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Por Ana Thomas Fotografia Jean Fondeur

I'm sure some of you might have heard his name, seen his awesome wallpapers,

or are already using one of them. Portal is pleased to bring you

an interview with this digi-tal artist, Vlad Gerasimov,

who is from Irkutsk, Rus-sia. He runs Vladstudio which specializes in creating wallpapers for computers and

mobile devices.In this interview, Vlad shares with us his hum-ble beginnings as a designer and how he

got started with crea-ting wallpapers as full-

time self-employment. He also shares his ideas,

inspirations, and future plans. Vlad has a unique style

of illustration, with simple lines and shapes. His work has great the-

mes, which promises to win the hearts of viewers and make them happy! So let's move

on to have a digital chat with him!

1. Hello Vlad, how are you today?

What are you working on at this mo-

ment?

Hi! I'm very well as always, thanks! :-)

Right now, I am having my morning

coffee and finishing my new wallpa-

per, "The Traveling Tree." The artwork

itself is completed, and I'm busy sa-

ving JPG files for all possible formats

(for 2,3 monitors, mobile phones,

etc).

2. Tell us about your background,

where are you from? How is a typi-

cal day for you?

I was born and have always lived in

Irkutsk, Russia. It is located near lake

Baikal, the deepest lake in the world

by the way. I received economical

education, but never spent a minute

working as an economist! I also play

piano and guitar, and dreamed to

become a rock star.

My typical day may seem not so

interesting. I spend most of day at

home, sitting with my MacBook Pro

(because I am a home-based wor-

ker). I reply to e-mails of my websi-

te visitors and clients, maintain and

improve my website, and of course,

I always draw something in Photos-

hop.

3. How did you get started in gra-

phics and the digital art field? Please

describe the evolution of your work,

from your first project to the present

day. Do you freelance full-time?

My father and older brother are pro-

grammers, so I had access to very

early computers since my birth in

1981. But I did not use computers for

design until my brother needed de-

signing help in 1999 - he needed cus-

17

tom

"skins"

to replace s t a n d a r d

Windows controls (such as buttons,

scrollbar, etc). So I learned Photos-

hop a bit and started making inter-

faces (skins, icons, other graphics for

software). Over time, I also learned

HTML and PHP, then started making

web sites.

I worked as a designer in a small

company for some time, then I de-

cided to try working for myself,

and started my own website -

Vladstudio. It was only a de-

signer portfolio at first. While

working for various clients,

I played with Photoshop

and created artworks, just

for fun. The idea to publish

these artworks as wallpa-

pers was very lucky for me -

over time, my wallpaper were

more and more popular. So a year

ago, I decided to stop working as a

freelance designer, and try to make

my living only with wallpapers. So

far, it works!

4. How do you mainly produce

your art? Can you give us an insight

into your creative process? Do you

sketch your works out by hand first?

I actually have many tutorials that

show typical workflow. Yes, I start

with pencil sketch of a wallpaper

most of the time. Then I scan it,

open it in Photoshop, create basic

shapes with vector tools. Then I add

shadows and highlights with large,

soft brushes, then add all the little

details.

5. I love how you design the

beautiful wallpapers. They have

great themes, lovely colors, they

are detailed and proportionate.

How did you develop this simple

yet appealing style?

Hmm, I think it was not intentional,

this style developed itself. :-) May-

be part of the reason is that I spent

a lot of time making icons, and

therefore my art inherited some of

icon design principles - clear lines

and details, pseudo-3D, etc. Other

reason is that I like to draw things

that skip your brain and go straight

to your heart. This style of drawing

helps me to

achieve that.

6. When did you launch your web-

site and what is the most important

thing that you accomplished with

it? Why did you choose to distribute

your artwork as wallpapers?

Hmm, I will need to check with my

archives, I don't remember! :-) My

first website was art.softshape.com

(not online now) and was a subdo-

main of my brother's website, www.

softshape.com. My current website,

vladstudio.com, is very important to

me - because it is actually my only

source of income now!

