Name: Bobby Chiu
Location: Toronto, Canada
Style: Original character illustration
Media: Sketchbook Pro, Photoshop, Corel Painter, and traditional mediat interview
Website: www.imaginismstudios.com
It's Art interview:
Bobby Chiu is a freelance artist from Toronto, Canada. He started his career at the age of 17 designing officially licensed toys for companies such as Disney and Pixar. Today, he runs Imaginism Studios and has clients in the movie industry, publishing and web media. He also teaches digital arts and has written many tutorials and articles on the subject. Bobby Chiu’s work is known worldwide and he is recognized as one of the most talented digital artists of our times.
IT’S ART: Can you tell us more about your evolution in digital art and how and why you started using these tools to express yourself?
Bobby Chiu: I started out using traditional mediums and methods. When I experimented a bit with Illustrator and Photoshop 3 I quickly realized that "digital" will be the way to go in the near future. With digital art there is no need to buy paint or canvases and you can take your art with you to work on almost anywhere. You can't do that using traditional materials.
IA: What was the major difference for you when using these new tools rather than traditional art tools?
BC: The main difference is definitely the speed and the time you save. With
traditional mediums, oils, acrylics, chalks and watercolor, everything always took so long for completely non-creative reasons. For example, you have to wait for paint to dry. With digital art, I can paint as quickly as I can think. I'm no longer slowed down by physical laws that I cannot control. I can finally express my ideas instantly.IA: Do you think your way of conceiving artwork has change with the evolution of the technology?
BC: Yes, definitely. I'm always looking for new ways to do things, always asking myself how can these new functions or computer power help me evolve my art? It would be foolish to learn only the basics in digital art and not progress as the technology evolves. Just as artists demand more from existing technology, new technologies also require more from the artist. It's a never-ending cycle and you have to keep up.
IA: What tools do you use today?
BC: I mainly use Sketchbook Pro, Photoshop and Painter.
IA: What is the most valuable lesson you think should be taught in digital painting?
BC: The most important thing is to teach people how to relate the functions in the programs to the common processes of traditional art. Digital art programs are a TOOL—they can only be used effectively if you know what you want to accomplish and how to accomplish it. If you have poor traditional art skills, doing your art digitally won't help you. It's not magic.
IA: Is this much different than what you write books?
BC: No, not really. The tutorials and articles in my books are based on the same techniques I teach in college.
