Interview with Graphic Designer Claudia aka Phatpuppy

Could you please give us some background of your work? When did you start, and what inspired you in the beginning?

I'm a 45 year old wife and homeschooling mom to 4 great children.
After the birth of my 4th child at 37.. even though busy with being a wife and mom.... I wanted to do something to fulfill something inside of me personally -- and I literally fell into it, when having to help my daughter with something on one of her photographs used for her singing career.



What is the most important factor in digital art and how you evaluate its importance in comparison with traditional art?

For me my art is like keeping a journal - each art piece represents a time in my life, whether good or bad, and it's clearly reflected, for me anyways, in my work. :)
One of my favourite works is "Blind to Beauty". Because it represents a time in my life where I did feel hopeless..... and the miracle that came from it.... To sum it up - I had been suddenly struck blind - told I would not live by doctors, scheduled for a surgery to try to abate the progress of the disease -- and less than 8 hours before surgery had a bonafide miracle..... (that's the condensed version)

An important message to convey in my work -- Always hope -- I am a very strong faith - and even though I may at times do darker images - I always try to put the element of light to leave a glimmer of hope....for me, especially in today's times, this is sorely lacking. I find that so many young people seem to gravitate towards the dark, seemingly gloomy and hopeless images... although they may be emotional pieces I see out there - they still lack hope. :(

Fantasy art is just another type - and I usually, with the help of Danny Elfman music, I can get transported there mentally rather easily. lol It's different for me in that it's colder....... not necessarily what I prefer to do... but often what authors want when commissioning me for covers -- yet I still LOVE making them.









What is your core competency in digital art?

Most challenging is how to introduce new styles of art to my watcher base -- people have a harder time accepting a new style if they really like you for one type... But to be honest, the dark Gothic stuff is wildly popular, but also in my opinion, totally overdone.
The equipment I use -- I stay fairly up to date - but don't go too crazy. I have a mind blowing computer with 16 gigs of Ram and a monitor that is 22 inches that I actually paint directly on.... so my monitor is my canvas. I have an electric desk that goes up and down so I sit or stand while working....







Please share any recent project you have done?

I have been blessed in that I do work in film now -- doing storyboarding for films in production. I love the creative process. My daughter is now in film and television makeup so it's fun to work with her on projects.







How do we find you on Internet?

You can find me online at http://phatpuppyart.com