TIST FEATUREDEARR FOR NOVEMB MICHELLE DADOUN WHAT’S YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS/STUDIO SPACE SET UP LIKE, AND HOW DO YOU FIND THIS INFLUENCES YOUR WORK? For the most part, I start by gathering references that will go with that project, e.g., inspiration that features a similar style to the project as well as technical images. I follow a lot of artists on tumblr and Behance that are huge sources of inspiration while I’m working. Then I start on a bunch of rough sketches to decide on a composition and once I have one I like I can start fleshing out the details of the piece. If it’s a vector-based project, I’ll take the sketches in to Illustrator at this point, or I will draw the lines freehand. From there I start to decide on a colour scheme and style. Once it’s all complete, I can add finishing touches or effects to everything as a whole to bring it together. I usually have some idea of how I want the piece to end up, but I’m always open to change if I think something will look better. Being able to change, edit or leave out parts that I thought would work has been an important step that I have had to get used to. It’s tough when you get attached to something you’re working on, but if taking it out will make the overall product look better, it’s important to learn how to adapt. As for my studio, it is pretty simple. I have a two-storey desk with my monitor and desktop in front of me, my tablet and laptop on the sides, and I leave the middle free for a space I can bring my sketchbooks or notes to. I like having a lot of space where I work so that I can spread my work out in front of me and have everything I need within reach. Background noise is also essential, which is why I keep my laptop beside me for movies, mindless tv, or streams of Let’s Plays to keep me stress-free. DO YOU EVER EXPERIENCE CREATIVE BLOCKS, AND IF SO, HOW DO YOU WORK THROUGH THEM? I don’t know anyone that never has to push through creative blocks. There are a couple techniques that I find helpful, but I think the most important part is to not get frustrated, especially if you’re fighting a deadline. If I have the time, I try to look at work that I find inspiring, either saved on my computer, or by browsing some of my favourite artists’ portfolios. I find it helpful to follow a lot of artists’ blogs and instagrams for times like these since they are constantly updating; it’s a huge boost. There are also sites like Designspiration, Fubiz and From Up North that make amazing work that much easier to find. I have them and about 50 other RSS feeds plugged in to Feedly that are always keeping me up-to-date and inspired. Collecting artbooks of your favourite artists are also so helpful in times like that. James Jean and Claire Wendling can always knock me out of an art block with their amazing work. If that doesn’t help, drawing anything, even unrelated scribbles, can sometimes unlodge something in your brain. Just the act of moving the pencil around can help. If none of that works, the best thing you can do sometimes is to get away from the desk for even 5 minutes and walk outside. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? IS THERE A SPECIFIC PLACE IN THE CITY THAT YOU FIND THAT PARTICULARLY INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE? I tend to get inspired the most by other people. When I see great work, it makes me excited to try and achieve something amazing too. And for someone like me, who gets inspired by amazing art, reading a well done comic is like a treasure trove with a powerful story to go along with it. I love that I can stare at each panel and appreciate the art of it and also get emotional from the characters that I’ve become attached to. The amazing thing about them as well, is that even old comics still have that art about them that makes them timeless, even if the stories get dated or Spider-man is doing something ridiculous. I get the same feeling when I see animation; it’s a bit magical to me the way so many individual works of art can come together to breathe life in to something. When you see something moving that never existed before, it’s an indescribable feeling. Seeing the process of works like that, like the storyboards and character designs of Pixar or Studio Ghibli, add another level that truly fuel me. The combination of that and well developed characters and writing is everything I could ever need. I guess you could say, if it makes me feel a deep emotion, it makes me want to create, which is probably why I gravitate towards more emotional, intense or angst-filled plots. If you have a look at my portfolio or blog, you’ll see this right away by how excited I can get to draw for a fandom I love, which is why there are more pieces about Sherlock or Marvel or manga than about real life. If I have to be in real life, though, sometimes just seeing a beautiful object can give me the desire to sketch, and there is