So without further ado, let's get this on road!!!

  Glad to have you here! Please give our readers a small background of yourself.

My name is V and I'm from the windy city of Chicago, IL., and trust me it really is windy most of the time.   I live with my amazing and inspirational wife , who for the most part is my source of strength and everything amazing.  She is the Watson to my Holmes as it were. LOL  I currently am just taking a focus on my digital art for a job, but I also tattoo on the side.  



  Intriguing! Please tell us a little about about what you do.

  Well, I'm a digital painter for the most part, though I do sketch with my Prisma pencils and Copic markers here and there, but its mostly at conventions where I do this.  As for the digital aspect I use a Wacom Intuos 4 medium tablet and Photoshop CS5 as well as Painter X.  I use one or the other depending on effects or styles I want though I gotta admit I use Painter way less.  Its not that I don't like it, its that I suck at finding my way around it. XD  I had to teach myself Photoshop and after 6 years I'm still finding new things I didn't know it did.  Sad right!?



   Not sad at all! I've using that program for years and STILL find out new stuff nearly each time I use it When was it that you discovered your artistic abilities?

My mom was the one to actually figure out I had some artistic chaos in my head. I was ALWAYS doodling and sketching from the time I could hold a pencil until now.  Since I'm adopted I have no idea where my creative juices came from but I credit my dad with that one.  He was always drawing with me and watercoloring for me when I was little.  I still have a watercolor painting he did for me when I was 8!  Its a few tulips and a bee.  It's my favorite piece of art.



  WOW! You know I watch your live-streams VERY often [GREAT music, btw ] What's your process like when you go in to create a piece?

  I LOVE to Live Stream though lately I have been failing at actually getting the time to do one.   I suppose I think of the pose first for the character or characters I want to draw.  I use a light blue color to roughly make a diagram of what I want the piece to look like.  Then I go over that in a new layer with a darker blue then more layers up to a charcol black to put in details.  Then the fun part happens.  I get to decide on gray scale or color.  Thats actually fun for me as weird as it sounds.  I love both!



   Aside from making art, what is another hobby that you feel truly passionate about?

  Besides drawing I love to make jewelry. I was inspired by 2 things. Drawing Voyd and painting all of his chunky gothic rosaries, and the necklaces my friend Lukas Rossi wears onstage and off. I make them now using crystal and glass beads and have shipped them all over the world in painted wooden coffins. Yes coffins. Those are a hell of alot of fun to paint. What better to ship them in!



  CRAZY!!! That's so cool! Getting into specific works of yours, I'd like to start with "SCAR". WOW! I totally called it too when I saw that image I was like "That's a human Scar from the Lion King!" Please tell us a bit about how you came about making this one.

  Scar was a totally random thing that popped from my head.  I was talking to my wife about humanizing animated animal characters and what they would look like.  I instantly said Scar because he was my favorite cartoon character from the moment I saw the Lion King on the big screen.  He was SUPER fun to paint and in my head the entire time was Jeremy Iron's voice.  I really tried to bring focus to his eyes and hair, trying to keep him lion like even with human features.  I want to do more of these sometime.



  You totally should "Biomech Medusa" is a very original take on the legendary character. This looks like something I'd expect to see in "Heavy Metal Magazine" (one of my favorite magazines ever)! It kinda has this H.R. Giger-vibe, while still being completely your own style. How did you come up with this idea?

  That piece popped up from a random sketch I was originally going to scrap while I was at the tattoo shop.  I just hated the original and really had no inspiration to do more to it until I started to look through a random Giger book and my brain went into ALSKDFJLSKJDJSDHF mode.  I had never painted anything bio-mechesque before so the challenge was really good for me.  I worked on it super zoomed in for detail and it took me almost 30 hours to complete from start to finish.  It was worth it though as this was a contest piece for Anime Central 2012 in which I won best in show digital for it



  CONGRATULATIONS for that! Gotz to LUVZ H.R. Giger! In addition to your incredible fan art, you also have a HUGE assortment of original characters. I must say this right now. If the word "SEX" was personified, VOYD would be the face of it!! Give our readers a small background on who Voyd is, and how he's come to be your signature character.

  Voyd is smirking and arching his brows.   Thanks for getting his ego all riled up.   Dear Lord.  Well, Voyd was an accident.  Seriously.  It was storming one night while I was drawing and couldn't sleep.  I was doodling really when he just sort of happened.  The next thing I knew I had Voyd and his iguana "Agave."  I'm glad for insomnia sometimes.



  God bless Restless nights! "Carnival Reject" is a stunner! I. WANT. THAT. HAT!!! What was it that inspired you create this piece?

  I want that hat too!  If you can find someone to make it let me know. Seriously though on all of my Voyd pieces I think thats the most seen comment.  I want that hat.  I want them too people!!!    I really like the idea of dark carnival clothing.  Let me be honest though.  I HATE CLOWNS.  There.  They scare me.  Alot. So no clowns will ever happen, BUT I love designing punkish clothes with that theme.  Carnival Reject was way more popular than I ever imagined so I continued with that theme for a while.  Its still fun.  Man I want to go draw now.....damn you!



  "Inked" is just plain and simply beautiful. I love that you gave him a pet here. How did you come up with Voyd having an Iguana as a pet, as opposed to a say a dog or a more traditional domesticated animal?

