Featured Artist for the Week - Benjamin Friess

Please tell us a brief info about yourself.
My name is Benjamin FRIESS, I am 30 years old, I live in the Ardèche, in the south of France, I have been married for 2 years, I worked as a webmaster in an association that deals with the integration of people with disabilities.



When did you first decide to become a graphic artist / illustrator?
Since he was young I always drew, but it was around the age of 17 that I really started to create my own characters. At 22 I started oil painting, and it was a turning point in my artistic life. 2 years ago I tried digital painting by creating "Emerveillement", is where it all really started.



What do you prefer: mouse, tablet, brush or pen and ink? and why?
I prefer oil painting, it is a pleasure to work on the textures. But the tablet can do a lot more things, and easier.



Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by fantasy illustrators , as Luis Royo, and also by all other illustrators work can be seen on the internet. It is mainly the field of fantasy and poetry that inspire me.


Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College / Art School?
I am a self-taught, although my apprenticeship in the printing industry has taught me some important bases.

I love your Symbiosis Artwork, How did you came about that particular piece?
I like robots, plants, animals and beautiful faces, I just have to mix it all!



How do you keep "fresh" within your industry?
I am interested in new styles graphics, I always wonder how an artist has succeeded in carrying out his work, and how I could use it in my art.



What are some of your current projects?
At the moment I am doing illustrations for a friend who is going to open a whimsy cofee. They are around illustrations of a fairy, games fairy.


Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?
"Emerveillement." This is the work that made me known on the internet, I am proud of the digital version, but also to the oil painting.



Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?
Let me try them all, but I already have too little time to learn to master those I have practice, so I focus on them.


What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?
You should know to keep your dreams and your universe secret, to protect yourself from the ugliness of this world.



Finish this sentence. "If I were an artist / illustrator I would have been a. .."
A scientist who protects nature.



And finally, What advices / tips can you give to the novice designers / illustrators out there?
Work, work and work again. Do not be discouraged, even when you are unable to good results. Continue to work and the results will come. Always be open to other methods of work, look at what others are doing, follow your intuition.


c) Benjamin Friess - reproduced with permission

For commission works & other information, please contact him at:

website: http://benf07.free.fr/ and http://benf.deviantart.com/

email: benf07@gmail.com


wanna be a featured artist?
email me at: mcedesigns@gmail.com
with the subject: interview request

For more featured artists, click here.

Amazing Egg Artist - Franc Grom

Franc Grom, a Slovenian Master Artist has a unique talent, using a precision drill, he drills approximately 2,500 to 3,500 holes in each egg shells to create intricate designs. This is a very delicate task because just one wrong move could easily break the shell.


Photograph © Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters/Corbis

from NationalGeographic

Featured Artist for the Week - Archan Nair

Please tell us a brief info about yourself.
Hi. My name is Archan Nair, aka archanN as mostly people know me in the digital and virtual web. I’m a 25 year old Artist, Designer and Illustrator based in New Delhi, India.

I’m also the co-founder of a Creative and Design Agency called Cropped Circles. I specialize in Interactive Design, Branding & Identity, Graphic and Photo Illustration, Art Direction, Fine arts and Progressive Solutions.



When did you first decide to become a graphic artist / illustrator?
Well, I come from an entirely different industry which is Fashion. As a family business I was running an apparel manufacturing and export industry since I was 18 years old. I always had the creative stint in my family since my childhood days, but I guess I never discovered it properly. In February 2006, I joined a very famous design and art community called DeviantART. At that time, I signed up as a member to upload desktop screenshots as I was heavily into windows customization.

Later in a few months, I became friends with a 14 year old windows skinner from the US. In July, 2006, he gave me a wallpaper he had made to play around and remix. I had just very little knowledge of Photoshop at that time, and I just played around with some layers here and there, and in 5 minutes remixed the wallpaper and uploaded it to DeviantART. I got a great response, with members and people from all around the world appreciating my artwork. I got a real high from that, and that’s how I kicked off into Digital Art and Illustration. There has been no stopping from that day. In fact, Art has now become my life and passion, and I quit my family business for my love of Arts and Design.



What do you prefer: mouse, tablet, brush or pen and ink? and why?
The hardware tools I use for my creations are mouse, and wacom tablet. Wacom came at a later stage when I really tried learning digital painting, but both these are like my hands when I’m creating.


Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by my surrounding, when I’m alone on my terrace or driving my car, anything or everything can inspire me.



