.

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

H: Both. Career sounds so formal doesn’t it? I like to think of it more as making art as a living. If I can make what I love to do that will be the best job one can have in the world! As for life itself, I want to make it as enjoyable as possible, learning new things as much as possible, and go with what chances greet me on the way.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

H: Quite likely. One thing I realized was it wasn’t as comfortable for me in exposing things that are rather personal because I was taught to keep low and safe. I still think I do now. There are so many safely kept ideas because of that. Although, recently, memorable things from my childhood or personal favorites keep appearing in my works, so I take it as a positive thing. Gradually I hope to conquer this habit.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

H: Ah, nothing interesting about my background except that I was born in a family with no artistic background. The support of family, friends, and people I meet or know me, online or offline is what brought me to what I am now. Without them I would probably be somewhere not knowing how to draw. Thinking back on that, I regard this as a great blessing and luck.

Image Courtesy of  Hakumo

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Polymer clay is the medium of choice for Sara, a 21 year old Italian artist. She researches and designs clay charms and scenes that revolve around anything from mythology, cute critters, Amish culture, and of course, one of her favorites, pirates.

Toonari Post (TP): What is it about pirates that has inspired you to include them in your adorable polymer clay creations?

Sara (S): Pirates have probably been my personal style turning point: they were one of my first subjects, but in the beginning I was not so sure about including them in my collection because that theme totally contrasted both the style and the colors from other charms I was modeling. But then I decided trying to create something around that theme to offer people the opportunity to see something different from the classical clay charms of cartoons or popular films and tales’ characters. In particular, I chase pirates because I have always been fascinated by their world, by its flavor, its colors, and their style of life.

TP: You have said that issues in history, mythology, as well as classical literature are also sources of your inspiration. Could you give me a few examples of your favorites from each of these categories and tell me about the aspects of each that have fueled your creativity?

S: Yeah, absolutely! About history, I love the age of the Holy Roman Empire, but also the period of French Revolution. Concerning literature, I like the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer and with regard to mythology, I appreciate a lot of the Greek and Roman ones, but these are just a few examples! Since I attended a high school specializing in classical studies, these themes are a part of my store of knowledge and I never saw jewelry of them, so I decided trying to create charms about literature and myths both to give people interested in classical themes the possibility to wear some related pendants and also to try to make the others understand that these topics can be cool!

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece?

S: I’ve never considered the idea of a partnership with another artist, but it would be really interesting especially if I would have to mix my style with a totally different one. I’ve always been fascinated by weird combinations, they often give the possibility to see aspects of a single component that generally goes unnoticed.

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

S: I wish I could manage the art of sculpture in general. One day I’d love to be able to model both complex miniatures and real sculptures.

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

S: It started almost as a joke and just for fun, I didn’t ever think I would be able to create something with clay, and sometimes it still seems incredible to me, but in a few months it became my hobby and now, although I don’t have clear goals, I absolutely dream of making it a career. I believe in this! I see every day that it makes me happy, so I hope to be one of the lucky people who can say they do the job they love. It’s kind of like finding the love of a lifetime; really rare.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

S: I’m Italian, I come from a nation with a big historical and cultural heritage, this surely influenced me in my chosen themes, but I’m also really interested in knowing about other cultures and other nations’ traditions and history.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

S: We are made of what we lived, every single aspect of our character is our personal way to react to what has happened to us. This makes every single person unique with her qualities and imperfections, weak points, and skills. So whatever we are is a consequence of what we were and a base of what we’ll be. It’s unthinkable that every single experience of our life has not influenced and has not brought us to who we are today.

Image Courtesy of  Sara

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Anna Pankratova has been a participant in numerous art competitions and in 2002 she won at the Kent Sister City Association, USA International Art Competition. Her jewelry designs are intricately detailed pieces made from polymer clay that one looks at in wonder.  Anna also tutors kids in art and gives them the support they need to begin to master their craft.

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

Anna Pankratova (AP): I am a supporter of specified ideology. I believe that a man must engage in business that he enjoys and brings pleasure and heartfelt harmony to the being. For me, art is my heartfelt harmony. I enjoy art for its many, different displays – painting, drawing, sculpting, graphic arts, and through education of art.

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

AP: Confucius once said that if one engages in a favorite business, one will never have to work. Art was never simply the hobby for me. Similarly, I would call it a job or a responsibility. Art is the air that I breathe, which separates me from reality, and into my own world. In the near future, I hope to advance my artistic mastery, and I would like to establish my first art studio.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

AP: It is relatively difficult to answer this question. To me, all artists have a non-standard perception of the world, however they have distinctions toward a particular direction of an idea. I would not like to place myself superior to somebody. I put myself parallel to others. I find that people, of any background, all have the ability to exert potential. I am very interested in visiting modern art exhibitions, finding inspiration and awe in the grand works of art masters.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background? What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

AP: I am an artist, a designer, and an architect from Kherson, Ukraine. I was born into a family of architects. Therefore, it is accurate to say I have the genetic predisposition to the arts. After studying for a few years in art school, I progressed to study in an architectural academy. I took part in many exhibitions and competitions. In 2002 I won in an international artistic competition in Kent (USA) “No borders – only friends“. Today as a side-job I take the time to private-tutor young children, encouraging and engaging them to fine arts and design.

TP: What made you decide to tutor young children?

AP: I had a long history in terms of my passion for art. During a period, prior to working a job, my teacher from art school referred me to tutor students who may be interested in pursuing art. Effortlessly, I took her advice and began tutoring a female student who had the desire to enter an architectural academy. Through teaching a few students, nowadays, I also develop my own professional artistic abilities. Most important is not to impose the ideas and manner of work to the students, but to create ground for the height of their own capabilities and ideas.

TP: What types of art do you have them work on? Can you give me an example of some of the works your students have created?

AP: They are natural life form, geometrical figures, domestic objects, architectural compositions and details, sketches of people, and the like, all possess vivacious life. Through this life exists an endless abundance of vivid opportunities. As for my art students, I begin teaching them through developing an individual program for every one of my students. Generally, I assess what may be the student’s interests or what may peak his or her curiosity.

Here are few examples of their work: “bottles and shells” Author Anna Marinicheva”, “Still life with a shell Author Anna Marinicheva”, “Fruits Author Anna Marinicheva”.

TP: What advice do you give your students when they become frustrated with their art?

AP: In order to achieve a guarantee of success in any field, one must have the passion for the type of work he or she engages in. The same applies to the field of art. Generally, as an aspiring art student, one must have the ambition, the drive, the love, and the passion to design and draw. For instance, the art of still life. Firstly, an individual may see the emotion portrayed through the inanimate object and he must try to transfuse it. The inanimate object exerts a special aura or energy.

Image Courtesy of  Anna Pankatrova

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Hakumo is a brilliant and amusing artist. While this artist’s gender remains a secret, this mystery is nothing but a trivial circumstance. It also adds one less layer of bias to any viewer lucky enough to stumble upon Hakumo’s gallery of digital artwork. Hakumo also creates traditional artwork, but because of the lack of a scanner at opportune times, these pieces rarely find themselves in an online gallery. You can see the delicately and passionately drawn original characters, fanart, and other pieces in Hakumo’s DeviantART gallery, Tumblr, personal website, and even buy them at the online store.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Hakumo (H): It started as a hobby, drawing when I was first exposed to the (art) comic world; Disney’s Mickey-Donald, The Smurfs, Tintin, Asterix and Obelix, then the initial boom of Japanese manga like Sailor Moon or Candy Candy. Because of the culture of where I lived at the time, being an illustrator/comic artist didn’t occur to me at the slightest. It was when my friend introduced me to anime in high school that made me realize there are people who draw and make that as a living out there. That anime, and later the manga that was first introduced to me, was Rurouni Kenshin – which I have loved until this day.

I am mostly self-taught, manga and anime took a greater part of me, which led me to embrace Japanese culture itself. It really influences my subject and style of drawing. When I realized art might be the path I wanted to pursue I was lucky enough to be able to go into art school. They did not teach me 100% of my skills as I expected BUT they taught me exactly what I needed; techniques, tips, and tricks.

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

H: I use quite a bit of everything actually. As for recent works I have explored more on the digital side. I don’t have a scanner with me most of the time so I hardly show my traditional works. I like to experiment with many mediums, but my favorites are pencil, pen, and digital. If I have to pick again from the 3, I think pencil takes the lead.

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

H: Hm, I’m the type of person who gets attached to their works. I like them all, each has the sentiment of why and how I made them. Let’s see…I think elaborate pieces with details or background took my attention the most. They look great when you imagine the full piece in your head but actually creating it is harder! Ones like “It’s better BLUE” or several pieces that I did for art books like Kingdom Carousel, GAIA, and Rising Sun, are probably my most memorable. “Let’s talk it nicely” and “Bookman Jr.” are also my favorites because of the perspective and inking trial-error. But for personal reasons, I always like “Paper Blue” and “Playground: Fish”.

The one I most proud of…is probably the recent piece for Kingdom Carousel. It was quite detailed and different from what I did so far. I can still feel the process and the feeling from when I did the last touch and declared it was finished.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process. How did you overcome them?

H: The first time I encountered DeviantART, it was a really great culture shock; I learned about things called “digital art”, “tablet”, and “illustration”. My background started with comics and I was not as digitally adept. It was practically the first time for me to hear those terms. I was absent from dA for about 2 or 3 years because I thought things weren’t being too well-received and I want to focus on school instead. But my curiosity just needed to see what other art and artists are out there. So eventually I came back, learned how to draw and use my first Wacom tablet, and I just kept drawing from there.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

H: Aside from movies, art books, and ogling at other artists’ works, my inspirations also come from daily life and experiences. Things like dreams, animals, patterns, scenery, food, regular things you encounter every day. They never allow you to stop thinking of what to create or draw.

