It's that time again, where we give our love to the amazing designers of VP. This month's Designer Appreciation is in honour of Alaska! Here we're bringing you an interview with Alaska themselves and some amazing codes that you should be sure to keep an eye out for!
We hope you enjoy what is in store and make sure you show your love and support and thank Alaska for their designs! Thank you to Hungry for the awesome layout !
I'd love if you could introduce yourself a little bit. What's your name and what are some of your hobbies? My name is Anu, and my hobbies are designing, drawing, postcrossing and video games. I don't really have proper hobbies.
Aa nice to properly meet you. Aw, they sound like proper hobbies to me. What is postcrossing? Postcrossing is an online project where the members send and receive postcards from all over the world. So basically we send postcards to other members and then we receive postcards back from other random postcrossers! I have received over 800 postcards and I have been postcrossing about 2 years now.
That sounds like so much fun! You must have so many friends from all over the world.
What inspired you to start designing for VP? I started designing at goSupermodel and my dream was to become a Junior Designer but then that site shut down. I joined VP and I figured out that I can design here, so here I am now!
Well we are happy to have you here !
Have you always had a passion for art? Yes, I have been drawing and doing handicrafts since I was a little kid. My mom is very talented at painting, so we spent hours just painting together when I was young. At some point, I really wanted to become an art teacher but that dream faded away, haha. I also enjoy looking at pieces of art and learning about the history of art.
That's awesome ! It's sad though that the dream faded away. I hope you have found a new one instead <3 Yes! I'm currently studying to become a kindergarten teacher. I absolutely love working with kids!
That's great, I hope it all goes well for you. I'm sure you'll do amazing!
Of all of the art mediums, which is your favourite and why? Oh well, I can't just pick one! I really love traditional art and paintings, especially oil and acrylic paintings. I really adore the texture of finished oil or acrylic paintings, they are so beautiful with all the layers. I also like films, movies and animation art. I wish I could animate, it's so cool!
What program + equipment do you use for designing? I use Paint Shop Pro 7 and Firealpaca. And my equipment is just a mouse. I can't afford a drawing tablet but I'm fine with a mouse!
How do you become inspired for your work? I find my inspiration from Polyvore, Pinterest and online stores.
Do you have a favourite designer(s) on VP of whom you look up to? All the designers on this site! I love stalking Design Chat thread and seeing all those beautiful and unique designs there. I love how every designer has their own, recognizable style.
What advice would you give to beginner designers? Don't give up and keep practicing! If you're not happy with your design, just try again. You can use pictures and references to see how to shade and draw textures. Try to create your own style to design!
Great advice. What would you say to people who have become disillusioned though, when their designs just won't work? I know that feeling all too well. I'd say that don't be too hard for yourself, you can always try again and improve yourself.
What are your favourite sets/items that you have designed so far? These are my favorite items:
What was your first design forVP? My first female and male designs: Female one was made in May, 2016 and the male one in July, 2016.
What gets you ready to design? I need a right mood to start designing!! I really can't design anything if I don't have that designing mood.
Completely understandable. I find you really can't force creative projects. Do you have anything that gets you into the creative mood? I usually get my mood when I see some inspiring clothing or pictures. I also have a playlist that I listen every time I design so it helps me a lot to get the mood!
Is there any specific kind of music in your playlist? Any go-to artists? There's nothing specific, it's just mix different kind of music and artists. But there's a lot of music by Die Antwoord so I guess that's my go-to music!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and for sharing your talents with the community. I can't wait to see what you have in-store for us in the future. I know whatever it is, it shall be amazing. Be sure to leave Alaska some love in the comments or in their guestbook ! <3