Is your artistic background self-taught or did you go to college to study?
Well, I never went to any digital design college, school or university. Since I was in the fashion industry, I’m a Fashion Design and Garment Technologist Graduate. But our school always emphasized on extra curricular activities like traditional art and its various forms, which I never took seriously at that time. Later when I started Digital Art and Design, I realized that there was no need for me to do any formal education in this field. I don’t believe in education of design and arts actually ( although I know a lot of people wont agree with me or I might be wrong ). But I personally feel that design or art education restricts a person, or just takes him into a particular fixed direction. I’ve seen a lot of designers or artists, following rules! But I feel, that if a person has the creative talent inside him, he should relax his brains, and let all his thoughts, feelings out on the canvas. Creativity cannot be taught, it can only be discovered, and the process of discovering is just endless. Yes one needs a lot of practice, dedication, passion and love to go the level and step further and every new image makes you better with the composition, colouring, focus and detailing.

So yeah, I’m completely Self Taught!


How do you keep "fresh" within your industry?
I guess, being original first of all, and trying out new ideas, experimenting a lot and all being wild and free definitely helps a lot.


What are your current projects?
At the moment doing a lot of work for Pepsi, 7up, some lifestyle brands and Fashion Designers in India. Also doing a lot of T-shirt print artworks and CD covers for music albums.

I really love your "100 times cooler" artwork, any story behind this particular piece?

Ah, very interesting question, and you caught me here. "100 times cooler" actually evolved with the help of 2 artworks. I was inspired by the calm and peaceful roads of countrysides in Europe , and some adventure which goes on as the source of entertainment. So when I was creating it, I somehow stopped it when it was 80% done. Didn’t feel like going forward. Then I started making a mythological artwork for a brand in India, and one of the artworks ( pitch ) which I loved, was not chosen by them. So I fused it with "100 times cooler" which resulted in giving exactly the feel I wanted to give it, and voila it was done.

Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?
That’s a tough one, because all are very close and special to me. But I really love The Joy Ballad, and Do Feelings have taste. Both because they connect to me at a certain stage in my life. I could actually portray my feelings and thoughts very well through both of them.



Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?
The Art and Design field is never-ending and so vast. I really want to go forward by learning 3D, 100% hardcore digital painting and then using mixed medias and experimenting new concepts.



What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?
Well If I ever get off , I just chill or relax for a couple of days and come back into form!

When you're not in front of your computer screen, how do you spend most of your free time?

I watch TV, shop, chill out with friends, love to eat! Go out and enjoy! And sleep sometimes ;)

and finally, What advices/tips can you give to the novice designer/ illustrator?

Just that, be original, and have fun! Keep on practicing hard, and make your work with passion!

(c) Archan Nair - reproduced with permission

For commission works & other information, please contact him at:

website: http://badampista.croppedcircles.net and

http://www.croppedcircles.net

email:


wanna be a featured artist?
email me at: mcedesigns@gmail.com
with the subject: interview request

For more featured artists, click here.

Amazing Artist who draws from memory - Stephen Wiltshire

As a child, Stephen was mute and did not relate to other people. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language, uncontrolled tantrums and lived entirely in his own world.


Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London when he was just 5 years old, a school for children with special needs, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. These drawings show a masterful perspective, a whimsical line and reveal a natural innate artistry.

In 1987, the BBC QED programme, 'The Foolish Wise Ones', featured Stephen's astounding talent. The programme was devoted to three autistic savants: musical, mathematical and artistic. Stephen was introduced by Sir Hugh Casson (past president of the Royal Academy), who described him as "the best child artist in Britain". Stephen's work has since been the subject of numerous television programmes around the world, and the writer and psychologist, Oliver Sacks, has devoted an essay to Stephen in his book An Anthropologist On Mars (Picador 1995). Stephen is the only artistic autistic savant in the world whose work has been recorded and published since his childhood. His third book - Floating Cities (Michael Joseph, 1991) - was number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list.

In January 2006, Stephen was named by Queen Elizabeth II as a Member of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his services to the art world. (No specific mention of his disability was made in the citation) Later that year he opened his permanent gallery at the Royal Opera Arcade, London.

I have seen videos of his works since he was just a kid. I was amazed at the outstanding detail in his works with which he has no reference to refer to just his memory. But since then, I have never found an artist with a talent such as his.

He was chosen as Person of The Week on ABC World News on the 13th of February 2008. Stephen wowed the viewers with a quick sketch of Piccadilly Circus after a 10 minutes glimpse of the landmark.

images and video © Stephen Wiltshire 2008

Visit his website for more info and to see his complete gallery. link

Featured Artist for the Week - Courtney Autumn Martin

Courtney Autumn Martin entered the world one fine day in 1984 and she hasn’t left since. From that day on, she has been fascinated by many things including kittens, carnivals, children's books, cumulonimbus cloud formations, old things, and balloons floating off into the sky. Courtney graduated with honors from Rhode Island School of Design in 2006 and has since gone on to pursue her career as a freelance children's illustrator.

Please tell us a brief info about yourself.
I'm twenty-three years old and I have been working as a freelance illustrator and designer for almost two years.

