Brent Hollowell
blogspot: http://brenthollowellart.blogspot.com/
cghub: http://brenthollowell.cghub.com/images/
images copyright Brent Hollowell
10 Questions with Brent Hollowell
1.... what medium and tools do you use to create art?
I want to work in the film and game industry, so I feel digital is the way to go for me as far as medium. I keep a traditional sketchbook , but for now the bulk of my work is done in Photoshop CS3. I use a Wacom Cintiq 12wx to draw with.
2.... can you describe your creative process when making art?
There are lots of great techniques and approaches to try out there, and some that have yet to be invented. There are tons of amazing artists out there and they all have different processes. My process varies depending on what I am painting and for what purpose. I experiment a great deal and I enjoy trying different approaches. My main concern is the end result and if I am enjoying the journey there.
3.... what helps boost your creativity?
I look at tons of art, try to stay active in the art community, and I listen to a lot of music and nature sounds . I am a pretty easy person to inspire art wise, I can find something I think is cool in just about anything. I feel like I am on the other side of the spectrum, where instead of struggling with being motivated and inspired, I have trouble stopping painting to sleep , eat , and go outside, so I deal with burnout a lot. Aside from a few friendships and family stuff, painting is all that I do.
4.... what helps you maintain focus and motivation when creating?
That is a tough one. The internet is great for inspiring and learning, but also a dangerous distraction. I try, and fail a lot, to limit internet time when I am trying to focus by just sticking to my music playlists and rain. Motivation-wise, all I really need for that is to open facebook and see the flood of people working hard and getting better at art, or by going to Cghub or something and looking at great art in the field I want to work in. I want to keep learning and improving for the rest of my life and I want to have a stable enough career to be able to provide for a family. Thinking about my work in those terms is pretty motivating.
5.... what is the secret to creating a great piece of art?
I am really not sure how to answer that. I suppose everyone has a different opinion on what makes great art great. I do not consider myself to be a great artist and I don't think most artists do. I feel like with artists, we all enjoy others work more than ours. I mean, I love making my work, but I enjoy looking at other artists work . I am not sure if that makes sense or not.
6.... do you feel its important to follow your passion in your career?
Definitely. I think it is great to explore and experiment, but everyone has that thing they enjoy doing most. Some people may be able to just do this viewing it strictly as a job, but i have to be fulfilled in what I do or at least be going in the direction towards fulfillment . I think you should paint the things you like, do what you enjoy, because when you get a job with that work it will be doing that stuff. I am pretty early in my career, so there may be a lot that i do not know or have a wrong idea of, but i know that i want to enjoy my work.
7.... how and when do you get your best ideas?
Well, I paint creatures most of the time , so I try and look at as much animal/creature stuff as i can, and try to build a better visual library. My painting process is pretty organic , so ideas just pop up all the time. Sometimes it is when I wake up, am going to sleep, when i am in the middle of a painting, or after I have posted that painting. As far as ideas go feel like I have so much to learn and I always feel I could have done things better when I finish something.
8.... who are your favorite artists?
There are so many artists that I really enjoy. I am really enjoying Craig Mullins, Jaime Jones, Yang Qi, Sergey Kolesov, and Alexandre Diboine at the moment, but I look at and enjoy so much art. Traditional, digital, 2d, 3d, and photography, I like a little bit of everything.
9.... do you offer workshops for artists?
No, not yet. I have actually never been to any kind of workshop myself , but hope to in the future. I try to post out helpful things every now and then, like showing process or making a quick tutorial for how i do something. I usually just do this when someone asks me to show them something and i feel like it would be something i should just go ahead and make for everyone.
10.... if you could give other artists one piece of advice what would it be?
As cliche as it may be, stay positive. Negativity will eat you alive and suck the joy right out of everything you do.
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