The genre of surreal art is a large genre, with many different artistic mediums, stylistic techniques and influences from around the globe.  However, in digital art, the genre is taking on new life with modern techniques of digital painting, photomanipulation and vector graphics.

In this interview, we sat down with Igor Š?eki?, a rising digital artist from Croatia who has some absolutely stunning artworks in a surreal organic abstract style.

Enjoy the artworks and the interview!

• Your Name: Igor Š?eki?
• Your Age: 25
• Location (City or Country): Zagreb, Croatia
• Your website or portfolio: fusionfactory.net
• Software you use: Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Corel Painter, a bit of Poser and Cinema 4d (but I am not so great with 3d software yet).. I also used to use Apophysis and 3D Max before, but I haven’t used it in a while.

Thanks for taking the time to interview with us. First off, could you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Igor Š?eki?. I am 25 year old student of Graphic Design from Zagreb, Croatia. I am hoping to finish University soon and start working in some design agency.  In meantime I am freelancing to gain some experience and to earn some money. In my free time I like doing creative stuff, because that makes me think less about things that makes me sad, depressed or angry in real life. Art is to me is like an escape door from reality to some happier place.

Mental Age

Cosmic Ecology

How did you get started with digital art?

At the end of high school (I think it was at begining of the year 2004) I saw two guys from my class doing some cool stuff in Photoshop with photos of my classmates. I used to like that since I was before interested in some other forms of art, so I decided to try that cool program called Photoshop and I felt in love at first sight with it. After that I got into Graphic Design University that brought me more into experimenting with Photoshop and other software. I found out about some Croatian art forums, got some virtual friends there so I got instantly hooked to online art communities. I started producing more art every day. Then I discovered DeviantArt, which was opportunity to show my works to whole world. At that time I wasn’t informed so much about art groups and overall digital art scene. One day I started to notice that there are some art groups that release artpacks every few months. I tried to apply to few of them. Evoke ( www.evokeone.com ) accepted me as their member. Since that day I am working every day to make my mark in global digital art scene. During the years I also got into SlashTHREE ( www.slashthree.com ) and Intrinsic Nature ( intrinsicnature.org ) artgroups, but I don’t want to stop on that.

Dreamland

What are your major influences? Any artists in particular who influenced you a lot, or other media such as music and movies?

Every artist have something that influences his artworks, at least on subconscious base. I was always mostly attracted to surreal forms, something that don’t bellong to this world. Except that I also like organic, caligraphic and abstract forms . So I find some inspiration in that. Except that some things that are happening in my life or in world are also inspiration for new works. Also some movies gave me ideas for artworks, but I can’t say I am directly draging inspiration from movies. It’s more that some movie make me thinking about something, and then I somehow incorporate that thoughts into artwork. When I am working on some new piece I always listen to music, so probybly music influences atmosphere in my pieces. I like listening to different psychodelic/stoner/doom/alternative rock bands, but I also like some electronic music.

Stairway to Heaven

Are there any artists you look up to?

Since I told before that I mostly like surreal art it is normal that I like some great artists like: Salvador Dali, Escher,H.R. Giger, Rene Magritte. I also like some of the classic old masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Carravagio, Albrecht Durer, H. Bosch…and also some newer but I can also say ‘classic masters’ because they have made great impact in art world. I am thinking about Picasso, Kandinsky, Braque,Van Gogh, Seurat… All of them brought something new to art world, and every young artist should respect and trz to learn something from them. I am saying that because few years ago I wasn’t respecting any art piece that wasn’t realisticaly drawn and shaded. Maybe this could be strange or funny to some pople, but I was very limited with my vision of good art. Nowdays I am more open minded for different types and forms of art. I aslo like a lot works of some digital artists like David Furer, Alex Trochut, Zach Bush, Jerico Santander, David Waters and a lot of others. Except that I like photography too. Nowdays there are a lot of great photographers too… Denis Olivier, Emmanuel Correia and a lot of others.

A

From a creative standpoint, is it easier to work on personal work or client work?

It depends. Sometimes client work could be very simple to make, but sometimes client could ask me to make something very difficult. In personal works I am not restricted with someone’s requests, so basicaly I can do whatever I want to. So more freedom means more fun and it’s obvious that I enjoy more doing personal works. But I can’t say it is easier, because in personal works I am often trying to do things that I don’t have idea how to make, so that is for me some kind of pushing my limits and trying to bring my works to next level.

Expressions

Does your heritage, ethnicity or current residency location affect your art? If so, how?

