Hello everybody and welcome to another Interview of the Hidden Talent !
Today we're hot-spotting an artist, that has been drawing for a long time, started as a newby he is now one of the best Naruto painter !
Don't poke him, otherwise he will freak out ! Yes you know, he is the one and the only ...

Enjoy !

What is your name ?
Rogie Custodio

What is your alias and why you choose it ?
I'm mostly known as pokefreak, but in forums i tend to use 'dynamic dragon' as my alias. I dont really know why chose those names, the moment i made an account in deviant art, i was just obsessed with pokémon. So yeah... i never knew i would be this popular in that website... i kind of regret it now... haha

Tell us a bit about yourself Rogie?
Well, im a pretty cool person to hang out with! *shot*
No, I love art, well the non-abstract ones, and im a quite determined person when it comes to training myself. I always learn something new from what I do. but yeah, i've been training myself since i was young, the passion and lust for the subject is just too much for me to leave aside. I was born in Libya, moved to the philippines and stayed there for about 8 years, then moved to the UK, and been living here for almost 8 years too! My mum's a nurse so she travels quite a lot. I think this is our last stop though, its just up to us now if we move somewhere else or what ever, when ever we finish our studies.



Do you get loads of support from family/friends ?
Some no, but mostly yes, they're quite supportive even though i come across as a black sheep in the family. It's a filipino thing where everyone turns out to be nurses or doctors... but that was never the first thing in my mind as a kid haha.

Have you done any previous studies before getting yourself into Digital Art ?
Erm, to be honest, I havent really, all I do is draw a lot, even in art class, you dont get told how to draw, but its all up to you if you want to improve or not. All i learnt was that when it comes to art, you have to learn how better yourself by working independently, not being taught how to do it. As they say, art is only 10% talent and 90% talent (doesn't make sense) .

How long does it take you to get into the feel of creating something new and stunning ?
It totally depends on my mood really, right now im a bit brain dead because of all the drawings ive been doing in my course. but i do still have some time to get in some inspirations here and there. But yeah, it totally depends on the mood im in.



You are really well known over DA, is it the same case in real life too ?
Erm, if you mean well known within the class then... kind of haha... every class ive been in, I always turn out to be better than the teacher ...For starters its quite annoying, and I dont really learn much from them, but its also quite a good thing because it makes me more apporachable... I think???
But yeah, I would say not that well known, only in my area I guess haha. cant say thesame for the net... its quite vast!

Do you plan your images before doing them, or make them up on the spot ?
I usually make them on the spot, then it develops from there, I guess you could call that planning too... but the majority of it is was already planned inside my head.

What does your work represent to you?
Hmm thats a tough one! To be honest I really dont know what it represents? most of my drawings suually comes out to me as 'haha you need to improve' so yeah.... i do try to make the next image after it look better...
thats how I improve I guess...



Who will be your favourite artist at this moment ?
Erm, right now, I dont really have a particular one, but im looking at the reneissance artists again. they really inspire me quite a lot 8)

How do you respond to change in trends in this "digital" world ?
I think its pretty cool. I definitely prefer painting digitally than in real life. A lot more can be achieved and you dont need a big studio and have to make mess when ever you creating something.

So where is your working place, in an office at home ? Once you're finished with your pieces where would you post them ?
I usually work at home, in my room. I dont really work outside 8S...I usually post up my digital works on DA but if im doing some observational drawings and such, I use [link] to post up my images and get critqued.



We see that you have a special thing for mangas. Is it because it's easier or you just feel more comfortable?
Growing up in asia, I doubt manga is unheard of. Its not the first thing that insprired me as a kid, but I would say that it got me more into drawing. Also, copying some artists style specially mangas in my youths, helped me develop my skills before i tackled the real world. styles in manga are not just unique aesthetics the mangaka came up with, but it took them a lot of research to come to that level, anatomy for instance is embedded in most manga art. They have great understanding of the real world.

What software do you use and what is your favourite tool ?
I only use photoshop. I dont really have a favourite tool ... a paint brush? But yeah, any brushes works with me, it doesnt really bother me that much.

Is there any tips for other Digital Painter or Illustrator you would like to share ?
A good tip would be, to learn how to paint in real life before attepting to paint digitally! Understanding the colors in real life and how it works is a key to digital painting. Another good tip, is that if your painting, try to get skilled with just using a normal round brush, before you do anything fancy like using a custom brush or a pre-textured brush. this is where most people go wrong, you can do a heck of a lot with just a normal round brush.