Recently I found myself really attracted to ‘rough’ things like Studio 4C’s pencil works, Miwa Shirow’s pen works, Vagabond or One Piece; their line works look really attractive to me. Oh, and Gintama because it never fails to make me laugh and cry at the same time.

Image Courtesy of  Hakumo

The article Artist Spotlight: Hakumo Interview, Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Sara is a 21 year old artist from Italy with a passion for mythology, witches, and pirates, as well as polymer clay. Whenever she creates one of her daringly cute designs she throws herself into the world of the subject she wishes to design. Her dedication to portraying every detail accurately is astounding and can be seen in every one of her adorable clay creations.

Toonari Post: How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Sara (S): I started creating with clay in March 2009, and I am practically totally self-taught. I started using clay as “base” for altered art charms but, immediately after I discovered how amazing this material can be, so I abandoned my first idea to start creating my charms completely with polymer clay. So I developed this medium totally by chance, only after I tried making a little mouse with my first piece of black clay, I looked online at all the possible uses of this material and I saw it permits you to create in practice everything you want. Wow..I was amazed!!

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

S: Generally I use only clay, which is my favorite medium and the base of my all jewelry, it allows me to create what I would like (my skills permitting), but sometimes I love matching fimo with other materials to create different effects. My “Arctic Animals” in jars are an example: I use clay to make the tiny animals and resin to fill the jars to give a “water effect”; quite often I also love adding “real components” like  little jars filled with sand, pebbles or musk or real runes to charm bracelets (generally in little jars or fixed on a clay base) or necklaces to suggest more the idea of the theme I chase.

TP: What piece of your work is your favorite and why?

S: My favorite pieces are probably:

“‘Witch’s shelf’ Necklace”: I worked hard on it to give the idea of the typical shelf you can see in a film or on an illustration about witches. In fact, always, before treating a theme, I spend weeks searching illustrations (online and in books), watching films and reading tales about the topic I am going to deal with, just to lower myself into the part as best as possible.

”Alchemy Bracelet”: I spent months trying to find a good way to personalize all the typical objects concerned with the ancient world of alchemy from the little Chimera to the little Ourobos.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

S: In the beginning I hit thousands of bumps and still every single day presents its own difficulties, in particular, my Achilles heel are the little dolls I insert in necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Since I started, I had several problems with them, and I’m still searching my personal style trying to create them as shapely and natural as much as I can, in particular face details (eyes and mouth) and hair.

In conclusion, I think the most useful way to overcome bumps are patience and perseverance. Every time the result is not what I hoped, I don’t give up and back down and I try again and again, without forcing anything, but also never letting it pass. It’s not the first time I have been thinking for months how I should create a particular subject and then the flash of genius comes in the most casual moment like during the night or when I’m doing totally different things or other projects.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

S: It’s really hard to list and remember them all! Since I was a child I have always been in love with tales and mazes books with detailed illustrations. I spent hours on them catching every single detail. I remember I loved Tony Wolf’s illustrations, but I was totally obsessed by Rien Poortvliet and Wil Huygen books like The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep and Gnomes and by Beatrix Potter’s little tales and illustrations.

When I grew up, thanks to my brother, I started becoming very fond of folk tales, from here my interest for Celtic legends or real tales about witches in the past, and the world of fantasy, and from the legends of Avalon to the classical fairies was inspired (also, in this case, I can’t forget to mention the awe-inspiring “Faeries” by Brian Froud).

But I’m sure I’m forgetting so many sources of inspirations. As often as not I find really inspiring things in video games, backgrounds, and lots of works created by wonderful illustrators I can see online. Every time I find something cool, it’s not simply looking at an illustration, it’s almost like breathing in deeply the atmosphere the artist emits.

Image Courtesy of  Sara

The article Artist Spotlight: Sara Interview, Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Anna Pankratova is a jewelry artist from Ukraine who creates masterfully crafted polymer clay pieces. Most of her pieces include aspects of nature, one of biggest inspirations.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Anna Pankratova (AP): I began to draw at the age of four. Ultimately, after a year, I earned admission to art school, and studied for twelve years. Speaking in terms of my education in the arts, I consider art to be an immense relation to my self-worth. Art defines me as an individual. Art is a huge aspect to my being. I began to do handiwork through designing and handcrafting jewelry pieces approximately three years ago in 2009. Personally speaking, I have gained a sufficient amount of artistic ability and experience through three years of extensive work. I decided I did not need to take classes or lessons. I learned by my own accord, my ambition, and by my passion.

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

AP: The use of polymer clay, gouache, and acrylic are the predominant ingredients to my unique handiwork, so to speak. However, I prefer to work with polymer clay in particular because it is a very pleasant material. The use of polymer clay is quite pliable and trouble-free. I can create any color in any intensity of shade as well as molding complementary and decorative patterns. During the process of working with polymer clay, the only instruments I use are a hobby-knife and a toothpick.

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

AP: From the several jewelry pieces or artworks I have created, I do not think I can choose a particular piece of art that I can be proud of the most. I believe that all of my artworks are what I can be proud of. I have several future creative pieces to mold and be proud of. Mastery only grows with gradual time and experience. It is too early in my “career” to call any piece the pinnacle of best work. Self-criticism is the source of advancing and developing my artistic abilities. I am the one to judge my handiwork. I find the negatives and the positives to my work. What am I lacking in a particular art piece? What can I add or modify to a particular art piece?

TP: You say that you are the one who finds the mistakes in your art or the areas where improvement is needed. How do you handle negative feedback or critique from others?

AP: To me, I find it normal to take constructive criticism from others, for example, from people who have more artistic experience. It is imperative to receive such reasonable, objective opinions from others and mold such critiques in an optimistic manner. By accepting criticism an individual seeks an alternative approach(s) to improve. I think it is very useful to hear from those who intend kindly to improve a particular area of someone’s work. Critique is significant in the work of an artist, which enables the ability for someone to make a comment on another, in turn, improving oneself towards future endeavors. Critique allows me to look at the picture from a different standpoint.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process. How did you overcome them?

AP: Yes, I have had some difficulties, from time to time, while working with my handiwork. The errors I stumbled across were related to the imperfection of artistic materials that I used since the beginning in 2009. When making a mistake during the handcrafting process, meticulously I removed bits and pieces and then modified the overall art piece. Gradually, I picked up more quality analogues. By making mistakes yet modifying the errors, with time and patience, I have gained artistic experience. I learned to avoid such errors that could dwindle my artistic ability. I yearned for quality and precision. When I work, I aim for striving excellence. I take time in my work.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

AP: Since my early childhood, I was immensely inspired and awed by the works of old grand-masters of art related to the different historical epochs. In the period of my studies in art school, Japanese decorative art and painting truly inspired me. In addition, Art Nouveau, became another bona fide discovery. I find virtually anything in nature as a grace for me in my artistic ability. Throughout nature, I find harmony – whimsical bends of tree branches, penetrating light from the sun, a graceful dragonfly sitting upon a thin leaf, decorative patterns, casual imprints of paint… What can be seen gives rise to abstract character in my mind, almost like a sketch. Subsequently, this abstract character becomes clearer than a sketch. The character becomes an imprint. Inspiration molds the sketch to the imprint or the final product. For instance, when I sit down before a blank sheet of paper to design a pattern or before a wood base for designing a bracelet, I see inspiration pour out almost immediately. The rest is a matter of technique and skill through the movements and strokes of my fingers.

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? Why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

AP: To me, it is difficult to find a man who has a spiritual affinity as I do. Working with someone would open opportunities, however, there may be differences in various ideologies and ways of thinking. There may be some problems along the way. However, compromise and coming to a mutual agreement is important. It would be interesting for me to do some work with a designer – for instance, painting on silk. To me, working in conjunction with a designer would be an immensely worthwhile and useful experience.

Image Courtesy of  Anna Pankatrova

The article Artist Spotlight: Anna Pankratova Interview, Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Camelia is a young artist living in France who believes she is a very simple artist. She likes creating artworks with emotion and expression. She began drawing as a child by scribbling cartoon characters, then she tried to draw her family. It was a very important thing for her because everyone was really surprised how beautiful her work was. From that day forth she hoped to become an artist and worked tirelessly to get there. She came to the realization that all she had to do was copy the reference photo in the paper of her choice with her artistic tools and she could create an amazingly new artwork from her perspective. Her purpose in creating art is to satisfy the viewer and herself in every artwork she creates and to put as much effort as she can into making her pieces. Now, she bases her drawings on the nature around her and beautiful portraits.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Camelia (Ca): I am a self-taught artist. I started practicing my art by scribbling in my notebook when I was a child of 5 years old, then I tried to draw my family and my favorite cartoon characters.

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

Ca: I use graphite pencils and colored pencils, I rarely use oil, I have painted only 3 oil paintings while I have tons of graphite and color drawings! For the paper, I usually use bristol and “C à grain” paper A4 or 50×60 cm.

Color pencils are always my favorite because they allow me to create such a realistic and vivid piece. I think my color artworks are more popular than the graphite ones.

TP: You have a few art works that are extreme miniatures. How do you keep the detail that you normally include in your larger works in these tiny pieces? Do you enjoy creating them more than your other works?

