PE -S and R Artist Interview J-u-d-a-s

I've been an active photomanipulator since late 2010, I've used Photoshop in other projects in the past, so had a basic understanding of how the program works. I loved the work I was seeing here on DeviantART & fancied trying it myself. There are many influential artists here, too many for me to list, some are well known, some not so well known, of course, all have had an impact on my own work, I have learnt so much in such a short space of time.

A bit of both really, sometimes I see a stock image and instantly know what I would like to achieve as an end result, other times I try and design around the stock image itself, trying different ideas to see which one suits. I take into account the lighting already on the model, the shadows, expressions,pose, hair & clothing, I like my images to have a semi realistic look to them, not a completely painted one.

It's difficult to avoid using certain 'over-used' stocks, In the end we all like to put our own little twist on the image, we are blessed to have such diverse stock, and for free too! I've never had any problems sourcing stock from DA, I've always found what I required, sometimes I find I have too much of a choice!

The best advice I can give to new artists is the good old trial & error method, I only use Photoshop, I have found this program to be so vast that almost anything is possible, the best way to learn is from your own mistakes, try and find a style that suits you, there are many tutorials available to get you started & to give you an idea of how to achieve certain effects.
The most important thing is to understand fully the tools you are working with, once you are comfortable with the program you are using you can then let your creativity flourish!

Mmmmh, there's always a difficult question, Snozberry..