Melody of SexiDesign.com

Why hello to all you sexy readers out there, my name is Melody Nieves (nee evv ess) and I’m originally from Long Island, NY. I am the flirty and eccentric author to two design and marketing sites, MelodyNieves.com–my personal blog, and SexiDesign, which covers the influence of sex in marketing and design. I consider myself an artist first and foremost, but it was when I joined a financial services company at 18 that I developed my second love for marketing.  I majored in architecture for a year in Philadelphia but moved onto opportunities with that company. From there I would experience really unpredictable and diverse experiences as a young business person.
What made you decide to be a designer and how did you get into this field?

[Forgive me for my long story LOL] Well I started learning about design back when I was 12 years old. There were early blog-like sites back then that teens designed with Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro that I had a fascination for. Since I was always into art I started to learn about web design, but lost computer access about 2 years after. It wouldn’t be until I got to college in 06 that I started messing with PS again. I’ve really just gotten back into design because of my diverse experiences from the last couple of years and decided in the past year that I would take a break and try to pursue life as a digital artist and design blogger.

Tell us about the blog “A Walk In My Shoes” and how that got started?

AWalkInMyShoes.com was the journey of my crazy business life as well as my advice with a real personal touch. Here’s how it really started: When I left college I landed an opportunity to work for a startup financial services company via a video resume I sent to its CEO. I would go on to work as a marketing trainee/coordinator/designer/everything you could possibly think of for that company. Because of my initial interest in the company’s investment products as well as my hard work, I moved on to create my own subsidiary company in partnership with my former boss. Incentivest, Inc. launched in early June 08′ when I was only 19 years old, in pursuit of “Financial Therapy.” AWIMS was originally my blog for Incentivest, in recognition of my “confessions as a young entrepreneur.” However, 6 months after it’s launch, I decided to dissolve Incentivest. I maintained AWIMS as a look into my journey, but now as a digital artist and marketing enthusiast. Most recently I’ve sold the domain for AWIMS, and transferred the site to my new domain of MelodyNieves.com.

You’ve mentioned that you are an entrepreneur, can you tell us about some the success you’ve had, and how you went about it?

I owned my first company at 18 (Incentivest, Inc.) as mentioned previously. Prior to that, my work led to little personal successes like having articles written about the company I worked for as well as my own. When I got into digital art, soon after I won a trip to the Playboy Mansion via a tshirt design contest. I also have a print & tshirt line through zazzle.com. Also, the recent sale of my AWIMS domain is by far the biggest business deal I’ve encountered so far online. But I must say that my biggest success is that I continue to learn from all the good times, battles, and mistakes I’ve made.

Tell us what’s so sexy about SexiDesign.com?

SexiDesign is so (damn) sexy because it is unlike any other design and marketing site around. Here, I have a no holds barred approach to the wide array of topics that I write about. The purpose of the site is to educate its readers on how prevalent sex is in design, and specifically which marketing techniques are utilized to learn from. The site has also become an outlet for beautiful sexy artwork and I can’t wait to really get into the discussion I have in store for it.

It’s funny, SD is actually spawn from originally wanting to write about porn site designs, but thinking how it would be so randomly racy for the AWIMS blog. =P

What would you say has been the greatest difficulty you’ve encountered as a designer?

Dealing with clients can irk me like the next designer. The lack of appreciation for a designer’s work is probably what will make me crossover more into a design blogger and less of a designer.

Can you tell us about any special skills you’ve had to develop outside of design?

Well I love to write so blogging has helped that tons. I have really strong interests in body language, NLP, and anything related. I do believe though that marketing is my calling and I find myself becoming more intuitive to campaigns each day.

What is your favorite piece of artwork that you’ve produced?

My favorite piece is Clouded Vision–the revised digital version. I originally painted it when I was 15, but when I got back into PS I fell in love with digital painting. The revised version was a personal breakthrough of finally beginning to understand all my years of training and trial and error as an artist. I think many artists overly critique their own works like myself, so it was nice to step back and actually admire my own work.

Who are some of your favorite Designers and Artist, and some of your favorite work from them?