Ca: I think that my artworks would be more attractive if I were to add much more detail on them because I wanted to create my own style. I usually take days working on these tiny pieces with a lot of details; it’s not really easy. I had to be patient and I got what I wanted. I enjoy creating them more than my other works because I think I made a great drawing and I’m improving little by little.

TP: What made you decide to create such tiny masterpieces?

Ca: It’s generally to become a well-known young artist, and to show my skills and my artistic abilities to the world.

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

Ca: My favorite piece is “Playing With Shadows” because I chose different kinds of colored pencils on bristol paper and I thought that the drawing wouldn’t be as good as I wanted because of the medium, but I was surprised and I really liked the drawing because it turned out perfectly.

I am very proud of “Lovely Colours“, it’s a colorful drawing with a lot of details.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

Ca: Yes, I hit some bumps in my art process, it had to do with drawing portraits and choosing the correct skin colors. With time I overcame them. I had a rule to draw and to color what I saw exactly in the original reference.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

Ca: I take my inspirations from emotional and expressive portraits, I wanted to transform those photographs into drawings and I think that’s really possible. Emotional and expressive photographs which can turned out into drawings is a really great job and that’s always my purpose.

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? Why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

Ca: I would consider having Girts Ulmanis to work with me on a pencil artwork because I think he is incredibly talented in color pencils and in graphite pencils as well.

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

Ca: I wish I could become professional with oil painting because all the people will be really interested in oil paintings more than pencil artworks and it will also help me to get experience in creating artworks of such a big size.

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

Ca: My goals are definitely to be a well-known artist and to make several exhibitions all over the world and to meet professional artists. I plan to make it a career because I believe in my abilities.

Image Courtesy of  Camelia

The article Artist Spotlight: Camelia Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Hazu is a 17 year old Hungarian artist who started making art only for fun, but it soon turned into a lifelong love. When Hazu was in elementary school she received good grades and her parents wanted to send her to a harder school where she could study to be a doctor or lawyer. Hazu refused and although her parents wanted her to go in one direction they accepted her decision not to follow that path. Now they are her biggest fans and her biggest inspiration.

Most of Hazu’s creations are full of happy, bright things that are not in the least depressing, but often lift the spirits of viewers. Hazu loves to draw these types of images because of all the financial problems in her country. By creating such joyful pieces she can forget the troubles of everyday life in Hungary and the suffering many families go through. Her art has taught her that money is not everything.

ToonariPost (TP) How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Hazu (H): As I remember, I started drawing in 2007 because of anime. I was only 12 and I drew for myself only. It was really fun because I didn’t have to draw to suit anyone, I could draw anything I wanted.

At first, I was self-taught, then I realized I wanted to go to a school for art, so I started at an art high school. Well, actually, it’s a school for art and sewing. Some kind of fashion designer school. We have to design a full collection and then we choose one costume and sew it. We have about 5 drawing lessons each week.

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

H: I like to try out as many mediums as possible. I have fun with alternative techniques, like coffee or tea, but my favorite is watercolor. Its a very unique medium which has many facilities and its fast. You can do awesome things in a very short time. It’s perfect for me. At school we use plenty of mediums, like aniline watercolor, coal, color pencils, pastel and lead pencil. We also try many tools for painting like sponges, toothbrushes and we use our hands sometimes to paint.

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

H: I guess I have always been the most proud of my latest artwork, but my favorite is “The Moon and the Sun” since I finished it. I love how it came out, the colors and the floating pose. I think it’s my best traditionally made painting so far. I am always prouder of my traditional works than the digital ones.

TP: How would you describe your unique artistic style?

H: Well, I hope it’s unique enough. For me, it’s very important to be unique. I started with anime then I realized I wanted my own style, and if I have to be honest, I can’t remember how my present style came out. I just drew how I wanted to and then it’s slowly transformed into something new. I like to use bright colors, draw skinny people with big pointed noses and scarves.

TP: Among some of your pieces you have some that are fashion design. What caused you to turn to this area of art? Would you ever consider making your designs into actual clothing?

H: As I mentioned, in my school we learn art and sewing at the same time. I have regular art lessons but also have design lessons where we can learn how to make proper designs. Since the beginning I really enjoyed these lessons, mainly because we can make the clothes we imagined in our minds. We sew small things like skirts and shirts but we also have to sew our costumes for the year-end fashion show. Also this year I applied for a competition. We had to design and sew a special wedding dress.

TP: Who are some of your favorite fashion designers and why? What makes your designs unique?

H: I don’t have a favorite fashion designer because I’m not really into this fashion thing. Of course I love clothes and I love to design them, also wear them, but I never look around at professional fashion. But the Hungarian fashion designers are incredible. I think there are a lot of good designers in my little country as I look around, but I’m not a professional so I can’t judge it properly.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process. How did you overcome them?

H: When I started it I only drew for fun, so I never thought about the proper anatomy or things like that. Because of that reason I never hit any bumps. I just drew however I wanted to and what I wanted to. But this year I had some problems with drawing. I think all artists have art blocks and my advice is to wait. Don’t force yourself to draw, just wait until you get inspired. It helped for me.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

H: I get a lot of inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki and his films. He’s truly amazing. He creates simple and lovely characters and also his stories are fantastic. My other inspiration is DeviantART. There are so many awesome talents there especially Phobs. I really adore his work and stuff. I check his gallery once every day and I hope I can be a unique and awesome artist like him one day.

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece?

H: Haha, I’m not good enough yet to work with any big artists. For now i just draw, draw, draw and after I finish university I will think about a partnership.

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

H: Digital media. I love traditional media but in digital you have many more possibilities. Some artists can do awesome things in digital media, monumental breathtaking pieces. I hope I can make digital paintings like them one day.

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

H: I want to make it a career, I hope I will succeed. I don’t know my goals yet. I will have plenty of time a university to think about them.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

H: It has not influenced mine at all! It’s very strange, by the way, but my home country is the least of my inspirations. I really love it and like living here, but I can’t get inspired from it.

The article Artist Spotlight: Hazu Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Michael Okey is mainly a digital artist who has attended art schools since he was very young and still continues to study today at the Art Center College of Design in California. Michael’s DeviantART gallery has a wide variety of characters to view and enjoy. The color combinations that he creates and the personalities he is able to interpret through the digital medium are astounding. He also posts some of his art on a personal blog along with a bit of commentary for anyone looking for a little more information behind the mind of the artist and his work.

ToonariPost (TP): Who or what are your inspirations and why?

Michael Okey (MO): I’m inspired by so many people and things! My book collection is getting kind of ridiculous. Some of my biggest inspirations though are animated film, anime/manga artists, fashion and the old masters.

Have you ever actually watched a Disney film (before 3-D) and looked at the backgrounds and asked yourself, “How did they paint that?” That moment, is what inspires me. Every time I watch any kind of animated film I constantly look for how the artists used color, composition and lighting, same goes for anime/manga. I own SO MANY compilation books. Apple vol.1 & 2, Girl Illustrated, and Queen of Arts just to name a few and every single one of them inspires me. Whenever I open any of them I ask myself hundreds of questions from, “How did they draw that?” to “Did they start out with line art?” and with every question I get more and more inspired to create.

The same goes for Fashion imagery and the old masters. I think some of the most creative and innovative people in this world are fashion designers. They constantly blow my mind with how they can take something as simple as chiffon and some thread and transform it into something “elegant” or “whimsical”. To express emotion in a drape or a pleat is something that will always inspire me to create. As for the old masters, need I say much? Their mastery of composition, color, depth, lighting…one can only wish to be that good, hence inspiration to push on.

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? Why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

MO: Ippus on DeviantArt, hands down. I’ve admired and loved her work for so long and to work with her would blow my mind. I just can’t wrap my head around how awesome she is at skin tone and color. I find that her style is super unique, it’s a mix of anime and realism, which I think my work also reflects. If we were to do a collaborative piece I think the work that would come from it would be super fresh and exciting. I really feel collaboration is the catalyst to evolving as an artist.

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

MO: Oil painting. I feel there is nothing more beautiful and mysterious than oil paint and its versatility is unmatched.

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

MO: I will definitely be making art my career. As of right now I’m in my third year of design school majoring in Illustration with an emphasis on Entertainment Arts. After school I plan to work for one of the major Animation studios doing backgrounds, prop designs and Visual Development work.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

MO: Being a Cuban mix and growing up in Miami, Florida has really influenced my work and style. My work is bright, has attitude and the women I draw always have curves. I think being in a highly culturally diverse area such as Miami really opens your eyes to so many inspirations and tastes, as well as people! I think having been exposed to so much growing up really does set me apart from other artists. My work tends to be bolder and louder than others, I have a saturation control problem.

Image Courtesy of  Michael Okey

The article Artist Spotlight: Michael Okey Interview, Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Michael Okey was born and raised in Miami, Florida and grew up with his parents who were extremely supportive of him and his love for art. Since the 4th grade Michael has attended Magnet art schools (schools which have an emphasis on art programs) and was always at the top of his class. He’s won numerous awards, contests and metals throughout his education and is now attending the Art Center College of Design. When Michael was in high school he had his work displayed in numerous gallery shows (and sold work) and being exposed to that kind of environment at such a young age really opened his eyes to what one could do in the art world.  Micheal feels that “art is universal and always in demand, and if anyone tells you you’ll starve being an artist, they’re lying. If art is a dream and passion, go for it. It’s a decision I would never regret. I’m so thankful that I was able to live the life I have and experience life growing up as an artist and never thinking I was going to be anything else”.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Michael Okey (MO): I actually started drawing early in my life, 4 maybe? and it wasn’t until the end of third grade that my mom noticed how much I loved art and she made me apply for the top art magnet elementary school in my area. Ever since the fourth grade I have been in intensive art schools. So to answer your question, I’ve been traditionally taught.

