Chitchat: Xtian Torres

Your Full Name
Xtian Torres

Tell us about you.
I am a 19 years old art student from Philippines. I mainly use digital media to create artworks. I make sketches on paper and color it digitally.

I am an introvert person and I find my brain working at its maximum when I am alone. I always find opening a conversation, quite hard that’s why I tend to keep my mouth shut most of the time. My dream is to be a successful freelance artist someday.

When was the first time you fell in love with the digital art world? And why?
I can’t remember the exact time I had interest in making digital art but in my estimate, it was 6 years from now when I tried to play around with Photoshop. I was also assigned as a designer in my former gaming guild and that served as my training ground. My passion grew when I was dragged to a group named Vector X Vexel Ph. They mainly use vector as their medium to create their crafts. I met lots of good artists there. That moment, I realized what I really want to do in my life and what I want to be.

Where are you located now? Do you wish to be somewhere else at this moment, instead?
I am currently living in the Philippines with my family and my gramps. I’d like to travel in Holland, Japan or USA someday.

What makes your works stand-out or different from other digital artist?
I can’t really say because I feel I am still in the process of discovering how to stand out. But I think what makes me different is that I fuse traditional method with digital approach.

Have you heard/visited www.somethingwelike.com before? Do you have any inputs to make it better?
Haven’t heard the site before but I’m glad I was introduced here.

How does working professionally differ from being an amateur in your opinion?
I think amateurs have more freedom on what he/she wants to do. Professional sounds like it’s a job.

If you could meet w/ any artist (one) past or present, whom would it be?
Probably the old masters, Dali and Da Vinci. I’d love to see Mark Ryden and Hikari Shimoda in person too.

Who (or what) is your biggest influence?
Surrealism. I was mainly influenced by traditional surreal painters such as Salvador Dali and Mark Ryden.

What do you wish for this new year?
Personal success for my career as an artist and a lens for my old SLR or a brand new DSLR.

Tell us several good online resources for digital artist you recommend visiting?
I’d recommend www.abduzeedo.com and www.photoshoproadmap.com for those who are just starting out. Deviantart and Shadowness is an automatic pick.

Do you have a style that you relate to the most?
Surrealism since my major influences mostly are surrealists (as I have mentioned before). I am as well trying to imbue my digital work with traditional feel on it. Means I mimic traditional approach in every digital artwork I make.

Can you offer any advice on how to build-up a portfolio / ‘getting your foot in the door’ for our readers wishing to start a career in this line of digital artist ?
Use social networking sites wisely. Make friends online, socialize, and surround yourself with creative people. Collaborate with them. I can’t give much advice on building up a portfolio since mine’s still looks cluttered.

Name 3 of your favorite (art) books/ magazines.
Juxtapoz Mag, Planet of the Twisted Series, Digital Art Magazine.

Do you have anyone/company you would like to collaborate/work together?
I don’t have anything/anyone on my mind as of now. But I have ongoing collaborations with my 2 artist friend. I can’t disclose their names for now because it’s a secret.

What are the digital artist equipment(s) do you currently own?
Epson Scanner, A pen tablet and my old, nifty mouse.

Name 3 softwares that you use the most, and tell us the function of each them.
Everything in my gallery is purely done in Photoshop though I occasionally use Illustrator to live trace my scanned brush strokes which I often use for final retouching.

If you have online portfolio, what is the URL?
Check my works here http://dirteaicecream.deviantart.com/, http://shadowness.com/dirtyicecream, http://dirteaicecream.tumblr.com/.

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