An Interview With: zappyspiker!

[Skip Class]

Getting this thread up took longer than expected, but I guess it's finally my turn!

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• ORIGIN: I'm 21 and from New Zealand. I've been doing art and (mostly) design for about 7 years now after originally being inspired by seeing the original Graphics and Photography sub-section of PC in 2009.

• EDUCATION: Learnt art/design throughout intermediate and secondary school. Currently studying my 4th year of my conjoint degree in a Bachelor of Design Innovation/Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Media Design and majoring in Information Systems at University.

• ART SPECIALIZATION: Don't really have a specific type of art that I focus on like most people do, but I cover a bit of a few things:
  Graphics (including tags/icons), Photography, Videotography, Digital Art, 3D modelling, basic animation, Typography, Web + application Design and do a lot GIF making.

L I N K S
Gallery [x]
Twitter links are on my signature - however most of my other media/portfolio are undergoing a revamp atm.

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Fire away with the questions!​

 

[Loki]

First and foremost: OMFG have you seen the new Ladybug episode WHAT DID YOU THINK AND DID YOU HAVE AN EMOTIONAL OUTBURST LIKE I DID--

Sorry that's not art related but I was pretty much screaming at my screen during the whole episode-- like one continuous 25 minute long scream, plus the screaming after rewatching the best parts 2 or 3 times. LOL...

Anyway

Out of all your mediums, which is the one that you a) Like the most and b) Think you're the best at and c) Most want to improve? And the corresponding reasons why!

 

[Skip Class]

First and foremost: OMFG have you seen the new Ladybug episode WHAT DID YOU THINK AND DID YOU HAVE AN EMOTIONAL OUTBURST LIKE I DID--

Sorry that's not art related but I was pretty much screaming at my screen during the whole episode-- like one continuous 25 minute long scream, plus the screaming after rewatching the best parts 2 or 3 times. LOL...

Anyway

Out of all your mediums, which is the one that you a) Like the most and b) Think you're the best at and c) Most want to improve? And the corresponding reasons why!

Art related or not, there's always time for Miraculous Ladybug xD But jfc these last few episodes are killing me ;-;

Emotional outburst is an understatement ;-; These two adorable cuties will actually be the death of me. rewatches 5 million more times

As for the questions!
a) Like the most:
Hard because it changes depending on what I'm craving to work on at the time - not to mention why I can do a lot of different things because I could never choose a favourite to begin with. I'd say currently Videotography, Photography and Graphics since I've been hyped up about getting back into them. There the ones I haven't been able to work on for a while, but I still love them the most - also because they're the first three I started with.

b) Think you're the best at
Graphics maybe? Not specific things like tags or such, but in general - probably because it's the thing I've spent longest on.

c) Most want to improve?
If I could say everything I would haha. Though the most? Graphics (jfc all my answers have graphics in them haha) probably because I've barely touched it the last couple of years, 3D modelling since I haven't been able to spend much time outside of class on it and Animation because I'm not that great at it.

 

[Fairy]

Artist who has inspired you most GO

also stickied :>

 

[Fairy]

Artist who has inspired you most GO

also stickied :>

 

[polymorphism]

Do you enjoy flat design and if so why?

 

[Skip Class]

Artist who has inspired you most GO

also stickied :>

Man I can't decide on a single artist who inspired me the most - that's like asking me what's my all time favourite food or something which is impossible xD

I guess there are the bunch of artists from '09-'11 who first got me in to art on this forum in the first place and who were constantly able to inspire me to continue doing more art and design even if A&D was pretty harsh and scary back then:

Dukey, Color Me Evil, Comic Tragedy, Angela, .raiden (who I think is the bitter end. on PC), Gummy, Alternative, seeker, moments., derozio, Galukxy, R a c h e l, Cycle, Comic Tragedy for graphics Anastasia.R and Signomi in terms of Digital Art and Forever and Captain Fabio for photography. Probably not even all of the pieces of this artistic inspirational cake I've been eating away for the last 7 years, but you can see it's hard to choose just one.​

As of now, the people most inspiring me atm would be everyone on the A&D skype chat. I came back to PC because I was lacking the inspiration needed to design and to art irl and especially as of recent, all the excited talk in the group has given me my inspiration back xD

Outside of PC there's only a few: Youtubers: BakaArts, Good Blood Games, New Age Creators, CharlieMarieTV and Jacksgap who all have extremely nice designed and creative videos.