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

MO: When it comes to my work on my DeviantART account it’s 98% digital (Photoshop and Painter 11) with a few oil and acrylic paintings thrown in. I love both though, for different reasons. For me, Photoshop and Painter are awesome, they’re quick, easy and super versatile. I love just throwing textures, filters and brushes all together and seeing the crazy outcome, whether I use it or not isn’t the point. I think all digital mediums give artists the freedom to experiment and not worry about the final result because you could always go back in history or delete delete delete!

My true love, though, is painting traditionally (oils and acrylics). There is one thing that traditional will always have on digital, its surface. When you finish a painting, the tangible nature of the finished product always excites me. In my opinion, it’s much easier to get lost in a varnished painting than it is to get lost in a glossy print. There’s nothing like it.

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

MO: To be honest, I don’t have a favorite. The pieces I love the most are usually the ones I work on last. Each piece is a new challenge and for me, the challenge is my favorite part of any and every piece. Not every piece I work on I feel is a success, though, and because of this I find that “If looks could kill”, “Set fire to the rain”, and “Let it Burn” are my best pieces thus far (strictly speaking about digital pieces). They are the most balanced, well rounded (color, value, composition, etc.) pieces in my gallery.

TP: When you first started, did you ever hit any bumps in your art process. How did you overcome them?

MO: Everyday of my life. Artwork is hard. There are so many factors involved, composition, color, lighting, staging, value, saturation, etc., the list goes on and on. Each new piece is a new challenge and like every artist you just have to solve the problem at hand. My key to problem solving, reference. Whenever you’re not sure of what color something should be or how light affects a certain surface, look it up. The information and the answer to your problems are out there, you just have to go and search for them.

Image Courtesy of  Michael Okey

The article Artist Spotlight: Michael Okey Interview, Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Sylvia L. Armitstead may be an excellent artist who works well with both traditional and digital media, but she is also a normal person who has to fit her art around her work and social demands. Despite her hectic schedule Sylvia has a mind overflowing with ideas for new art pieces as well as comics and her inspiration and hard work can be seen in any one of her colored pencil drawings and her ink pieces that show such great emotion in just one color.

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

Sylvia L. Armitstead (SLA): As of right now art is my hobby that happens to take up a majority of my “off” time from when I’m not working at REI. However, I have always wanted to make it my career. I am very lucky in the fact that as long as I’m drawing I’m happy, and that after a brief bit of digging and researching I can be happy drawing just about anything. Except monkeys…. and too much gore… But other than that I’m essentially a you name it, I’ll draw it sort of gal.

I did go to school with all intent of being able to graduate and land a job as an illustrator. However, I felt a bit ill prepared and for no one else’s fault other than my own. My overall portfolio is in desperate need of an overhaul, and then it will be off to the illustration representatives, and getting a personal website made. Up up and away!

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

SLA: I do, mostly because I’m an Alaskan. As crazy as it sounds the state where I was born still heavily influences almost every piece in some way. Be it mountains in the background that are ever present, a tuft of fur on a bit of armor, or wolf and bear like creatures. As to overall culture…. yes?

When I draw my women I do try to draw “real” women and not just the photoshopped stick figures that are smeared on every cover of media making young girls feel like they need to adhere to only that “standard.” To me it is INCREDIBLY important that women not only know their worth and strength in the world, but to let them know that ALL body types are beautiful and treasured. Not just the ones seen on the covers of magazines.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

SLA: The largest influences that shaped me to be the person I am today would be my growing up in Alaska and constantly being in the great outdoors. You can learn a lot about yourself while hiking up a mountain, or taking a midnight sun walk with a good friend while in high school. Being able to be around such gorgeous territory 24/7 for so many years gave me a lot to pull from for my imagination.

In sixth grade I was able to join the Alaska Speed Skating Team and that brought many physical challenges and pushed me to be a stronger, better, faster competitor and that helped to push other aspects of my life, both artistically and academically. Not to mention the experiences of going to the Arctic Winter Games in 98′, 2000, and 2002 being able to compete internationally and meeting great people from across the northern world.

High school was yet another step, being in NJROTC (Navel Junior Recruit Officer Training Course) furthering my leadership abilities, being able to take responsibility for my own actions, introducing me to drill team competitions and riflery. Having that uniform on every Thursday while in school for four years made me proud of how I looked and that has been something that I always look back on whenever I feel insecure.

Not to mention, my Master Sergeant Top Dill once told me, I didn’t need to hurry up to get to being the “Old Lady” (sort of an endearing term for the Company or Battalion Commander), I’d get there someday. Looking back I now know what he meant. I’m already there and am the “Old Lady” running my own life and making my own future and that’s what really matters.

College was definitely the last, final resounding mark in my current history. Graduating and knowing that I have an education that no one can ever take away from me definitely means a LOT.

There were a ton of struggles I went through in college both academically as well as emotionally. Without them I would not know how to be the calm confident person I am today. Oh, and having a boyfriend who figured out after college that I was gluten intolerant and it was making me somewhat bipolar definitely helps as well. Its amazing what eating right will do for a person’s health, emotions, and overall well being!

The article Artist Spotlight: Sylvia L. Armitstead Interview, Part 3 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Sylvia L. Armitstead graduate from Central Washington University with a degree in fine arts. She specializes in drawing and jewelry/metal works. Her DeviantART gallery allows viewers to see everything from her sketches for an comic in the work in progress stages to the finished colored pencil pieces that are filled with majestic animals and fantastic colors.

ToonariPost (TP): Who or what are your inspirations and why?

Sylvia L. Armitstead (SLA): Oh goodness. Lots. Mostly nature. I ADORE being in the great outdoors and seeing everything that this world has to offer. Within that I am very much a fan of artists like Alphonse Mucha, Rene Lalique and even the more modern artist Wim Delvoye who can do some AMAZING stuff with everything from pig skin to car tires.
Other artists:
–Allison Theus
–Luke Mancini
–Keith Lewis

TP: Would you ever consider teaming up with one of these artists to do a piece? Who, why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

SLA: If Rene Lalique was alive, I could imagine that I would likely insist on creating an entire house dedicated to the early Nouveau style. There would be everything from banisters, a fireplace, a kitchen that looked like it was probably forged by the elves of Middle Earth (since the artists at Wetta actually took a close look at the Nouveau period for how they designed things for the movies), to jewelry and if it were a true collaboration of inspiration there would likely be a lot of Alaskan influence in the art that I think I could bring to the table for natural elements.

Doing a collaboration with Allison Theus would be amazing as well, though I’m not exactly sure how it would turn out or what it would be. Either way I think I could learn a TON if I had a week of lessons with her on creature creation!

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

SLA: Oh goodness, there are a few of them: I would have to say first and foremost I would love to be able to do gorgeous watercolor and colored pencil works. The other medium I would love to become more proficient in is metals. I adore working with silver and don’t get an often enough chance nowadays.

TP: You have written a journal about the frustrations of shoppers. I think many individuals that have worked in retail would heartily agree with you. How do you deal with this frustration? Does it affect your artwork at all?

SLA: Luckily for me my art is not only my passion, hobby, and way to bring in a little bit of extra funds for fun things in life, but its also my de-stresser. As soon as my pen hits the paper I can literally feel the stress start to leak out of my body. Also, there is nothing that a good session of Yoga won’t solve. I try in general to keep a mostly stress free life as I find that stress does nothing in terms of benefiting me in any way.

Something I think that most people could agree with as well. The other thing that does wonders is just taking a good walk and being out in the wilderness listening to the trees, birds and nothing else. As long as I can have my outlets, as well as my artwork, I’m a happy camper and my artwork can thrive!

TP: I see that you are also working on artwork for an upcoming game (Disaster Looms). Can you tell me more about this project? How did you become interested in creating pieces for the game? Are you enjoying it so far?

SLA: The project is a table top tile based game where you go exploring into outer space in a race for the best resources for your “customers” er…. tourists. You can find out more here.

I’ve always been interested in creating art for games because to me, the art is the game. If there is a game I want to play I look at the artwork of the game first. If I don’t enjoy how the game looks, then no matter how well it plays I’m not going to get into it.  So for me, art is a HUGE part of game play (hence why I’m playing Tera. Can anyone say GORGEOUS!?)

As to how I became interested, I was actually visiting a friend and another artist who is working on the game that I went to school for, and we were going to be demoing the game.

She mentioned that their other illustrator had fallen off the face of the planet somewhere, and no one had heard about them. Luckily the creator of the game was coming by and after a brief set of introductions I put my sketchbook in his hand and the rest, as they say, was history! They really didn’t have to twist my arm at all to bring me on board.

The article Artist Spotlight: Sylvia L. Armitstead Interview, Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Sylvia L. Armitstead is a 26 year old artist from the United States. She has created a variety of gorgeous works in both traditional and digital mediums. Check out her online gallery to see her creative works which range from an ink splashed horse to original character designs that are intended to be used in future projects.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Sylvia L. Armitstead (SLA): You could definitely say its a little of both. I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a crayon and was highly encouraged by my parents, grandparents and godparents to continue my art, as well as by a few begrudging teachers throughout my school years when they would find my sketches all over my homework.

In college, I attended Central Washington University and graduated with a fine arts degree specializing in drawing and jewelry/metal works.

