<sub>*noticias is a web conformed by a team of over 30 deviants, that translates important texts of deviantART into Spanish, we publish news from the world of art/design and offer a serious space for opinion. And, Today May 13th we publish the first text created by *noticias in both languages for all deviantART to enjoy without languages limitations.

We expect to publish many more texts in both languages and we need your support. Enjoy the interview.</sub>

Interview with ¢Fikkoro!

Who is ¢Fikkoro for those who have never heard of you and what is your role on deviantART?

I’m an illustrator, designer and lately I’ve been developing skills into digital painting. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I’m 29 years old. I’ve always known I was going to dedicate my life to this, or at least that drawing was going to be my profession. Ever since I was eleven and drew stories in class I went through a long road looking for a place for me and trying to achieve the goal I had in mind. The truth is, it wasn’t easy, most part of the time I went against everything friends and family would say. There was always the pressure of studying a more "lucrative career" (If there where such thing). So there were many different universities and job changes. But during that time of looking for the right path, I never stopped drawing. That was always my constant and that’s why I am what I am, and I think it is what defines me and the way I see things.

My role in deviantART is related to the Creative Staff. This means being part of the designing team for t-shirts or banners. However I’m more dedicated to the t-shirt designing. But the possibilities of realizing new projects inside deviantART are infinite. It’s an amazing work team, with people from every place who really live under the concept of a community, as the web itself shows.



How it’s a normal day in ¢Fikkoro's life since you wake up in the morning until the night? How do you do to manage your time between projects and commitments?

I guess it’s impossible to manage everything in a day. Maybe it’s easier to tell you how I manage during a week. Generally, from Monday to Friday, I get up at 8am to go out running. I believe sport is fundamental to clear your head and don’t feel stressed (Which I still get). After that I get a shower and go to work from 10am to 7pm to the studio. Then everything depends on whatever I need to do. If I don’t have to deliver anything from freelance work right away, I try to go home and rest, watch a movie or meeting my friends for dinner. Or I may also browse deviantART, searching for artists that I’d like. I also play tennis twice a week.

When I’m with a lot of work I may stay up late working at home. But I try not to; I’d rather leave the freelance stuff for the weekend.

Saturday and Sunday are just the same. I get up early and get to work. I’d rather be that way for two reasons: One, because I work faster during the morning and two because if I do, I can go out at night and have some fun. On Sundays I also try to get everything done before 6pm so I can rest enough and start another week.

But most times, work gets a lot of my time and there where times when all I slept where 3 hours per day for a couple of weeks ... I thank Energy Drinks for helping me! I also think that this is the age when there are certain sacrifices that must be done to reach every objective and there’s also de fact of working with what you like which makes it a lot different.

When visiting your gallery, there are lot of designs for T-shirt Graphics. Where that fascination for T-shirt design does come? How long have you been in the Creative Staff?

My beginning in T-shirts design I must say, was almost casual. About two years ago I was looking for a full time job. I was pretty advanced into the design career and with drawing I was near a lever I considered enough to show myself. So I went to many interviews looking for the right area where I could develop my skills more. I’ve had many options, I almost got into animation or advertising. But finally, the proposal that caught my attention was a clothing brand. They wanted me to be part of their designing team. And to be honest, until then, I had never thought of using my skill to draw to design shirts. Once I started I discovered it was an enjoyable job which combined drawing with design. I also liked the whole textile industry world, how it combines the "delicate" universe of design and the "rough" world of a workshop. We didn’t only have to design, we also had to manage the print and production workshop, handle the pressure of deliver dates and all. Actually, it was awesome.

Most of the first designs in my web were made for that brand. And I’ve been designing for deviantWEAR since last August. So it’s relatively a short time. But like I said, it’s a job I am really enjoying.

As for the profitability, as every job in the design world, the most profitable job is related to the freelance works. And as for deviantART I am more than satisfied, it is a group of work that values and respects very much the design.



On April 30 there’s a celebration, the "Dia Hispano" (Hispanic Day) at deviantART and I’m very tempted to ask, Will there be devWear for Hispanic people? Has this idea been contemplated?

There are many projects for the brand. We’re really far to reach the ceiling. I’ve received many times, comments about the shirts not getting to all the places around the world, and I think that, as long as the brand grows, this kind of things will change. As for designing straight or exclusively for Hispanic people, I think it’d go against the whole spirit of the brand. We design for deviants, people who share a vision of art and design. I don’t think there are genres or nationalities inside the mere vision of art and design.



¿How does a deviant becomes part of deviantART staff? How does the selection process work and what does dA have in consideration to select their staff?

There are many ways to enter the creative team, such like a recommendation, or like in my case, when my web caught an Art Director’s attention. They got in touch with me and offered me to be part of the creative staff.

Creativity and originality are the most important things for taking into account. But it also requires commitment to the job, which is paid as any other. And like I said before, it’s a group if people who has a lot of respect towards the job and shows it all the time. So I’m more than happy and honoured of being part of such a cool team.

Tell us how does any design of yours comes from paper to the computer and finally approved to be a shirt?

The first thing I do is try to think about a concept, or even an image I can find browsing through deviantART. Once I have the idea in mind, like having a shirt with something distinctive of deviantART, I draw some sketches and composition ideas with pencils. Although I’ve found myself drawing directly on the computer with the optic pencil most of the times.

