I had the opportunity to chat with artist Anna Achmatowicz-Otok of Starstorm Studios at The Metropolitan Market. She is a self-taught natural artist with a unique style. Her other-worldly designs are what initially drew me to her work and it was her bubbly personality that made me want to stick around to explore her pieces further.
Her process involves her sketches and/or photographs and multi-media tools (such as Photoshop) to add effects and dimension. Some of her pieces appear as if they were painted on canvas where as others look as if they are straight from a comic book. Anna is just getting her start in the London art scene and is finding The Met a great avenue to do so.
Check out my Q & A with Anna below:
Q: Can you explain your process? I know it is very unique. Do you scan a sketch or photograph into Photoshop?
A: I start of by sketching out several different ideas, sometimes redrawing the same image in different ways to try to get the feel right. Once I have a hard copy though I go out and do a bit of research in lighting and texture. I love huge sky-scapes of clouds in my images, to this effect I make sure to carry a camera around almost everywhere I go. But I don't actually put the photographs into the image themselves, that's a shortcut I can't afford to take as a painter if I'm going to keep improving my skills.
But once I have my resources I start picking colours for the image and I scan in the original sketch. This gives me a good base to work from as I shape light and shadow into the painting. I'll work in Photoshop and Corel Painter depending on the effect I want or where I am in the process. I find that Corel is better for one layer paintings, where everything is drawn right on a digital canvas. Adobe Photoshop is a much more exact tool, the paintings I work on there generally have a lot more detail but a less organic feel.
Q: What is your background? Did you study fine art or graphic design?
A: I have to admit that other than 4 years of high school art I never went to school for what I do. However that's not to say I haven't done a fair share of studying, the internet is an invaluable resource for any artist striving for self-improvement. Over the years I've read a lot of tutorials and befriended a number of artists online. I pick up hobbies that can help me along as well. When I originally bought a camera for myself it was to take reference photos for anatomy drawing. But it helped with so much more than that. I learned about capturing light playing in shadows and how all these things interact to bring colours to life. It's really helped push me farther as an artist.
Q: You cover a broad range of subjects. Where do you find inspiration?
A: Oh wow, that's always a tricky one to answer, I guess part of the reason I can cover a wide range of subjects is because my perception of the world is just different enough. I close my eyes and listen to the buses go by outside my apartment and imagine dragons flying through the air. To me that's just what a bus sounds like. It's an odd enough idea that it makes an interesting image. Sometimes though I just start sketching and the image itself just gets a life of its own. There are lots of stories to tell, for me it's just easier to draw them then write them.
Q: I love the little character you have brought to life. I think you were calling her Alexis. Where did she come from, does this reoccurring character have a back story?
Alexis is her code name for now, until I get to know her better. I've got to say that she showed up about a year or so ago, probably due to my never ending love of Corgis. To me she is the magical half who gets to do all the things I would imagine doing as a child. I grew up as serious bookworm (a fact that persists to this day), being surrounded by younger siblings. It was always fun to come up with outrageous stories to keep them occupied; she is the essence of that. The rambunctious, mischievous and brilliant inspiration, who always takes the next step outside her door in search of an adventure (even if it's in her own backyard, or grandmother's attic)
I hope to have a children's book/comic of her adventures out sometime next year.
Q: I LOVE the poster that you did for Evil Dead: The Musical. Was this the first time you have done a poster for a show? Is this something you would like to do more of?
A: The Evil Dead: The Musical poster I did marks the first time that I've done a poster that will actually be shown to the public. I've done some behind the scenes work on a movie before, but never anything like this. When John Iglesias (http://iglesia.wetpaint.com/) got in contact with me, I just couldn't say no. The guy is so energetic that he just pulls you along. I would love to do more poster work in the future, but my long term goal is to be able to do concept work for a company like WETA who did Lord of the Rings.
Q: How have you been enjoying yourself at The Met? Do you find it has opened up your work to a new audience?
A: I love the idea of an Artisan's Market, and I'm really glad that the Met is here to fill that gap in London life. It really takes away my reason to be a full time hermit though. It definitely increases the number of people who see my work face to face. When I consider who generally browses through my images online, there are completely different groups of people that like my work in person. The great part for me is when two people who would never get along face to face love and buy an image for the same reason. It proves to me time and time again that despite outer appearances we all have things in common, even if it's only dreams.
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Be sure to stop by Anna’s booth when you are down at The Met. I, for one, am excited to see what stories she will bring to life next. If you have any questions about about Anna's work you can shoot her an email at: aaotok@gmail.com. Or click here to check out her work on Deviant Art.
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