Soho News

For the first interview I got my good colleague and friend Digital.Ink.DJR or Digi. From the US and located in Japan, I met Digi over Instagram some half a decade and some back and we have been in contact ever since helping each other out with shit. I hope to meet him later this year in person when he finally visits Europe!
Nowadays he isn't as actives on socials but still draws whatever he wants to, focusing on Fantasy, Videogame or Pop-Culture themed illustrations. He has a fantastic eye for composition and is pretty bright, not gonna lie. But without any further ramblings, lets get into it.

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Soho:
So the first Qustions I will ask you will be predominantly related to labor aspects of the craft, these are pretty dry and cut but you can elaborate on any of them however much you want.

Did you have any classical schooling as an artist?

Digi:
As in art school? No, I've considered going, but no. Throughout my primary and secondary school years, however, I've had art classes. Especially in senior high school, I've taken classes in Studio Arts and Graphic Design. Everything beyond high school, mainly digital art related, I've sought out resources and have taught myself using those when the needs have arisen.

Soho:
I think that might be relatable to a lot of people. That sounds at least very similar to my artistic education too. I guess thats a good thing that you can educate yourself on the topic so easily these days.

So you said you work mainly with the digital medium? Is that also your favorite?

Digi:
I never thought about it in terms of favorite mediums before. It's likely the one I've clocked the most consecutive time with. Yes in terms of accessibility, no mess, no need to re-up on supplies, no more discarded Bristol pages either. I've seen what other artists have accomplished with it and I, being just as ambitious, wanted to be amongst those "stars." My true favorite medium will always be ink. The amount of disciplined precision required to place each deliberate line down on a page. I still keep my supplies around on my desk too despite having not done any ink drawings in the last 7ish years.

Soho:
Geez I feel you on that last one. I got a bunch of nibs in a cupboard somewhere, that have never been used. Digital Art definitely is one of the neatest ones when it comes to keeping your desk clean (then again I know how digital artists organize their files). You could maybe make yourself a little travel art pack and start doodling on the go. Might also mix things up in terms of workflow.

Speaking of, can you describe your workflow to our readers and how long do you work on average on a piece?

Digi:
Like my process, anything I do to get in the mood or prepare, and general step by step to my finished pieces? If it's that, there isn't too much magic or anything but I can describe it.

Soho:
Yeah exactly, when do you most feel like drawing and how is your process. You might not think that there is a lot to say but youd be surprised how much this can differ from artist to artist. It's always nice to know.

Digi:
Alrighty cool!
Let's see... I usually have a bit of prep before I do any drawing, a ritual I guess: I'll brew some tea and set up my work station; main screen has references and what not, second screen has some background noise (video essay, music, etc). I'll do a bit of scrolling of recent projects and see if I want to continue one of them or start something new. Got my tea, got my tunes, set up my canvas (usually B4 landscape, 600dpi) and ill set up my references; screenshots go in my workspace and just other bits of research remain on the main screen. I'll start with a rough sketch and get a feel for the perspectives and gestures; this is usually the 2nd longest part, taking about 2-3hrs; then I start the shadows which will be about 3+hrs; colors are generally the shortest, maybe over an hour, sometimes I'll have a palette of colors if I'm not working from a screenshot of an earlier artwork (I draw many characters and they have a full body profile with flat colors); then highlights, details and color correction (changing the shadows layers from black to dark blue, etc) this is about >2hrs.
The sort of "urge to draw" I guess, usually comes up after playing some video games, I'll get a moment of inspiration, or it's after breakfast and I'll feel that urge of "I've got a bit of down time" or something. Regarding my process, I have no problem restarting significant parts of my work especially if I was unsatisfied with it originally but pressed on thinking I should get the shit on the page. This sets me back about an hour or two; I have made it to the final stage, got a second look and went "...shit" and made the necessary corrections. And I will step away from it for in-between an hour or a week (I've clocked 2yrs max) from my art mid process because of my frustration.
Pick any piece and I can show you what part of it took too long, pinpoint what was wrong with it and all that

Soho:
I will do that, but I will fold it into some next questions.
As an artist myself I sometimes draw something I am really proud of and then it is disregarded by others or doesnt get as much attention as I would like. I bet you have a similar piece so I'd like you to show us the artwork you are most proud of and tell us why that it. And maybe also tell our readers what you changed about it mid process.

