1. Tell me a little about yourself. What was your biggest conquest? Which dreams do you want to become true?
In my graduation ceremony, one of my short animation movie showed. I watched people while they are watching my movie. They were all enjoying and that was great for me. This was a nice conquest that I can remember now. My dream is earning money whith all these funny things.
2. How did you start drawing? It was something that was born with you? Yes it is about borning. My dad and mom good at drawing too. When I was a little child I was drawing my first arts to the home’s walls. Than my parents bought a drawing notebook to me. Than my journey started.
3. You do collaborations with other artists, like picking a song and start drawing without knowing each other’s works. What do you think about that work’s process? Do you think that’s a good away to get creative?
That’s a good way for having good time with friends. Getting creative hasn’t got a way like this. Having a creative idea likes having an accident. It comes suddenly and you do it. Working more and more makes the art more effective but not more creative.
4. In your opinion, there’s any limitation to creativity? Name a few.
There is only one limitation for that. “Dreams”. If you aren’t a good dreamer it is difficult to make good art. Dreaming must start in small ages than the dreamer always lives as a child.
5. If your creative works had an odour, what do you think they would smell like?
I use everything in my arts. There are some works which has rubbishes or shit in them too. I don’t want to think how would these works smell. But they are exceptions. I usually like to use nature. Especially sea and rain. Our body full with water maybe this is the cause I don’t know, but using water feels more affective to me. Did you smell the earth after the rain? My works would smell like this.
From other arts. The biggest art is the space that we live in. All the nature is an art. Sometimes a cloud, sometimes the sea, or a song that I liked can make me inspired.
7. Did you ever have trouble in drawing perfectly something you’ve imagined? What did you do to overcome that?
When I was a little child I was trying to draw my favourite cartoon characters. There were a lot because I was living with TV. When I couldn’t draw I was starting to cry than my mother was helping me. But now I grow up, she is older and away from me. I can not feel the same things now. I dream and I draw only the things that I can do. Being older makes the dreams smaller.
9. Are you more creative when you’re happy or when you’re angry?
Being happy or exciting helps me for creating. I like to make people happy with my art. It is one of the biggest fun in life. Being angry can help m efor fighting maybe J.
As how I am. Not more or less than me. I can’t be objective for explaining myself, but now you can see and you will remember something about me, as how I am.
We're almost, almost on Christmas and my gift for you is this inspiring interview about an Italian girl. Welcome Natasa into your homes and make her feel warm.
1. Tell us a little about yourself. What was your biggest conquest, what is your biggest dream?
I’m a 21year old archaelogy student, I currently live in Padua, Italy. I’ve been in love with Art, in all of its forms, since I was a kid. My biggest conquest? I think life is an endless struggle, I guess I’ve never had the time to stop, catch my breath and say “So, here I am, this is my victory”... In the end maybe the biggest conquest in someone’s life is the ability to feel and express Beauty, no matter what happens. I’m not very much into “big dreams”, I’d be happy to live a quiet life, with the people I love, maybe in a snug cottage in the middle of the woods, surrounded by animals and doing what I love the most: drawing and writing.
2. Which technique do you use to draw and paint? Do you have any secrets?
Recently I’ve been using watercolours and graphite, a technique that I find very fetching... Water is unforeseenable. I also use oil paint, acrilics, digital colouring. Every artist has its secrets, but they wouldn’t be secrets anymore if I reveal them.
3. In your drawings there is a mythology aura, very inspiring and touching. What’s your favourite mythology? Do you have a favourite myth?
I’m very fond of mythology. Myths are not “just stories”, they are everlasting keys that are able to open doors of wisdom, knowledge, cosmos. I love all european mythologies, from greek, to slavic, celtic, etc... They’re all different languages that disclose the same essence. It’s hard to tell whitch is my favourite myth... One of those that I love the most is the one of Demeter and Persephone.
4. In the social art site deviantArt I saw that you are a member of several pagan groups (as I do). Are you a pagan? What do you enjoy and feel about this religious belief? Do you think we’re returning to our origins (more close to nature)?
