Today I interview a truly talented Graphic Designer and Digital Artist you may be familiar with from Deviant Art, she has been featured in Advanced Photoshop Magazine, and Photoshop Creative Magazine just to name a few. I am personally a huge fan of her work and have had the pleasure of talking with her about it, her name is Karen McDade and her work is nothing short of spectacular!

Niyo by Karen McDade

Where are you from, and when did you first develop your artistic ability?
I’m originally from South Africa, and have recently moved to Europe with the intention of seeing more of the world. I’ve always been artistically inclined and I fell into design a few years ago purely by fluke – a friend introduced me to Photoshop and I was hooked from then on…

alien-manga by Karen McDade

How did you decide to become a designer?
I had played around with Photoshop for quite a while before I decided to take the plunge into graphic design as a profession. I didn’t have a formal education in design so I went on a self-study frenzy, reading design magazines, doing online tutorials, buying design books, watching podcasts and spending hours a day learning the Adobe products. I’ve been freelancing for a few years now and I haven’t looked back.

gothic-night by Karen McDade

A lot of your work is vibrant and full of color, could you talk a little more about your style?
The colourful style isn’t a conscious decision. I take each piece as it comes to me and I try not to over-think the design. Most pieces are done over a couple of days, and I often take breaks from the design so I can review it with fresh eyes. It’s a very fluid process .

Myst by Karen McDade

Who are some of your favorite artist or people who have inspired you creatively?
I remember seeing Dave McKean’s work and being completely captured by it. I love how weird his art is, so dark but filled with meaning. I wanted to do that. My style couldn’t be more far removed from McKean’s but I would be disappointed with myself if my work resembled any other artist’s style. I’m also a big fan of Richard Marchand.

forest-nymph by Karen McDade

Did you have to overcome any barriers in pursuing your artwork?
I’ve been lucky in that I’ve had the support of my family the whole way through. I can’t complain at all. My fiancé has been especially supportive of my career, most notably when I was starting out and I didn’t have that much work coming in. He believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. I reckon the only barrier to pursuing my artwork currently is lack of time. Unfortunately I work most evenings and weekends so I don’t have much time for personal work, which explains my limited gallery. But it’s quality, not quantity that counts, right?

the-thinker by Karen McDade

What advice would you give to other people looking to enter the design world?
Try to look for alternate sources of inspiration and differentiate your work as much as possible from the current trends. Try find your own style, and if you feel you don’t have your own style, then don’t put any pressure on yourself – just keep on learning and it will come with time.

New Age Arms Dealer by Karen McDade

What do you feel are some new advancements or trends you’ve noticed in the design world today?
I’m happy see the overuse of lighting effects dying down a bit. I’m guilty of using them myself but I think, as a design element, it’s getting old. Unless it works for the overall concept of the design, you should try something less clichéd. The more attention I pay to international design, the more I notice how the trends differ in each pocket of the world. Personally I think the design coming out of Poland at the moment is some of the best in the world, followed by the UK and Brazil.

You’ve been published in a few magazines, is there anything in particular you can tell us about how that came about? And what was it like seeing your work featured?
It was quite validating seeing my work published in a reputable magazine. I make a point of trying to get my artwork seen by as many people as possible, so I have multiple online portfolios with graphic art communities. I credit this method with getting my work noticed by publishers.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Thank you for your thought-provoking questions. I hope I’ve mentioned something here that will help out other designers in some way. I’m always willing to assist designers whenever possible – the more support we give each other the more we uplift the level of the community.

Thanks for a great interview Karen, your work is truly amazing and has been an inspiration to me, as I’m sure it is for many other digital artist out there. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do next! The rest of you out there can let Karen know what you think by dropping a comment or visiting her galleries.

Advanced Photoshop
Photoshop Creative
Deviant Art
GFX Artist
Behanced Network
ModelMayhem

Karen’s own website is: http://www.omegared.co.za/ where you can contact her or hire her for a project!