I don’t think I have a favorite designer. However, my favorite artist is Frida Kahlo. I grew up learning about her life and artwork, and finally saw her exhibit in Philly. My favorite piece of hers is “Unos Cuantos Piquetitos” (A Few Small Nips). You might think I’m crazy when you see it (lol) but I view it as a look into her disturbed character and a reflection of the hardships she endured throughout her life. Plus she gave meaning and purpose to every component of her art, so I find that fascinating.

How do you feel about the current state of the Design Industry?

I think there is a difference between the design industry as a whole and the online design industry. The online design industry is currently unable to branch off from design unrelated to graphics design, web design, etc. Aside from the list posts many have grown to despise, there aren’t really sites out there to explore the other design industries in depth such as architecture, interior design, product design etc. Eventually those voids will be filled, but it’s a perspective that is lacking, and that’s probably do to the fact that no one can just become a freelance architect overnight via online tutorials. As a result, I think the online design industry is a little stagnant at times.

Have you been effective by the recession at all?

Absolutely. I lost my original business mostly due to my concerns with the recession. I’ve also had to downsize and really take a look into my goals for the future. It’s not so much a big deal to live without some luxuries or gadgets, I just want to make sure that I’m confident in my future decisions.

What advice would you give to designers starting out this year?

If design is what you want to do for your career, don’t start off designing. Seriously. Make an effort to develop your craft and technique first. Design is easy for people to turn to because they think it’s easy–just pick up PS and mess with it a bit. No. It would seriously help yourself, your future clients, as well as the design industry to go out and learn something about it first.

What would you say are the most important skills for a designer to have?

My biggest pet peeve is when people have a poor foundation in the principles of design. You’ll probably see me pointing it out on many tutorial sites, but I know from experience how  enlightening it is to just begin to understand and properly utilize a design principle. So it’s important to get out, off your computer, and take a class. Again, in reference to advice for designers, if it’s something you really want to do you’re going to have to invest some real time and money into understanding design.

How has twitter changed your life?

Twitter has definitely made my site(s) more accessible to different readers. It’s also given me a wonderful avenue to get great feedback from people. Sometimes I wonder if people are nervous to comment on SexiDesign, but I get awesome feedback that helps me understand my potential impact on the blog world. On a side note, I met my boyfriend through twitter as well as some new friends. So it has made even an impact on my personal life.

If you had to do something else with your life, what would it be and why?

Eventually I will be doing something different. Design and art in general will always be a part of my life, but I choose not to remain a designer for long. I grew up introverted so I always wanted a career that would force me to persevere beyond that, and being in the cut throat financial industry helped a lot.  In many ways, I feel like if I stay a designer then I will stay indoors, very introverted. So I want a career in marketing, PR, or some form of motivational speaking.

What are some of your plans for the future?

I definitely plan on embodying the lessons of SexiDesign. I know its potential and I think it’s important for fellow designers to hear a new, even sexy, perspective towards design. I’m sure I’ll own marketing related businesses in the future but as unpredictable as my life has been–I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’m 21 now, so I want to get back to living life and enjoying the little things that really matter.

I’m really excited to have come across some influential people and opportunities, so I can only say for now to follow my journey. And perhaps with my journey I can reward my readers with some guidance and understanding. Thanks bunches for the interview Roberto!

Original Interview transcript from: http://graphicesense.com/?p=63

Graphic-Essense Inteviews Graphic Designer Roberto Blake

I interviewed Roberto Blake, he is one of the many graphic designers in the industry and he is a friend that I meet on DeviantArt.com.

1. What got you into the industry?

I chose Graphic Design because I’ve always felt that my strongest skill set was my ability to communicate my thoughts and ideas to others. Ultimately that is what a Graphic Designer does, mostly visually, but you also have to be able to communicate well verbally and on paper when working with a team, marketing departments, and clients. Graphic Design and Advertising is also utilized to some degree by everyone who operates or hopes to operate a business, promote a product, or event, so the job market is not only stable but growing.

2. How do you deal with bad/blacklist clients?

Thankful I haven’t had to deal with this issue much yet, but I would try to come to some type of mutual understanding.

