Ani Roschier (ani-r)

Ani Roschier, is a professional digital concept artist/illustrator from Finland, who I have selected to do some research on.

http://colorrred.com/art/environments/very-high-up/ < image reference at this link.

You can find him, and his work on his site, at deviant art > http://ani-r.deviantart.com
He can also be found here, at coloured.com > http://colorrred.com

I asked him a few questions through email, that I thought would be relevant to my research. I am so happy to say, that he has replied to my questions. I will place the questions and answers below this text.

I will also highlight key points in his answers, to label them as noteworthy info.

-----------------


1. Have you graduated from a university?
Yes. I graduated from a university of applies sciences with a degree in 3D visualization and animation (4,5 years of studies). It should be taken into account though, that this did not in any way teach me what I know, quite the opposite. Whatever merit and skill I have in drawing and painting is self-taught. 

How did you start out your career as an illustrator?

I started doing requests for people when I got into the online art communities like Elfwood and dA when I was 13-14, and then progressed into doing commissions for people around 16-17 and around that same time also did my first commercial illustrations for a few magazines and newspapers. Since then I've always been doing freelance on the side and it just sort of evolved into bigger and bigger things.

What is your favourite software to produce digital work with?

3. Photoshop! It's mostly because of habit. I taught myself photoshop as it has always been said to be an industry standard (and it is true) so I've been using it since I was 13-14 and it has become the easiest tool for me.

How hard is it in the industry for an illustrator today, in your opinion?
Define the terms industry, illustrator? The terms can mean almost anything because there are so many types of illustration and art related jobs. You can illustrate storybooks, posters, business mascots or you can work in games as a concept artist or in the movies or advertising and still call your work 'illustration' so its really hard to define. I can only speak for myself though; although illustrating (concept art and production art) for video games is a hugely sought after job at the moment (it seems like something a lot more people want to do than the industry can accommodate) the games industry (especially mobile platform) keeps expanding so there seems to be a demand for new artists... so I'd say it could be fairly easy as long as you set your goals on a realistic level (I cant stress this enough) - you cant expect to get hired for AAA games with zero experience or with little skill when youre really young, you have to start smaller and work your way up to get experience on studio and illustration workflows and so on! Maybe start at a small studio or work as a freelancer for indie developers and move up from there, that is completely doable! As you gain experience with different types of illustration and art production, you can aim higher and yes, maybe work for an AAA studio if you still want it.

Any last tips for being a professional illustrator?
Some of the stuff from the previous question applies. Set realistic goals for your career or dream job. You will fail if your only aim is to work on the next Final Fantasy or something similar. Keep practising and update your skills. Attitude: don't have an attitude; I swear, even if you're really skilled at something but have a bad attitude (uppity, don't listen to criticism, refuse to question your approach) no team will want to work with you. Variety; draw everything and everything. It is unlikely you will only get to draw your favorite thing - therefore, the wider variety of things and styles you can draw, the more guaranteed your livelihood is. That said, specialise on one or two things you really like! Being able to draw a wide range of subject matters makes you a credible artist and is very important, but also on top of that specializing in something makes you stand out and may improve your chances to get to draw your favorite thing. 

I have added him on my deviant art account page, and I will be communicating more with this experienced artist, in the future I hope.




Thomas.