1.What inspired you to start making art?
Well I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. Harking back to my kindergarden days where I surprised my teachers with a giraffe drawing that actually looked like a giraffe haha ever since then drawing has been a huge part of who I am and I was lucky to have friends, family and teachers that loved and supported my work in a number of ways. Encouraging me to try new mediums and processes to help develop my skills, buying me new sketchbooks every time I filled one, making artwork for family presents that were snatched up like hotcakes, and introducing me to the magical land of Photoshop and digital art when I was probably about 12 years old. Making art of any kind has always been something I’ve done and enjoyed. I don’t think I can separate ‘myself’ from the ‘artist’ enough to truly pin point what inspired me to start.
2. What is your favorite piece you’ve made?
Oh yicks… that’s a tough one. More often than not, the newest piece I make becomes one I’m proud of the result for because a lot of the time I’m either trying something new and challenging or have taken something I’ve learned from past works and improved upon it. My artworks vary so much in subject and even style at times, so it’s hard to pick a favorite because of that. I always put my favorite and best work on my portfolio (https://trixks.artstation.com) but if I had to pick an artwork that I would happily print on a big canvas and slap on my wall? It would have to be a commission I did that truly intimidated the bejesus out of at first but I then ended up loving the final result of The Blue-Eyes White Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh (https://trixks.artstation.com/projects/1nvZP2)
3. What advice would you give other creators?
I could offer some of the typical advice out there like how to build a following or to improve your work. But there’s something I believe could be of better use in this day in age. Try to build a support network. I know that sounds a bit corporate but I don’t mean it to be haha What I mean is that creators should have people they can look to for support. It doesn’t even have to mean financially. From my own experience, having someone that will support you during the times you’re struggling with either your mental health, feeling overwhelmed, or even demotivated. So often we put more pressure on ourselves than our communities do. Aim to be as friendly and open as you feel comfortable with your community and fellow peers. Because no one wants to support or work with an asshole. Lift your peers up, never tear them down, because you have no idea what they might be going through at home or the potential they might have inside them.
4. What are your plans for 2021?
This year I’m looking forward to tackling a wide variety of new projects. And as long as I don’t hit any roadblocks and don’t juggle too many balls in the air, I’m hoping 2021 is going to be a lot more productive than 2020. Finishing up some old projects and starting up some new ones. For one, I’ll be launching a Patreon Pin Club (https://patreon.com/trixks) in March of this year with a new pin every month – based on an annual or 6-month theme rotation – thanks to the support from peers and current patrons. I truly have not been this excited about creating something in a while and I’m looking forward to bringing all the designs I have in my head to reality! I also have a particularly big project sitting in my freelancing queue – that my Discord community is in the know about haha – that I’m looking forward to sharing with everyone when its ready for its Kickstarter debut. And as for my Youtube channel (https://youtube.com/TrixksIllustration…), I hope like heck I’ll have my ‘Draw My Life’ video finished sometime this year in celebration of reaching the first big milestone of 1k subscribers at the end of last year. Wish me luck!
