For these forums to remain up we need $535 within 9 days. Please donate HERE
We need this amount no matter what to keep this website up. Thank you for your support.
Well... The member-not-from-narutomania-idea didn't really work well as for the replying to questions, hence this time I have chosen somebody who is more than willing to help you with any kind of questions you may have...
Some of you might know him by one of his many nicknames, but I bet only a handfull know him by the name of Khamali A. Simpson.
So hear, hear, what he has to say.
To be honest he answered the questions more eleborate than my intention was (seriously, I couldn't shut the guy up), but he does have something to say, especially about NarutoMania.
So if you have time, be sure to
READ IT.
Istillloveyou,Giovanni<3
------------------ ------------------
Avalantis:
- Could you tell us a little about yourself?
.ceyx:
I have a ton of names, but the one on my birth certificate is Khamali A. Simpson.
Avalantis:
Seriously? I always thought, for some reason it was Giovanni.
Hehe yeah. I was born in Brooklyn, New York [Flatbush], lived there until I was 2, moved to Jersey where my mother gave birth to my first sister a few years later. Shortly after she was born, we [my family; consisting of mother, father, sister, and I - for the time being...] relocated to Florida, where we spent a good 6 years before moving back to Brooklyn.
I'm currently residing in the city of White Plains. That's Westchester County of New York.
I'm into many things but my 2 main goals at the moment are to carve a niche for myself in the vast design industry, and modeling industry.
- How did you discover the world of art and what made you get into it?
I basically came out of the womb drawing. I drew all the time; sunsets, cityscapes, my favorite cartoon and videogame characters, even graffiti. The more things I became exposed to, the more reason I had to draw. But then, for many reasons at a time, --clinical depression being one of them-- I just stopped.
It was rare that a week would pass between me picking up a pencil, sheet a paper and drawing whatever I felt like drawing, but between 1998 and 2002, I must've done that once. In the middle of doing it, I wondered why I had stopped in the first place. I got such a good feeling from it and knew I had to find an outlet for the bits of inspiration that I had been gradually coming back to me.
During this time, I was granted my own computer and high speed internet connection. It didn't take long after that for me to stumble upon the first forum I'd ever registered to; NarutoForums [the first one]. Since I was getting into Naruto at the time, I must've been googling something about it and found myself at a place where fans could discuss anything they wanted to that was related. A Sasuke hate thread forced me to sign up; I felt a need to defend him and couldn't do so as a lurker. But after that, I discoverd what seems to be dwelling at the bottom of every anime forum site; the Graphics Section.
I was mildly shocked at what went on there. It seemed like everybody there had the tools necessary to create the things that I once thought only the pros used. Naive, huh. I started out as a lurker but that was bound to change. NarutoForums went down a little while after I discovered its Graphics Section so I needed a place to go. I ended up at this other anime forum being run by tkblingx2; a fellow member of the recently departed NF who frequented the Graphics Section. We became friends and I questioned him about what was needed to make those "kool" 3D sigs that only a handful of members seemed to bother with. [I already had Photoshop; I bought a copy of it from my friend for $5 but never bothered using it] He pointed me in the direction of suprnova.org, which used to be a huge torrent site, and I aquired my copy of 3D Studio Max 6. After that, I changed my forum name from Sharingan-Killua to ~Mirage~ because I felt, as a "gfx'er", I needed a more suitable name. I began reading some tutorials and got to practicing. Figured out my way around Photoshop and gradually started playing with 3DSMax. The outlet I was looking for had pretty much fallen back into my lap.
During the time following the fall of NF, the birth of NT [NarutoTalk] came about. I didn't know about it until I saw tkblingx2 and another admin of his, Ecstacy, talking about it in a thread on their forum, saying it was run by the same people who ran NarutoForums. My eyes widened; this was my home. tk's forum was kool and all but it was more of a place where tight-knit gundams.net members hung out [that's where ALL of tk's members were from] and I didn't really know anyone there - I was only familiar with tk.
After sniffing out the link to NT, I instantly signed up. It seemed like I was one of the last to find out 'cause it felt like everyone had gotten there before me. No big deal, though; I was mainly there to improve at digital art. Many were fascinated by sigs with brushing and 3D. I didn't even know what the hell brushing was for a good while; all I cared about were animated and transparent sigs for the most part. 3D shit was kool too.
- When you started making graphics, did a lot of people support and help you, as in giving comments critiques and supplying knowledge (programs/tutorials/etc)?
