=alexiuss is a popular concept Artist. He has over 1.6 million pageviews, 3.7 million deviation views, 25,000 watchers, and he achieved all this despite being born with a beard.

Q) First things first. How did you get interested in drawing?
My very first art inspiration came to me in 1995, Novokuznetsk, Siberia…
On the gabled cottage roof, covered in wooden planks, moldings, and swirly carvings, I’ve met a local artist. He was drawing some kind of forest on his canvas, via the view from the rooftop. I admired his glorious skill and pondered what it would be like to become an artist myself. Later on, I was enjoying a nice hike via the good old Trans-Siberian railway of the Soviet Union, while climbing various green mountains, covered with lush vegetations, with my good friends of that time.
Upon the climb, we sat on the mountain side, enjoying the mid-day sun, bursting though the clouds, in an explosion of light rays that lived on their own accord, playing with the shadows of the mountains, forests, and fields below.
The wind rolled about the fields, creating a magical, wavy sea of orange grasses.
And at that moment on I’ve said to myself: “Every artist has their style. Whatever shall be mine?…"
… and while staring at those rays of light I had decided- "I shall become the master of the landscape and the sky. And draw it in a manner of a tasty delicacy that can be consumed in large quantities via the spoon of visual perception- and thus the delectable sky full of light rays that you see in most of my works now, was born.”
It took me (counts fingers)… 15 years to master those rays of light.

Q) You were born is Siberia right? Do you think that has inspired your works?
The country I was born in- Soviet Russia connects deeply to my work. I have stood witness to a fall of a Nation and great noble ideals. I have seen Russian cities ravaged by human carelessness, industrialization, depression, oppression, crime and war. I have seen science fail and unleash death in the dark cases of Chernobyl and the Aral Sea “accidents”. My vision is that of a Romantic artist, with one exception - to showcase not just the destructive power of nature, but also the destructive power of man. When I came to Canada and started oil painting, I decided to visit a gallery for inspiration. What I had found in this gallery had drastically had altered my style. My oil paintings were exactly like those of Lauren Harris (a famous canadian artist from the group of 7). This had forced me to change my style to something else, to evolve it into what I now call “Dreaminism”- a sense of a shifted world realised in the split second before the waking, where the mind cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality.

Q) There's a lot of darkness in your pictures. Skeletons, apocolypse, decay. Is this something you decided, or did your work just flow to that?
The cycle of destruction and creation is ever-present.
There are basically two kinds of people:
Kids who build sandcastles and kids who destroy them. I much prefer building sand castles, but then I also prefer destroying them with miniature catapults. The darkness in my paintings is the dark side of humanity: corporate greed and war- that which if not stopped will devour civilization as we know it.

Q) Have you ever used music as inspiration?
Oh sure. I often listen to Russian classical songs and rock while I paint. Nothing specific though.

Q) What software do you use?
Photoshop… whichever the latest version is at the moment.

Q) Do you use a tablet? If so which one?
Yes, Wacom Intuos 6x8 tablet

Q) You currently have around 25,000 DA watchers. Do you feel you have to speak out for others, regarding concepts like the Squaresoft contest?
Squaresoft contest? I remember no such contest.
I recall making fun of many contests though, mainly because they rape ideas of innocent and young artists without compensating them properly.

Q) How do you respond to spammers and 'haters'?
With love, since no spammer can possibly hurt the collective entity of Devianart.
Until I snap… and ban them, foaming at the mouth and flailing my arms.

Q) What about people who give legitimate constructive criticism?
I hate criticism with a passion, legitimate or illegitimate.
Critics should die a horrible painful death, wiggling in agony as their own critical judgment passes over them. If something looks odd in my work, its because it was intended that way and can’t possibly be executed better by me. If critics want they can go and draw their own paintings, not pester me with their demands of placing the character more to the left.

Q) Did you ever expect to become so popular?
Yes, but not as a digital illustrator. I kinda planned to be a famous fire starter.

Q) I know people, who whilst not up to your level, have hundreds of devs and messages waiting? How many devs, messages and notes do you have currently?
Around 40 thousand in total, as I haven’t deleted any since 2005.

Q) Why do you think you art is stolen so much?
The internet is a system of tubes as we all know, into which once information aka a painting falls, it’s kinda hard to fish out, even with a long pole. Pretty much every artist who’s got over a million views on DA gets their stuff stolen.

Q) Being a professional concept artist, you deal with many clients. Are there any memories of rude, idiotic clients, or are they all a nice bunch?
I haven’t met any rude clients yet. However there are annoying clients that keep wanting changes done to a painting without giving any extra pay.

Q) Do you do many personal works, or is it all for companies?
Certainly lots of CD and other covers. Sometimes concepts for companies… and lots of the time- personal work.

Q) Concept art is in demand for video games and movies. Have you ever been asked to make concept art for them?
Aplenty. If you look through my gallery you’ll see some concept art for done computer games.

Q) Many people would love to be in your shoes, but the fantasy never matches the reality. What's the worse parts of being a concept artist?
Working for a corporation- consistent income, getting depressed, breaking down and crying like a little girl, because your ideas get raped for millions, while you make thousands.
Working for yourself- inconsistent small income, getting bloated and moldy from sitting on your ass too much, until you get so fat that you roll into the ocean.

Q) What's your main advice for aspiring artists?
Draw harderer.
It takes the following to get there:
1)Talent:
If you have some drawing talent, and wish to become a successful artist, then dedicate all your free time to drawing, sketching, learning about art, and advertising your work by showing it in online and offline galleries.
2)Dedication:
If you put a thousand hours of hard work into anything- it’s automatically bound to be a success, just because of the dedication.
3)Imagination
Never forget about the power of imagination, practice imagining things, write intricate stories with your art, and constantly create unique worlds. Often a piece of art with a unique, better idea/concept is the winner.


Q) Before we end, is there any frequently asked questions you'd like to answer?
Do I ever.
But I can’t think of any.
Send me bags of money or I'll blow up the moon with my doom laser.
Also- gimmeh all your butter, for I require materials for construct a giant butter castle to protect the said bags of moneh against my filthy enemies.