Ben by Glenn Ferguson.
Artists Inspire Artists is all about inspiration, so tell us what inspires you?
Everything around me is a source of creativity. Every smallest event in my life is a big inspiration. For instance random people I meet in the street or the tiniest details I see on a wall… I often spend hours observing things, like unknown people next to me when I’m in a restaurant, trying to foresee what they will say or do. Traveling abroad, going to a museum, watching a movie, reading a book, talking with a beautiful lady, discovering new ways of thinking or new cultures are also sources of inspiration.
Something I've been trying to figure out for a while now, is how exactly do you do your Pencil Vs Camera drawings?
There are several methods. The concept is fairly simple: mix a photo and a drawing, reality and imagination. I sometimes use traditional tools to achieve this and in other cases, I use digital tools. The result is always the same and the drawing is always handmade. The most important is to find nice and original ideas. Traveling inside your own imagination is something really exciting.
Your drawings are very unique, and I haven't seen anyone who does similar work, so how did you come up with this concept?
I’ve been drawing and taking photos since many years, I’ve been struggling to combine these 2 disciplines in single images. When I found how I would do this, Pencil Vs Camera was born.
How long have you been drawing? And were you self-taught or did you take classes?
Yes, I’m mainly a self-taught person in drawing. I started making interesting drawings at 11 yo. I have a degree in Journalism and studied some bits of painting and sculpture in England.
Like most creative people, would you say you "live in your own little world" and you’re constantly thinking about drawing/ design, etc?
Oh, yes, almost everything I do in my life is based on my creative projects. It’s more than a passion, it’s a way of living. I spend the rest of my time with the persons I love.
Have you ever used your amazing drawing skills to pick up the ladies? Like Shia LaBeouf in Eagle Eye. Do a sketch of her on the subway so you have an excuse to talk, haha.
It happened a few times :)
How about I give you three words, lets say, Spiderman, Yoga Instructor, and Bob Barker, could you come up with a drawing?
Crazy combination, I would maybe make a drawing showing the old Bob Barker having yoga class with his personal instructor at a top of a skyscraper, enjoying a beautiful panorama while doing some well needed stretching, Spiderman would suddenly fall from the sky and start to show them what yoga really means…
Is there any advice you would give to a young aspiring artist?
Never give it up! Some people will always be criticizing your work, take their criticisms as lessons to improve yourself. Don't escape from problems, many other people will be there to encourage and support you. Find them. Life is love, energy and inspiration. Believe in what you do. Good luck and I wish you all the best.
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Artists Inspire Artists is a blog owned by Mackenzie Child intending to share articles about art and design.