I distributed my artworks as wallpa-

pers because I wanted people to

use my art, not only look at it, then

close and forget. Wallpaper design

has some limitations (should be dark

and not too busy), but I am OK with

that. I also believe that the huge

part of my success is many extra

features. Right now, my website vi-

sitors can:

• Set my art as a desktop back-

ground, or background of mobile

phone (almost 70 screen sizes are

supported)

• Send my art as e-cards

• Buy posters, t-shirts, mugs, etc

• Learn from design tutorials

• Change wallpapers randomly with

a Companion program

• Have my art with a clock on their

desktop (wallpaper clock)

• I am working

on ma-

king

b l o g

templates (in-

cluding Wordpress themes) from

some of my artworks.

7. Most of your works has ani-

mal or nature themes. How

does nature influence your

creativity? What are your

main sources of inspi-

ration, any particular

artist(s) or website(s)?

Yes, many of my

recent works look

like they are de-

signed for children

(many adults like

them too though).

There are too many

artists that inspire

me. Often, I stumble

upon another artist on

the Internet that draws

so much better that me!

That challenges me, and

I try to constantly improve.

As for particular websites, I

find a lot of good art at devian-

tart.com, and I always check out

russian photo site, photosight.

ru. General inspiration-

related sites, such as

smashingmagazine.

com, are good

too.

8. Of all the

work you've

created, can

you name

a couple of

them that you

have a special

love for or con-

nection to?

Every artwork is as a

child, you know I think

the most special for me are:

• Learning to Fly - don't know why,

but it resonates with me

• Planet Earth - Inversed - that's my

most popular artwork ever

9. Aside from your design work you

also seem to enjoy writing Photos-

hop tutorials, can you share with

us your favorite Photoshop

trick or technique?

I would be careful picking

a trick just for the sake of a

trick. The worst you can do

in Photoshop is to design

something that says "Look

how I can do it!"

Always use tools and tricks

that help you tell the story, not

only because they're cool. Sorry,

that was necessary to say :-) and

replying to your question, I think

my favorite small trick is fast

hair,

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because I invented it myself,

without any advice.

10. Since your artworks and illus-

trations mostly have vector style,

why not choose to design them in

Illustrator instead of Photoshop, or

maybe start them with Illustrator

and polish them up in Photoshop?

For several reasons. First, I'm too

lazy to learn Illustrator. :-) Then, pure

vector drawing is not for me too - I

use vectors for basic shapes, but

most of work is done later done

with pixel tools. And for this purpo-

se, the vector tools of Photoshop

are quite enough.

11. Do you have any specific plans

for the future direction of your art-

work?

I really hope to keep making art

until I am very old and have lots of

grandsons. Also, I find myself more

and more interested in illustrating

for children. For example, I just finis-

hed a set of 12 artworks for a Czech

toy manufacturer. When I improve

enough, I plan to start working on

illustrations for "Little Prince" (maybe

in 2-4 years I hope!). And of course

all my artworks will be published on

my website as wallpapers for your

desktop.

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TITLE: Paseo fuera del jardinARTIST: Gerard EllisWORK DATE: 2009CATEGORY: PaintingsMATERIALS: mixed me-dia on canvasSIZE: h: 92 x w: 70 in

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31

Con Chuck Anderson

Success comes with time and effort, and we can see a prime example of that in this weeks interview. As an ex-tremely bright veteran of the design world Chuck Anderson has done a ton of work for large corporations such as ESPN, Reebok, and even created al-bum covers for artists like Lupe Fiasco, and FallOut Boy. Chuck shares some im-portant tips with us and gives us a look at his book "Wandering Off Into Space". So check out this interview and also check out that book, the proceeds go

to charity.

1. Welcome to Portal, please in-

troduce yourself. Could you tell us

where you're from and how you got

started in the field?

My name is Chuck Anderson and

I've been running my studio NoP-

attern for just over 5 years now. I'm

originally from the Chicago area but

currently reside in understated and

quietly cool Grand Rapids, Michi-

gan. As for how I got started, I've

said this in a million interviews, but

after high school I decided to take a

break for a year before I went to col-

lege. During that time I was working

on getting my personal art and de-

sign out on the web, in magazines,

etc. and work started coming to me

as a result of that.

