In association with Artybuzz.com, a new arts organisation in Liverpool called Fallout Factory have come to us with an opportunity for two artists to exhibit work at an exhibition and night of music in Liverpool.

The exhibition will be held at Leaf Cafe in Liverpool’s creative quarter, and anyone can enter their work for consideration at this event.

If you would like to enter your work for consideration, you can either email us details of your work, or contact Fallout Factory on their website. The organisers have stated that they are especially interested in the work of photographers.

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Today we are featuring the artist Paul Loudon, who gave some really interesting answers to our interview questions below…

What inspires your work?

I tend to like quite kitsch things, like old Kung-Fu movie posters that have been hand-painted or the covers of a progressive rock albums (any of the ”Yes” album covers by Roger Dean would be a prime example) I also like old Railway posters with dramatic angles providing a big sense of awe and at the same time innocence. Comic books are another a big one for me, the John Romita Sr. era of Spider-Man is a big influence; but in terms of comic books in general, the ability to draw proportionally accurate characters frame after frame is something that I really admire because there’s no shortcut to aquire it, it just takes tons of practise. Anything which displays that kind of skill automatically gets my attention, I am drawn to it. Even old video game covers have been known to blow me away, check out Doom by the late Don Ivan Punchatz or even Doom 2 by fantasy artist Gerlad Brom. The side-panel art of old arcade machines (like Gauntlet) can make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Another thing is Children’s books, one of my favourite books as a child was “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and I still have a copy today. I am also massively into cartoons and this is another influence that I have carried with me all my life. Saturday morning cartoons such as He-Man, Thundercats, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Spider-Man (the 1960’s one) and Ulysses to name but a few. Another massive influence on me is what they call the “golden age” of cartoons, specifically the works of Tex Avery …(those of you who have never seen any of his works, I strongly recommend you go on YouTube to check it out).

Some other names in the world of art and illustration that have influenced me are Heath Robinson, Arthur Rackham, Jack Kirby, Boris Vallejo (for which I make no apologies!)

You mentioned to me personally once that you had a dream and created a certain piece of artwork, what happened? Does this happen often?

Yes I mentioned that my “Evidently Alien Town” picture came to me in a dream, unfortunately this was a rare one-off when I had alot of time on my hands and was able to pull it off despite the vividity of the image. Though if I was to get back into that mindset of illustrating my own dreams, who knows what might happen in future?! However, I do work part-time as a gallery attendant and one of my other images “Planet Mushwumps” came to me whilst I was in the middle of a very day-dreamy shift at the gallery so that one might count. Unfortunately as I am a freelance illustrator the vast majority of the things I create are for clients only and just dreaming them up isn’t an option! Despite this I do still consider some of my own artworks sch as “Evidently Alien Town” to demonstrate the best of my ability.

Are there any works you are particularly proud of?

The image He-Man Vs Lion-O was the first time I blended both digital colouring and pencil shading, it was an experiment really and when it all came together I was blown away. It is a technique that I have come to time and time again despite the fact that I have become a pretty mean painter (if I do say so myself). Apart from that, the image makes me laugh, I’m not sure if people who weren’t into these cartoons in the 80’s get it, but actually that’s part of what makes me proud, it’s a very generation-specific thing.

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Got something to say? have a super dooper tip that you must share with the world?… we’d like to help!

We are looking for interesting content and articles from our members, so if you have something you would like to write, or have previously written, please email it to us and we can look into posting it right here on the Artybuzz blog for you!!!

we are interested in all kinds of writing, so don’t be shy!

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Today we are featuring Suzanne LeGrand, a digital artist on Artybuzz…

What inspires your work?
Being an avid reader I get inspired a lot by books.
One of my biggest hobbies is studying the history of religions, occult and myths and I do get frequently inspired by my findings.

How long have you been creating your artwork?

My mom has embarrassing photos of me in diapers with a paint brush when I was 3. I think I had more paint on me than the canvas in those days.
I really started to develop a sense of style back in high school though when I would draw strips in place of notes for history class.

Do you have any tips for others?
If you love to do something don’t ever give up because of what other people say. Keep at it even if it’s a little each day; eventually it will pay off.

What do you want to get out of Artybuzz?
As always I’m looking for new venues and ways to promote myself and my work, but I’m secretly hoping to find a bit more low-key art community I can grow with.

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Following on from the SEO tips for portfolio websites part 1 and part 2, I failed to include any mention of domain names, including where to buy them and what to buy etc. There are a few important things to consider…

Geographical Location

As I’m sure you know, each country has it’s own domain name ending, for example, .co.uk for the United Kingdom and .au for Australia etc. Depending on which of these you choose will depend on where you are found in the search engines. Except for .com’s which are international, search engines will usually filter out foreign domain names from your country, and will look more favourably on national domains when using that search engines.

So if you are a designer based in the UK, and you only think it’s worth getting noticed in the UK for your work, then a .co.uk domain may be best for you. If though, you run an international art community website like Artybuzz, then a .com domain is probably for the best. Hopefully you get the idea, but simply ask a questions if not…

Where To Buy

SEO

When buying a domain, you should also think about search engine optimisation (SEO). One of the most important factors in appearing in search engine results is your domain name, or web address. So you may consider buying a domain name that is actually a target key phrase of yours, for example, if you are an illustrator based in Manchester, then you may consider buying manchesterillustrator.co.uk, or something along those lines. It’s worth bearing in mind, even if you have your name followed by your artistic talent then it will help.

