Whilst taking my daily strolls through ArtUproar, In time I began to notice this guy called fc85746 & his wallpapers being uploaded by the tons, and since I was low on my Tek victims list and he came across as a fresh & funky new artist I thought I'd try to grab a chat with this new guy most of you will probably not know…
Tek: Hello FC thanks for meeting with me to do this interview =)
FC: Thanks for the opportunity. :)
Tek: Might as well begin with some personal stuff about you such as your name, age and maybe your occupation in real life? Or whatever you feel you want to share? I'm a pretty nosey person just ask anyone in skin town… but I'll spare you the boxers or briefs type questions okay since I don't know you well enough. hehe =)
FC: hehe ok. my name is Frank Corral, I was born & raised in tucson, az. I'm 25 yrs, happily married & have a beautiful 3yr. old daughter. I have 2 dogs an american pit bull & a chihuahua, yes they are buddies & the chihuahua has't killed the pit bull yet. :)
Tek: Guess I'll push my noseyness alittle more… What do you do in real life? is your work graphic related?
FC: I work in an art department designing ads for a weekly publication called the dandy dime classifieds & a weekly auto dealer publication called cars & trucks magazine. my coworkers are great artists & also members of artuproar. they go by the names rey & gmcrozier. it's cool to work with people who have common interests & hobbies. it's a great job for now, but I'm always looking for an opportunity to learn something new in this field.
Tek: Ohhhh yeah I recall those members over at artuproar soooo those two are your partners in crime? hehe
When and how did you first arrive in the skinning community?
FC: I got my first computer about a year ago & got hooked by the internet. I used the net before but not to this extent. while surfing I came across DA & seen some amazing pieces of art. so I joined & slowly figured out what it was all about. that was in December 2001 & I'm still submitting artwork.
Tek: Well as you know that's how I happen to run across you over at Artuproar, your work really caught my eye, what actually brought you over there?
FC: Artuproar was a great discovery for me. I came across the link at DA. once there at AUR, it quickly became my new home.
Tek: What other skinning sites in the community do you frequent if any?
FC: I still visit DA, it's a great site. Artuproar is an everyday stop for me & my buddies though.
Tek: So What sparked your interest in doing digital art?
FC: seeing other artists digital artwork. especially the 3d stuff. there are just so many great digital artist out there. plus, I love working on a computer.
Tek: Yeah I think the 3D stuff grabs most people's interest initially and draws them into the digital art world. What programs do you use to make all your art in?
FC: For the cartoon characters & wallpapers I use Photoshop 6 & Illustrator 9. I usually sketch the cartoon characters out on paper then scan them in & add the final touches in PS6. for the 3d wallpapers I use Bryce 3D. but digital artwork is not all my artwork. I love to experiment with other media's like colored pencil, markers, paints, silk screen or just about anything that's around when I get bored. painting on flagstone is pretty cool & I've done a few mono prints which were fun.
Tek: So what kind of computer setup do you have to do all your art on?
FC: I have a beige G3 running classic mac os 8.6. it's an oldie but still a great computer. =)
I would love to get a g4 with osx. I'm a mac fanatic.
Tek: Do you find that certain things trigger or motivate/stimulate you to create your art? such as music, mood, other peoples art?
FC: Other artists pieces & nature are great inspirations for me, but I usually take from every day life. a lazy mood can kill my inspiration. but then again, anything can be an inspiration, it just depends on how you look at things.
Tek: Would you like to share one of your first pieces of art?
FC: hmm, I gotta think hard about that one. :)
Tek: Alright I'll be nice and spare ya that one… =)
What do you think is your best piece of art and would you share some of those with us?
FC: I don't think I have a “best” piece of art but I have some that I really like. my first acrylic painting called “angel of tears” is cool. unfortunately I don't have a camera & the piece is too big to scan. it's about 3'x3'. anyway, I had it hanging in an art gallery in downtown tucson & I got a good offer for it, but my stepfather had just past-away so it was no longer for sale. I dedicated it to him & gave it to my mother.
