Featured artist: Daniel Lieske

A big Hello to you all,

the summer has begun, in the northern part of the earth and so in europe, too. As always at the start of a new month, I am proud to present a new featured artist for you. This time it is my buddy, Daniel Lieske. Daniel is not a blank sheet in the international digital graphics community, he is a very talented illustrator and his imagination entertain us with beautiful artworks.

Enjoy the interview!
Yours Chris

The artist

1. How old are you?

I'm 33.

2. Where are you currently living?

I'm living in a small German town called Warendorf.

3. What are you doing, when you switch your PC off? Do you
have other hobbies?

Not really. When I leave the PC I'm normally either eating or sleeping. At the weekends I normally enjoy some free time with the family.

About the work
1. How did you get the idea to be an digital artist, why
digital?

Digital just happens to be the most recent technology to do art and to present it to a wide audience over the internet. As an artist I just use the tools that exist. If we would still all paint in oil that would be what I would do, too.

2. Do you have a special education in arts?

Not really. I picked up a lot at work but the most things I taught myself. I like to analyse things and get behind their workings. Digital art is a great field to do just that. There's a lot to explore and new stuff is constantly emerging.

3. Are you employed or do you work freelance?

I currently concentrate on my own projects which means that I'm mainly working as an author. I do some freelance work on the side though.

4. Which recent projects were the most important for you?

That definitely has to be the Wormworld Saga Digital Graphic Novel which I'm currently working on and which will keep me busy for a long time.

5. Which project was a real challenge?

The graphic novel is a huge challenge on multiple levels. There obviously is the creative and technical challenge to create a compelling story and visuals but there's also the business side of things where I constantly learn and improve.

6. Where do you get your ideas from?

I think that ideas come from things that one has seen before. So I guess my ideas come from everything I have ever seen in my live. I see patterns, I recombine and try to make sense of this world somehow. My solutions can then be seen in my artwork.

7. Are you working with references or is all your work from imagination?

If there is a connection between my work and the real world,I normally like to look at the real thing first and study it. I think art has a lot to to with understanding the complexities of life and our imagination is hardly able to come up with these on its own.

8. What are your plans as an artist for the future?

I hope to be able to work as an author for a long time. I will need some 15 years to tell the Wormworld Saga. I don't really think about what will come after that just yet.

9. Which software are you using for your work, and which hardware?

I do most of my work in Photoshop CS5 with a WACOM Intuos4 tablet. I work on a PC.

10. Which software or tool do you like the most and never want to miss?

I love the new natural media brushes of Photoshop CS5 in combination with the WACOM Art Pen. I waited a long time for such a versatile digital brush and I really don't want to miss it.

The portfolio
1. If you have a personal website, please give us the weblink.

You can have a look on my work at daniellieske.com and your are very welcome to read my online graphic novel at wormworldsaga.com