3. What where you doing before you got into this line of work?

I’ve always been involved in artwork and media to some degree, even in grade school I was writing and illustrating my own comics and selling artwork to anyone who was interested.

4. Do you see this as a career or a job?

I would have to say a career, but its is also more than that. Art is so much a part of me that I can’t remember a time in my life where it wasn’t something I was actively pursuing. I’m fortunate that I have been able to mold and market that talent in away that allows me to do the things I love while making a living.

5. Who some of your inspirations?

I would have say some of my largest inspirations are Rob Shields, David and Sarah Cousens, Kyle Lambert, Karen McDade, Alena Lazareva, Adam Smith, and Christopher Ang.

6. What talents do you have other then graphic design?

Aside from graphic design I’ve always been an illustrator. My art style in that regard has always been cartoonish or following the trend of comic book art as that was my main inspiration and aspiration as a child. As I got older I became very interested in photography as well as video production and editing and even worked as a photographer for a time, both freelance as well as with a studio. Video production and editing is a hobby that I’ve used a job skill from time to time since I have nearly a decade of experience with it now.

7. Which do you like the best digital art or traditional art?

I would have to say digital at this point, though I try to incorporate both. Digital save a tremendous amount of time and allows you to preserve your artwork a lot more easily than you could through traditional media. Additionally my own personal range of skills with digital far surpasses my abilities in traditional media.

8. Where do you see this taking you in about 5 years?

I’d like to be with a very established Advertising firm at that point. If not then I would love to start my own creative studio producing work for various agencies while working with a team.

9. What is some advise that you could pass to young and old designers that would help them become better at what it is they do?

Always look for the next step in journey and find inspiration in the world around you. Aside from that, you can never do too much self promotion.

10. What are some of your favorite free tools that you use in your designs and other projects?

I would have to say that the free images from http://sxc.hu are a very large part of what I do.
11. What is your favorite piece of art and why does it represent you?

I would have to say that “Blazing Blue” is my favorite as it incorporates many various elements and it uses my own personal favorite color combination. I also love the energy of the piece and was able to communicate it better because I was the actual model for the image, which also makes the piece more of my own than it would be with a stock image.

12. Name Five things you love about your career.

Graphic Design and Digital Arts allow you to creative and expressive.
The industry is getting a lot more attention and Graphic Designers are being recognized for their talent.
The online Design community is a much friendlier and collaborative environment than it is in more cutthroat traditional professions.
There is always something new and exciting to learn about the craft.
It suits my interest and personality perfectly!

David its an honor to be interviewing someone as talented as you, who has been featured in Digital Arts, Advanced Photoshop and several other magazines! Let’s start with you telling us a bit about yourself.

Thanks very much, you’re too kind!  I’m 29, I run Cool Surface with my lovely wife Sarah in the South West of England. I’ve been designing and illustrating full-time since 2006, although I did a few things before that to get my foot in the door.  Our list of clients include the BBC, Kingfisher/Macmillan Publishing, Adidas, Letraset, Tick Tock Publishing, Franklin Watts/Hachette and just about every digital design magazine out there.  I’m normally cheeky, sarcastic and friendly, unless you catch me before 9am where I am sluggish, incoherent and almost borderline hostile; I am not a morning person!  Oh, and I love drawing!

When did you first get into digital artwork, and how did you know it’s what you wanted to do with your life?

I first got into Digital artwork in 2002 when I was asked to produce the advertising poster for the UK Transformers convent ion “Transforce”.  I’d done the previous year’s poster in black & white, but this year the poster needed to be in colour.  Now, I’d never made a proper bit of colour work in my life; I had this stupid idea that I only needed to draw in pencil because I wanted to become a comic book penciller, I didn’t need to know about anything silly like “colour”!.  Fortunately my Dad had been nagging me to try digital art for a while and had already got me a copy of Photoshop to practice with (Thanks Dad!).  A quick search online later and I’d learned the basics of Photoshop colouring and painted the entire image with a mouse!  Impressed with my tenacity (or possibly filled with pity!) Dad bought me my first graphics tablet so that I wouldn’t have to endure colouring with a mouse ever again!