In around the spring/summer of 2004

things really started to snowball and

I got busy enough that I decided I

would move forward with it and

never look back, totally bypassing

school. I had the support of my par-

ents (I was 18 at this time) so I just

went after my dream of being a full-

time artist and designer as my own

boss. Looking back sometimes I can't

believe how well it's worked out. I'm

very grateful to a lot of people.

2. You are currently selling a book

called "Wandering Off Into Space."

Tell us what we are in for if we do

decide to purchase it.

It's a look back at my work from the

last 3 years or so, since I put out my

last book in 2006. A mix of person-

al and commercial work including

drawing, photography, illustration,

and Photoshop work. It's really a

supplement to my online portfolio,

NoPattern - kind of a more perma-

nent version of the site, something

tangible to hold and show people in

real life.

3. Now give us some reasons why we

should buy your book over the many

other design books out there?

Ha. Put me on the spot like that! I

don't know, because I'm donating

portions of sales to Invisible Children

and it looks nice on a Nelson bench

or coffee table.

Por Josmeiry HernandezImagenes y Fotografia Jean Fondeur

35

4. What initially made you want to

create a book of your work?

I think it's really, really unfortunate

that so many artists let their work

live almost exclusively on the inter-

net. Art and design - it's great seen

on the computer screen for sure,

but it's meant to be seen on walls

or in a book, properly printed and in

context of a page, rather than pix-

els. At least that's my opinion. Both

are necessary, but I just love going

above and beyond the regular old

portfolio website.

Everyone is an artist or designer the

moment they put up a site with a

few designs on there. It takes a little

more seriousness and dedication to

invest time and money in producing,

promoting, and selling a real actual

book. I would encourage everyone

who can to try doing it. I can also

say from experience that being able

to send a potential client a few cop-

ies of your book overnight really can

seal the deal on winning work. It's

worked wonders many times for me.

Great way to help you stand out

from others you might be up against

for a new client's work.

5. Many of our readers might not

know, but you were the designer

of the critically acclaimed album

"Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor."

Could you walk us through the

whole process, from being con-

tacted to creating the cover. And

did you work hands on with the

artist? Or did he give you a specific

outline for the cover?

Lupe is a really visionary artist who is

in a great position to promote fresh

art and design. He contacted me

after I met with him several years to

do photos of him for LTD Magazine

- we met in person in Chicago at

St. Alfred's for that photo shoot and

stayed in touch after. As for the pro-

cess, he had this crazy skateboard

with an illustration on it that inspired

the whole look of him floating in the

air with things around him.

We met up at a studio in Chicago,

I did all the photography of him for

the cover and back cover of the

booklet, then shot all the photos

of his belongings that are floating

around him. So the vision and con-

cept was all his - as for the aesthet-

ic, production, and execution, that

was all mine, inspired by his words

and thoughts for it. Turned out really

cool - a very memorable cover for

a unique artist.

6. You have a very large client base

ranging from companies like ESPN to

Reebok. How does a designer build

up a strong clientele?

I hate answering this question be-

cause I've realized there is really no

right answer for it. The way I've got-

ten clients - by contacting people

by email, having my work seen in

as many online and print outlets as

possible and just networking really

hard - I

feel is

a great

way to

do it.

I don't

k n o w

how to

inst ruct

someo-

ne to

do that

- just be

p e r s o -

n a b l e ,

real, upfront, and above all, do at-

tractive work that is memorable and

unique. If you offer up what 100 other

people offer up, you're going to be

just that - one out of a hundred, or

these days, out of thousands. So it

comes down to unique, fresh, and

forward-thinking design mixed with

unending work ethic and a determi-

nation to succeed no matter what.

That's what sets some people apart.

Also, think long term. Don't think that

one magazine feature or one big

client is the peak of your career if

you're just starting out. Look at it as

a baby step to bigger, better things.

7. Can you tell us about your first

Photoshop experience and how

much you have evolved since then?

What is the most important lesson

you have learned?

My first Photoshop experience!? I

have no idea. I remember getting

like, Photoshop 4, maybe even 3,

years and years ago. This is when I

was probably in junior high. We're

talking like 1999 here or something.

So whatever I could get my hands

on then, some limited or educatio-

Always be thinking what's next whi-

le perfecting what's now.

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at it. Never think you've mastered

it, there's always something new to

learn somehow.