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

SLA: While I work with everything from markers, colored pencil, watercolor, acrylics, graphite, inks, and even dabbling in digital, my favorite is definitely colored pencils. They are smooth flowing, you can get anything from very light color to very very dense and vibrant color. Colored pencils are also great for mixing with other media such as watercolors and markers to help enhance their colors further.

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

SLA: Oh goodness, you don’t make these questions easy do you? Over the last year I have really buckled down and started to push myself harder. Trying to gain more from my works and really trying to push the envelop in what I can develop. At the moment, one of my favorites would be: “Dawn Rider“.

Done in India ink with quill and brush, this piece was done in under an hour, but brought SO much to life with nothing but ink and water. The way that the ink flowed and seemed to almost take on a life of its own really added to the energy that this piece portrays. Horses have always been a bit of a bane with my art.

They have a rather complex anatomy and until this piece I hadn’t ever felt like I was able to do the creature justice. This piece was a huge breakthrough in not only my confidence, but the understanding of a medium, and the “conquering” of a challenge that has been in my art for years.

As for ones I am most proud of here is a small list:
-”Leopard”
-”Tiger Bright”
-”Moonlit Company”
-”Maggie May”
-”Spirit Within my Soul”
This last one took me the better portion of a month and is still to date what I consider to be my best digital piece.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process. How did you overcome them?

SLA: Depends on what one would consider a bump. I’ve always had a hard time getting through art blocks when I get them, but it’s always also been a matter of scribbling through them. Sure, that may mean I go through half a ream of printer paper in drawings that look like sideways piles of poo, but eventually something beautiful comes out of all of it again.

The other “art bump” I guess you could say I am currently “struggling” with would be the want of being a better digital artist, but not quite being able to wrap my head around on how to do “painterly” in digital form. As to overcoming it, I learn by watching people work. I have a queue of tutorial videos lined up along with a rather large pot of tea and honey to help get me through. Hopefully within a year I will have scribbled through this block and will be creating a comic!

TP: What sort of story ideas or characters do you have in mind for this comic?

SLA: There are actually a few I’m looking at doing. One involves a world much like our own in terms of flora, but has an entire host of new fauna. Mainly it consists of three factions, the Lenzier’s, the Carpaskin’s and a trade species that are known as Fawnkiren. There is also the High Draconic Council, and magic that encompasses all the world and the creatures in it. However, the magic is sentient and chooses who it bonds with.

There’s “Tripocalypse”, a story taking place on earth about a thousand or so years in the future, most people lost track of years and stopped caring. Once again there are three factions, the Mountain Holders, the City Walkers, and the Sky Lords. The Sky Lords have stolen all the books, and any and all traces of knowledge from the old world.

Thus keeping the rest of the world in a lower state of civilization. The Mountain Holders in particular have gone back to farming and mining, while the City Walkers cling to any trace of technology left including firepower from what guns they can scrap together and build. The Sky Lords, however, actually live in airships. You’ll hear more about them once the story gets running.

The last that I keep going back and forth on is “Blood Moon”, still very much a working title. Involving Werewolves in the Seattle area and a power struggle that spans the entire North West. This one I started after being accepted into Central Washington University, and being of the general opinion that far too much happens in New York, and not nearly enough happens around Seattle.

TP: What made you decide to create a comic once you have a better hold on making art digitally? Could you also do a comic with traditional mediums?

SLA: I could definitely do the comic traditionally. I think that I have a certain apprehension in doing so as I have been in an amazing time of flux and relearning a lot of my craft. Hence the overall achievements I’ve been able to make with both over the past year.

Why I would like to do a comic digitally is it will force me to not only get more for less in terms of detail and overall shading (if I was working traditionally there would likely be a LOT more detail, something that I get stuck in with traditional work) which is something I need to get used to being able to do digitally.

There are also certain programs digitally that I would like to try to use such as,  http://manga.smithmicro.com/ that would greatly aid me in creating a comic digitally. I also really want to learn the process of how to work with some of these programs. Especially as I could likely scan something traditionally and input it into the digital program. Sort of blend the two media together. Not entirely sure just yet.

In short, I think some of what’s holding me back at this point is a bit of healthy fear and how big of a project a comic actually is.

The article Artist Spotlight: Sylvia L. Armitstead Interview, Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Minevi is a digital artist that has a knack for creating and portraying characters in a variety of themes, from edgy to soft, and even in a pop inspired background. Taking a look through Minevi’s DeviantART gallery will inspire any aspiring artist to pick up a tablet and figure out how Minevi has been able to get such smooth looking pictures with so much detail. Make sure to look closely at a lot of Minevi’s works and you can see the intricate shades of a dress’ ruffles or the light hitting each strand of a character’s hair. It is absolutely a joy to look at each piece.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Minevi (M): I don’t remember a starting point for drawing- I’ve always enjoyed doodling even as a kid! I didn’t really try to put effort into finished pieces until I was around 16 though, which was around the time I got my tablet. At the moment I’m still mostly self-taught, but hopefully will be able to take more art courses in the future.

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

M: Most of my drawings are done entirely on the computer, but I like to go back to pencil and paper when trying to sketch up ideas. To be honest I don’t really have much experience with mediums other than digital, so at the moment it’s the only one I can call my favorite.

TP: What piece of your work is your favorite and why?

M: My favorite piece would probably be “Cardboard City”. While there are improvements I feel I can make to this drawing now, at the time of its completion I really felt like I had done everything I could on it. The amount of satisfaction from putting your all into something and seeing it turn out well is immense!

TP: When you first started, did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

M: Definitely! I’m constantly running into things I’ve never drawn before or have no idea how to draw. During times like these, I try to look up references to study from, whether on the internet or in real life. If possible, I also try to study how different artists interpret the subject I want to draw in their own drawings. Afterwards, I’ll spend some time trying to draw/sketch what I’ve studied repeatedly until I think I’ve gotten it right.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

M: There are too many to list! Cellar-FCP, Miwa Shirow, and Kishida Mel are among some of the many artists I admire. Idol-Artists aside, I also find great inspiration among artists on DeviantArt and pixiv, especially those whom I have been following over long spans of time- as you watch their improvement as an artist, you get to see them figure things out and fine tune their style, and from seeing that, you sometimes realize things about your own drawings as well!

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? Why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

M: I can’t really list anyone specific, but if I were to ever work with another artist on a piece, I see myself most likely working with someone I’m already familiar with. It’s hard to predict what would come of this kind of partnership though! I think not knowing what to expect is part of what makes collaborations between artists interesting.

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

M: I’d like to become good at oil painting- I really like the textures that oil paints can produce; it’s one of the many things that digital works can’t emulate. Looking at a painting on a flat screen isn’t quite the same as having an actual one in front of you in person!

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

M: While I’m not currently studying fine arts, I hope to continue working on drawing on the side so that maybe someday I’ll be able to turn it into a career. I really love creating and drawing new characters, so my dream job would probably be some type of character designer. It’s a long shot, but if you never try, you’ll never succeed!

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

M: I think it has! I spent my childhood in Hong Kong, and comics and manga are a very prominent part of the culture there. There is a lot of content brought over from Japan, in particular, when it comes to entertainment, and it’s hard to grow up as a kid without being influenced by anime and manga. Growing up as such, I feel that my drawings are slightly more influenced by styles of East Asian comic artists compared to those of some of my friends.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

M: There aren’t really any defining experiences I can think of off the top of my head, but personality-wise, I’ve always enjoyed figuring out how things worked. I guess this sort of translated into my attitude towards drawing!

The article Artist Spotlight: Minevi Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Apofiss is an artist from Latvia that is known for his dreamy pictures of adorable dinosaurs and mischievous cats. He is also the creator of “Boggart,” a humorous comic that centers around a somewhat egotistic fairy-cat. Apofiss also makes live wallpapers (images that move even when set as a background on a phone or computer), which you can find videos of on his Youtube account, along with videos of how he speed paints some of his images.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Apofiss (A): I would say I returned to drawing back in 2008 and not long after that I got my first and current tablet. I’m fully self-trained; learning and creating new things is always rather exciting and nowadays with such a huge resource as the internet it is quite handy to do!

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

A: I tend to work with digital mediums such as Photoshop or Paint Tool SAI, both great software to work with. As for the traditional approach, it’s mostly a sheet of paper and a mechanical pencil.

TP: What piece of your work is your favorite and why?

A: The is the hardest question. I like most of my works, really… yet if I have to pick only one then “mutual thing” is the one because, basically, it’s where it all started. Also the concept itself turned out quite original and visually eye-catching.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

A: Of course, there are always times when I get frustrated with something and can’t get it to look the way I want, but this is just a part of learning and growing up art-wise. How do I overcome such moments? Well, I think I overcome these moments rather naturally and easily, as the learning part is something I really enjoy!

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

A: To put it shortly, the internet. Artists, movies, anime and what not… it’s a great daily dose of inspiration! I also have an influence map in my DeviantART gallery.

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece?

A: So far I prefer to work alone, because I don’t think I have what it takes to work together with artists I like or actually to create a piece I would be super proud of… but we’ll see!

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

A: Traditional oil painting! I definitely love the traditional approach and the results you get… such work has a bit more value to it, you can actually touch it!

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

A: Personally I don’t really like the word “career”, at least not in its usual meaning. I want to keep my art as a hobby, a serious hobby because of the healthy conditions it provides to create original and hopefully amazing art for myself to enjoy and for others to appreciate.

TP: What is it about “career” that you don’t like?