Working digitally was amazing; I could suddenly use colour in my pieces because it wouldn’t cover/ruin my linework.  The extra impact that colour gave my work also got people actually looking at my art and appreciating it.  Being such a sucker for praise and flattery, there was no turning back.

Your Digital Illustrations are nothing short of amazing, how did you develop your particular style, and why illustration?

I remember spending years worrying about finding my style and one day I realised it was there all along, which I think is probably the same with most artists.  My style most likely came about through my love of comics and cartoons, it’s been described as “a fusion of Eastern and Western influences” which is a fancy way of saying it’s a mixture of Marvel comics and Manga/Anime.  I love dynamic images with lots of action and movement, interesting colour schemes and humour so I try to incorporate those elements in as often as possible.  I also love throwing in lots of small details in my images for people to find.  I love it when people tell me they’ve noticed bit of symbolism or a small reference or joke in my artwork because it means that they’re really looking closely and enjoying my work.

I chose illustration initially because there were no degrees in sequential illustration in England at that time (they started a year later funnily enough) and I thought that having a degree would look better to future employers.  As it turned out, illustration was a better choice for me as I really enjoy seeing an image through from start to finish and I can get to flex a few more artistic muscles by doing illustration than I would be if I was drawing comics.  There aren’t nearly as many rules in illustration, pretty much anything you think of can be incorporated into your work.

We’ve seen your work as well as tutorials in magazines all over, is there a secret behind your success?

I have incriminating photos of every magazine editor; either my work gets published or the photos do!  I think the real reason my tutorials are well received is because I don’t hold anything back.  If I know how to do something I’ll gladly share it.  There is nothing sadder than somebody with a skill who won’t pass it on to other people.  It’s like they’re afraid that telling people how to do something will make their own art less special so they keep everything to themselves and only give vague answers.  I also try to make my tutorials as friendly and accessible as the word count allows.  Magazine word counts can be restrictive sometimes but I always try to explain why I’m using a certain method as opposed to just giving technical instructions as it’s much more helpful to people when they can understand why I’m doing things in a certain way.

Another tip I can give to people for getting magazine work is to NEVER miss a deadline; deadlines are the most important thing to a magazine so you can’t disappoint an editor.  If you have to stay up late and work weekends, that’s what you do.  It’s a small price to pay for a job where you get paid to do something you love.  Make yourself really easy to get hold of whether it’s through email, Twitter or by phone; it’s very reassuring to clients that they can find out how things are going at a moments notice.  Being reliable and friendly will get you a long way in this industry.

As an artist where do you draw your inspiration from for these fantastic images?

It’s funny, last month we met with a friend in publishing who saw our image “Passengers” that we made for Advanced Photoshop and she said “Wow!  That’s really surreal!  How do you come up with these images”  and I was a bit surprised as I didn’t really think there was anything surreal about a white haired girl in a cocktail dress riding a giant turtle suspended by balloons with two engines coming out of it’s shell.  Then again, Sarah and I are a bit weird.  It’s living out in the countryside that does it!

I’m drawn to fantastical things; they tend to float around my head after I’ve seen them and then they seem as normal as someone walking a dog.  Sometimes things will just inspire me; an attractive model, an exciting scene in a film or even playing a computer game.  I tend to look and examine things more than some people as I’m always trying to work out how to draw things.

Are there any special tools that you use to create your images?

The main thing I use to create my images is my pride & joy: The Cintiq 21UX!  It’s a thing of beauty.  I was worried whether it was a wise investment when I first got it, as Sarah was more than a little reluctant to invest so much money in one piece of equipment (it cost more than my car!) but it improved my workflow so much that it must have paid for itself within the first few months!

My other favourite drawing tool is a Prismacolor dark blue pencil (the same sort of pencil as used by 2d animators).  They have such a nice texture to them & you don’t get any smudging that you do with standard pencils.  I only tend to use these when I’m just sketching for myself, my paid work is pretty much 99% Cintiq based these days.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as an artist?

Other than getting over the initial fear of failure and rejection that stopped me getting my art out there for a couple of years after my degree, I’d say the biggest challenge I faced was developing RSI (repetitive strain injury).