Tek: I would have loved to see that one, but oh welllll then you leave me no choice but to pick a few of my favorites of yours to share with the Tek readers =)
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Tek: I seen you also do drawings/sketches, when did you begin to sketch?
FC: I've been sketching as long as I can remember. my grandmother still has some drawings of mine I did in elementary school. :)
Tek: hehe I'm sure those would have been cute to seeee don't worry I won't even ask =) But guess what? I'm gonna have to post a few of my own favs to share with the readers… so there! hehe
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Tek: Have you had any educational classes that pertain to sketching? or is this all self taught?
FC: Pretty much self taught until college, in elementary school my aunt taught me how to draw simple characters & my dad had some artistic ability & sketching is something I've always done. all I used were basic pens & pencils to draw, until college. at art college I learned to use different medias like color pencils, markers, ink, charcoal, airbrush, cut paper & watercolor. learning to use a computer & the programs had the biggest influence on me.
Tek: True cuz with computers it opens up a whole new range of artistic abilities, Are there any artist around the skinning community that you look up to for inspiration or advise from?
FC: oh yeah, I look up to alot of people in the skin community for their great abilities & knowledge. there is so much for me to learn & alot of these guys know it all.
Tek: Do you have any advice for the newbies that are now coming into the the skinning scene?
FC: I just try to have fun with what I do. if you have fun designing or illustrating a piece you'll spend more time on it & value it more (most of the time). for example, my first dog was my buddy, I drew a cartoon of her, designed some text & made myself a shirt & wallpaper based on my dog. I had fun drawing my dog as a tough muscle bound cartoon character & I'm still wearing that poor, worn out t-shirt today. I luv that shirt. =)
Tek: You seem to “only” do sketches and wallpapers etc, Have you made any skins for skinnable apps? or do you plan to?
FC: No, I do want to learn to make skins but it's hard to find the time to do everything I want to do. like I would love to someday learn to animate my characters, that would be awesome.:) sooner or later I'll give skinning a try. the audion 2 player gives a great deal of freedom to the artist so audion might be my first app. to skin. =) you can see the skins for audion Here
Tek: Are there other places you showcase your art at offline? If so where?
FC: No, I used to showcase paintings at a gallery in downtown Tucson when I had the time & $$$. my family get all my time & $$$ now. =)
Tek: Yes I know, never enough time or money to go around… =(
In a few of your comments you mentioned you use some of your designs for T-Shirts? do you have people contacting you privately about these from online or is this only offline work/hobby with the T-Shirts?
FC: I get a few people asking about the shirts & sold a couple here & there but it's not the business I want it to be. right now it's more of a hobby. I design cartoon style shirts that are generally targeted to the teen & college crowd. I post very little of my actual T-shirt designs, they're not the greatest but I like them so I keep em' on the shelves till the time is right.
Tek: Well I guess I've been nosey enough on you and I want to say “Thank you” again for taking the time for me FC it was really nice getting to know more about the guy behind all this great art =)
And for you readers that want to check out his impressive gallery click here
— Doreen, September 24th 2002
And pretty slick stuff it is indeed.
craeonics {10.12.2002|13.07}
hehe OMG! craeeeeee!
I once had a dog named Goliath that "kinda" looked like that... hehe
(welll to everyone else of course to me he looked adorable!) =)
Doreen {10.12.2002|13.37}
my son Gino is behind me laughing! he says it looks like Goliath too!
Doreen {10.12.2002|13.39}
You call that a dog? I'd take another street if I saw a monster like that strolling about.
craeonics {10.12.2002|13.49}
damn that dawg be lookin mightee tough
mastaslackah {10.12.2002|14.43}
Well needless to say nobody came into our yard... =)
Doreen {10.12.2002|16.09}
Oh and about the interview. Nice one, I have noticed FC when I hang around AU. Glad to see a good piece on him!
BruB {10.12.2002|18.05}
good stuff! {:p
Elwin {10.14.2002|14.03}
Good interview. It's especially topical since I've already been following the submissions for some time now!
Xymantix {11.24.2002|09.40}