As one old chinese proverb goes “No matter how tall the tree is, its leaves will always fall to the ground”. Yes, Nature is my belief. Paganism is about rediscovering our own roots, recovering the right balance and harmony with Nature, sensing the divine in everything that sorrounds us. I think that humankind has come to a crucial crossroads: on one side lies the barren desert, caused by human greed, blindness, disrespect towards Nature; on the other side flourisches a world built on harmony and temperance, that is aware that man is not above Nature, but part of it, and has no right to submit it. By praising the Gods and Goddesses I feel I’m walking towards this flowery path.
5. One of your works is called Sturm und Drang, which I found very curious. Do you usually put your emotions above your reason? In which situations you do otherwise?
I strongly believe in the virtue of the “aurea mediocritas”, as Horace would call it, the “golden mean” that stands between two extremes. Although I’m very attached to the concept of the sturm und drang, for it rappresents the most deep and enigmatic corner of the human soul, that can’t be controlled by reason. The unconscious has always been for the artist a dreadful and delightful Muse.
6. What does inspire you? Do you have a technique to get inspired more easily?
I found inspiration everywhere: in an autumn landscape, in an old song, in a dusty attic, in a hot cup of tea, in a exciting trip, in the purring of a cat on a boring and cloudly Sunday afternoon... We only need the right trigger to set our immagination in motion. I don’t have any special technique.
7. Do you have a time of the day when you work better? If so, what are the differences you find when you work in a “good” time and a “bad” one?
I usually work better in the evening, maybe because of the quite atmosphere. When it’s “bad time” I don’t work at all, I’d probably just scratch the paper and throw all away... You can’t force yourself to create if you’re not in the mood.
9. Artists are, sometimes, cursed with blockage. What do you do when that happens?
I just turn on the stereo and listen to some music, it helps me clear my mind from the overwhelming thoughts and let inspiration resurface. I remember painting The Lady of Shallot for hours while listening to the same song, Corelli’s La Folia, and old european musical theme played with violins.
10. Do you feel the need to be constantly motivated or it’s easy for you to find joy in what you do?
Motivation is not a problem for me, I’d draw all day long if I could. However, I find joy only if I’m completely satisfied by the work I’ve done, and that doesn’t happen so frequently, I tend to be very strict with myself and hard to please.
It's Friday again! Are you ready for the weekend? And for a new inner-view?
Let me introduce you to Katia, or as she is known in the web: Vaelyane. This time we're travelling to France with a funny, special wanna-be illustrator.
1. Open up for me. What was your biggest conquest, what is your most treasured dream?
Oh, my! What a start! Well, I don't think I've accomplished much of anything yet. I'm still a student, trying to find my way. Nothing special ever happened to me. What surprises me the most is that I didn't give my art up despite how much I've had to struggle with it. I'm never satisfied, always striving for something far beyond my abilities. It's a terrible hindrance, but I managed to go on in spite of it. Perfectionism is a horrible plague I never got rid of. I was fairly unproductive before this year, mostly due to my visceral fear of failure. I had to force myself to get where I am, and I hope I'll have enough strength to make it last.
My dream would be to make a living solely with my drawings. Perhaps even write my own stories, and illustrate them! As far as I know, it's a dream many others artists share, but only a few could achieve.
2. How did you get into what you do creatively?
For a long time, I was only considering drawing as a way to illustrate a non-written story I had in mind. It wasn't even supposed to be a visual story. I decided to depict my characters mostly for fun, without any further intent, as I didn’t think I was very good at it anyway.
As I drew what I had in mind, I got progressively more interested in the act of drawing itself. The more I drew, the more it obsessed me. Improving became a real challenge, as well as a constant struggle. I decided to put my writing aside and focus on this instead. I became serious about it around four or five years ago. Today, I'm still at an early stage of my artistic development, and I have no idea where this is going to take me, but I'm curious to see how it will evolve over time.
3. The medieval era is strongly present in your works. Is that your favourite Age? What do you like about it?
Oh, is it really strong? I didn't realise it still was!
Today, I wouldn't say the medieval era is my strongest source of inspiration, even if it was very prominent before. As a kid, I used to read many books, including Arthurian legends and other tales which always fascinated me. Medieval times can seem so foreign, with their traditions and supersitions, their brilliantly detailed illuminated manuscripts, even their architecture! I know some people call this period a dark age, but it's not entirely accurate.
Nowadays, I have broadened my inspirations to a variety of sources such as Art Nouveau, the Victorian Era, the 1920s... even the Renaissance! I can't say I have a favourite Age. There are too many I find equally interesting!