A: Career in its classic meaning ( or understanding? ) usually includes a lot of work done for the sake of money. I like to put the enjoyment of the work as the primary matter and financial matter as the secondary one… it doesn’t always work out like that, of course. In other words, the enjoyment of creating something is what keeps me doing what I do.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

A: I think it has an impact to some degree. In my opinion most artists have something specific about them, it’s like a signature of life experience that shows in every brush stroke. We each see our world a bit differently. The environment and overall life experience is what makes us different, yet amazing when it comes to art.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

A: I think I have creating something for ever, beginning with sand towns, papercraft, even chemistry and experimental “inventions”, haha, back in my childhood that is. Back in 1991, I think, Disney’s “Duck Tales” was the first one to steer me back to drawing while it wasn’t anything that serious.

Later animation movie The Lion King or the movie The Fifth Element had a HUGE impact on me, it’s was like a whole new world! Also,the gaming world has had a big part in everything, still has, it kind of kept me on the creative side.

The article Artist Spotlight: Apofiss Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Samantha Gorel is an artist who mainly creates through the medium of copic markers, along with the aid of watercolors and gouache. This year she will be attending her first convention as a vendor at the Phoenix Comicon. Two of her teachers have had the greatest influence on making her into the artist she is today. One taught her to trust herself and be confident in what she wants to accomplish.

The other teacher had a more unconventional approach such as leaving her in the middle of nowhere for 24 hours along with teaching her to scuba dive, taking her into the center of the biggest fire in Arizona’s history, and making her understand and love every inch of the world around her. All the love she has received keeps her going whenever she finds herself having a hard time with art or she just can’t get something right.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Samantha Gorel (SG): I first started drawing in 6th grade. My friend bought a “How to Draw Manga” book from one of those book fairs. We learned how to draw only one chibi and that’s all we could do, but I drew that single thing about 100 times. Then I went out and bought a different book. I never attended any art schools (though I wish I could have); all of my knowledge of art has come from instruction books and the internet.

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

SG: I use mainly copic markers, Winsor and Newton watercolor and Turner Acryl gouache. I use copics the most, but recently I’ve been really into acrylic gouache because I’ve been using it like watercolor, but it enables me to manipulate the opacity.

TP: What piece of your work is your favorite and why?

SG: This one is probably my favorite. I like the composition and colors in it, and it’s a bit less girly than the others. I really love using foreshortening because it lets me create a more dynamic picture.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process. How did you overcome them?

SG: I hit a ton of bumps all the time, especially as I get further along in my art. When you are young and a bad artist you think you are pretty good and have a lot of confidence. But now that I’m older and all my friends are professionals, with a mastery of anatomy, I realize how little I really know. I can only get over my bumps and problems thanks to their encouragement and guidance.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

SG: Kaoru-chan, Elenath and Emperpep from DeviantART and Satono Sakiyama (one of the artists commonly seen in Style School), Babiry and a bunch of other artists from Japan and DeviantART. I really love looking at others art for inspiration.

TP: I see you will be a vendor at Phoenix Comicon this year. How are you preparing for it and what are you looking forward to the most?

SG: I am making all kinds of new prints and merchandise to sell and mentally, I am trying to fathom how I deserve to sit across the aisle from amazing artists like Mike Debalfo and Mark Brooks.

TP: How will this convention be different than any others that you have been to? How do you decide which conventions to go to and which to pass by?

SG: This is by far the biggest convention I have been to. All the others have only had around 5,000 people at them. Comic con will be huge and I’ll probably go into shock the first time the doors open. I hope one day to become an invited guest, but for now I go to them based off of how close they are to me because travel and lodging costs make it very hard to make a profit.

TP: What is your most memorable moment from any convention you have been to?

SG: My first convention, the moment when I realized how unprepared I was. I learned that day that doing the art was only half the battle and that I needed to present my art professionally as well.

TP: Would you consider working with other artists to do a piece?

SG: I usually like to work with artists who are either close to or better than my art level, or close to or better than my production level. For example, if someone is a great artist, but has no convention experience, or if they know all about conventions, but the art is just so-so. I learned the most from one of my friends who showed me that she didn’t need the best art in the world to make other people think she was a great artist. I also like to help out beginners a lot. But I will admit my all time favorite people to work with are my professional friends who are awesome at everything, because I learn so much from them.

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

SG: Does anatomy count? Haha I don’t really see it as mastering a medium, rather than knowing where to put which colors, and hand control. I guess if I had to pick anything though, it would be comic book pages. The medium of creating a believable and beautiful story is amazing to me.

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

SG: I am currently going to college for Biology Conservation and Botany. I would love to have a career in art, but i know it doesn’t make much money and I want to be able to comfortably support myself. So I will pursue art as a professional hobby. Meaning, I will work as a professional and towards a career, but i won’t quit a regular job, unless I can pay my bills without a problem with my art.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

SG: I wish, I’m an American and my family was all born here so I don’t have much culture in me. Only a fascination with other cultures, which impacts the artists I like and the materials I use, but unfortunately that’s it.

The article Artist Spotlight: Samantha Gorel Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Stephanie Cox is an artist in the midwest United States who works with a variety of mediums. Her versatile style makes her pieces worthy of a number of different mediums, from gracing the cover of children’s books or illustrating them to becoming a pattern used in fabric. Take a look at her artwork in here.

ToonariPost (TP): Who or what are your inspirations and why?

Stephanie Cox (SC): Pretty much every artist I can find inspires me, but off the top of my head some of my current favorites are Campbell Whyte, Emily Carroll, Stacey Rozich, Andrew Schick, Jenna Chew, Claire Wendling, Meg Hunt, Lois van Baarle, Matsumoto Taiyo, andVeronique Meignaud. They each have their own unique style, and there’s just something appealing about their work. I love trying to figure out their process and seeing what inspires them. I’m also inspired by pretty much every comic artist ever because they have this crazy drive that I really admire.

TP: Would you ever consider teaming up with one of these artists to do a piece? If so, who, why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership? If not, what are your reasons?

SC: I’ve done a few collaborations, and they’ve been really fun! I tend to get really nervous about doing them, though, since my process of making art can be very drawn out as I slowly polish the work up to what I think is finished. I’d love to collaborate with any of my favorite artists, but I also think that most of their styles are so diverse it probably would not pan out well with mine. I’d rather do a trade of some kind.

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

SC: People are my favorite things and are usually the inspiration for my work. I love doing life studies, and working with characterization and stories is really what led me into art. There’s just an unlimited array of possibilities when it comes to people and their stories, and there’s so many creative offshoots- fashion design, interior design, ancient and modern culture and history, functional art and design, all derived from the whims and creativity of other people.

TP: If you were asked to illustrate any novel, historical event, short story, poem, or any other kind of story, what would it be and why? How would you take on that project?

SC: I would really love to do a personal project illustrating Garth Nix’s “Sabriel“, since it’s one of my favorite childhood (and adulthood) series. I would love to illustrate any kind of story with a bit of fantasy to it, because it lets me focus on human interaction and lets me have a little bit of fun at the same time. I’d do covers and maybe a few illustrated interiors of my favorite scenes.

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

SC: I eventually want to master watercolor. I would like to be better in Photoshop because I think it’s a really useful tool, and I just want to be able to use it at its full potential. Honestly, I want to master everything, but I want to focus on those two in particular for the time being.

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

SC: I usually tinker here and there in other creative things, like sewing, writing, or graphic/web design. When I’m not doing that, I like to read, shop, scour the internet for inspiration, or play video games, especially with friends. I also like sitting with some coffee and music and just chilling out.

TP: What sort of topics do you enjoy writing about?

SC: I enjoy playing around with middle ground fantasy, mostly slice of life with a touch of some kind of fantastic element like super powers or magic. I also really enjoy writing manuals and how-tos, which slides into my non-art related work, and probably explains why I want to teach.

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

SC: I eventually would like to make a living purely off my work. I know it will be a long, hard road, but I’m ready for it. If I can’t, I know I’ll still have it in my life to enjoy. I want to learn all different kinds of skills: lettering, toy design, posters, everything! I’d also like to teach in some capacity (probably watercolor)!

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

SC: I don’t feel that my culture in particular has influenced me, but rather my unique life experiences. Art isn’t created in a vacuum, and I feel that lots of things impact my work, both external influences and internal reactions, and it all boils down to an introspective process for me.

I focus a lot on my own psychology and that often sneaks into my personal projects and makes them unpredictable. Sometimes it’s a scary process, but it helps me to learn different techniques that I can bring into my more editorial work, and I learn things about myself at the same time.

The article Artist Spotlight: Stephanie Cox Interview, Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Stephanie Cox, an artist of a variety of mediums, has always been a very inquisitive person. She has also spent a great deal of time by herself because she was a fearfully anxious kid.

During this time alone, she started to internalize and think about the human condition, as well as to record the reactions and experiences of her life in journals. Art became her best outlet, so she focused on merging it with her thought process. The end result was an interesting mixture of reaction art, art for stress relief, studies from life, experiments, and problem-solving illustrations.

Toonari Post (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art? Are you traditionally trained or self-taught?

Stephanie Cox (SC): I loved doing all kinds of creative things when I was young. Back then, I loved writing more than anything, and I wanted to be able to draw pictures for my stories, just in like my favorite books and cartoons. I pursued art (and writing to a lesser extent) all through high school and was lucky enough to pursue illustration through university.

I still write, but now I have much more fun doing drawings. School was great in giving me a more structured environment to learn from and helping me meet other talented artists, and I continue to try and learn everything I can now that I’m out of school. So a little of both!

TP: What are your main resources for learning more about your art now that you are out of school?

SC: I keep tabs on a lot of different communities via RSS feeds. I follow hundreds of artists’ blogs, illustration communities, and design blogs, so I have a steady flow of inspirational sources.