I wasn't really looking for support; I was just content with being in the presence of some of these guys I thought of as my seniors. But whatever amount of support did come to me wasn't any different from what I saw the next n00b get. That is...until I began to improve. Seems like the better you are, the more support you get from the people around you. How I improved was by trying different things. Some people start doing that later on, but I did that early. Reading tutorials was boring, kinda got on my nerves, and ultimately, it was just leading me down the path everyone else was following. Experimenting came more naturally to me.
I should probably mention that this wasn't as consistent as it seems; due to my shifty nature, I picked up and put down digital art a few times. I didn't begin taking it more seriously until a couple months after joining NarutoMania.
- What do you think of Narutomania?
NM is...great. By the very definition of the word...in more ways than one. Its active members are large in number, it's admirable, of considerable longevity, and considerable in degree in terms of significance; for many individual members and as a whole.
NarutoForums [version 1] and NarutoTalk [version 1] may be where I got my start, but I've been here longest and consequently, it's home to some of my better achievements. Not just art/design related.
- And of the Art Section? Did you learn a lot from it?
Hrm, not design wise. The art section of NM is great too. NarutoMania isn't even a forum based on graphics, but still manages to be home to one of the highest concentrations of highly skilled digital artists I've seen on the net. Despite that, I feel there's alot of room for its improvement.
When I first got here, NM was severely underexposed. And being that the style I came here with stuck out like a sore thumb, nobody was feelin' my shit. If your work wasn't brushed and blended, it wasn't done right as far as the elitists and others here at the time were concerned. I did what I could to change this. I stuck with what I liked, continued to post the results of my experimenting, and when TheMonkeyKing, a fellow NT'er, found his way to NM a month or so after I did, he helped me break the monotony.
With the relocating of Liberty Designs [TMK's graphics team] from NF [version2] to NM, the recruiting of KaM who was taught the basics of vectoring and ran with it, LMP, the traditional artist, X2thaU, whose style would soon develop and gain more recognition, and r0ck, whose roots, I believe trace back to tagmonkey, the art section quickly became more varied.
The posting of large canvas works went from almost never to frequent, vector sigs suddenly popped up everywhere, LMP's work drew in fans of her style as well as followers, we obeyed our thirst for sprite sigs, ToothDecay, NM's sickest brusher and once toughest customer started prasing and welcoming different styles, and then carbonmix crashed the party. The bar here was raised drastically. People began experimenting more and found styles of their own instead of taking the typical route. Now, you can easily tell when a sig belongs to Misc., you can tell when a sig belongs to DarkDays, you can tell when a sig belongs to poony, Setlogix, kam, or endlessrain - whereas in the past, it was damn near impossible distinguishing one from the next man's. NM's at a point where it's not easy for a n00b to come and fall into the trap of walking a defined line because n00bs typically go by what they see around them and there are just too many of us here who have a different formula, whether it's immaculately brushed, vectored, minimalistic or full of design elements. And because of that, the average n00b of today's NM improves significantly faster than the average n00b of yesterday's NM.
This, like I said before, is great. But it could be better. In my opinion, too many of us are content with what we already know and don't want to or just don't bother with going a step further. For the bulk of us, sigs are all we've ever done and probably all we'll ever do. And for the handful of us who do work with less limited dimensions, such as wallpapers, CGs, large canvas 3D abstracts, vectors, or other traditional pieces, coincidentally, we're the ones more settled in our ways and have very little urge to post and show our latest work - whether just to share or for critique. When we do, it's few and far, far between.
- What kind of comments did you get in the beginning, and what kind of comments do you get now when you post at NM?
In the begining, it was "Nice, but not my thing", "Brush that more", "Blend this more".
Now? People are more open minded; More exposed. And you don't really end up in a thread without knowing who the creator of the thread is. In other words, if someone whose work you're familiar with creates a thread, you know what to expect by going in there. This will be the 'cover' you judge the 'book' by and will determine whether or not you even bother checking out what's posted. This, I think, leads to comments from an audience that generally likes your work anyway. And with that, you end up with 98% praise. Once your style, traits, habits, and tendencies are defined/settled enough, your work will then define your audience, leaving you with more admiration and less critique. Misleading? Yea, it can be. That's if you rely on one place to give you the comments/critique you feel you need.
- Do you also go to other forums and if so, what forum would you recommend other artists here at NM?
