2dartist
Discover the deeper themes behind the illustrative work of up-and-coming freelance artist Carlos Quevedo in this peek inside issue 123
Carlos Quevedo is a 22-year-old graphic artist with a degree on Graphic Design based in Valencia, Venezuela. He specializes in digital illustration and currently works as a freelance artist.
Hi Carlos, thank you for talking to 2dartist! Could you kick things off by introducing yourself a bit to readers who may not be familiar with you and your work?
Hi, thanks for the invitation. I’m a graphic designer and illustrator, graduated from college with a degree on this field, based in Valencia Venezuela. Although I’m an emerging artist just at the beginning of my career.
On this point I can add that studying graphic design wasn’t particularly easy because I had low support from my family at the beginning. But I can’t blame them, the career was quite new in my country then, and it was not considered sustainable. Sadly creative careers are underestimated here. Anyhow I decided to step up on what I really wanted to do and it was the best decision I could have made. No regrets.
Talking about the technical aspects of my work, my main focus is digital illustration, specifically photo-manipulation or photo-illustration and mixed media. My work brings together several techniques such as photography, painting (digital airbrushing) and even some 3D elements which I work on in Photoshop to make a composition. Through a complex process of assembling and blending I get to fuse all those elements (photos, textures and 3D) into a single image or product.
Carlos made this piece in 2014. It’s a dark tale about two souls living in the same body, feeding from each other
A collaboration with Carlos’s friend and photographer Max Solve. He shot the photo of the model on this image.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? What influences your work and motivates you?
When I made my first attempt at digital art I featured themes like mythology mostly, dark tales and nature. However I changed my perspective and my style gradually moved, and was inspired by my own background in theology. Half of my life I belonged to a religious group and despite the fact that I quit several years ago, the knowledge, lessons and values remain in my head. So I started using this as my main source of inspiration, bringing these ideas with a twist. I adapted them to my vision and interpretation, representing them in an oneiric and surreal way.
The need to understand more of this world and its purpose through my studies on theology keeps me motivated to tell more about it on the canvas. Artistic movements such as Renaissance and Baroque art have influenced my work too.
Carlos made this piece for a personal series called Aurora’s Song. He wanted to give it a sacred aspect, like a saint
This artwork is a matter of interpretation as its symbolism can be ambiguous
Which artists do you admire and how did they influence your work?
In 2009 I read the magazine Arte y Diseño por ordenador (a Spanish magazine like Advanced Photoshop) for the first time. There I found out about the workflow and life of a digital artist. I could say that this reading put me in the right direction to pursue my goals. In the magazine I read about Alexander Jansson, a very well-known illustrator in this field, I just fell in love with his work. Actually my first pieces were totally inspired by his style, featuring nature and dark environments, his work motivated me a lot.
For traditional art, Armando Barrios is one of my favorites. I also made some digital pieces years ago inspired by Cubism, which is his main style.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with 2dartist!