To be honest it don’t. I am not trying to find inspiration in my city and environment, because I don’t want to focus on recreating nature. I like to take photos of some old parts of my city, or nature in it, but when it comes to digital art I am rather trying to create my own nature, my own world where everything goes by my rules.

How would you describe your style, in a sentence or two?

I can’t say I have my own style because you’d need to be artist whole life so that someone can say that is your style.Style isn’t something that you learn overnight. I am trying to make what I feel that I need to make at that moment when creating this certain artwork. If I’d need to give some name to my point of view at the art I can say that I am trying to make some surreal-organic-abstract world in my works.

Music In My Head

Can you describe your typical workflow when you’re working on a project, whether it be personal or for a client?

Every project have it’s own path from finish to the end, but some things are in common to all of them. It all starts with rough idea in my head. I need to know what actually I want to make. After that starts some basic sketching on paper or directly in photoshop. Just to know where goes what in composition. Then I start looking for resources( stock photos) or make my resources I’d need for that project ( vector illustrations, 3d objects). Here starts fun. I am trying to arange and compose everything to works good with other objects. When I am satisfied with composition I am working on adding details and shading. Last step is working on colors.

Do you have a favorite work that you’ve done, or something you’re especially proud of? Why that work especially?

Hmmm…I really don’t know answer to that question. I like some pieces more, some less, some have special meaning to me, but I can’t pick one that is my favourite. Maybe my piece for Desktopography 2010, because it represents my own paradise where I can be free of daily stress and frustrations. It’s a place where I can do whatever I want without feeling bad about that.Unfortunately I can’t show it to you yet. People will be able to see it on Desktopography web site once exhibition will be released.

Freedom Fields

What draws you to the style of art that you make?

Why do you like your current style, and why stick with it as opposed to working with a different style, technique or medium?
I don’t want to focus on one style because if you work all the time in same style you got borring to yourself and others. But it is true that I prefeer surrealism because to me it represents freedom…Freedom to do whatever I want to. It is very important to try different styles and mediums, so I have also worked in some traditional art techniques, but I have also tryed to use some of them in unconventional way. I prefer digital art since it alows me to combine many different forms into one piece and to undo everything I don’t like, but in traditional art techniques you can’t undo your brush strokes.

What program do you do the majority of your work in, and why?

Adobe Photoshop, because it lets user to combine photos, 3d elements, vectors, textures, letters or whatever into one artwork. Photoshop is a tool for making digital collages. By that I don’t mean about collages like that made out of coloured paper and cut outs from magazines. It is more higher form of collage when you can combine everything you can imagine of into one unique piece of art. But besides that, every photography, vector illustration or whatever isn’t made in Photoshop at the end of it’s working process ends up in Photoshop, at least for correcting colors and contrasts.

Do you use any external hardware such as a drawing tablet? How do you use it in your workflow?

Yeah I am using graphic tablet. I don’t use mouse at all in my workflow, because everything is more natural and easy to do with a pen than with mouse. Pressure sensitivity is a great thing because painting with it feels just like painting with normal pencil.

Shadow of the Sun

Do you have any advice for beginning artists out there?

Well there aren’t much asdvices to give. The most important is to experiment a lot and listen what more experienced artists have to say about your works. Don’t get offended by critique, that should just be your guide and motivation to try harder. When I started I used to think that some people are just trying to offend me by critiques, but now I think that if there wasn’t that constructive, sometimes harsh critiques I wouldn’t be at this level I am today. Also watch what other artists are making, be influenced by that, but try to avoid copying other’s works or you’d end up in endless sea of trying-to-be-trendy-and-cool artists. And last but not the least- don’t compare yourself to others because there will always be someone better. You should rather just relax and enjoy creating your artworks. With some time and effort you’d end up being one of the people you’ve admired few years ago… Only if you love enough what you are doing you can achieve a lot in that what you are doing.

Where do you see yourself in the future, and how do you feel that you will be growing as an artist?

I don’t have actual vision of my future because you can never know what will future bring. Maybe I’ll end up selling stuff on a street corner. Just kidding, I hope that one day I’ll have my own design agency with few high quality artists/designers. But for now that is just a dream. My first goal is to finish University and start freelancing more. About growing as an artist….hmm..I really don’t know in which dirrection my art will go in the future, but to me the most important thing is that I hope to still find so much fun doing art as I do nowdays. If one day making art won’t be fun to me anymore I’ll probably stop doing it.

Change the World

Anything else you’d like to say? Any projects you’re working on that you want to draw attention to, or closing thoughts for the readers?

I am working on few different projects, but I can’t talk about them for now. .. But I want to say this to everybody… It doesn’t matter how good are you in doing what you are doing, more important is to have fun doing that! Take care…