An interview with Digital artist/Teacher Victor Hugo Harmatiuk
Don't forget to check his Artstation Page and Project Page!
26-06-2017 by Kiger (Kigerneko)
Intro
*Grabs mic*
1. If you had to describe to others, who aren’t familiar with digital painting, how would you describe your job in one or two sentences?
It makes us tired in the end of the day, as any other job. But somehow it is a satisfying tiredness.
Interviews
2. How did you start your digital painting journey and was it something you had always wanted? Was there a back-up plan?
*Did you start with traditional tools first?
*How long did it take to get the ball rolling?
When I was 15 years old I was programming. I didn’t know I was going to really work with digital painting. It all started because I got very frustrated with a relationship when I was younger, after which I decided “Well, I’m going to do what I want now.”. I dropped out of university and started painting.
*I don’t think I get it already. Haha. When you develop your painting skills you also develop your vision You never think you know it all. But to start working with it took me about 4-5 years, but I’m not a very disciplined person so, it’s possible to do it faster.
3. It’s funny to hear you say you dropped out of university in order to pursue an art career. I’ve heard more good digital artists say that! How did your friends and family react when you decided to make a career out of it?
Well, my family is from Brazil and with very simple roots. They didn’t get it at all. It was very hard to insist on that. I had to fight and argue a lot. :(
Now they have and are very proud!
4. Do you practise other (traditional) art as well?
No. Just painting and playing video games.
< I think you’ve done some digital 3D as well.
Oh, yes. I did a little. Haha, you know better than me.
5. Compared to other digital artists you have a very unique painterly art style. What would you call your style and is it something you’re conscious about?
Style is not something you develop on purpose for the most part. I focus on characteristics I like in paintings and interpretation of other artists’ work and try to represent it with the best of my ability. The solutions I come up with are what we call a style.
6. Jack of all trades, master of none. What are your thoughts on this?
I’ve always tried to do a lot of different things for practise which made my portfolio end up being a mix of styles and subjects, very messy. I think you will find a focus some time, but until then, don’t limit yourself as a ‘’specialist’’ in something until you really find what you want. Be a Jack of all Trades.
8. If you could meet one artist (dead or alive), who would that be?
Craig Mullins!
10. Are there things you struggle with while creating art?
I struggle with basic things like anatomy and gesture a lot of times.
11. How do you get (new) ideas for creating art?
By playing videogames and reading, mostly. We need to have things inside our heads in order to paint something. Ideas never come from nowhere.
12. What do you do when you’re stuck?
If your head doesn’t have the information, you need to use references and acquire the information somehow.
So, looking for other paintings, good photography and movies related to what you need are always a good spot to find what you’re looking for.
< Do you ever look at old traditional or classical work or visit museums for that?
I don’t visit museums as much but I’ve always used traditional painters as reference.
13. How many hours on average do you spend on a painting?
It’s hard for me to get past 6 hours. Most things in my portfolio took me about 3 hours to make. As I’ve told you before, I’m very anxious.
< 3 Hours. o_o I expected close to 8 hours.
14. Do you often ask feedback from other people?
For a long time I got no feedback on my work. I used to paint in a very lonely way. Nowadays I ask for more feedback from fellow artists and it’s a very healthy habit to improve your art. But in a way you also have to measure what is valid feedback and what is not. In the end you know where you want to get with your work.
Teaching
15. You’ve told me before that you’re a teacher at an art school you started with friends.
Was that something you had always wanted to do? Creating a place for others to learn digital art.
No. Teaching, for me, was more a necessity in the beginning. Here in Brazil there is no developed industry for our area so it was a good option to teach. Nowadays I love teaching and getting better at teaching involves a much passion and hard work as painting. And I like it.
16. What do you like about teaching and are there plans for expanding the school?
I’ve always thought of teaching as the best thing a person can do. Sharing knowledge is one of the things that makes us being human. So, for me it’s a great accomplishment, being able to share what I’ve learned.
And yes, the school is doing fine. We don’t exactly want to expand the school. I do not own the school, but I know my friends always want to make it better.
17. How many students do you have yourself? Are there international students as well?
Before the school, I used to mentor students from other countries online. Nowadays, they’re all from Brazil. I may have about 40-50 students now.
