Ken Barthelmey, Amazing artists interview

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Ken Barthelmey interview

Today Creative-Phlare has had the honour of interviewing the amazing Ken Barthelmey. We want to say thank you again to Ken for this interview, which is absolutely awesome.

1.when did you become interested in illustration/art ?

Ken Barthelmey: I started drawing when I was very young. Even as a child I would pick up pen and paper and draw everything I saw. When ever I watched a movie
or read a book I would draw their characters. I have also always been
interested in comics, it inspire me very much. Telling stories through
paintings is what  fascinated me the most. At that time, I could have
never imagined that my hobby would eventually become my profession. That
makes me very happy.

2. How did you develop your style and how would you describe it?

Ken Barthelmey: I always try to make my painting as realistic and detailed as possible. My goal is to always create believable and realistic characters or
creatures. I don’t like super clean-looking digital paintings, so I try
to bring my CG works in a more classic look, using several custom
brushes. I love the look of real oil paintings

3. How do you come up with a concept for a piece?

Ken Barthelmey: This is very difficult to explain and I don’t even know if I can explain it, because my ideas alway come as a flash. All of a sudden, a
global idea starts to form and takes its own lead… Films, books or
games are always a great inspiration. And listening to music makes me
more creative.
For commission work you usually get a detailed description from the
client. That is very helpful, and I can immediately start with the work.

4. Can you describe a bit about your creative process while creating a
piece.

Ken Barthelmey: As soon as I know what I want to draw, I search through books and the internet to find more inspirations. Animal references for example are
very helpful to design new creatures. The next step is to sketch my
ideas. I prefer to do first a lot of pencil/pen sketches on paper and
don’t use the computer, because drawing on paper gives me a different
feeling. With classic drawing you often get a ‘happy accident’, that’s
very helpful to find some interesting shapes. When I was happy with the
sketches, I scanned it into my computer and proceeded it digitally.

5. How would you describe your daily routine?

Ken Barthelmey: After breakfast I always check my e-mails first, after that the work can begin. usually the day looks like a normal working day. As a
freelance artist you can arrange your days.. however I prefer to have a
planned working day, because it’s very important to keep your deadlines.
Fortunately my job is also my hobby so it can happen that I work in my
free time, as well. Besides the painting I also like do a lot of sport
activation. I think that is very important, sitting the whole day at
your desk without much movement isn’t really healthy.

6. What five things do you believe are really important for every
illustrator.

Ken Barthelmey: I think there are hundreds of important things, but in my opinion these
are the most important:
1) Have fun! Passion and fun, I think, are the primary things you must
have as an illustrator.
2) Don’t get discouraged! Nobody becomes an master over night. Every
work you make is a preparation for the next one…
3) Try to do your best for every work
4) Try to beat yourself by learning from your mistakes.
5) A lot of experience and fundamentals.

7. Do you have any advice anyone new who starting out on this kind of
business.

Ken Barthelmey: Do not cow down! Every start is difficult. When you have the passion
and love what you are doing, nothing can hold you back!
This was my first year where I’m working as a professional artist. I
am newcomer myself and know how difficult it can be at times. You should
have a lot of goals in your live, it makes a lot of fun to work and
reach for them!

So that’s it for this interview. We hope you enjoyed this article and please make sure you follow Ken on his website and  his facebook. A true inspiration!

See Kens Portfolio here

Follow Ken on facebook

Thank you again for the Interview Ken and keep up the fantastic work!

Read more Creative-Phlare interviews here

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