What inspired you to create in this genre?
My fascination with Japanese animation and comic book art,
pin up art and fantasy art, and an overactive imagination. I also love to have fun and enjoy the joys and blessings in life,
and I add that joy in the art I create.
Where do
you draw your inspiration from?
Beautiful flowers
from nature, the beach and the sea, fantasy art, fashion, the human form, happiness, many ideas coming from my creative mind
and listening to my favorite techno music.
Are
you self-taught or formally educated?
I am self
taught. I have been drawing since age five and I always loved to draw beautiful things whenever I have the time. I always
have so many ideas for paintings bursting out from my vivid imagination.
Do you create in a specific ‘art’ space, or just anywhere in the house that’s available?
I love to create art in any peaceful and organized place I can find in the house.
Sometimes I lock myself in the studio and create art while listening to good music and sometimes I create art on the kitchen
table while cooking some delicious food while I paint.
What is your favorite medium to work with?
Professional
grade watercolors, including Sakura Koi Watercolors, Koh-I-noor waterproof ink pens, bristol board, Prismacolor color pencils
and markers and glitter gel paints. I love painting with watercolors the most, it is very relaxing and I love
how beautiful the colors turn out on paintings.
In
what ways do you stretch yourself to make your work grow?
I never stop learning, trying new techniques, admiring the work of artists I follow who are an inmense source of
inspiration, reading art books, trying new aproaches to creating art, mixing mediums, etc. I also like to do in depth research
before I start working on a painting. I like to add symbology and create a story to go with my characters when I paint them.
Who are the artists that inspire your work?
Many comic book and animation artists, Masamune Shirow,
Hajime Soroyama, Naoko Takeuchi, Clamp, Vargas and others.
What is the major venue you use to sell your work?
I sell my work online through my official website, which is http://www.sofianime.com, etsy.com, bonanzle.com and other sites.
Do you remember your first sale?
Yes, a very cool collector contacted me by email after falling in love with my Aquamarinna and a Rose original painting
and bought it right away. He also loves to collect my mermaid aceos and smaller paintings. I am very honored he likes my art
so much and has it on display on the walls at his home.
What’s the most difficult thing about being an artist?
The long hours spent creating a painting, but I love taking the extra effort to make every detail look great in my
paintings. Sometimes, it is praying thet the watercolor brush strokes came out ok on a painting, because it is not easy fixing
mistakes created by brushtrokes. And also, having days where inspiraton doesn't come out, and it is difficult
to work on a painting.
~Elisa Chong