When did you first decide to become a graphic artist / illustrator?
During high school I applied to a few art schools and thought I was interested in pursing graphic design or illustration. I was accepted to RISD (Rhode island School of Design) in 2002 and decided to go into illustration after my freshman year there. I'd always wanted to someday illustrate children's books.

What do you prefer: mouse, tablet, brush or pen and ink? and why?
I prefer a combination of digital and traditional media. Lately, I've started with pencil drawings (and acrylic paintings) and then I scan, color, paint, or adjust them in Photoshop. I work with a 6 x8 inch Wacom tablet. I prefer working this way because I am a better drawer than painter (my hand isn't very steady) and painting detail traditionally is difficult. I like being able to zoom into a piece and finely paint details. But I don't really like the way completely digital pieces often look (blurry and overly smooth.) So combining my drawing and painting skills with the computer is a good technique for me.

Who or what inspires you?
I love being inspired by other illustrators-- especially in the way they stylize their world and the colors they choose to use. One of my favorite illustrators is a woman named Linda Wingerter. Her paintings are beautiful and they make me very happy. Overall I am inspired by interesting people, animals, and nature, and I try to incorporate those into my work. I am also a huge collector of children's picture books, and definitely draw from the books that I love when I work.

Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College/Art School?
I was essentially self-taught up until college. My older sister dabbled in drawing and painting and I was initially inspired by her. I took art classes in high school but was a pretty independent learner. It wasn't until college that I really began to get a thorough art education in drawing and painting.

How do you keep "fresh" within your industry?

I don't know if I am "fresh", but I don't worry about that. I just study the work of illustrators that I admire, and attempt to emulate the aspects of their work that I like. I'm just now beginning to let my work be whatever it's going to be without worrying if it's got a unique enough style.

What are your current projects?
I just finished illustrating a children's picture book called "Ballots For Belva". It will be published and in stores in September. In the spring I'm also going to be painting a few murals of caribou and polar bears for an arctic exhibit at an aquarium.

About the self-study and skyscape (my favorite), What's the story behind those pieces?
Skyscape and the other similar "doodle" paintings are all actually completely unplanned and spontaneous. When given a blank piece of paper I just naturally start to doodle circles of different shapes and sizes, so I decided to see what happens when I try to make a painting out of my doodling. To do this, I just let the doodles flow without thinking ahead. The paintings sort of evolve as I go. In Skyscape, I began by painting a random background with watercolors, and that began to evoke a landscape. I then tried to create an environment out of my circular shapes and the final product is basically just a culmination of free flowing drawing and painting from start to finish.



In Self-Study, my goal was to create a self-portrait using doodle shapes. I was inspired a bit by the work of Chuck Close, and the way that he uses abstract shapes and colors that come together to form faces when seen at a distance. I did do a bit of planning for this piece, as I wanted to actually get it to look like me. I began by mapping out my features, breaking them up into doodle shapes that I felt represented me accurately. Symbolically, this piece represents all the random bits and pieces of by subconscious that combine to form my identity.

Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?
One of the things I enjoy most is my artist book called Cultures, because it was a lot of conception and construction, but also a lot of fun to create. I like opening it up and diving into the little three dimensional worlds. I also like sharing it with other people. It definitely gets a reaction when they hold it in their hands and really examine it close-up.

Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?
There are many things I haven't really explored as much as I'd like to. I'm eager to try water soluble oil paints because I love the look and feel of oil paint but I actually have a bad reaction to it-- they make my throat swell like I have a cold. So I'd like to try less harmful oil paint on different surfaces, like wood and gessoed canvas.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?
My biggest motivation for me is that when I don't create for long periods of time, I get very unhappy and I feel guilty for not being productive. So to stay happy I have to do something creative-- be it a doodle painting or making a logo for fun in Photoshop. I want to get better at everything I do, and I know I won't if I don't keep up with it all.

Finish this sentence. "If I weren't an artist/illustrator I would have been a...
[an] unhappy person! But seriously, I would probably have turned to writing...something else creative... maybe children's books.



and finally, What advices/tips can you give to the novice designer/ illustrator?

You have to do what you love, and love what you do. There are many other artists in the world, and it can be discouraging to compare yourself to anyone else. The best thing you can do is to make art that you care about. If you put time, thought, and love into what you create, it will be fulfilling to you as well as others who experience it.

(c) Courtney Autumn Martin - reproduced with permission

Courtney is always looking for new freelance illustration and design opportunities. She also welcomes commissions for animal and pet portrait paintings.

website: C-A-Martin.com and Slumberland By Day
email: camartin@c-a-martin.com

wanna be a featured artist?
email me at: mcedesigns@gmail.com
with the subject: interview request

For more featured artists, click here.