1. Tell me a little bit about where you were brought up and the area
you now reside at.
I was born and lived the first 12 years of my life in Olsztyn, Poland. It's a
middle size city in the north-east part of
the country, surrounded by woods (one of the favorite places of mine). Since then,
I live in Netherlands, but I visit
my Poland almost every year - as much as I can.
2. What are the basic steps to becoming such a wonderful Artist?
I don't see myself as a "wonderful artist", but thank you anyway.
Well, obviously
you need to want to do it. Observe, and practice. Education is just that - whether it's an official
course/school, or one you follow on your own, it all comes to those two things
I guess. I think studying theory is can
also be helpful, entertaining and rewarding, but it all comes down to practice
really; theory can make you a great
critic, but only practice will ever make you an artist.
3. If you were stranded on a desert Island, what things would you
want to have with you?
That depends on how long I'd think to be there, haha. If it'd be for a day or
two, I'd probably wish for some ice
cream, orange juice, a good book, my photocamera, notebook and pencil. I'm not
sure I have the survivor spirit to
last longer then that ;)
4. When did you develop the first piece of art that you were truly
proud of? What was it?
I can't really say... When I think of it, I dont know if I ever did create something
I am "proud of".Though once in a
while I create something I am HAPPY with, like anyone else I suppose. The first
one, I can't really remember... I'd
say it had to be was a pencil drawing (that was pretty much the only medium I
worked with till about 1997) - some
of the sketches I did almost 10 years ago I still like, though now maybe more
for their sentimental then artistic
value.
5. What are your biggest inspirations? Which are your favorite
Artists?
The biggest inspiration (as subject), and my favorite one are people. What inspires
me to draw though is hard to
explain - it's an urge I have had for as long as I remember. Emotions can be great
inspiration to me, and of course
other art I see.
As for favorite artists - there are more then a few. A lot
of great masters (Buonarotti, Velazquez, Vermeer etc), but
also many temporary artists, like Paul Bonner, Glenn Fabry, Simon Bisley, Frank
Frazetta, Richard Corben, Mike
Mignola... a lot of them are comic book artists as you can see.
6. Do you listen to music when you paint? What kind?
Yes, I often do. But since I almost loose touch with reality when I draw/paint
(I certainly loose track of time!), it has
to be something really distracting for me to make me change the channel (I listen
mainly to the radio). My favorite
music would be probably 13-16th century music, (vocal) jazz and some of the new
stuff as well. Sometimes I even
listen to some real heavy metal though :)
7. How many
hours a week do you devote to Art?
Since I loose track of time when I do, I can't really say ;) But seriosly - a
lot. There is the time you put in when you
do the actual drawing/painting, and there is the time when you think of it, plan
and compose images in your head.
And of course the time when you enjoy art created by others (reading comics, browsing
online galleries, visitng
musea, admiring architecture etc).
8. What are some do's and don'ts that you can give to the up and coming
young Artists out there?
I'd certainly advise any aspirant artists to try to SEE. Really observe, and see
things around you, not just as the
things/persons they "represent" (like a bus, a shoe, a girl, a table..), but see
them as shapes, colors and shades.
See their "true" form without interpreting it. I think it's important. And of
course, draw and/or paint. From the more
practical things - sketching is always a good idea, expecially if you want to
create something "big". It makes you
think of composition, makes you discover the hidden lines that can represent any
object, so you learn which ones
are important and which ones can be just as easily ommited. Think of where detail
matters, and where dynamic and
rough forms are more important.
What I would advice against, is probably unwise
use of photographic reference. If you do use it, you have to know
how to recreate things that aren't there in the photo,with exactly the same level
of realism, so a lot of knowledge is
needed to achieve that. Also - don't try to create a "masterpiece" in one go,
cramming as much detail in it as
possible - always try to plan the more complex illustrations, and sketch first.
If that's the kind of work you like to
create of course. If you're more of an expressionist, planning is not what will
get you the effects you're after
probably. Try to learn from others, but also try to stick to your own style/things
you enjoy creating and are good at.
Do listen to and observe other artists, read books; there are many little practical
things you can learn from them.
Above all - don't give up when you're discouraged sometimes, try to remember it takes a
lot of work to achieve
things you'd be happy with/can impress others with.
9. How do you see Art changing for the future?
I think it'll become more and more a proces of the mind, rather then the manual
"trade" it has been for centuries.
3D art is becoming more and more important, and computers are becoming a sometimes
unmissable tool in the
realization of our visions. Already there are artists who can't draw, or paint
with natural media, but achieve great
things with the aid of the computer technology. I think it's a good development,
and hope some day artists will be
able to create just by visualizing things, a bit like composing music - everyone
can learn how to read and write
notes, but only the mind who can conceive the music can be an artist (composer).
The rest are just tools for
expression. Of course I still admire manual skill needed to create graphic works,
but no amount of that makes an
artist I personally think highly of.
10. What challenges do you have yet to fulfill in your life?
There are so many... every new picture/commission is a challange of course. There
arent any real great "goals" I
set before me though - I try to take it one day at a time. Maybe I'd like to learn
Spanish some day - I like that
language :)
11. How would you describe you style of Art?
It's a tough one. I don't know, I don't really think it's really important how
ones style is described, it's a too personal
matter to be described, art has to be experienced to be appreciated/understood.
12. Do you have a style that you like over your other styles?
Not really, no.
13. What other studies, hobbies or learnings have assisted you in portraying
your Art?
Hmm... can't think of anything important. Maybe photography, since it's all about
composition, light and spotting the
details and moments.
14. Tell me the history behind what I consider your best 2 pieces of art....
Wren and Artimidor.
Coincidently, both of them are created for a project I've been involved for a
couple of years now - Santharia
(www.santharia.com). They are two portraits of people I know - one is an imaginairy envision of an imaginairy "alter
ego" charachter (Wren), and the other is a portrait of the webmaster/creator of
Santharia, based on a webcam
photo of him. Both portraits where created to serve as forum avatars btw.
15. Tell me about the time you usually spend on studying your subject matter.
If it's something I'm familiar with, I start working right away, otherwise I look
for references first if I need them. I find
it always helps if I know something about the "background" as well; for example
when illustrating a certain RPG, I
try to get at least a global idea of what's it all about.
16. Do you feel as if you'll be leaving a legacy behind for other Artists
and Art lovers to cherish?
Legacy is a big word, but in a way, yes. When creating something I'm happy with,
and others enjoy, I do have a
feeling of having accomplished something, hoping it will last a tad longer then
I do ;)
17. Where would you direct me if I wanted to buy some of your works?
I'd say visit my website - www.McF-AsyluM.com - go to the "info" page and either follow the link to the page where
you can order some prints, or just e-mail me (info@mcf-asylum.com) if there is a piece you'd like to commission,
buy prints of another picture, or maybe buy some original sketches.
18. Anything that I may have missed that you'd care to comment on?
Nothing I can think of right now, except maybe I'd like to thank whoever is reading
this for taking the time, and all
the support and encouragement I got and keep getting from time to time. It's always
a pleasure to do a payed
commission, to have your work published/printed, but it always is a great deal
more if the client and other people
that see my work are truly happy with it, and express it. It's what can keep you
going sometimes. Thank you as well
for the interview.
19. What's in the future for Rafal?
Right now, I am working on several CCG's illustrations, also just finished a comic
book cover. All this material is
supposed to be/is being published this year, so I am looking forward to that.