As an artist the 2 things you need are your hands and your eyes and one day without warning my arm developed a pain so intense that I couldn’t actually grip a pen; it was actually terrifying.  I rested it for an entire week hoping it would simply heal, but then I started to draw and it came back, quickly and fiercely.  I had magazine deadlines to hit and had just signed a contract to draw 2 books so I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.  I needed to draw but whenever I did my arm was literally burning with pain.  I developed a temporary workaround of heating up a wheat bag in the microwave and resting it on my arm to relieve the pain when it got too much, give myself 20 minutes and start again.  Outside of work hours I would do as little as possible with my right arm, I even learned to brush my teeth left handed!

Instead of being smart and going to the doctors I figured this would just heal itself eventually, but even with a lot of rest I felt pain every day.  It occurred to me that this may be permanent and that I would feel this pain for the rest of my life, which as you can imagine was a little depressing.  After a year of learning to do everything but draw left-handed I’d decided that enough was enough and I should seek some medical advice.  It turned out that although teaching myself to use my left hand was “impressive” it was actually harming my recovery.

Apparently my years of slouching and not doing much other than type and draw had slightly compressed my spine which meant the signals from my brain to my arm weren’t getting to my arm properly causing nerve damage.  Luckily I was sent to a physiotherapist who cracked my back and my arm started to improve immediately.  Within a month I experienced a day without pain for the first time in over a year, which was amazing, especially as I’d consigned myself to my arm feeling bad as a permanent thing!  I now stretch every day and my arm is almost back to normal.  I still can’t type for great lengths and the amount of time I can play computer games is limited but to be able to draw without worrying about permanent damage is just lovely.  Nothing will make you appreciate something as much as almost losing it.

The moral of this story: Stretch every morning and try not to slouch!  Oh and if you have something wrong, don’t self diagnose and live with suffering.  Go see a specialist!  Medical healthcare exists for a reason!

Who would you say have been your biggest supporters as an artist?

Ooh, tough question.  My Dad has been my biggest supporter (actually my entire family have been great in that respect) but we’re probably looking for a slightly less obvious answer here.  I’ve been lucky in that a lot of the people I’ve met have been extremely supportive.  Emma Davenport (formerly Emma Cake, editor of Advanced Photoshop magazine) has been one of my biggest supporters.  She saw my work when I posted it in the Advanced Photoshop Peer Pressure forums and not only put it straight in the magazine but commissioned me to write my first tutorial for the following issue.  Emma was lovely to deal with and offered me a lot of work (both illustrating and writing) which really helped me out during my first year of professional work.  Emma and I remained good friends after she left the magazine and she still does everything she can to support my work.  Excellent artist Matt Dixon was particularly nice and offered me some great advice when I was starting out, and was the first “big artist” to link to my website, which was particularly good of him because my career hadn’t even got moving at that point.  It was a nice endorsement as it he didn’t link to many people, and I was the only non-established artist on his list.  Shout outs should also go to author Clive Gifford, author Adrian J Watts, former Digital Arts editor Lynn Wright, ex-Computer Arts editor Garrick Webster, and artists Steph Laberis, Aly Fell, Jonny Duddle and an artistic collaborator Tom Scholes who was good enough to give me some great crits without knowing how I’d respond to them!

Is there anything you’d like to say to up and coming designers and digital artist out there?

The design industry is a great place; it’s full of amazingly talented and generous people, and unlike other industries, very supportive of new talent.  Just be polite, listen to the advice people give you and work very VERY hard and you’ll do fine.

Most importantly: Enjoy what you do.  There are times when you’ll be inclined to complain about being an illustrator which is quite frankly ridiculous.  You’re getting paid to draw, it really doesn’t get much better than that.

Thanks again for an amazing interview!

You’re entirely welcome.  Now where’s my money?  Hello?

LOL we love a sense of humor around here! Again David thanks for a great interview! To view more of David Cousens work you can visit his websites, and get in touch with the following information. And please remember to show your support by spreading the word on twitter, facebook, digg, or wherever you feel like!