  Thanks!  Agave (his iguana) was something I thought fit his persona alot.  Voyd is just plain weird. He loves macabre things like skulls, voodoo, and stuffed dead things.  He isn't the puppy or kitty type at all.  They are too fluffy for him.  Instead I envisioned him with something colder and since I had an Iguana when I was younger I thought it was perfect.  Agave is like a dog to Voyd however, as she has a harness and he takes her for walks, as well as having a huge myriad of collars for her to choose from.  She loves strawberries.  Thats her vice.



  "Illusion" was among the first images I ever saw of yours and immediately knew that I was gonna be a HUGE fan of yours. I have to use this image to bring up an interesting topic. One thing that I LOVE about you is that you enable us to download HUGE-high quality renders of your art. You really can't see just how detailed your work is until you download it. I see a lot of artists who upload only small files of their work. But you give us a REAL treat here. Why do you enable us to just be able to download such high quality version of your art? (this is totally awesome of you too )

  I suppose letting people download high res. pictures is an open invitation to art theft, but if it's going to happen it is.  I don't think the world will ever be rid of them.  On alot of my pieces I let people see the higher resolution images because of the time I spent detailing the crap out of things. Things you might not see if you just glance over the image.  With the high res. the details are big and in your face to look over.  Illusion is a really good example of that.  I spent SOOOOO long on that hat my eyes almost went crossed. I had to upload a bigger image so people could see it.  



  That's very kind of you, and I LIKE your pholosophy there too I also enable pretty much the full quality for downloading. I am a sucker Kingdom Hearts-related stuff. And I must point out to our readers how beautiful they are. What is about Kingdom Hearts' characters that drives you to make these fan pieces?

  I got into the fandom REALLY  late.  I don't draw what's popular to gain followers and viewers.   I draw what I'M into at the time.  My wife and I decided one day to pick up the first and second games and found them to be sort of addicting really. The second with the Organization members was just pure sexy though. I fell in love with alot of the members but mainly Xaldin and Luxord.  Fan art ensued.  It just happens!  Now my current obsessions are the Avengers and Sherlock Holmes



  Any chance that we'll be seeing more fan art of anything Square-enix related in the near future? Hint, Hint: "Noctis Lucis Caelum" from Final Fantasy VS XIII.

  I actually have a WIP painting of Noctis that I haven't had a chance to get back to as well as Cauis and a few others.  I love Square.   They inspire SOOOOOO many amazing arts.  I remember playing FF7 when it first came out and falling in love with it.  I've always been a huge fan and meeting Nobuo Uematsu (the composer for most of Final Fantasy's music) was such a cool experience.  He signed my wifes arm in Japanese and I tattooed it on her arm that night.  We are Final Fantasy nerds.  HARD.  Always expect fan art of some kind from me in that department!



   That's so great! I met Nobuo as well at the Game Developer's Conference in 2005 Inspirational for sure! How did you discover DeviantART?

  What do you want!  I don't remember what I did yesterday.  Or.......where am I right now?  Hello?  Anyone?....Just kidding.   I honestly think a friend told me about it but I don't know. X____X



Are there any artists here that you particular look out for. Like the artists that you look up to here?

  Holy crap.
  BOOOOOMER.  I love not only her art but her personality.  She's crazy, out there, and fun.  I think its her lines and the way she captures eyes and expression.  Always someone I look up to and love. Not to mention I love her sigificant other Boogie and her art as well <3
- Audrey is a HUGE inspiration to me in the way she paints and her art always makes me smile.  
  Jay is one of the nicest guys I've ever met and he's a great comic book artist, so much so that I got one of his fan arts of Voyd tattooed on me arm.  He inspired me to start drawing traditionally again with inks and for that I can't thank him enough.  

There are SOOO many more but these are a few off the top of my head.



   Where would you like to take your art to next?

  I would love to get to the point that I could just do conventions but thats probabally not going to happen.   Im actually pretty happy just having my own company and doing my own thing.  its rewarding and its not stressful to me.   I would LOVE to do a cover for Marvel.  That would make my life I think



  That would be very epic indeed! What is the ultimate message you'd like to have your fans take from your art?

  There are really no hidden easter eggs in my art though my watchers who really know my original characters are amazing.  They point out when I miss a piercing or something on Voyd's hat that I put there for them. I try to convey a feeling or emotion in all of my art by either color or expression.  I think both, if used properly, are powerful tools in art.



  You have quite a huge following with your art! What kind of advice would you give someone who wants to expand their audience with their art, but are having difficulties in doing so?

  Keep at it. When I first started posting my art 6 years ago I was painting with a mouse.  It took me years to get into using a tablet and to get to the point I am.  I still have a ways to go but things are looking up   Just don't listen to the haters.  The world is full of them unfortunately.  Draw what you want and find inspiration in things like music and nature. I can't ever draw without music of some kind.  Also, fav what inspires you and tell the artist why!   You might get a watch out of it!



  VERY good advice! I hope people try this out. Any last words you'd like to share with us?

  Uh like advice?  Haters Gonna Hate.  Try to surround yourself with positive people even if that means cutting your circle down to a few people.  Its always better to know a few awesome people than a hundred fake ones.  Oh and I love my fans <3  Alot.



  Thank you VERY much for your time and I am gonna be continuing to stalk you gallery as much as possible MOAR VOYD!!

  I'm on it!  Promise.  He won't die until I do. Thanks for doing this interview!  You're amazing! <3  








So there you have it!!! Another artist for ya to check out, and i hope ya enjoyed this interview! This is a VERY special one to me Make sure to check out 's gallery and fave a few things while you're there! Until next time, Seeeeee YA later!!!