Do you enjoy flat design and if so why?

I've loved it for a long since I learnt what the heck what Bauhaus Design actually was. Truthfully flat design is one of my signature styles which is both a good and a bad thing. I did enjoy it a little too much - to the point where I overuse it xD Anyone who's in my class have now come to notice when something is mine or they are used to it when I make presentation slides or whatever.

I love it because it's minimalist design makes my work look both clean, simple and professional (specifically if I'm using the style in presentations). Colours are often soft to the eyes and it makes things a lot easier for me when I have to translate my designs into useable websites.

However after using it for so long, I dislike how I just feel like I'm jumping onto the flat design/minimalist bandwagon - even though it just started with me using bauhaus as a design precedent. It's not as easy to be creative when everything looks the same and the rules are harder to break.

I mean this is one of my first bauhaus inspired pieces from like 5 years ago xD with gross typography

Spoiler:

To something I created at the end of last year:

Spoiler:

My kind of aim for this year was to move slightly away from constantly using this style - even though by habit I'll end up drifting towards it.

 

[polymorphism]

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

THIS IS TRIGGERING ME

Yeah I feel you on Bauhaus though. Flat design is the design marvel of the modern world and I've fallen in love with it too.

What has designing a game taught you?

 

[Skip Class]

Spoiler:

THIS IS TRIGGERING ME

THIS TRIGGERS MYSELF MORE THAN IT TRIGGERS YOU

What has designing a game taught you?

Most important thing ever to: KEEP THE SCOPE OF YOUR GAME SMALL
Breaking that rule so many times has caused most of the problems on the games I've worked on

Too many things really. A lot of team member related things like:

• Just because the're your friend doesn't mean they're going to be a good team member
• If there is a problem with a certain team member, confront it early on instead of letting the problem last for as long as it doesn't need to.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help - especially when it's something you probably can't face on your own

I've probably complained to you about my team member problems before on skype a while back xD

 

[floating_lettuce]

Hey there! Saw your gallery and loved your stuff so I thought I could post some questions!

Is there anything in particular that you're working on now? Any big projects you plan to partake?

What's your workspace like?

Why did you choose to do multiple types of art?

 

[Skip Class]

Is there anything in particular that you're working on now? Any big projects you plan to partake?

Couple of things have been keeping me busy such as fixing up my portfolio before I get back to uni next month and practicing more softwares. I've been meaning to make a youtube and post creative type content and a blog as well, but portfolio stuff is more important atm.

What's your workspace like?

This is a photo I posted on here a few years back, but my workspace hasn't exactly changed much aside from new laptop, tablets and such. Only other real difference would be my camera and camera gear would be just lying around the place.

Truthfully I actually spend a lot more time at university doing my work than at home so I call it more of my workspace than I do at home.

Made the gif I tad bit fast by accident. But this what my workspace is like at university. This is an ad for the program that I'm in actually xD I'm there twice for like a second, but you only see the back of my head in this shot - didn't gif the one with me actually in it.

Why did you choose to do multiple types of art?

It just happens really xD Not just in creative arts/design, but in a lot of things but I tended to hobby-hop between various things I guess?

Graphics started on PC, photography and videotography came along because I always have had a camera. Digital art? I was always into sketching and my parents bought a tablet because they thought it was cool - I actually had no idea what it was to begin with, so when I first heard about it and saw art work I though "Hey! I have a tablet already". Gif making was from tumblr and everything else came from either secondary school or university and I just ended up loving doing them.

 

[Nina]

What is something you wish you would have learned/figured out sooner? Is there something you think that could have really helped you out when you younger, or something like that.

 

[Skip Class]

What is something you wish you would have learned/figured out sooner? Is there something you think that could have really helped you out when you younger, or something like that.

I guess probably learning basic foundation and techniques to how to do certain things and techniques? Like when I was younger and started art (specifically traditional sketching and painting) I kinda just yolo'd it and just learnt how to do things on my own based on experimentation. Aside from starting by drawing pokemon, most of my earlier days I focused on still life a lot and I just drew whatever I saw (if that makes sense haha).

I wish back then I could have picked out drawing books at the library or found tutorials on the internet on certain techniques on how to draw things (e.g human anatomy and environmental related stuff).