4. Your characters’ faces are different from the ones I usually see; they seem more representative of the actual human being. Are your characters inspired by real human faces?
As a matter of fact, they're not! At least, not directly.
I strongly dislike using direct references when I'm drawing or painting. I'd much rather go for imagination, despite the possible awkward look of the outcome. It's not clever at all. Don't draw like me, people! Use references if you need them!
Even if I don't always succeed, I usually try to give specific facial traits to my characters, to distinguish them. They're not always amazingly pretty either. I might be drawing imaginary people, but they're people nonetheless! All different, rarely perfect. I must admit I still draw generic stereotyped faces once in a while, like I did in my “Rise of the Valkyrie” painting.
My greatest fear is to draw faces that all look the same despite my best efforts. I often feel they're far from being different enough yet. Of course, I have nothing against artits who idealise all their faces, but it's not what I'm trying to achieve.
5. Which tools do you use to draw? What was the most difficult to learn?
I was a mere pencil doodler, at first. Only mechanichal pencils, as seen in my mechanical fish drawing. This was one of my only "finished" works from back then.
What I'm currently developping is my digital painting technique, using Photoshop. I have recently gotten much bolder with my attempts at digital art, and these are what I mostly show. But even now, I usually sketch my drawing out with a pencil before trying to paint it, and most of my sketchbooks are still filled with mechanical and coloured pencils doodles.
I try something different every once in a while, such as indian ink for traditional linearts, or markers... I enjoy using watercolours too, even if I don't use them often. In terms of difficulty, I'd say they're all equivalent, even though digital art is a lot more convenient for me. Each technique has its own pros and cons. Anyway, I feel I haven't mastered any of the tools I'm using!
6. How did you develop your style? Trial and error or it just came naturally?
Can you believe I had a anime phase? I can't either!
It didn't last long at all, though. I quickly fell back into semi-realism. I'm fairly ashamed of it, not because I dislike anime but because it looked even more horrendous than my earliest attempts at my current style.
In short, it was a mix of both. After this style proved to be the wrong one, semi-realism became the obvious path to choose. It might change in the future. Who knows what might happen?
How do you balance passion and hard work in your projects? Do you use one more than the other?
Obstination and hard work are definitely more prominent.
It gets harder and harder for me to keep being passionate about a piece the longer I work on it. Sometimes, I lose courage when I see how slow I can be. At other times, I'm afraid I tried something way over my current abilities. All these doubts are putting my patience to the test. Ironically enough, I'm not very patient, but I'm working on it!
After all, isn't that what passion originally meant? Loving something enough to suffer for it?
7. How do you balance passion and hard work in your projects? Do you use one more than the other?
Obstination and hard work are definitely more prominent.
It gets harder and harder for me to keep being passionate about a piece the longer I work on it. Sometimes, I lose courage when I see how slow I can be. At other times, I'm afraid I tried something way over my current abilities. All these doubts are putting my patience to the test. Ironically enough, I'm not very patient, but I'm working on it!
After all, isn't that what passion originally meant? Loving something enough to suffer for it?
8. Who is the most creative person that you have ever known? Do they inspire you to become a better artist?
She's extremely productive, determined and passionate. I have never seen anything like it! She spends every waking moment drawing and working hard to improve her art. She makes me wish I was more productive as well and her use of colours and light encouraged me to work on mine. As a matter of fact, I wasn't producing many "finished" pieces before this year, her influence might have helped trigger my sudden increase of work!
9. What do you do when your creativity feels blocked?
Whenever it happens, I stop drawing or painting whatever blocked me and try to do something else. Sometimes, I pick up another drawing. Most often, I browse through pictures on deviantArt, Tumblr or other sites in search of "food for the eyes" and inspiration. It doesn't always work, though. My advice, for what it's worth, would be to take a breather, do something else you like and the art block will vanish after a while.
10. If you could change one aspect of our society through your work, what would it be?
My work isn't meant to change society, it's mostly just a pure expression of my imagination. But if it could change anything, I'd wish to change this, even if it seems quite vague and general: Ignorance is everywhere and can lead to many misconceptions and sometimes even harm others. Granted, it's much easier to wallow in your own ignorance than trying to overcome it and teach yourself to grow, but people, you can think for yourselves, be open and curious! It's not all that hard and it's very gratifying. :D If you already are, thank you! Really!