Do you work with commission, if so is it enough to make a living out of ?
I do work with commissions. I wouldnt say its enough for a living, but I would say that its enough to get you by, its more like pocket money to me. Knowing that im quite a big spendaholic!



Do you usually have a message to send through your work ?
Normally no... I dont really add narrative to my images... Its just a piece that ive done from whatever came to my head...

What would be your casual routine like ?
As in a day to day sort of routine?
I get up early, have a shower, then go to uni. Do some animation, play badminton on thursdays, and work out every other day... I also go cycling every other day, and i work at subways on the week end... haha... pittiful!

What are your other hobbies, when you're not drawing or sketching ?
My hobbies. I usually go cyclying? If not, I go to my friends house, go party, or go clubbing hahah... and drink a lot... not good!



What is your utimate goal in Digital Art ?
My goal is to earn a lot of money! I think thats everyone's goal though... haha But yeah, U want to be successful in my career and i want to be well known for what i do ^^

Where does your Inspiration source come from ?
Only one answer to that. Unspiration is EVERYWHERE!

What would your top 5 tips be for anyone that is starting to Paint or Illustrate ?
Erm, U'd say do a lot of observational drawings before you go digital. Get an understanding of the world. draw what you see. not what you 'think' you see.



What do you think of today's Digital Arts levels and amount of work ?
Art, now that its digital is growing at a rapid rate! more and more people are getting in to it and starting to work harder to better themselves. Its not just a hobby anymore, its a proffession!

We see that you have submitted a piece for the "PoP" contest, confident ?
Not entirely confident, you never know what may come out of the blue. Plus I never won a contest before! haha

What type of music do you listen to ?
My music varies on my mood again, I usually tend to listen to indie, pop, rnb, and reggae. a few mellow rocks, but yeah I hate rap, metal, garage, and emo shouting crap . and techno too! ew.



What is your gear like ?
Erm, I use Photoshop CS3 and a A5 Intuos3 tablet.

What is your opinion about people thinking a tablet will make there work better?
I would say that it doesnt change that much, but it does improve your art. Its more realistic and easier to use than a mouse.

If there was another software you would like to master, which one would it be ?
I'm dying in my Maya class right now, so that... and painter too!

Your popularity over DA is ever so increasing, I mean how do you feel, from what we can see on your stats we see that you get per average approximately 2800 pageviews per day. Going back to your first day here on DA, how do you feel achieving such impressive stats ?
As I said before, I never knew I would be this popular in DA.... to be honest I actually dont look at my PVs... unless someone goes "omg 4 mill... blah blah" then i go "OMG" too! haha but yeah, the first time I joined DA, I didnt really take it seriously, but I did try and improve myself, posting up images even though theyre bad... so yeah...



How does it feel being one of the most popular deviant here on DeviantART ?
Im quite honored to be honest ^^... but apart from that, I just feel normal haha

You have in your gallery, one of the pieces the most regarded here on DA : [link] How do you feel ? We see that it is public's favourite, and it has the most how do you feel ?
I just feel that I hope i did justice to the characters of naruto... haha

Did you had to go through some very challenging task in your Digital career ?
Erm,I think everyday is a challenge. i always see mistakes when i make a new piece...



What are your future plans ? Are you thinking of taking Digital Art in the next level and make it as a proffesion ?
I plan to be an animator. I could have my illustration skills as a sideline

What is your favourite piece, that you ever created ? And why you chose this piece ?
I probably would choose 'the agressive grace of battle' simply because it was made specially for my sister. and it took me ages to come to that level. Its a piece that tells me i've achieved something... haha



What are your favourite pieces on DA, could you share them ?
I have a lot of favourite pieces in DA! theyre mostly in my favourites folder... just give it a browse.

If you had to sum up all your work into one sentence, what would it be ?
It would be this: "practice does make you better"

And to finish it off, What would you like to say to your millions of fans out there ? And what did you think of this Interview ?
I'd say, good luck to you all if you plan on taking a shot in Digital Art! And always remember to keep practicing! I know they say that it never works, but it is true! You might not just notice but after every image you create, you will see an improvement and you WILL get more understanding!
And thanks for the interview. I really enjoyed answering them and gave me an insight to what i'm really up to! haha...



And that was it for today, hope you enjoyed the read ! Because I surely did !
If you liked this article then do not forget to this article to show your support. Go check out his gallery, his work and !



Hope you enjoyed !
Thanks,
Regards,

P.S : Stay tuned for more.

=Sangiev,