Hi Andreas, first of all, thank you for your spending time with us so our CG-Node users get to know you better. Please, tell us about yourself and your background as artist. Where are you currently working?.
Well, I'm currently 31 years old and live in Lisbon/Portugal. Curiously, I was born in Madrid, but I don't remember anything of that time, since I came to Portugal with 2 years of age. I have an architecture degree, and it was during my study that I came in contact with digital art. There was an amateur fantasy art forum called “Elfwood” that I used to participate in and that was when I found out about tablets and everything changed. I had always loved drawing since I was a kid, but painting had always been a difficulty. But with this new tool (Wacom A4 at the time) I was now able to pursue my dream in painting and creating more finished art. That was back in 1997. During the next years I kept practicing and got to know a lot of digital art forums and many awesome artists out there. It was only until recently that I started to pursue a freelance career, doing both 2d digital illustrations and 3d architectural renderings.
Your work encompass many areas: landscapes, sci-fiction, mystery, eroticism - however, they all have something which make them easily identifiable as yours. How do you manage to achieve that in your work? ; the thing which immediately makes you think - "This is Andreas Rocha"!
Muchas gracias...Unfortunately, I don't know my own style yet. I believe my style is a combination of my vices and flaws while painting. I have a lot of idols and I am inspired by them…if my technique was perfect I think I would be able to copy their style with no problem. However, I have a lot of missing abilities, and I think my style is a search to get to be as good as the artists I admire.
Where do all your ideas and influences come from? What is the process your ideas go through; from the moment they appear up to where they are ready to be worked on?
I don't have a rule for that. I have so many different ways of starting a painting, that they all follow a different path from beginning to completion. Sometimes, I am really motivated and I start a painting with a speed concept and then go from there. Other times I make a line drawing before going painting over it. Sometimes I use photographic reference, other times I only use my memory. Occasionally I put a painting I really admire next to my canvas and start painting inspired by that other work and I sometimes I also try and immitate the style.
Sometimes I am inspired by things I see in real life…some paintings like “Gatewah to Hell” and “Fresh Meat” were inspired by settings in Lisbon, which I really love. Other times, movies were also an inspiration, like “Fresh Meat II”, my personal homage to the original version of the movie “The Omen”.
Once you have worked out the idea and decided to start on it, what is your process, in order to finish it successfully? When do you decide you are happy with the work you have done? Which tools do you use?
When I am making a painting with a clear idea (which usually is not the case, since the ideas evolve during the painting process) I make a few small thumbnail sketches to get the values and contrasts right. I also try out different compositions and color schemes. Sometimes, I do several sketches simultaneously so I keep a fresh eye on each of them. Sometimes I use some images as reference or inspiration, be it photos or artwork from other artists.
Once I have settled on a sketch, I might do a simple 3d model in 3dsmax with some textures and lighting applied using the sketch as base and work from there. I bring the render into Photoshop and start painting over it and build up layer over layer. If I don't use a 3d model, I take the selected sketch, size it up and start painting over it.
From there, both these scenarios follow a similar path. From start to finish I might change the resolution 2 or 3 times until I get to the final size. I sometimes also crop the image when the layout isn't working. I usually work in as few layers as possible unless it is a matte painting. The fewer layers I use, the less confusing it gets and the brushstrokes blend easily without worrying about which layer I am painting on.
I keep refining the painting, always zooming out and in. It is good to work in detailed parts but I try to be careful not to lose notion of the overall painting. Sometimes, getting lost in details can be hazardous and when I finally zoom out, I notice it was a waste of time. So, I learnt that it is best for me to work from global to detail and always checking the painting in its entirety.
But, most of my paintings always follow a different path, and that is because I am always trying out new ways to complete a painting. I am still looking for that perfect method (which probably doesn't exist!).
The distinctive features of your illustrations is the amazing treatment of colour and beautiful lighting. What are your techniques to produce this effect?
Again...muchas gracias! Color and lighting in my paintings result from a lot of tweaking and adjusting. The initial colors of the first sketches usually don't coincide with the final version. I don't have a clear idea in the beginning, and I can only see if the color combination works after I get to certain stages. Sometimes it needs more saturation, sometimes less. Sometimes I need more contrast in the front to give the painting more depth. Sometimes the whole color scheme is very bad, and I apply an overall color or Photo Filter to bring things together. What I am trying to say, is that color and lighting result from a process and not of clear ideas in the beginning.