Digi:
Ooo, the main course:

This is a piece that I'm generally disappointed it didn't get as much attention because I thought it was a very cool concept from a youtuber (NeedleMouse Productions iirc): What if a set of video game character belonged to a Lantern Corps (DC comics)? Each color on the spectrum is representative of a trait or emotion that's most emblematic of thr user, thus they get a ring. The most famous is Green (courage/will power) [Lara Croft and Master Chief], Yellow (fear), Red (rage and anger) [Jak], Orange (Avarice) [Daxter and Pac-man], Blue (Hope) [Sonic, Raiden and Kratos] Violet (Love) [Mario] and White (Life/Creation) [Link]

So why did it take so long? What did I have to change? I needed each pose to reflect character personality AND I needed to make the costumes work with their original designs. Lara Croft and her bow, Kratos and his ax, and Link and gear were difficult because I needed their weapons to match the perspective. Having Lara in the foreground specifically was to prevent her gear from being hidden too much. Mario and Sonic being in front and looking at each in a way that indicates solidarity was an attempt to make this group seem more cohesive.

I should emphasize that EVERY WEAPON set the piece back by an 1+hrs because perspective changes, Lara's bow needed the most perspective correction and I gave her the pickaxe because I wasn't confident in my ability to include her mid-draw.

I could go on and on but yes. I want to redo this one day and I might really soon.

Soho:
I'll be looking forward to that!
And maybe to end of this more technically focused segment and slide into the next one. I know you draw a lot of fantasy characters and the piece you showed us features also a lot of subjects from videogames and is crossed with a concept from popular superhero comics, so: What is it you can't stop drawing and what is your favorite thing to draw? I am making a distinction here because, at least in my case, those aren't the same.

Digi:
I can make make that distinction, too. I love drawing interesting and dynamic poses, anything that adds style to whoever I'm drawing. They can be extreme or subtle but character revealing all the same. What I can't stop drawing is flowing articles: hair, capes, loose clothing, sashes and belt. Most if not all of my drawings and interpretations incorporate a flowing asset. Like it feels wrong if I leave it out

Soho:
You know, I never really noticed that most of your works did include the flowing fabric. I always thought it was more of circumstance dictates by the greater subject. Ok the next rubrik of questions might be a bit more personal so if there are any that make you uncomfortabel, you can just write a short statement or opt not to answer.

So basic one first: What motivates you to create?

Digi:
My head is usually flooded with ideas and a wild imagination. It's a drive to being those ideas to life and the more I see them on a page, the more ideas I get. It's a neverending cycle.

Soho:
And what gets you to the state where your head is full of ideas? Is it more of a spark of inspiration or a slow build over time or something completely different?

Digi:
A spark would be one way of putting it, generally derivative of the media I consume (video games primarily because of the amount of player input) both indirectly and directly. And they do tend to build until I get jot them down somewhere, sketch them out or otherwise get them on a page before I try to fully realize them.

Soho:
And do you collect those inspirations in a document or do you keep them in your head exclusively?

Digi:
Some of them, if they are story ideas, I'll write them out somewhere, either in a journal or notebook lying around. Others are stored as screenshots, many transferred from my consoles if they are video games, or they are stored directly on my pc under "Screenshots". I will occasionally scroll through them to jog up any memories or rekindle that inspiration.
Does this clear my head or empty it? No, but its not really the goal, I guess.

Soho:
Thats probably a more healthy alternative to my pinterest benders where I just scroll that place till I want to draw something.

So a bit earlier you said your head was always filled with ideas and inspiration, why do you think that is?

Digi:
I really don't know. It's always been that way for as long as I can remember. Alternate scenarios, expanded concepts, "Where exactly does that door behind my Earth Science professor lead to?" sort of deal.

Soho:
Do you think its that way of thinking that lead you to art or did art reinforce that mindset?

Digi:
I feel like art has moreso allowed it to flourish, I'm not *entirely* sure if my way of thinking as lead me to art but the greater I improved my skills the more experimental and expressive I became. Granted, I've always been drawing things, I have old notebook from preschool and kindergarten of ceiling fans and butterflies, with the occasional Mario.
Maybe "reinforce" is the word for it.

Soho:
Has being an artist have an effect on how you see the world, literally visually but also philosophically, politically, etc.?

Digi:
I wish I had a better answer for this than "I'm not sure." It has made me question and reject the notion of "talent" if anything; a word I've removed from my vocabulary, because I never saw myself as "talented," I just drew a lot, and what I couldn't draw, I learned and improved. Some skills took longer than others. I think it has also influenced my approach to many different problems in my day to day. Like a creative solution; there are a myriad of answers and I'm constructing the one that makes the most sense.
I feel like that answer isn't strong enough, I don't think I see the world in any special way because I'm an artist and my art is moreso a part of me and something I do; therefore, it is subject to grow and regress proportionally to my own character journey through life.
Something like that...

Soho:
That answer is perfectly fine. I do share your sentiment on talent. Regarding art it is still used in a way thats almost paints (forgive the pun) the skill as this essential attribute of a person, which has some reasons that, if discussed thoroughly, would probably break the scope of this interview.

