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PixelRead.

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Thank you Alex for this interview today. Can you tell us a bit about yourself  and where you live?
I live in Magnitogorsk, it was named for the Magnitnaya mountain that was almost pure iron, a geological anomaly.  It is the second largest city in Russia. I work as a machinist, vector painting is my hobby.

How did you get started as a designer and artist?
I have loved drawing loved since childhood and explored all paint media watercolor, oil and pencil. I attended Art School but did not finish as it closed. I then switched to the crafts of woodwork, because after graduation I lived and worked in the taiga in the north edge of the Sverdlovsk region. In 2000 I bought my first computer. I had no idea how to use it, so I decided to use it to further my work as an artist – for creativity. I tried out several drawing and art programs. The most interesting and most  accessible to my understanding was CorelDRAW Graphics 11. I began with a simple project as a way to draw my ideas for my personnel art. I became very interested in the advanced users of the CorelDraw program, so I began searching for them on the Internet. Purely by chance I discovered the site of vector graphics Poverclip.ru , to look at what they were doing; and to learn from their work. Since then, I have been quietly studying, using and perfecting their techniques.

Who are your mentors?
I have learned so much from Tasha Drik, Tatyana Prokofieva, MonteR and Ilya Xm, they made a huge contribution to the development of my creativity, and understanding of the design tools, and associated vector tricks.

How do you choose your subject matter?
I paint only what I like. And I mostly like to paint portraits of characters, and complex still life.

Where do you want to be in five years as an artist?
I will continue to develop my technique of drawing with vectors and learning as much as I can about design, art, and painting. I work as a full time machinist , so I need to make time for all of the things in my life.

Why are Russian such good artists?
I think that my desire and determination to do better than others, to work study and learn from the classical artists as well as the new digital artists; and of course my outlook and individuality.

How has the internet changed your business?
The Internet has largely influenced my creative growth, and relationships with other vector artists and designers from not only Russia, but worldwide.

Who is your favorite artist?
I love Levitan and his famous painting “Autumn Day”

If you could work for anyone, who would it be?
It would be the Great Man who likes my work, and person who understands art and understands the role of the artist.

What tools do you use to make your artwork?
CorelDRAW Graphics – I love this program, its ease of the tools, and it’s dynamic and unlimited possibilities for vector painting.

What are your work habits like …
In many ways the work is in a single breath, and it is sometimes necessary to consider how to translate the idea from your mind’s eye into what tools and process to use to achieve a particular and desired effect.

Who have been your clients?
I do not have many client’s, I draw mostly for the joy of vector painting and to learn from other artists. I put many hours into alot of these, and in some cases could not justify the price as a commercial project.

What is the address for your portfolio?
My portfolio is here and here.

How do you get inspired?
I get inspired by works of great traditional artists and their study of the human form, and also just looking at life through a unique personal lens. I love to watch people and the understanding of light and shadow.

What do you do for fun?
My second hobby is fishing and my communion with nature and life.

How old are you?
I am a young 53 years old.

Alex, Thank You for this interview and showing us your fantastic vector work. Your understanding of light and composition is outstanding. I look forward to seeing your new projects!

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So MonteR Where do you live?
I live in Mykolayiv, Ukraine. I was born and raised here…

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How did you get started as a designer and artist? I remember you telling me that your background was originally as a programmer?

My father was a painter. Not a famous one, but one of the many Soviet artists. As a child we went together to make sketches of scenery, but mine were ugly – I did not like painting at that time. My parents were divorced, and when I was just 8 my father left our world, so my learning with him was ended. After that all my drawings were stick men, square cars and caricatures of my school teachers. My sister was much more interested in art at the time than myself. She was drawing and painting very-very good, my father would be proud of her.

When I was 16 I saw the Fractal Painter computer program (it was not even owned by Corel then, it was Metacreations Painter 5). I was so excited with its ability to simulate organic brushes and especially the watercolor palette. I then bought my first cheap tablet computer and started creating digital paintings. This was initially just a hobby, as  I was enrolled in the university to become a security engineer. It was hard to find work as an engineer here in Ukraine, especially when you are a student with no diploma. When I was in my 4th year of university I accidentally got a job as a vector graphics designer.

I began to learn CorelDraw and working with digital artwork. I never studied to draw, I learned everything by myself,  just pressing buttons and watching the results. This way I got a unique understanding of different tools and techniques. I don’t like reading tutorials and books, I like to discover new ways of creating by myself. I tried lots of different styles from comicbook art, through to photo realism and combining various styles. Now I work as a vector artist, web designer, UI designer and a concept artist for various Canadian and US companies.

What has been your favorite project?
I can’t tell you what project is my favorite, because I love to draw,  and take only projects that I really like; projects that inspire or challenge me.

As an Artist where do you see yourself in five years?
In 5 years time I want to be a lead designer for a great game development company, I want the freedom to travel and work at the same time. The global wide-spread use of the internet and online communications allows me to bring my dreams and ideas to life. These opportunities do not exist for me in the Ukraine.

What is it that makes Russian Artists so talented?
I think Russians are good because we have to fight to get the work. We have to be the BEST , it is a competitive world. In Russia we also have many good scientists, programmers, and engineers…lots of talented people. Many are forced to leave their post-soviet countries due to lack of work, financing and opportunity.

How has the internet changed your business?
The internet has given me the platform to showcase my skills and to get work. I am working on foreign projects, use foreign hardware and software. I get lots of ideas watching and reading through the internet.

If you could work for anyone, who would it be?
It will always be me. I have always wanted to work for myself, but I can’t pay myself for the work, HA! So for me I like to work for people who understand me and respect me as an artist and designer.

What tools do you use to make your artwork?
Now I’m using my new HP tm2 tablet and different graphics software. Mostly I use Adobe Illustrator for drawing and Photoshop for coloring and Sketchbook Pro for concepts and design sketches.

Where do you get most of your work from?
I don’t look for work – work finds me. I have been lucky to work with, and for some great people. I get referred by other artists who I like to work with.

What are your work habits like…what is your typical day?
I have no habits like that. I even sleep each day at different times. I start when I want to, and finish only when I feel I need some rest from work. Some days I can work for 8 hours and others for 16. The same for having rest: sometimes I need to sleep for 8 hours and other days I need just 3.

Who have been your clients?
I had lots of clients from Russia, Canada, US but no one from Ukraine.

How do you get inspired?
I don’t really know how… Maybe it’s a combination of music I’m listening to; things I see when surfing the web, movies I watch, people I communicate with…

What do you do for fun?
I draw for fun so I can say I work for fun. It’s great when my hobby is the same as my work. Also I spend time with friends playing Monopoly, visiting cafes or just walking the streets. Sometimes I play video games, but not very often. I try to have  breaks from computers and the internet.

How old are you?
I will be 26 years old very soon – on 29th of May.

Do you have a portfolio on-line?
I have only the page on deviant art. Almost nobody knows my real name. I am known as MonteR or depart.

Well MonteR, Happy Birthday!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview. I am very honored to show your Vector work on PixelSteam.

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These painters of pixels and vectors bring a powerful and unique style to the digital world stage. Through experimentation and hard work these artists are creating dynamic and spectacular imagery in every possible medium. The World is now their stage, and they are very proud to be a part of it. We welcome their arrival.

John Knoll co-inventor of Photoshop and ILM VFX artist, gives a candid interview about working on the Star Wars Prequel films and life at the ILM studio. To learn more about John here is his bio from Wikipedia. What an amazing list of credits!!!

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