EDDIE ATCHIS ON ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH A G E | 18
I N S T A G R A M | @ed d _at c hi son T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop CC, W acom Gra phics Ta ble t
DESCRIPTION // This illustration started out as an investigation into colour theory and combinations above all else – even before I’d settled on a theme or idea. Each of the four quarters reflects a different season of the year (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring), represented by the colour of the background (background colour being the most dominant). This then leads into the least dominant section, being the eyes. The abstract/underwater imagery came about due to my own personal interest in psychedelic and abstract art styles. This illustration acted as a personal extension of my usual style into the more abstract - something that I was really striving for at the time. The bright, flashy, contrasting colours act as a representation of the panic and confusion you’d experience if you were on the verge of drowning underwater, and the dreamlike imagery helps to turn what I think is quite a dark idea into something beautiful. DESIGN PROCESS // My design process began with a rough sketch with an opaque brush setting, where I was essentially just trying to create a character for the scene with obscene/unreal facial proportions (I spent a little bit of time playing with facial composition before I settled on this one). I then drew each shape of the face on different layers (i.e. the red skin, the blue hair, nose and mouth, and the purple eyes) with a hard brush to create sharp, clean edges. Feeling like it was missing something, I outlined the eyes and other facial features with a thin black brush, adding the monobrow along the way. As a way to balance the colour proportions and visual weight of the image I added some abstract shapes such as the squiggly line and the bubbles either side, which helped to finish off the design. Once happy with the design I simply duplicated the layers 3 more times and changed the colours to suit my idea for the seasons of the year. How would you describe your style? I usually describe my style to people as strongly aligned with pop-surrealism – I really enjoy being able to think of the most obscure, unsettling and abstract ideas I can come up with and bring them to reality through illustration. I also draw influence from psychedelic artworks. I love the loud, bright, warm colours and long, flowing lines and aim to incorporate these elements into my designs frequently. Who and/or what influences your work? My all time favourite artists are the Instagram power couple @kliuwong and @lukepelletier. Kristen’s usually obscene, wild visuals depicting people, often women, in otherworldly scenarios and use of bright neon colours are my idea of the perfect art style. Her comfortability with portraying the human body is also something that I think is extremely cool. Luke’s style is similar in aspects but is a bit more vintage retro and has a what I’d describe as a ‘tropical’ influence. Both artists have very clean, sharp shape and pattern based styles which I absolutely love (you should definitely give them a look). If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would be a golden retriever because they are the absolute cutest animal to ever exist and it’s impossible to not love them. They also get pampered by wealthy suburban families and to be honest I wouldn’t be complaining. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? I am usually a huge rap/hip-hop head (I listen to a stupid amount of music daily) but if I had to choose just one song it’d be the not even remotely rap song Say My Name by ODESZA because I’ve been listening to it frequently for 4 years now and it’s one of the very few songs I’ve never stopped loving.
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