Art War 2 2nd Place (2D) Winner Calvin Seraphinus is a freelance illustration and concept artist residing in Indonesia. He explains his thoughts behind the competition, hurdles he had to overcome and what lead him to being a successful artist. His winning piece, Raguel, The Groom Who Dances can be found here. A step by step tutorial of it's creation can be found here. 

• Biggest inspiration when you started as an artist: When I started I was inspired by modern artists: Kentaro Miura, Artgerm, Lius Lasahido, Rudy Siswanto, Shinkawa Yoji and Akihiko Yoshida to name a few. Later on I found my inspiration mainly from old masters.
• Average number of layers when you paint (2D only): 35 more or less
• Coffee or tea:  Tea
• Good habits: I always have notes and to-do lists for ideas, insight and thoughts about things.
• Worst habit:  Too stubborn for my own good
• Favorite movies: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Spirited Away
• Favorite games: Final Fantasy Tactics, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Metal Gear Solid
• Music while doing art: Jazz and Instrumentals
• How to bounce back from a bad day: Just have a good walk away from work and spend time with people that are close to me.
• What is a good day: A new and fun experience with my partner.
• Favorite quote: “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents”
• Future goals: Involved in a team within a top video game developer.

Can you introduce yourself?

I'm a 27-year-old concept artist living in Jakarta, Indonesia and currently working for Ciayo Corp. Besides concept art I’ve also been doing pixel art, animation and game design.

What got you into character art, when did it all start?

I started drawing from 4 years old, drawing Masked Riders all over the wall but I’ve been doing character art seriously since high school.

What influences were the most responsible for your current art style?

Currently I’ve been heavily influenced by old masters and Chinese painters but Japanese culture had the biggest impact on me earlier as an artist and it mixed with the movie culture from westerns.

How did you get to the level you are at today? Did you study in any particular way you would recommend?

Studying and copying other works are great as a starting approach to art but later on, as I grow as an artist, I would list my strengths and weaknesses and study based on that list. Often I found myself studying for things that are hard for me and invest a lot of time there. I also found that observing and analytical thinking are an essential trait for studying.

How did you begin the process of creating your piece? What was your inspiration?

I want to create a story based character design,  that’s what I decided before moving on to the design process. After the initial decision, I found that a relationship story would be interesting and I got that inspiration from the wedding portrait of my parents then I just sketched everything out from there.

What was your biggest hurdle during the process? What did you do to overcome it?

My biggest hurdle was time management but I got lucky with the extended date. Indecisiveness and diffident also got the better of me but with the support from the people around me it really helped out.

If you had to do it over would you do it differently? Why?

Definitely, I was too stuck with an earlier idea and not having it developed better.

Why the light side? or Why the dark side?

I always love a villain perspective in any story- what’s their motivation and event behind it is often interesting to me. I chose the dark side since it’s often a representation of where the villain resides.

What do you think the Art War 2 challenge experience taught you, and would you participate again next year if you could?

Art War 2 challenge taught me to be bold in my decisions, finish what I started and to work efficiently. This challenge also gave me insight on how to improve myself as an artist. I’ll definitely join the next challenge as I want to give it another shot for the 1st place.

Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring artists out there who might be looking to get to your level one day? What's your recipe for success?

You can be open to any thought, culture, habit, tradition and everything without losing your identity with respect and mindful manner. I think it helps with improving ourselves as artists. Exploring new things, places, techniques, methods and other disciplines also help us with a new perspective and possibility to look upon.

Any final thoughts?

Huge thanks to Cubebrush team and the judges for making the Art War 2 challenge possible. Thanks to all the people in the forum who supported me through the process with feedback and encouragement. I’ve been impacted with positivity and it really helped push me forward. Big congratulations to all other winners! I’m really proud to be selected as one of the winners but I’ll come back here and be better for the next time!

Thank you!

Follow Calvin on Instagram or DeviantArt.