A new (BE)ginning

In an attempt to capture a wider audience and also as a way to complete my face tuh face illustration project, I took to the site Behance to portray an accumulation of my finished artwork. Behance is a website that allows you to create an online portfolio of creative projects an connect with a network of people. Individuals have been hired and discovered through Behance due to its easy accessibility. Self promotion is the backbone of this platform.

I have published my Face tuh Face project that can be viewed here.

So, we have, unfortunately come to the bitter-sweet end. My goal, in the beginning was to find an illustration style that I could call my own. Though, I do not think I have quite achieved that goal, the process has been a beneficial one nonetheless. I have grown a greater appreciation for the artists that live in the creative sphere. I believe part of my talent lies in mimicking those of others, which lends itself to being more difficult than one may assume. My style will continue to blossom as I journey down the path of a graphic artist, I have no doubt about that. I'm currently under the impression that only when my back is against the wall, and I am really required to produce art that completely reflects myself is when my creativity will kick into high gear. I thrive under pressure and I think that would be a huge motivation for me. As for now, my technical skills have improved significantly, as I have illustrated using techniques that I doubted were capable of my hands.

It is extremely hard to allocate time for personal illustrations in this field and this project allowed for just that. Now it is back to desigining to satisfy clients rather than myself, which can be pretty challenging. I guess the end isn't as sweet as it is bitter.

-S.R

Sharing the Hot Seat

As the final aspect of my collaboration with Roxanne, or Roxara as I like to call her now, I agreed to be interviewed by her, alongside Allison the owner of the blog Artful Trini.  The experience was a slightly bumpy road due to the technical difficulties that presented themselves. We all know that you can't completely rely on technology. As such, the interview was filmed and re-filmed 2 weeks later.

The interview consisted of thirteen questions based on art and my journey as a graphic artist. This included my inspirations as well as my fears. The interview went smoothly due to the fact that my life revolves around being a graphic artist and it is easy to speak on a topic that I live and breathe. It honestly only took one take. Now, I am no professional speaker, so imagine my shock when I realized that both Allison and I were able to deliver our answers, with no script, speaking straight from our heart. It was easy to tell how passionate we both were about our work, and it was very refreshing to meet someone who shared a similar passion to mine.

Here are some images taken from shoot numero uno:

Left: Zamfir, Myself, Roxanne & Allison

The second day of filming went just as smooth as the first and we made sure to put things in place to ensure that there would not be a repeat of the difficulties faced last. A link to the YouTube video will be posted here on my blog very soon so look out for it.

-S.R