Websites
The Art of David and Sarah Cousens – www.CoolSurface.com
Cool Surface Lite – The Art blog! http://coolsurface.blogspot.com

Contact
email: David@CoolSurface.com, Sarah@CoolSurface.com

Follow us!
Twitter http://twitter.com/DavidCousens
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/David.Cousens
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/8066621@N06
Myspace http://www.myspace.com/443380036

Lets start with an introduction. Could you tell us about yourself, where you’re from and how you got started in the design field?

My real name is Ferdi Rizkiyanto, I’m from Jakarta – Indonesia, when I was in high school my older brother introduced me with Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Photoshop, then when I was in college, got myself in-love with 3D software such as Poser and Bryce for quite a while.

I’ve seen that many of your designs use 3D in combination with lighting effects, is there any particular reason?

When I was still hooked with 3D I’ve always interested how to make a realistic CG artwork, and lighting fx is one of the most important essence to do it. And now I use that reference every time I need it with my concept.

What would you say have been some of your strongest influences as a designer and digital artist?

since I just a kid, I always admire and inspired by sci-fi, horror and superheroes stories, it’s amazing how they can make fiction into something that look so real and believable.

Were there any barriers you’ve had to overcome in entering the field and trying to develop as an artist?

Well, it’s a tough and fast world out there, the only barrier is myself, if I want to keep up with it, I’ll just have to keep upgrading my skill, keep trying to push myself to be better and keep learning new things.

What would you say is the largest difficulty you’ve encountered when working on a design, and how did you overcome it?

Sometimes it’s hard to get an idea or inspiration to visualize the message that I want to deliver, usually I just began to do more research about it and hopefully gonna get inspired on the process.

What has been your most valuable resources as a designer?

The Internet, it’s the never-ending resource of knowledge and inspiration, from the most basic design tutorial to the “out of the world” inspiration are there.

What would you say is the hardest part of being a designer?

For me, there is no hardest part if you love what you do, every obstacles is a whole new adventure that I have to overcome, and in the end I’ll have a valuable experience by going through it

Are there any other designers or artist that you draw inspiration or advice from?

Well, I’m a fan of Piotr Jaworowski work, that dude rocks! you can see his amazing work at [link]

So far what would you say is your favorite piece you’ve that you have created, and why?

The Global Warming PSA – Time
Beside the message itself, the design process of that particular piece really helped me to upgrade my skill and sharpen my attention to detail.

If you could use design to influence or change the world in a positive way, how would you go about it?

If I could use it, then I’ll do it by making everyone to take their part and responsibilities to help stop any more damage that has been done to our beautiful planet.

What do you hope to achieve design wise in the next 5 years?

Really don’t know what to answer/hope for, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see

Thanks for a great interview Ferdi! You can support Ferdi and his artwork by visiting his online portfolios and leaving comments on his images as well as adding them to your favorites.

http://pepey.deviantart.com/

http://www.behance.net/pepey

Could you tell us about yourself, where you’re from and how you got started in the design field?

Hello ! My name is Alena. I am 29 years old. I live in Russia.
I have been drawing since childhood. I studied at the School of Art at the artist. There I drew pictures in oils and watercolor, is now engaged in graphic design. My first acquaintance with Photoshop was in 2006. Then I went to the computer graphics courses, and began to paint in Photoshop. Now I draw in Photoshop every day and improve my skills. My interests: art, photography, computer graphics.

Sad_fairy_by_AlenaLazareva

A lot of your designs involve painting with light, is there any particular reason you gravitate toward this particular style?

In my artworks mythical creatures, fairies, elves, mermaids … The effect of light in the paintings give a sense of magic, magical world. Light – is the warmth and magic.

Fairy_by_AlenaLazareva

Were there any barriers you’ve had to overcome in entering the field and trying to develop as an artist?

At first, I did not have enough skills in the field of graphic design. Was it difficult to translate the plan. I went to courses graphic design, it really helped me. now improve their skills every day.

What has been your most valuable resources as a designer?

I think, valuable resources in the design of this creative thinking, a fantasy artist and good technique in creating artworks.

What would you say is the hardest part of being a designer?

The designer should strive to learn new skills, get acquainted with the artwork of other artists. And most importantly, the designer must have creative thinking!

