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Interview with Christiaan Iken
Featured Artist for October 2001
Would you introduce yourself and give a little personal background?
If it weren't for my very loving mother and father I would probably be languishing in a Vietnamese orphanage without the money or resources to paint. So I owe a great deal to my adopted parents and loving sister, without their help I wouldn't be the vampire slayer I am today with a fine collection of Anime ever ready to topple down from their bookcases and bury me whilst I sleep. I'm a pretty easy going chap with weightlifting as a hobby and painting as a part time job/failed career. Also I'm a born again vegan with a love of steak.
How long have you been an artist? How long have you been creating fantasy art?
The word 'artist' worries me, I have never thought of myself as an artist mainly because the word has lost
its meaning. An artist is someone who is a visionary and paints from his soul and paints because he cannot do anything else, I just paint pretty pictures, or try to. If you try to look for a deeper meaning in my work, I shall nod my head, take your money and laugh all the way to the bank.
But on a serious note, I've been drawn to a pencil since I was a little child and only learnt to paint when I went to a foundation art course. There I met a close friend who was a competent painter and like most things in life one becomes jealous, I mean is inspired by those around us.
Have you had any formal training in the fine arts?
I went to a foundation course in England where the teachers were never in classes and the students were drinking or sunbathing with the teachers. After rubbing a teacher up the wrong way trying to build a 10-foot demon in her class I was threatened with expulsion, but thanks to the other teachers I stayed on there and got a pretty decent grade at the end.
What are your biggest artistic influences and inspirations?
Have a cup of tea whilst I dawdle on like some self-righteous fool. Anyone that knows me or has been to my apartment knows that I'm an insane otaku.aka someone who collects Japanese Anime and tries to convert everyone
including his fish into animeholics. I am also an ardent Ridley Scott fan, and think blade runner is the most
beautiful visual film ever to be realized. I'm inspired by music, movie soundtracks and Anime soundtracks, friends, my mother who is the kindest person you could wish to meet, anything and everything.
Can you describe your creative process - how you come up with ideas for a new drawing and how you take those ideas and create a finished piece of art.
I work with acrylics and don't do any computer artwork at all even though people often think I create using a computer. The truth is I just don't trust those dratted machines. I think the most important part of the painting process for me is putting what I have in my head on a shiny piece of white paper. I've found this process easier the more
I paint and draw but sometimes that image in my head is very illusive. Once the creatures, characters, whatever are drawn, I will transfer them to water-colour paper and figure out how to use the paper to its best advantage.
Then comes the colouring process, I've learnt from experience to always do the background first. This gives the painting a more unified look and makes it easier to paint as a whole. I can't really talk about any other medium apart from acrylics but many people don't realize that acrylics work by layering . I will create a basic undercoat and
then go over it several times with a smaller brush to create detail and light sources. Detail has never been the main object of my paintings, more the feeling of a painting. If someone can create an atmospheric painting with less detail and fewer brushstrokes than I will take my hat off to them. And finally the last stage is signing the painting with my initials.
Do you have a favorite fantasy artist or an artist you admire?
I feel that every fantasy artist has a certain strength which I admire, so therefore there are way too many fantasy artists that I admire and look up to, so I will give a small list of people I like and the reasons I like them:
Rodney Mathews is a wonderful designer and I love his peaceful, funny illustrative style perfectly suited for children's books.
The Hildenbrant brothers are, in my opinion, the best colourists ever to have touched Fantasy.
Jim Burns is my favorite Sci-fi illustrator, wonderful conceptualist and excellent painter. Syd Mead is another conceptualist I admire.
Brom, what a wonderful draftsman.
Hayao Miyazaki, wonderful artist and beautiful director, you want to see animation come to life see a Studio Ghibli film.
Shoji Kawamori, best designer in the world, in my opinion, who happens to work in Anime.
Brian Froud, one of the few artists who creates a world that is totally believable.
John Howe, my favorite Tolkien illustrator, when I see Tolkien's world I see John Howe.
Stephanie Law, you all know her as a wonderful colourist and one of those rare
people capable of creating a 'beautiful painting' without it being tacky or garish.
And Sophie M. Kleson, who's artistic drawing abilities belong in the Renaissance.
What advice would you give to young artists who are just starting out?
If money is important to you, find a different job. It doesn't matter what medium you use, the drawing skill of the artist shows through any medium, but the single most important nugget of advice I could give anyone is not to be too proud to listen to advice, and believe in yourself.
If you could be a character from a fantasy novel, movie or game, who would you be?
Jabba the Hut. He had semi-naked slave girls dancing for his pleasure, and died at the hands of a semi-clad lady.
Finally, what cartoons did you watch as a kid?
My Little Pony, She Ra, Carebears... Now for the good stuff. Astro Boy, Robotech, Transformers, Voltron, Brave Star, Thundercats, He Man, The Smurfs rocked...hold on a second, I'm still watching cartoons.
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