When I see something I really like, I’ll research it in depth and try to learn the technique or the idea behind it. I’m always eager to learn about other people’s processes and about new ideas in the art world. I also hang out a lot lately on Tumblr, where it’s really easy for people to share resources, and in my spare time, I add to my growing collection of art books.

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

SC: I use pens, watercolor, markers, ink, and acrylic for traditional work, and I use Photoshop and Illustrator for digital work. Watercolor is my true favorite, though.

It produces this great soft and ethereal feeling that I can’t replicate any other way. It’s also great to experiment with because there is this great unpredictable quality that helps preserve that spontaneous feeling that you only get from a fresh sketch. I often enjoy sketches and rough experiments more than my finished work.

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

SC: I really don’t have a favorite piece. Every time I finish a piece, I’ll enjoy it until I want to do better, so it’s very short lived. The piece I’m proudest of right now, however, would have to be my “House Pattern”. I was really excited when I finished it because it was a new process for me, and I loved how it came out. Plus everyone else seems to really like it!

TP: How was the process for “House Pattern” different from your others pieces?

SC: Most of my work is very free-form and defined by mark making, focusing on emotion and color, so this piece was the complete opposite of how I usually work. It involved meticulous planning to make sure everything lined up correctly, and the end result is something very clean and well thought out. It’s more of a design-oriented piece, instead of an illustrative vignette.

TP: When you first started, did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

SC: I’m always running into bumps! My biggest and most present hurdle is that I’m never truly satisfied with my work. The whole artist process is very tumultuous, or at least, it is for me. If I get too overwhelmed, I usually take a break and do something else to take my mind off it, or take a nap. It’s an exciting cycle of learning, failing, trying again, and succeeding, and it’s ultimately hard work that will get you out of a rut, always. Recharging is important, but so is putting in hours.

TP: Have you ever gotten any kind of negative feedback on your art? If so, how did you deal with it?

SC: I’ve gotten a couple of responses to the tune of “start this over” or “wow, this isn’t what I was expecting at all.” I know I can be sensitive, so I try extra hard to view everything objectively. Most of the time, it works out fine because they just care about the work. The work is what is important, not personal feelings. And I am always ready to hear if my work needs improvement, even if it’s personal work.

The article Artist Spotlight: Stephanie Cox Interview, Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Cristina Otero is a 16-year-old artist from Spain that works to balance her school life along with the beautiful, emotional photographs she takes. She may just be in high school, but Cristina sure knows how to weld a camera.

Her collections all include the human body in some manner, and she has a few galleries centered around fruit, a particularly poignant feeling, or death. Already a skilled photographer, Cristina is one to look out for in the art world, as she continues to master her medium and find inspiration in her own feelings.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art? Are you traditionally trained or self-taught?

Cristina Otero (CO): I started with photography when I was 13 years old. I discovered photography after one of my classmates talked about America’s Next Top Model, an American TV program where amateur models compete. I loved the process, from the modelling to the shooting. I wanted to do the same, and one day, I tried. Since then, I haven’t stopped taking pictures.

TP: What mediums do you use for your art work? 

CO: The camera is Pentax K5. Lenses are: Pentax 55mm f1.4, Pentax 70mm f2.4, and Pentax 100mm f2.8 macro. For retouching, I use Photoshop cs3 and Photoscape.

TP: What piece of your work is your favorite and why?

CO: I don’t really have a favorite. It depends on the mood I have. If I’m happy, one from my Tutti Frutti series. If I’m sad, then one from my Haunted series, but probably “trauma.” is the one I can relate to the most.

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

CO: Not really, except the fact I’m in school and don’t have a lot of time to photograph anymore. Apart from that, everything has gone pretty well actually.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

CO: I finally realized what truly inspires me, and that’s my own self. My thoughts, worries, and memories are my inspiration. A lot of people had already told me this, that my art is honest, sincere, and it resembles the life of a teenager, continuously changing and evolving, telling her story. I didn’t really believe until the other day, as I created a photograph that spoke the truth about my, let’s say, internal battle.

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?

CO: Yes, I have and, unfortunately, quite a few times. What I always do in this case is to post in all my pages the link to my stolen art, asking my followers to report them to get banned. It always works, and it’s amazing how people react; they’re really kind and loving, and I truly appreciate them for that. It makes me feel miserable and helpless. It infuriates me, but I try to stay calm and resolve it.

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

CO: The human body. To be more specific, a human face. I find it fascinating, and it’s amazing what you can do with one. It helps me cope with my own problems, turning them into art for people to see.

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

CO: Apart from photography, I’d love to be able to paint digitally like a professional. I’m actually saving to buy a nice tablet to start drawing.

TP: Outside of art, what is your life like?  Tell me anything about yourself that you would like.

CO: Just like any other normal 16-year-old teenager’s life: study, hang out with friends, act goofy and do stupid things, get mad at my parents, feel the world is against me, and cope with my obligations.

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

CO: My goal is to work on anything that is about art, more precisely in photography.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

CO: Not exactly. What I think makes me different is that I’ve learned not from one, but many cultures, mixing them to help me see the world the way I see it. My whole life I’ve moved from place to place; I have friends from almost every part of the world, and I’ve learned so much from them. It’s a privilege to be able to visit and live in different places, and I really appreciate that opportunity. It has made me become the person I am now.

The article Artist Spotlight: Cristina Otero Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

As a budding young graphic designer, Claudia van Rooijen continues to experiment with Photoshop to create beautifully colorful textures and collages. The subject of most of her collages are the singers that have inspired her throughout her life. She is still attending school in the Netherlands and prefers to practice her art as a hobby rather than making it into a career.

ToonariPost (TP): Who or what are your inspirations and why?

Claudia van Rooijen (CR): Let me start off by saying that I love listening to music whenever I am making something. I am a sensitive person and listening to music just puts me into a special place or makes me feel better whenever I’m having a bad day. Music is the most inspiring thing to me.

To be completely honest I don’t really have a person that inspires me, there are people out there that are really talented but I wouldn’t say that I get inspired by them. I also get inspired when I see good resources, when I see something that is great I imagine in my head what I could use it for. Seeing beautiful artwork also makes me excited to open up Photoshop and see what I can do.

TP: What sort of music to you listen to when you are getting creative in Photoshop?

CR: I listen to all kinds of music from Pop to R&B, Soul and even some Country. I am a huge fan of artists with beautiful voices so I listen to Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis, Melanie Fiona among others. It all depends though, currently I am going through my ‘Carrie Underwood’ phase. I have always loved her music and voice but at the moment she is pretty much all I listen to.

TP: How do different songs or types of music affect the artwork you are working on at the time?

CR: I wouldn’t know if it really affects my artwork to be honest. When I play music I just play an album and you know with albums, one song is going to be uptempo and the next one might be a ballad. I don’t have a playlist with all happy songs or all sad songs. It goes from happy to sad to being happy again.

Perhaps if I would listen to a lot of sad songs my artwork would be a little darker but usually I prefer to listen to uptempo songs when making something because sometimes I just don’t feel like listening to sad songs. I think the music might influence me in a certain way, but I wouldn’t really know how to explain it.

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? What type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

CR: I have never really thought about doing that, to be completely honest with you. There are a few people out there that I really enjoy watching. One of them is So-Ghislaine. I just love what she is doing, her resources are amazing and her collages are great too. If we were to do a piece together, it would probably be a collage because I think that would be the best type. I would assume that I could learn something from her and perhaps she could learn something from me. Another person I really enjoy watching is Photonica.

Her style just speaks to me, it’s very colorful and lately she has been doing a lot of typography and manipulation kind of things. I think her work is very original and creative as well. I would love to learn typography, I am absolutely terrible with text placement. I think typography is great. I am planning on following some tutorials on it in the near future.

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

CR: I’m not sure what your definition of ‘mastering’ an art medium may be, but I would have to say that I would love to master Photoshop CS5. I am pretty decent with it, but I know that there are a ton of features that I have yet to discover or put to good use. I think Photoshop is just such a versatile program that you can do whatever you want with it. If you have some sort of image in your head, you can probably create it in Photoshop, too. That’s how I see the program, it’s really amazing.

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

CR: My goal in life is to just find a job and perhaps start a family one day. I am planning on keeping this as a hobby because I don’t see how this possibly could be a career for me. On the other hand I like not feeling obligated to this. I think that if this would be some sort of ‘job’ for me, I wouldn’t enjoy it as much because it would mean that I still have to come up with something even if I really don’t feel like doing anything.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

CR: I doubt it. I come from a western culture, if that is how you even say that and I do not believe that my culture has had anything to do with the kind of artist I am.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

CR: I had an unusual childhood, quite tough at times. I have an older brother and I come from divorced parents. My teen years were especially hard and I’ve been through a lot of stuff that I would love to put behind me one day. Today I see myself as a strong person that tries to stay positive no matter what. It’s a daily struggle, but I try to get there. Thankfully, I have a lot of things keeping me busy so I think I am going to be just fine.

The article Artist Spotlight: Claudia van Rooijen Interview, Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Claudia van Rooijen is a 19 year old artist from the Netherlands. She is currently a student and does art mainly as a hobby. Photoshop is her medium of choice. Aside from making colorful textures that lighten the mood of viewers, she also loves to create collages that incorporate her favorite singers.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Claudia van Rooijen (CR): I first started when I was about 12 years old. I am 19 now so I have been doing this for about 7 years. There have been times where I would just take a break, but I always came back to it. I am mostly self-taught. I learned the basics from my brother, but after that I just kind of tried new things on my own.

