Okay.  Time for another go round with an amazing artist.  This guy's style is very unique and stands out right away.  I love his line work and use of colors. Sit back, relax and enjoy!   His name is DeathbySodaCan or you could also call him Hugh.  

How long have you known that you wanted to be an artist?

How does an artist develop a distinct art style such as yours? 

Well I'm sure all artists go through their stages in terms of style, trying to find the right one and one that defines not only the art but also the artist. I like to think for one to discover their true "style" they must allow it to come naturally while at the same time draw as much inspiration from artists you admire. For me it was folks like LeSean Thomas, Skottie Young, Humberto Ramos, Joshua Middleton and Greg Titus whom I drew my inspiration from, their art styles really spoke to me and I learned from them to eventually and inadvertently create my own distinctive art style. I think the most important thing is to not limit oneself, continue to explore and challenge yourself and new levels of creativity are reached. Ultimately though, your personality will reflect in your art one way or another and I think you can safely say there's a little quirkiness and plain silliness in everything I do

What is your approach to color when working on an illustration? 

I've always struggled with color, I've only just really got the hang of it. Color will make or break lineart. Its what creates and sets the scene/mood of and illustration. I often watch scenes from dozens of animes and animations looking at particular scenes, paying attention to lighting and color blending and combinations and try to apply this to my work. In most of my work I try to compliment the sometimes outrageousness of my lines with equally bold and bright colors. So you'll find most of my work is quite bright, colorful and stands out. This is also influenced by those zany 90s cartoons lol.

Who are some artist that you admire? 

I think I might have mentioned a few earlier lol. But I'll add a few more to that list, an artist I truly admire and am often ashamedly jealous of is my buddy Jeffery "Chamba" Cruz. I actually at one point was pretty satisfied with where my art was until I discovered this guys work, my world was turned upside down and everything seemed pointless all of a sudden haha. But I wasn't about to roll over and die, I decided I'd challenge myself to reach Jeff's level (which in reality cannot be done) and have since shared a convention table with Jeff (during which he schooled me again) and he continues to push and challenge me, and every time he does something new I realise I still have a LOT to learn. There's this kid from New Zealand, by the name of Tien Hee aka T-wei on deviantArt. He has an incredibly dynamic art style, I'm excited everytime this dude does something new. Adam Hughes is not necessarily and influence to my style but he's definately someone I admire and respect for what he does, amazing. Then there's the hundreds of artists on deviantArt and accross the internet who keep my creative flame burning strong. There's far too many to cite in one sitting.

What are some dream projects that you would like to be a part of?

Oh man thats easy, I'd love to be on a Disney/Pixar production team! To be a part of the team that creates my favorite animations would just be unreal. I would love though to one day pencil a Metal Slug or Captain Commando comic for Capcom.

When you have time what games are you playing? 

Well the games I'm playing at the moment in between work are: Assasins Creed, Fallout 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4. I'd love to get my hands on Silent Hill Homecoming as I'm a big fan of the series. Games I'm looking forward to: I am alive and Heavy Rain.

Could you give a brief description of your work process?

Well, whatever it is, a personal piece or paid work I always take a moment to visual the concept then I may do a little research on the subject matter if I'm unfamiliar or unsure about how to approach it. I want every new piece of art I do to be fresh and original. I'll do two or three pages of rough pen sketches all the while trying to push the idea to its very limit granted I have creative freedom. When I draw an existing character, I try to re-invent the character while staying true to the original. When creating a character I take a lot of time to look through a lot of other artists designs, research and observation will allow you to approach the design process with a broad understanding I suppose of how to express the characters personality through their appearance in the most original way possible.

 What direction would you like to take your art in the next three years? 

Well, what I would like is to get into animation. My next step would be to go to school, I have had no real tutelage in the arts up until this point so I'd like to have a solid knowledge base of basics and fundamentals I can only acquire from an art school before I find my place in the animation industry. I'd love to do story boards and character designs given the opportunity.

 Your style seems to move on screen naturally...unlimited budget what franchise would you choose to animate?

I've always wanted to see the total outlandish and over the top antics of Metal Slug translated into a decent budget animation. If I could do that I would certainly feel fulfilled lol I have a LOT of ideas for what I've love to animate though, we'd seriously be here alll day and night and not even scratch the surface haha.

Last question...gotta ask...How would you sir, survive the coming Zombie Apocalypse? 

Well sir, thats easy, if I have no safe house all I'd need is x1 shotgun, ass loads of ammo, x1 samurai sword and a bag of grenades Zombies shall not have my brain.

Thank you for your time...as an artist I know time is something of much value!

Hope that's all good, thanks for the interview

For his full gallery click here! 

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