such a range of people and architecture and art in the city, if you look around it’s easy to find. Beautiful architecture or interior spaces are fascinating to me. For people watching and sketching, cafes around the city are the best; there are always people coming and going, and you get to see a real variety of people and fashions. I may also be biased to my neighbourhood, but I love walking along Queen West and looking in to all the small galleries and shops. Magic Pony and The Design Exchange are also so much fun to go in to, and I can easily spend hours in the AGO. AS AN ARTIST WHO WORKS IN A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS, HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHICH IS RIGHT FOR A PARTICULAR PROJECT? Sometimes it’s up to what the client or project needs, which makes it easy. If I get a choice, I’ll usually go with a medium that will give me the style I’m trying to go for. For example, if I’m doing something that I want to be very clean, like type, design, or something that will need to be animated, I’ll work in Illustrator. If I’m doing something freehand where I want to be able to play with shading and colours, I’ll use Photoshop. If I want a textured or traditional, I’ll usually paint with acrylics. But there are always exceptions or times when I’ll go from one medium/program to the next, e.g., starting with pencil and paper, creating a vector in Illustrator, and finishing by editing or adding to it in Photoshop. And sometimes I’ll play with a new or different medium just because it’s interesting to me, even if I have no idea what to do with it. It’s always fun to experiment. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS FROM ABOVE GROUND TO USE, AND WHY DO YOU FIND THEY WORK WELL FOR YOU? Whenever I’m there, I tend to head straight for the paintbrushes. It doesn’t matter how many I have, I love getting new ones because you can get such a variety of results from different brushes. There is also something energizing about getting a fresh, new sketchbook, which I also like having a variety of. Copic markers and Golden paints are always fun to go thru because there are so many colours, it makes me wish I had such a collection of them myself. Honestly, I can spend a long time in an art store because it’s so exciting picking up new tools and thinking what you could make with them. WAS THERE A DEFINING MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU “DISCOVERED” YOUR PASSION FOR ART? I’ve always had a passion for art since I was a child. My mother and her mother are both artistic, so they passed that on to me and I was always going to art classes or galleries with them. I wanted to go to art camp instead of summer camp, so I was that kind of kid. I knew that I loved to paint and draw, but I never thought that I could make it in to a career. I thought I would get a normal job and do this on the side. Then, when I was a pre-teen, I was attending these painting classes once a week after school. The teacher was a very talented painter herself, and also taught my mom and grandmother. I loved going there. I remember one class where I mentioned how I planned to get a regular job and not pursue art because it wasn’t practical. She told me art was something that needed to be taken seriously, and if I wanted to do it I could if I committed to it. It stuck with me and was the first time I actually thought that I could go ahead with art, not just as something I loved to do, but as a career. IS THERE A PARTICULAR MISCONCEPTION ABOUT ARTISTS AND/OR CREATIVITY THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD CLEAR UP? Something I tend to see a lot is people thinking that it’s not a lot of work or that it’s just a fun hobby and not a real job. You hear a lot of stories about people who want to get free work or to pay you in “exposure.” I’m not sure of any other job where this is the case; you wouldn’t hear people asking, say, a contractor to build you a deck for free. I think part of it is that art is a tough thing to put a definitive value on, so it’s easy for people to tell artists, “well, I only think you’re worth this much,” or, “this is what you like doing, so I shouldn’t have to pay you this much.” I think sometimes people who say this might not see how much work goes in to making something or how long artists have been studying, sometimes their whole lives, to be able to do this. I wonder if people could see how much effort artists put in to their work, it might help us to understand each other. Want to learn more about Michelle and her work? Visit her portfolio: NICKELCURRY.COM VISIT ABOVE GROUND ART SUPPLIES AT ANY OF OUR THREE LOCATIONS @artsuppliesto TORONTO WEST – THE JUNCTION TORONTO – DOWNTOWN 2868 DUNDAS ST. W. PHONE 647-726-6738 74 MCCAUL ST. PHONE 416-591-1601 artsuppliesto /artsuppliesto /artsupplies.to TORONTO EAST – THE BEACH 1842 QUEEN ST. E. 416-694-0440 PHONE ABOVEGROUNDARTSUPPLIES.COM