TP: What mediums do you use for your art work?

CR: For my artwork I only use Adobe Photoshop CS5. I guess it’s pretty much all I need for what I am doing at the moment.

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

CR: This is a really tough question for me to answer because I don’t see my work as art, to be honest. It’s just something that I really enjoy doing and I am still surprised that there are people out there who enjoy it as much as they do. My favorite piece of work I think is this one. It’s not my most popular one, but I just love how it turned out, I think the colors are pretty.

The piece I am most proud of is even harder to pick, but I am leaning towards this one because I tried something a little different for this one and people loved it. I believe it is my most favorited so far on DeviantART, so I guess that is enough reason for me to be proud of it.

TP: What makes your pieces unique?

CR: What makes my pieces unique is that I try to be as original as I possibly can while I am making them. Sure, you might pick up some ideas from other people, but in the end you always have to make it your own. Add your own style to it so people know that it’s you who made it. I think I have an eye for what will work in a piece and what will not work and having that is a big plus; knowing when something has to go or when there is something missing.

TP: How would you describe your artistic style?

CR: If there was one word I had to use to describe my artistic style it would be colorful. In most of my pieces I use a lot of different colors, but it is what I prefer. If my pieces were dark/black all the time I think that would be kind of depressing. At least for me, there are a lot of darker pieces out there that are absolutely stunning, but it’s just not who I am as an artist. I might try it sometime just to get out of my comfort zone and show some variety.

TP: When you first started, did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

CR: Yes, I did. Like I mentioned in an earlier question I took a lot of breaks from Photoshop. Sometimes I would just feel like I had no clue what I wanted to do in the first place and it just ended up looking terrible. I am the type of person that is never quite satisfied with what I come up with, there is always room for improvement but at some point you just have to say to yourself, “Good is good enough” and just move on.

I think taking a break every now and then keeps things fresh. In the meantime I would check out other people’s work for inspiration and after a while I would just try again with a clear head. I don’t force myself do make anything, because this is just a hobby and I am only doing this because it’s fun and relaxing for me.

TP: If your artwork is just a hobby what are you doing now to support yourself (such as going to school or working part-time)?

CR: At the moment I am in school and I actually have exams in about a week, so I have to focus on that right now. It’s not that hard so I think I will do just fine, but I’m the type of person who isn’t satisfied with getting a C. I want to do the best I can but I’m not too worried about it. After that I am planning on getting a job, but it’s not that easy since I don’t have any experience, so we’ll see how that plays out.

I guess, if I really had to, I could do something with this and turn it into some kind of a job but I would rather just keep it as a hobby. Then again, don’t they say that it’s the best thing if you can turn your hobby into an actual living? I still live at home with my mother so it’s not like I have many expenses.

The article Artist Spotlight: Claudia van Rooijen Interview, Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Georg-Friedrich Gebhardt is an aspiring fashion designer from Germany. At only 18 years old, he has created a huge array of collections that many would love to be seen wearing on the streets or, better yet, on the runway. Most of Mr. Gebhardt’s designs are done in watercolor or drawn digitally on a tablet.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art? Are you traditionally trained or self-taught?

Georg-Friedrich Gebhardt (GFG): I started to draw clothes when I was 16 or 17, and I am 100 percent self-taught. To the question HOW I started, I really don’t know. I think it was a progression. At first, I drew characters, and then somehow I got into designing.

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

GFG: Right now, I use my tablet a lot to draw digitally, but I also like to use watercolors. I don’t have a favorite because both have pros and cons. The main reason I use digital art is that you have so many options with colors, effects, and textures, and the main reason I use watercolors is that I really like the texture and the flow of the colors. So, I like both, although I think coloring with watercolors is a bit more difficult than digital-coloring!

TP: You draw mainly fashion designs. Do you think you would ever make some of your own designs into real clothing pieces?

GFG: I hope so! I had an internship where I learned some things about sewing, but I hope when I start studying fashion design, I will learn some more about that topic!

TP: Who is your favorite designer and why?

GFG: My favorite designer is definitely Alexander McQueen! I really like his style, the different shapes of his designs, the colors… just everything!

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

GFG: I am really proud of my “Capitol Couture” collection and my “Hit The Road” collection because here you can see that I like to design both haute couture and ready-to-wear. I am also proud of both pieces because I like every single design there, and I can see improvement.

TP: When you first started, did you ever hit any bumps in your art process? How did you overcome them?

GFG: I don’t know, but I always have some problems with realistic body proportions, and the only way to overcome them is PRACTICE!

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

GFG: I get my inspirations from so many things, so I would probably say my whole environment is my inspiration. For example, my family, my friends, nature, the internet, other artists, music, movies–there are just so many things! And why is my environment my inspiration? Because it gives me so many ideas for new designs!

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? Why, and what type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

GFG: I would love to work with Silvia Pelissero, a.k.a. Agnes-cecile, on DeviantART because I love her work! Her paintings are fantastic! It would be amazing to work with her, and I would ask her if she can make patterns which I would use in my designs.

The other artist is Lixi, a.k.a. Viva-la-lixi, on DeviantART because she is such a nice and talented person.I really love her designs and her style! I think some pretty nice designs would be the outcome of that partnership!

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

GFG: I would have to choose between drawing digitally and drawing with watercolors, and I think I would pick the watercolors just because, in my opinion, it is a bit harder to use them.

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

GFG: I really want to work in the fashion industry, maybe as a designer or a fashion buyer or a creative director, and because of that, I will start studying fashion design in Berlin. So, I think my goals in life are pretty simple: a nice job and a long, healthy, and good life.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background?  What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

GFG: Well, my name is Georg-Friedrich Gebhardt, but my family and friends call me Fritz. I was born in Schwerin, Germany. I traveled a lot with my parents through Europe and visited different countries and cities. My favorite cities so far are London, Paris, and of course, Berlin! When I started to design clothes, my family and my friends were really supportive, and they all have encouraged me to follow my dream to make it in the fashion industry.

So, last year I finished school and started an internship at a little local label, and this summer, I will move out from home, and I will move to Berlin. There I will start to study fashion design at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee.

The article Artist Spotlight: Georg-Friedrich Gebhardt Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Witchiko is a Brazilian artist who makes her own plush and dresses up like fictional characters (commonly known as cosplaying) to bring 2D individuals into reality. She came from a humble family that did not have many material things, creating an unhappy childhood filled with numerous hardships.

Despite all the troubles she has endured, these trials have made her a better and more focused individual. She has said that even if she were to come across a large amount of money in her life, she would still be the same person that her art (drawing, sculpting, cosplaying, and sewing) set free when she was finally able to stop repressing her talents.

ToonariPost (TP) How and when did you first start practicing your art (are you traditionally trained or self-taught)?

Witchiko (W): I started because of my cosplay hobby and I started making plush to use with my cosplays. Many people have asked me if I accept commissions to make plush and when I saw that I had practiced enough to make orders I started to accept the commissions. I am a self-taught plush maker and have learned to sew clothes, too.

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

W: Fabrics (plush), is my favorite, of course, but I know how to work with various materials, such as polyurethane, epoxy and others!

TP: What are some difficulties you have with making plushies and cosplaying?

W: To be sincere, time! I have many projects, and since I like to give my special touch to each of my cosplays, like painting and doing some accessories, I don’t have much time to do everything I would like to do.

TP: How do you decide on poses for your cosplay and how do you find the ideal photographer?

W: Short answer: The photographer is my fiance. The poses I make from a combination of observation of other photographs, cosplayers or not, and illustrations.

TP: Do you prefer to do cosplay in a group or alone and why?

W: I like both, but individual is better to me because it depends only on me to accomplish an agenda.

TP: Do you make the clothing you use for your cosplay? If so, how do you come up with patterns to recreate character’s apparel? If not, how do you decide on the perfect costume?

W: I made some clothes, but mostly I ask a seamstress to do it for me. But there are parts of the clothes I’d rather do. Some I guide the seamstress the way I wish her to make them. I draw some details to show everything to the dressmaker so he/she understands how the clothes of the character look. I buy fabrics, painting and add clothes for many things, too.

TP: Which of your plushies is your favorite and why?  Which one are you most proud of and why?

W: I like “Uriel” the most because of his looks and the fidelity of him/it in the final product. The most complex is “Metabee”, the hardest to make of all.

TP: Which cosplay is your favorite, which did you have most fun with, which are you most proud of, and which was the most difficult?

W: My favorite is Ranka Lee from Macross Frontier, and I will make several versions of her clothes.

The most fun was theTenma Tsukamoto, because the own character is funny. The cosplay I’m most proud of is the Myoubi (Alichino).

My cosplay Momohime (Oboro Muramasa) was the hardest, because of the paintings, complicated clothing, and other accessories.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

W: In the plush/sewing I don’t have any inspirations. In the cosplay area my inspiration are photos I see around the internet. But I follow the works of cosplayers Ryoko-Demon and Jin (Behind Infinity), and the photographers Z3LLLL, Shiroin, Hexlord and Kira-Winter.

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece (either plushies or cosplay)?

W: In reality, I have never thought about it, but I would be very happy to have a large and talented group of cosplayers of the same series to do a photo shoot with me.

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

W: Singing because I think music is the most beautiful thing there is. If I had a gift for singing … this would be the art that I would want to master.

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

W: I intend to have a virtual store with plush created by me with my brand and have a plush manufacturer.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

W: I don’t think so. My personality may be what makes me different from others artists.

The article Artist Spotlight: Witchiko Interview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.