I have a couple, but I visit them so rarely that my answer might as well be 'No'. Although not for their forums, I do visit, browse, and/or share work at DeviantArt, and AnimePaper from time to time. Rarely at Minitokyo, and even more rarely at Tagmonkey. Povism.org has some kool designer people but it's not that active yet since it's new.
Lately, though, I've been lounging with some of the fine people over at depthCore; the community has been revamped and the plans they're putting in motion look really promising. Particularly the "Workshop" for people [barring no one] who need critiques on their works in progress.
- Are you content with your current level of skill? Are there specific areas you want to improve in?
No. I don't think I could ever be content. No matter how far I get, I feel like I've just scratched the surface of what I'm capable of. I'd love to get off my ass and improve my 3D work. Advanced modeling is on my list of things to do as well as advanced vector work. CG'ing I've stopped but not because I got tired of it so I wouldn't mind picking it back up once I get a tablet or something. Once I buy/get a good tablet, I feel that'll add a new dimension to my work, give it more flare. There's so much I'd love to experiment with and incorporate into the work I already do.
- Is there a certain level of skill you want to achieve in the future?
I...I really wanna be good at everything...
I'm sure many will disagree, but I've always felt that the best designer, by default, will always be the one who can do what the next man can do, just as well as [if not better than] the next man can do it. In addition to having his own style and flare of course. Naturally, this is what I strive for. Maybe not earnestly, maybe not 'like there's no tomorrow', but I always try to make sure I don't get stuck somewhere. Try everything, and attempt to get good at everything you try. Don't limit yourself to one thing. And once you've found an area you're exceptional at --moreso than all the other areas you're good at-- then that can become the tool you use to carve your niche.
This isn't necessarily a suggestion; it's just a little pep talk to myself. To many, that method's probably just a waste of time when they can find one thing and keep chipping away at it until they're happy with the results. I, however, have always had a hard time finding contentment in any one thing --this includes just about everything; not just art/design-- and I hate wondering "What if?", so trying everything is the only way to keep my mind settled. So basically, I'm still looking for my niche.
- What are your main strong points? What are your main weak points (in your opinion)?
I don't really know. That's a tough question to answer. If I were to go by what people generally tell me, I'd say originality and free-thinking are my main strong points. My weak points...heh; Uncertainty. Not knowing when something needs more work, or should just be left the hell alone. Probably the reason why 9 times out of 10, something I make will end up as 1 of 3 different versions. I'll dick around with something forever because I either don't like where it is, or like multiple options equally. I'm ashamed to say that when I was a beginner, it was common for me to spend over an hour on a simple sig when most others could crank one out in 15 minutes.
- What technique do you usually use?
Hrm...Well, looking at my most recent works, the common ground they all share happens to be stock work; Whether I'm transforming the stock to make something entirely new or using it to compliment something I've made from scratch within Photoshop. This'll probably change like the seasons soon enough.
- How do you build up your tags and/or large pieces?
For tags, I used to make a background and find something [stock, sprite, etc] to fit it. I don't like doing that anymore because it feels like I have less control over what it is I'm making, and control is very necessary. This goes for large canvas work too; if it's calls for stock work, the stock will usually be what I start with - Design elements last.
- What program(s) do you use?
Currently, I'm Photoshop-heavy. I rarely use anything else. I wanna change this, though because using a wider range of software would likely vary my routine. And to me, that's almost always good.
- Do other artists influence you?
Yes. If an artist is doing something I consider to be impressive or something the general consensus would deem "difficult", it gets my attention. Especially if it looks "impossible". I will then either privately or openly attempt to figure out and make use of the technique[s] while adding my own flare to it. But for me, once I've figured it out and can do it, I usually lose interest in that particular artist's work if it's all he/she is known for and fails to reinvent themselves or switch up their formula. I still respect them for their awe-inducing style or tendencies but I generally just don't find it impressive anymore.
- Do movies or music or another expression of art (like graffiti or something) influence you?
Yes. Though I can't recall an instance when something I saw on television, in anime, or in a movie has caused a light bulb to go off in my head, I know for a fact it has happened on more than one occasion. For example, videogames such as Capcom vs SNK 2, Street Fighter Zero 3 and anime in which fighting is prevalent has helped me to be more illustrative with my brushing. Particularly with sprite tags.
- Then finally, where do you find all those hot chicks you use as stocks?
Haha, Oh wow. I didn't notice this question when you first sent it (the questions, Avan.).
