We are so pleased and excited for Alex Dos Diaz to be a part of our interview series! It’s an honor 🙂
You can find his art at:
Website: http://www.alexdosdiaz.com
Behance: https://www.behance.net/alexdosdiaz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexdosdiaz/
Anna: (Your Art Bud): Dear Artist, I’m so glad to have you here with us! It’s a pleasure 🙂 Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Anna: How do you think your youth years impacted your art now? When did you first realize that it is art career you want to pursue?
Alex: I’ve always loved cartoons and anime, but what kid doesn’t?
I think the key to my interest was finding myself recording shows on VHS and pausing the tapes at the coolest scenes possible to try and draw them, or sometimes even trace them right off the TV screen. It was not until later that I realized what I really wanted to duplicate was not the image or character, but the feeling I got from watching these shows; that “Woah, that is so cool!” feeling. I believe that is, in part, something I still aim for with my work today.
I’ve always known that I wanted to do something with visual arts, however, what I didn’t know is what that career was called. It was not until my sophomore year of art school that I learned about illustration and all its many avenues.
Anna: People divide into two categories – those who believe in talent, and those who believe in hard work. What are your thoughts on this topic and art?
Anna: Who are the top artists that have inspired you in the past and continue inspiring you on an everyday basis?
Alex: Oh man, I’ll give you a few from the many: Mucha, J.C Leyendecker, Aaron Horkey, Sachin Teng, Tatsuya Yoshikawa, James Jean, Peter Mohrbacher …The list goes on …
Anna: What is your process like for creating your piece? Where do the ideas come from? Where do you start?
Alex: My process has changed over time, most recently I find myself writing a lot before I start doing any kind of sketching. I love using symbolism in my work but I do not force it, some things are just cool looking because they simply are.
I say It goes something like this; Message, Symbolism, Design, Execution. I get a lot of my ideas from old folklore, fantasy, Science and nature.
Anna: What do you think are the qualities a successful artist must have?
Alex: Be a good at your craft, be a good communicator and be a visionary. I honestly believe one can achieve success with two of these characteristics, but I’ve noticed that the giants in the industry have all three.
Anna: I love the details in your work! The piece ‘”Hesitation” Awakening’ is one of my favorites from your portfolio ( I simply can’t stop staring at the details in her crown!) What are the tools you use? And how long does it take for you to finish one piece?
Alex: Thank you! That crown did take some time. Currently, I work fully digitally, I use procreate for sketching and finish all my pieces in Adobe Photoshop CS6 with my Wacom 5 tablet. It honestly depends on the piece, but I’ll say an average of 40 hours for a full page illustration, not counting the ideation process.
Anna: What is it that you find the most challenging in the life of an artist?
Alex: People dismissing the value of art. Some people believe I do this for fun as a hobby and think that I’ll draw them a tattoo sleeve design for $25 dollars.
Anna: Any tips for beginner artist you would like to share?
Alex: I like to encourage people to create the things they want to see more of in the world, the things that excite them and make them go “Woah, that is so cool!.” Also, network, post the work everywhere you can and if you get a chance, I really recommend going to events or conventions where you’ll meet art directors and other artists.
Anna: Thank you so much for joining us today! And for the last question – what is your big art dream you are working towards?
Alex: Thank you for having me, I am currently working towards building my personal project “Ghost Alchemist”. I can’t really reveal too much about it at the moment, but keep an eye out for it. I am very excited about all the work going into it.
We are also very excited for your new project!! This was such a fun interview 🙂 If you guys liked it, give it a share and comment below!
Also, check out other awesome interviews we have here at YourArtPath.com!
* ” Artist Interview #1 – Featuring Kevin Hong ”
* ” Artist Interview #2 – Featuring B. Blue “
* ” Artist Interview #3 – Featuring Agnieszka Nienartowicz “
* ” Artist Interview #4 – Featuring Daria Golab “
* ” Artist Interview #5 – Featuring Christian Orrillo “
Good luck in your creations,
– Your Art Bud 😉