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| Doodlebot |
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| Copyright Amber Alexander |
Amber
Alexander has a crowd of intriguing character running rampant through her brain at all times. With her skills as an
artist and with the help of her computer, she manages to capture them, one at a time, plucking them from her mind's eye,
and rendering them with exquisite beauty for all to enjoy.
Read our interview with Amber and get to know this wonderful
artist...
What inspired
you to create in this genre?To me, nothing
is more truly beautiful and interesting then the world of fantasy. I have always found fairies, vampires, and magic
to be fascinating.
When did you discover
your desire to create art?
Growing up, I've always
had an interest in art but I didn't realize that I could have a career in it until much later on. After high school
I joined the Army and while stationed in South Korea, some of my friends from my platoon introduced me to online gaming.
I was hooked and that's what really opened my eyes to the fantasy art world, I wanted to be the person that created those
characters.
What inspired you to create
with this medium and what inspired the designs? I primarily paint digitally in Photoshop with a Wacom drawing tablet. Up until less than six months ago, all
my art was created traditionally, that's how I was taught. I started doing more research on how the professional
concept artists work, and it seemed most of them paint digitally, so I really wanted to try it. I already had Photoshop
already so I went ahead and ordered a tablet and absolutely fell in love with it. From the first painting I made, I knew it
was the medium I was waiting for.
Because I was working in a new medium, I needed to completely redo my portfolio.
To do this, I started participating in the character of the week competitions on the ConceptArt.org forums, which is how many
of my current characters, came about.
| Fairy |
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| Copyright Amber Alexander |
How long do you work on an image? When do you know
it's finished?
My best illustrations tend take
around 15-20 hours. I like to work on several projects as once so that time will be spread out over several days or
weeks. Right now most of my work is commissioned by clients, so the work is finished when we are both happy with it.
What do you love about being an artist?
There are so many things I love about it. The best
is feeling I get when someone honestly loves my work, their reaction to it is very satisfying.
What is the most difficult thing for you as an artist?
I'd have to say when an illustration I'm working on just isn't coming together
and I have to start over.
| Priestess |
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| Copyright Amber Alexander |
Who are your favorite artists and authors? (Living or
Dead)
My favorite artist would have to be John Singer
Sargent, the way he painted people and clothing with the simplest brush strokes is just amazing.
My favorite author
is Wilbur Smith. I recently finished reading River God and that book is just WOW! I seriously hope it's made
into a movie; it would be perfect for one. It's a fictional story about life in ancient Egypt and anyone who is interested
in that time period should read it.
In what
ways do you stretch yourself to make your work grow?
I
like to try things with my art that I haven't done before, I find it's the best way to learn.
Is this the only genre you work in?
Mostly, but I have done a little sci-fi and western. Fantasy comes more
natural to me but I won't know if I'm not interested in something until I try it.
| Princess |
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| Copyright Amber Alexander |
Do you do most of your own
marketing? How do you break up the time with creating and marketing? Yes
I do my own marketing; I've actually found most of my clients through Craig's List. I try to spend very little
time marketing. However, that time increases when I'm getting close to finishing up with one client and I start
looking for more. Do you attend
trade shows to market your work?
No I don't but
that is something I want to look into eventually.What's
next for you? What projects are you working on?
Right
now I'm working on a series of angel designs for AngelStar.com and an illustration for the official website opening of
the book "Javen the Curse and the Apogee's Sign" by R&R Barrs.What venue do you use to sell or showcase your work?
Some
products of my designs can be bought at http://www.zazzle.com/amberalexander_art through Zazzle.com
Do you have
a website, or other contact information for buyers to reach
you and view your work?
I can be contacted through my website at http://amberalexander.foliosnap.com
| The Old Gunfighter |
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| Copyright Amber Alexander |
Do you do commissioned work for customers?
Yes, I do lots of this and anyone who is interested or simply has any questions can
feel free to contact me.
When you are
working on a commissioned piece, do you find you have to dig deeper for the creativity?
Many of the commissioned works I have done, the client has very specific ideas about
what they want and I feel that the more details they give me, the easier it is for me to create what they have envisioned.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
1) Put together an online portfolio.
2) Don't
avoid what you're bad at. If its faces, keep working at them, erase and start over until it looks how you want.
Same with hands. You can't get better unless you practice at it.
3) This is probably the most important.
Use reference! Have a mirror by your desk when you need to draw expressions, look at your hand when you need to draw
hands, print out pictures of fabric if you need to draw fabric.
Finally
the best thing to remember if you want to make art your profession, everyone started out at the bottom. Art is a skill
that you have to learn like any other. It's the same as picking up a guitar for the first time, how long would it
take you to be good enough to get paid to play?
Art is the same, it takes years of study and the more you
search out tutorials and practice, the better you will get. I'm just starting my career and I have to say it has
been hard but it has also been worth it.
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