< Do you teach them in a classroom, online, or…?
Half are in a classroom and half online. The school has an online system, too.
www.escolarevolution.com.br
19. A lot, but not all, of self-taught artists find fine art schools a waste of time and money, and think with dedication and free time one can learn more efficiently and become a better artist. Do you agree and what are your thoughts on fine art schools?
I never went to art school so I don’t have a strong opinion about that. I think there are great artists that have a fine art background, such as Craig Mullins. Therefore I think it depends on the person and the school itself.
Freelance
20. You were one of the 43 renowned fantasy art illustrators who participated in creating the art book ‘Visions of a Thousand Eyes’. How did they find you and did you get a request like that?
They found me through Instagram or Artstation, I guess.
21. It was a big project and I imagine a big challenge for the creator of the kickstarter, Delphin Druelle, requiring good communication with all the 43 artists. Did you have to communicate with the others as well? How smooth did that go?
It was very smooth. I had some contact with them. In the beginning I’d asked them if the project was real and if they had really jumped in, haha.
23. Is it difficult getting and living off of freelance jobs?
It depends. There is a skill gap you have to climb out of before getting jobs. It is not a gradual process, it takes a lot of effort to start your first ones. But after you start and do good jobs, you end up getting them frequently.
< I’ve gotten my first freelance (digital painting) job and I agree. I think it can be a bit scary especially when it’s the first and you know that there’s that gap.
But it’s possible!
24. What kind of people usually asks for your services as an artist?
Mobile game companies and I did stuff for PC games, too. Nothing triple A. Did stuff for board games, too.
Maybe one day…
< I think your art style suits board games well. Or card games.
25. Do you find it difficult pricing your art?
No. In the beginning I tried to price my art trying to think how much was enough for me to live well by painting, and the prices moved around that spot.
But it’s very relative. It depends on your name, on the project, company name…. But in the beginning I based it on myself.
26. Do you prefer short or long term (freelance) work? Why?
Long term and in-house are more stable in terms of income but sometimes also tiring. It depends on your lifestyle.
27. Would you rather work as a freelancer or in-house or…? (in-house = inside a studio office)
I prefer in-house because you have to be very disciplined and organised to freelance and I’m not that great at it.
28. Every year more digital artists pop up and the number of game studios, indie studios, films and books rises, I’d think the demand also rises. Is this correct? Does it have any influence on your work or job?
Yes. In the industry the pressure to be better is very high. It really pushes me to try getting better, always.
Games
29. What’s your top 3 games?
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (favourite)
Also love Magic: The Gathering and EVE Online
< Tactics Ogre is a game? Isn’t that also your name on Deviantart?
Yes, because of the game.
30. Do you have a top 3 list of game studios you like or would like to work for?
ID Software
CD Projekt Red
Naughty Dog
I would also like to work for movies.
< Which ones in particular?
Nothing specific. Good movies in general.
Life of an artist
31. Some of your paintings have bright colours while some have much darker tones. Is this something you do consciously?
Yes. For my own pieces it depends on the mood I want to show or the mood I am in. :D
32. How does art affect your life now? I know. A vague question.
I think living off of art is a lifestyle. It influences my moods and the way I look at things in general. I can sit anywhere and observe in a way other people usually don’t.
34. Looking back, are there things you would’ve done differently in your art career? Why?
Yes. Not exactly painting wise but more in a personal level. I would not isolate myself at the level I did. It affected me. It’s always good to balance things.
< Good tip, too!
35. If you could change one thing about your art, what would that be? I mean, magical instant change.
A better understanding of human figure and gesture.
36. Do you have tips for aspiring digital artists and intermediate artists? What’s a big no-no an artist could do?
I think you have to take your time and do a lot of experiments. Try different tools, processes and the way you look at things. The more you change your point of view, the better is your understanding of what an image is made of.
A no-no would be to forget why you have started and to forget the joy of the process caring only about the results.
< Sounds like very useful tips! Thanks!
< And for the last question. What did you think of this interview?
It was fun. Great questions!
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Thanks for reading this interview. If you want to see more of Victor's amazing work, don't hesitate to check his Artstation Page!