Welcome to Artist Spotlight Saturday, where every week we'll highlight one of our favorite artists and showcase their work! For our first spotlight, we had the opportunity to interview the amazing and incredibly skilled @shrimpyyt. Shrimpy is an Australia based artist known for his unique doodle art style. Check out his interview with us below!
How long have you been creating art? When did you start using art markers?
I have been drawing for pretty much as long as I can remember, I even have a picture of when I was just three years old pointing at a drawing of the Wiggles I did! But I only started taking drawing seriously when I was about 12, so just over 7 years ago. Then after making a few proper drawings and showing my parents, they were really impressed an339565 d surprised me with my first-ever art markers! It was only like 7 or 8 markers, but I was so stoked!What advice would you give newer artists that have just begun using art markers?
That's a great question! Art markers are amazing and they have the ability to produce incredible blends, vibrant colours and so much more. However, there are many techniques and some are quite tricky too. So don't worry if you can't blend perfectly at the start, as it takes a lot of time and practice! I'd also recommend watching tutorials on YouTube, and by your favourite artists because there are so many useful videos out there explaining how to use markers. But most important of all, keep practising and trying new techniques!Do you have any favorite artists?
Definitely! My favourite artist ever is Vexx , an artist who popularised his unique take on 'doodle art' and inspired a whole community of artists to create art (including myself!) Along with Vexx, I also love Gawx Art and Murakami - they're probably my top 3 favourite artists!
How long does one work of art typically take you?
It really depends nowadays! As short-form content is becoming more popular on social media, I have been creating smaller artworks.
What's one work that you're particularly proud of?
One work that I'm particularly proud of is actually one that I never posted on my Instagram, or any social media in fact. It was an artwork I did of my mother and I for my final school project. This one is by far the most meaningful piece I've ever done and the most detailed too.
MAMA AND I by @shrimpy
What inspires you? Where do you look for inspiration?
There are a lot of things that inspire me! I usually get inspiration from other artists that I follow on social media. I love seeing when they showcase their creativity and their unique way of thinking. However, the thing that inspires me most is when I'm able to have a positive impact on my followers and community. Seeing that there are people who are inspired by my artworks, that inspires me the most. It's truly incredible that I can have the same effect on people that Vexx had on me.
What’s the most important advice you could give to an aspiring artist?
Create art you love, and fall in love with the process of creating rather than seeing likes and views on your posts. With how big social media is nowadays, there are just so many opportunities and resources! But most important of all, try your best not to get overwhelmed and fall into the trap of comparing your art to others. Only compare your art to yourself to track your progress, and don't give up. I believe in you!
SPACE RANGER by @shrimpy
What does art mean to you personally?
Art means everything to me! It used to simply be a hobby of mine, where I could draw my favourite TV characters or sports players, but now it's my whole life. It's quite hard to put into words what art means to me, and this might not be the best answer, but art is just so cool. The way that you can literally draw anything in all these different styles while bringing together people, that's just amazing.
What is your favorite Ohuhu series?
My favourite Ohuhu series is by far the Honolulu series! The brush nib makes blending super seamless and the chisel tip is always helpful for filling in large areas.
If you could only keep 5 colors from your Ohuhu collection, which would they be & why? That's a tough one! It would have to be E090 , as that is my go-to base colour for colouring faces, RV010 as that is such a nice pink colour to use for soft edges, B120 as it is just the perfect blue colour, V330 as it's another amazing colour for soft highlights, and finally P3 as it's one of the first Ohuhu markers I ever used!
TO THE MAX by @shrimpy