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Today we are featuring Thamer Hannona, check out her interview and work below…

What inspires your work?

My environment, fellow artists and designers, great films, and my never-ending & limitless imagination. I’m inspired by almost anything from artistic and creative to pretty shapes and dynamic brush strokes.

How do you create your work?

I typically start with analog pencil sketches to pen and markers, then maybe photoshop for digital media.  I also enjoying acrylic and oil painting on canvas and plywood.  My design work usually ends up in a 3d model in Alias to Clay models.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

The ability to create ideas and communicate them through imagery.  Connecting with people through my work, gaining the respect of other fellow artists and designers.

Any long term goals?

At the moment, no definite long term goals, I like to keep my options open.  I’m always trying various things from getting exposed to the internet to designing apparel to whatever inspires me.

Why did you join Artybuzz?

I found Artybuzz  on Twitter and I thought It was a great place to reach other creative souls and showcase a few of my work.

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Check out our interview with Penelope Dullaghan, founder of the illustration blog – Illustration Friday.

1. Could you introduce yourself please, what do you do and what does your organisation do?

My name is Penelope Dullaghan. I’m an freelance illustrator (penelopeillustration.com) and also a partner in Illustration Friday. Illustration Friday is an online weekly participatory art exhibit for new and experienced artists. A topic is chosen each Friday and participants have one week to do their interpretation of it, post it to their blog, and then post their link at Illustration Friday. It’s fun and a very friendly bunch of people.

2. At Artybuzz, we have a wide range of illustrators that include students, what advice would you give to an illustration student looking to break into the industry?

This is a hard one because there is so much to say. I would start off with some portfolio advice:

- make sure your style is consistent, so all the art looks like it’s coming from one person.

- have your own personal portfolio site where you can showcase your work and tell a little about yourself.

- whenever possible, explain the thinking behind your work.

- do a broad scope of self-promotion (contests, postcards, web updates, emails, personal projects, participatory online things, etc)

- work hard and have fun

- remember that illustration is a business and must be treated as such (i.e. get everything in writing before starting a project).

3. How important do you feel it is for illustrators to have a strong web presence is in this modern age?

It’s absolutely critical.

4. How do you feel the impact of new technology and programs like Adobe Illustrator has affected the illustration industry?

I think they are just different tools for making art. Same as paintbrushes, pencils or inks. So it’s affected the industry in that it’s just another method of producing art. And any art produced is a good thing, in my opinion, so it is a positive thing.

5. Do you feel there has been a rise in the popularity of illustration over the past few years, and if so, why is this?

I’ve only been in the industry for about 6 years so I can’t speak about long term trends knowledgeably. From my limited view though, I think illustration has stayed about the same… it’s being used by some, and not by others for various reasons. And it’s really about what the project and vision calls for… So a general rise? I don’t think so. But I think we’re going strong.

6. In these tough economic times, what advice would you give to illustrators looking to survive?

The only constant is change. So that tells me that the economy will eventually change… and change again… and change again. Same with art. And surviving. Take care of the basics, of course. And then just roll with it.

7. What in your opinion is the most exciting thing going on in the illustrative world at the moment?

It’s becoming more personal.

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Today we are featuring the fabulous painter that we have on Artybuzz, Cherie Dirksen, we spoke to her and took a closer look at her work below…

How long have you been painting?

I have been painting all my life but only took it up professionally about 6 years ago.

What inspires your work?

I am inspired by almost everything in the natural world.  From sunsets to flowers to people.  I only like to portray joy in my work and the love I have for nature, so I don’t usually paint when I am feeling down or if I do, I usually have to paint over what I have done the next day…lol.

What mediums do you use?

I paint mainly in acrylic because I am a ‘quick’ painter and like the fast drying time of acrylic.  However, I also like to use mixed media, chalk and oil pastel and sometimes, watercolour.

How long does a painting of yours take to create?

Like I have mentioned in the previous question, I am usually quite quick with my paintings.  Some take me a couple of hours and the bigger ones usually take me anything between 2-5 days.

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Today we’re featuring Sacha Sukasam, a great artist with a very unique style…

What inspires your work?
A lot of things inspire my work. I don’t think that inspiration is something you look for it’s more of something that looks for you. But mostly the one thing that inspire me the most is music because I think that it brings out the inner artist in you.

What do you want to achieve with your art?
I guess making the world a better place. I’m really interested in this path, and I’m definately not an artist for money. There are artists like Banksy who try to point out political and social issues through his art because it’s different, he’s definately someone I look up to and hopefully one day become. People don’t listen to the news anymore and I think that the best way to get into people’s mind is through art. And that’s what I want to achieve with my art, I want to make the world listen to what I have to say.

What drives you to create?
Creativity is something that comes in everyday’s life, nothing really drives me to create. It’s more like an urge to create something once you have been inspired.

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