Are there any other designers or artist that you draw inspiration or advice from?
I always liked works of KAGAYA. They inspire…me .It is a great artist – illustrator .

So far what would you say is your favorite piece you’ve that you have created, and why?
My favourite artworks : Angels, Paradisial bird, black angel. But very favourite artwork Mermaid!

Mermaid_by_AlenaLazareva

If you could use design to influence or change the world in a positive way, how would you go about it?
Arouse in people a good feeling ! It would be a project consisting of paintings by artists. These pictures would show human feelings, kindness, love, friendship … The project would remind all people of good qualities, which should be in every man.

What do you hope to achieve design wise in the next 5 years?

I plan to improve their skills in design, improve their digital painting technique, to master new knowledge in graphic design. And also think of interesting subjects for his paintings, and to please all his artworks. I also would like to participate in different competitions and get acquainted with the artwork of digital artists.

Paradisial_bird_by_AlenaLazareva

Thanks for a wonderful interview Alena. Be sure to check out Alena’s various galleries and the links below and show her some love and support by commenting, and rating her images!

Photoshop Creative Gallery
Advanced Photoshop Gallery
DeviantArt Gallery
DeviantArt Portfolio
ImagineFX Gallery

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!

Today’s interview is with Christopher Ang a.k.a Cierseruwal, a talented Digital Artist you may know from the Deviant Art Community. I first came across Christopher’s gallery on the Photoshop Creative website, and knew that I had to have him talk about his work.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in digital art.

Hello! I’m Christopher, 21 years old and my hobby is making anime style artworks and playing multiplayer video games. I started learning digital arts when i was still 14 years old, my older brother taught me how to color my traditional line art drawings in photoshop and 4 years after, I bought my wacom graphic pen (which I am still using now) and digital arts became more and more interesting for me because I can draw instantly now with the use of my graphic pen.

Work of Christopher Ang- Camille2

A lot of your work is in the style of Japanese Anime or Manga, can you tell us more about what influences your style and creative process?

Well, when I was still a 9 year old kid I always watch sonic the hedgehog and played megaman series (I’m a big fan of megaman) and I always draw them when I’m in school and when i reach at the age of 12 anime series where quite famous and I liked the way they draw the eyes, so I started drawing anime style since then.

Work of Christopher Ang- KirstieJ

What has been your biggest challenge as a creative so far?

My biggest challenge was to draw and paint like Jacek Yerka’s style which was a big contest on a CG website.

Work of Christopher Ang- Camille Christmas Season

Who are some of your favorite artist and what would you say you admire about their work?

Well I only know 2 artist that I really admire and its NEVILLE PAGE and my OLDER BROTHER PETER.
I never met Neville Page but I really appreciate his video tutorials which i can find very useful, his techniques are awesome as well as his artworks.and of course my older brother, I wouldn’t know or even be interested in drawing if I didn’t see him drew when I was still a little kid. I admire his imagination, I’m not the type of artist who is very creative, my brother is.

Work of Christopher Ang- Speechless

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I see myself working for my future, I am not sure where, but I’m sure it will be a 3D graphics company for right now I’m learning a little bit about architectural 3D arts and maybe I will learn on how to create organic models in the future too for gaming industries.

Work of Christopher Ang- Anna Lee Festival Night

What advice would you give other aspiring digital artist today?

I’m still an aspiring artist too! ^_^
Anyway for us aspiring artist there is a saying that “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at changes” If you are an artist who got frustrated because you see no improvement and feel overwhelmed by other great artist, then you must changed the way look at it.  Admire your works! appreciate them, don’t compare to other great artist (you’ll just get frustrated)
even if you have different styles in making arts, it’s not a reason to get frustrated for my motto in life is “EVERYONE IS UNIQUE, A REASON TO BE PROUD OF”

Work of Christopher Ang- Alice

Thanks for the interview Chris, I’m sure everyone reading this looks forward to seeing more of your work, and we’ll be on the look out for you rising star once you break into the Gaming Industry, with your level of talent at this stage you are sure to go far if you stick to it. To all of the readers out there please comment with your thoughts and be sure to visit Christopher Ang’s galleries on Advanced Photoshop, Photoshop Creative, and of course Deviant Art.