~ Most of my stocks up 'til now were from sxc.hu - It's a royalty-free stock site where you can either use what you find without consent, or ask for the necessary consent by contacting the uploader. You have to register, though.
~ When the job calls for significantly larger dimensions and quality that you might have difficulty finding at sxc.hu, or a picture that's just not available anywhere else, you can pay for it at places like iStockphoto. Having the perfect stock is pricesless, so the price for it is well worth it.
~ Who you know helps too. Such as having a professional fashion photographer as a friend. No advice for that, though. Other than maybe "Move to New York, Cali, Florida, or Paris" :I
~ And if all else fails, try google. You could run into copyright issues down the line but that's if you do anything commercial with what you find.
- And, euhm, what do you think the future will bring you artwise?
Well, coincidentally, my 2 main current goals both trace back to art/design. It seems as if everything I have the talent for is art related. All the way down to writing and my plans for publishing in the near future. For me, there's no running from it, no avoiding it. [not that I'm trying to]
So my humble answer to your question is, everything that God blesses me with in the future may likely, to a great degree, come through art. In one form or another.
.ceyx uses the following program and is able to answer questions about them: Adobe Photoshop.
For more questions about GFX I refer you to the Tutorial section here: http://www.narutomania.com/forums/graphics-tutorials/
Esp. the New Help Thread might be the thing for you! (compare it with the homework thread in the General Section)
lOl, long-ass interview is lo~ng. I hoped it might've looked shorter posted here vs in Notepad but it looks longer...
Spoiler tags were a good idea. :}
And lawl, the only finished wallpaper there is the Fashionista one. I forgot I upoaded those other ones to the gallery...
Now I get to go back to being my quiet self.
__________________
I got a little 'tutu'; I call her Peggy-Sue
When I'm off in the club, she fits right in my shoe
Gotta switch her to my waist, just in case
A clown wan' flip? Gotta reach for my bitch
Wanna act out a movie? I can give you a clip
Now with no adlibbin', nigga; stick to the script
Quite eloquent indeed. Glad to hear you're planning on a future in art, seeing as how you're obviously suited for it. I don't have any questions, only a comment. Great interview to the both of you.
Right. Unfortunally I already have my eye on the next gfx-er.
Acadia or Gio, can either of you drop the old cycloid thread into the tutorial section?
Gio: I knew they were unfinished, but I R t3h Lazy, so I didn't host more wallies via imageshack. Maybe later if it annoys you.
Thanks CS and Farre :]
I have a question for Gio:
If you only use photoshop, how the hell did you get those shapes in the featured picture? (http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3...ankillurp4.jpg)
I always thought you were an Illy-whore.
Acadia or Gio, can either of you drop the old cycloid thread into the tutorial section?
Done and done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Avalantis
I have a question for Gio:
If you only use photoshop, how the hell did you get those shapes in the featured picture? (http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3...ankillurp4.jpg)
I always thought you were an Illy-whore.
Hold on, I'll prepare a little visual walkthrough of a few of my works.
__________________
I got a little 'tutu'; I call her Peggy-Sue
When I'm off in the club, she fits right in my shoe
Gotta switch her to my waist, just in case
A clown wan' flip? Gotta reach for my bitch
Wanna act out a movie? I can give you a clip
Now with no adlibbin', nigga; stick to the script
At this stage, I use Illy quite rarely. I plan to start using it more often though.
'k, here are a few of the pieces people ask about the process behind the most:
After that, all that's left is concept and composition. Which may actually be the harder part to deal with. =\
That was fun to make but I feel I could've done more with it.
This was quick practice when I got bored.
The one I've gotten more questions about, though, is
but the process behind that one is a bit complicated. The most simple hint would be: Shape ~> Lens Flare ~> Transform
Quote:
Originally Posted by carbonmix
I'M JOLLLY BUNDLES OF FUNNNN
And then some.
__________________
I got a little 'tutu'; I call her Peggy-Sue
When I'm off in the club, she fits right in my shoe
Gotta switch her to my waist, just in case
A clown wan' flip? Gotta reach for my bitch
Wanna act out a movie? I can give you a clip
Now with no adlibbin', nigga; stick to the script
11-12-2006, 06:24 PM
[Narutomania's Interview Thread] .ceyx 
![[Narutomania's Interview Thread] .ceyx](http://www.narutomania.com/forums/iconimages/graphics-tutorials/narutomanias-interview-thread-ceyx_ltr.gif)