But building on that: What are some influences and experiences that you draw upon when creating, that might not be obvious to the average observer at first?

Digi:
"That might not be obvious to the average viewer..." I could list them, some might actually be more obvious than others: Akira Toriyama, Tite Kubo, Virgil Finlay, Dwayne McDuffie, Akira Kurosawa, Lee Jun-Fan (iykyk)
As for experiences, I tend to hyperfixate on things, mostly video games because I appreciate the aesthetics, design and all around fun they bring. It's entirely possible that my recent art might be born from a song or stupidly hard boss I fought. I hope this answers your question, I find this incredibly enjoyable.

Soho:
I also find this really fun, I think this is gonna be a good first entry into what hopefully will be a series.

Are there any events or experiences that changed your creative process?

Digi:
Nothing significant, my creative process just evolves as needed. I'll drop certain parts of my creative process when they hinder the product or are no longer required. My most recent works tend to lack any visible or deliberate line art, unless I've made it a feature in itself.
Line art served as a visual border for me to define where I put my colors and all, but as I focus more on values, I find less reasons to actually use it I might actually use it more in the future, as lines in comic art characters unto themselves, indicating motion and brightening colors

Soho:
Ive been reading myself about line and volume in art and its history, generally how different art forms were and are still hierarchically categorized compared and overlap. Its interesting.
Also the last few questions are a bit more silly and lighthearted.

Digi:
You might have come across the uses of line weight and all that too and how it's used to convey certain scenes and all that. It truly fascinating.
And ironically, asking me silly questions might procure more elaborate answers, if you are ready.

Soho:
Do you have any other crafts or hobbies outside of drawing?

Digi:
I'm a tennis player, been one for 10+ years, but I've only gotten good at it in the last 3ish. I also love to analyze media, song lyrics and video game themes and the occasional film. My forte is animations, films and other forms, but I'm no animator... yet.

Soho:
I actually didnt know that, you arent very open about this aspect. Do you publish your analyses anywhere or are these just for you?

Digi:
No no, none of my analyses are public, I either keep short notes to help at work or they come up in conversations with my family or friends My educational (undergrad) is in English Literature, so analyzing is what I did on a day to day basis. I applied alot of what I learned during my years as an artist too so things like cinematography and framing will surface too. Not to mention how it enhances (or detracts) from moments in media. I do also look at the writing in video games, but I mostly pay attention to characters because plots in filmmaking arent writing to suit video game structures for various reasons.
This side of me isn't something I'm actively hiding, it just doesn't come up at all in a substantial manner.

Soho:
Completely fair. I have to show you a movie in the future I think you will enjoy, Ive been showing it to everyone and I would like to hear your perspective on it. But besides the point.

What is the silliest or thing least in your wheelhouse, that anyone has ever asked you to draw?

Digi:
Oh shit, first blank I'm drawing. I haven't had such a request actually. That's not to say I wouldn't draw anything silly or weird if commissioned, because I would and it would be pretty damn cool. I'll meet you halfway: I have a sketch that I did of one of my OCs using this male model. Bear in mind, I just thought this would be cool to draw, but everyone in my circle gave me the side eye as if I was coming out or something.

The models tag is in the corner.

Soho:
You should finish the drawing.
Its mandatory.

Digi:
I want to, I just forgot.
I think it was the same week I got my laptop battery replaced, most annoying $200 Ive spent.

Soho:
Yup that shit is anoying haha (anyone reading this, pay this man 200$ to draw smut for you)

Digi:
It was 200 to replace a battery that lasted a year.
Absolute bullshit

Soho:
Planned obsolescence is a bitch of a thing.

Digi:
Yeah, its bullshit.

Soho:
I only got 2 more questions! Then we can close up shop and return to the typical shenanigans.

Do you still have any childhood drawings and would you be willing to share them with us?

Digi:
This picture turns 18 this year:

Its the only one I have currently, many of my other older drawing are back in America. The original is more than likely lost too.

Soho:
You have always been a wahoo bing bing man.

When did you make this?

Digi:
I think I drew it when I was 9 and colored it when I was 10!

Soho:
A multi year effort, impressive.

Digi:
Mario is my comfort character, everytime I have some issues getting past an art block or needing a "reset" I draw a Mario.
Sort of a way to check my progress too

Soho:
Thats honestly a very good thing to do/have.
Ok one last one!

Do you have a favorite meme?

Digi:

Soho:
Honestly a good one.

Digi:
Truly!

Soho:
Thank you for your time! This was a great first one I'd say.

Do you have anything to plug or to say to our readers?

Digi:
Not particularly, I'm letting my Insta die and Im also terrible at giving advice.

Soho:
Fair (thumbs up emoji)
The bugs will remember this.

Thank you to Lali, Som, Alu, Twocupsofsugar, who helped out with the questions.