Once the sketch is done, I start defining the shapes. I work a lot with stains until getting to the final idea where I keep lost for hours into the details. I must admit I am pretty obsessive and my worst critic. I’m permissive with the works I don’t care much about, but when I do, I am pretty annoying.

Once the design is finished there a talk with the whole creative staff until it’s approved. Once it’s approved there’s a discussion about the shirt and design colours.

The only thought of people thinking about choosing my design to wear is amazing. It’s a very satisfying feeling and something I’ll never get used to.

Every time I see someone on the street wearing my shirt I can’t help but smile. Specially the clothes, since every person chooses it to show how they are or to be separated from the rest. And it’s amazing to know they choose something you did, is like sharing the same vision.




The Questions have been focused in your job as a T-shirt designer and your excellent job in dA. But what else does ¢Fikkoro do? What projects do you have in mind for the future?

Besides my job for deviantWEAR I have a nine to five job. I work at a designing studio where we make Pepsi Latinoamerica’s licences, plus other brands and our own. Our most known work is, among other, the creation of Funki-Punky. I have a lot of projects there; I’m growing a lot as an artist and also is the studio. It’s another amazing team with very capable people from who you can learn a lot. So I’m very happy.

Besides all this I have the freelance jobs. On once side I publish pencil illustrations and now I’m working on coloured ones for an US publishing house, S.Q.P. Inc. and I’ve been doing it for 8 years now! That was my first serious job. Most of this I owe it to my friend Tomas Giorello, an exceptional drawing artist who has amazing works and who actually draws Conan for Darkhorse. He’s a friend and someone who taught me a lot about drawing.

S.Q.P. publishes some fantastic books of erotic art. It’s a very satisfying job, since I have a lot of freedom. They just give me the theme (for example Devils, Mermaids, etc) and I can make any illustration which obviously has to include and sexy girl in an American style. Some of those illustrations made with pencil and colours are on my web. (My latest upload is Sarah Connor )
Other than that I have other works of print design for other brands.

I have many projects and I’m always looking for more work to do, I’m very ambitious, and I don’t sem. to find a limit. Among my projects, I’d like to publish a comic, even of my own or for a publishing house, cover designing, or working for an publishing house.
I also would like to create my own brand, which is not an easy task, it’s tough work.
I also get involved into any contest I’m interested in.

But my Project definitely is to grow as an artist, improving my skills and make myself known into the World of design and surely the economic rewards will come along.

Still, there’s no greater satisfaction that working with whatever you like and achieving what maybe was considered or prognosticated as impossible, and having done it my way, is priceless.



In deviantART there’s the eternal debate between deviants who support getting lot of pageviews and deviants who doesn’t and even some confuse pageviews with quality. What is your personal opinion about this?

I think that deviantART, besides of being an enormous community where there’s a possibility of sharing your art tastes with other people from any part of the world; it is also a window where a lot of people can see us and our work. And pageviews are the manifestation of that. I don’t think it is an indicator of quality, but the more pageviews you get, the more possibilities of getting a job proposal from any of those watchers.
Anyway, I can’t help feeling happy for the amount of people who come by to check what you have to show.

But personally, to me, what it’s more "interesting" or what fills me with satisfaction is the amount of "Friends" or "Watchers". That’s more than just a casual visit; it’s a proof of approval for what you do and the interest to see more!.



¢Fikkoro, please recommend us 5 Hispanic artists that everyone who reads this interview should know.

In general I am not in the habit of classifying the artists for their nationality or at least I don’t pay much attention. So making a list it’s not too easy. But I guess I couldn´t make a list without Breccia a giant, or Oliveti, who has very good stuff and one of the first Hispanic people who started digital painting. Bobillo is another artist I really like, what he did with “Anita, la hija del verdugo” is excellent. A miniseries you must read. I love Sosa’s pencils, he’s very fluent and we work together for the same publishing house ( S.Q.P. Inc.)

Then there’s Meglia who, in my opinion, started with the Funny Comic trend. A mix between manga and American comic style. What this guy does is really different and opened some doors to people like Ramos, for example.

I can’t help but mention Toman Giorello, he’s not only my friend but his pencils and the knowledge behind every trace makes him one of the artists I respect the most. And I think he’s just starting to be known and he will reach much further soon enough.



What is deviantART for you and what do you expect to accomplish in the future there?

deviantART to me is not only and enormous community where you can share your art or discover new artist or finding the artist you like, is also a huge window where anyone can see us. It’s the dream place of exposure almost to any artist.

But what makes deviantART different from any other art-design community is how it’s put together. The idea of leaving comments to the artists, to be able to follow their work and be updated with their journals, I think that’s what makes a big difference.

This are the things that make this community unique.
What I like the most is the feeling of being part of something, a group or a community where you can share your interest in art.
And what I expect to achieve is to have more job offers and opportunities. Make myself known and therefore be able to open a lot of doors, projects and challenges.



To finish this interview, please leave a message for all the readers of *noticias and the whole deviantART community.

Well, this is for all the people who like art and are involved or have a certain passion for any of its infinite forms of expression.

Never stop doing what you like; always keep yourself going forward with confidence and conviction. If you really take your job with discipline and dedication, the possibilities are infinite. The key to success is in yourselves and no one else. So work, work, work. Remember there are no magic solutions or short-cuts in the way. If you really want to get far in this you have to give everything from you, and more!.

But if it’s really your thing, if it’s what defines you , it doesn’t matter what I or anyone say, you are going to make your own way, and to me there’s no greater satisfaction than doing it your own way.



Thanks ¢Fikkoro

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