Name: Christian Suarez
Hometown: Nogales, AZ
Where You Live Now: Tucson, AZ
KO: How long have you been drawing?
CS: Well I first showed interest in art / drawing since I was about 8 years old. I started drawing more throughout middle school, but really started taking it seriously once I was in high school. I enrolled in all the art classes I could every year I was there and my teachers encouraged me to look into art schools once I graduated. After I graduated I moved to Tucson where I enrolled in the Art Center Design College.
KO: What inspires you?
CS: When I was young I looked at comic books and a lot of animation. I always wanted to work in those fields and would get inspired by them. Nowadays I look at other artist’s work for inspiration. it helps to see what else is out there and I learn a lot by watching these men and women drawing amazing things. I also get inspired by music, movies, every day people and just experiences through out life!
KO: How long do you usually spend on a piece?
CS: Depending what I’m working on it can take from a couple hours to a full day! I usually draw on my sketch books which are 8.5 x 5.5″. Since I don’t do this for a living yet I practice on these smaller books so I won’t spend too much time on one piece, but to draw as much as I can. Occasionally I’ll work on bigger pieces.
KO: What is your favorite medium?
CS: I have more than one favorite medium. I really like ink, graphite, charcoal, and water colors. I really like the comic book style drawings and I try to go for that with my pieces. The thing I don’t like about it is that you can’t make realistic renders with ink. When I want to create something more realistic I use graphite and charcoal. I also do watercolor paintings from time to time. I find it to be very relaxing and it forces you to be creative in a different way that a pen or pencil doesn’t allow you to be. I also like digital art. It’s very different than traditional pencil and paper, but it is an amazing tool to use and the possibilities are endless!
KO: Tell me about your favorite piece.
CS: I don’t have one favorite piece haha. I like them all the same as if they were my “kids”. I learn every time I draw something. The ones I enjoy a lot and get more response from people are the realistic portraits. Of course the take more time to finish, but the end result is something really rewarding. I have one here called “Su-Metal”. She is a young Japanese singer from a band called Baby Metal. I enjoyed drawing that one because I only used a red color pencil. it was challenging to get that realistic look, but I liked the finished piece. The other one that I liked a lot was “Fly”. I had just purchased a piece od software called Black Ink. That was the first thing I created with it. I had no idea what I wanted to do so I just started painting and painting. One thing looked like a bush and another like a branch and I just started feeding off of that and eventually ened up with a fly as a focal point. I loved it haha.
KO: What advice do you have for other artists or those wanting to become one?
CS: My advice for young, up and coming artists is simple. Draw as much as you can! Draw every single day! It doesn’t matter what it is. It’s good to draw everything from people, animals, plants, buildings and pretty much anything you see. Once you decide what kind of artist you want to become you can narrow it down to a few things, but practice everyday! At first it’s a little overwhelming if you’re not quite sure what direction you want to go in, but eventually you will find something that you make a connection with.
Kristen Oaxaca, Senior Graphic Designer
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