8. Are there any specific techniques

you use when designing that you

would suggest to someone who

is starting out in the same field as

you?

There are probably people that

would like to murder me for saying

this, but I've often designed in RGB

first even if the final file has to be

CMYK for print output. I've found

it best to work in the natural color

mode for a screen first, save your

layered PSD, then flatten, then

convert to CMYK (never convert

to CMYK when its still layered...trust

me.)

Then after I flatten, I'll pull the colors

up with saturation and contrast

control. This is really only used in

specific instances where I know the

client only needs the flattened ima-

ge. Otherwise, I'll work from the start

in CMYK. I don't know...that was

probably a bad tip because you'll

nal version, was all I had. I thought

it was great, but so complex. I just

remember using it and working at it

all through high school and by my

senior year it was second nature to

me.

However, I have mostly learned that

you always evolve with Photoshop,

much like any other medium or tool.

The most important thing to know is

that you are always learning. Always

a student to your medium. Even An-

nie Leibovitz said that about photo-

graphy in an interview recently with

American Photo. Be a fan, be a lo-

ver, be a student of your medium

and that's how you'll become great

probably get yourself in trouble for

doing that one way or another! Ha!

9. Thanks again for providing Portal

with this opportunity to interview

you. Any final thoughts for our rea-

ders?

Don't try to be me or any other

designer. Just find out what makes

you YOU. Figure out what YOU

love, what YOU love to do and

create. Sometimes that requires a

step back from actual working and

designing and just looking, listening,

getting inspired, and being a spon-

ge to the world around you.

Don't force things. People who

force things get forced out. Let it

come to you naturally, slowly, pace

yourself, have fun, and do it as long

41

Pringles : Surprisingly crispyAdvertising Agency: Grey Worldwide, Frankfurt, Germany Creative Director: Tim Jacobs Art Directors: Katja Klodt-Bussmann, Peter Schönwandt Copywriter: Christoph Pfeffer Photographer: Thomas Balzer Other additional credits: mo postproduction GmbH, Meike Wittenstein Published: March 2009

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Elefanten shoes: Playbox, 2Take the shoes out and come in!

Advertising Agency: Grey Group / G2 Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany Creative Directors: Birgit Hogrefe, Christoph Knoebel

Art Director: Claudia Sackmann Copywriter: Sebastian Merget

Illustration: Jennifer Eckert Published: August 2008

Mtv eat this adAdvertising Agency: Loducca, São Paulo, Brazil

Creative Director: Guga Ketzer Head of Art: Cassio Moron Art

Directors: Daniel Poletto, Kika Botto, Carlos Thunm Copywriters: Rodrigo Senra, Andre Godoi

Released: September 2008

Blusens: Orgy of the sensesAdvertising Agency: BAP& CONDE , A Coruña , Spain Creative Directors: Miguel Conde, Tony fernandez Art Director: Alfonso Serrano Copywriters: Oscar Villar, Alfonso Molinelli Illustrator: Gael Lendoiro Photographer: Emilio Montero Account Manager: Ana Belen Vazquez Client contact: Miguel Churruca Published: April 2009

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Makita: 20 562 HolesAdvertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Johannesburg, South Africa

Creative Director: Bennie Du Plessis Art Directors: Jade Manning, Jp De Villiers

Copywriters: Bennie Du Plessis, Russell Grant; Musa Sithole Photographers: Simon Scholtz, Harold Webster

Art Buyer: Vernadi Simpson Account Supervisor: Zoe Willems

Account Manager: Skye Capazorio Planner: Adene Van Der Walt

Additional credits: Sagren Reddy Published: 2009

Nikon lens 35-55mm

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Jean fondeurPlaya de Juan Dolio

Rep Dom

Debajo, participacion en la exposicion ‘‘WallRider’’.A la derecha proyecto personal ‘‘je te kife’’ wallpaper

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- LocationSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic- Doing Business AsELTALLER- Creative FieldsAdvertising, Art Direction, Illustration- TagsAdvertising, ArtDirection & Illustration- AdvertisingWork done in a local agency for multiple clients- IllustrationsArtWork done with non-specific purpose- URLhttp://www.behance.net/carloschu