Posted by   This artist is someone you may be familiar with. Loish is artist and animator with a record to backup her beautiful work. If you recognize her colorful and vibrant style, it may be because you’ve seen it before. She was a concept artist for Horizon Zero Dawn, Psyop & Coca-Cola: Man and Dog, Mercy of the Gallows, and The Stanwick Legacy. Boasting nearly a million followers on social media, Loish has quite the talent for capturing people’s attention. Enjoy this vibrant artist’s words on her style and her beliefs on the art world.
JR:What was your introduction into the art world?
Loish: I’ve actually been drawing all of my life, so I never really felt a moment that I was being introduced into a new world. I feel like it’s always been my world. Thanks to the internet, I’ve always been involved in some kind of art community, whether that’s just Deviantart or connecting on a more personal level with other artists. Outside of the internet, going to study animation in college was the first time I was surrounded by other people who shared my interest in drawing professionally.Â
JR:Your name signatures are known to be intricate pieces that meld into your artwork.
What inspired you to make you signatures just as pretty as the art itself?
Loish: Thanks so much! My real signature is actually not that great. I designed this fancy website signature for all the work that I post online. I decided to add stamps to my work, that have my name or website address on them, when I realized that my work was being spread around a lot without credit. This was in 2009, when websites like tumblr and twitter were really blowing up. I didn’t want a huge watermark over my art that made it less appealing to look at, but I wanted to leave a sign there for people who were curious about who created the art if there was no credit to be found.Â
JR:Has there ever been a time in your life where you thought of choosing a different career path other  than art?
Loish: I definitely considered many other career paths before picking animation as my area of study. This is because I believed that artists are not able to make a living off of their work, which I discovered later was not entirely true. I considered philosophy, history, anthropology and other types of humanities before choosing animation. I still have a huge passion for those topics.
JR:How does your daily life affect your art?
Loish: I’d say my art is very inspired by daily life things. My work is very visual, I’m always searching for a way to make a visually appealing image. So simple things like a good color combination, a beautiful sunset or taking a walk in the forest can be a huge source of inspiration to me. When I feel connected with aesthetic pleasure, I feel inspired to draw.
JR:Your work is known for being fluid and filled with movement,
how do you believe contributes to making artwork feel alive?
Loish: I think having a sense of movement in your work is what makes it seem believable. It’s what makes you envision a character moving around, existing in a world of their own, as something more than just a static drawing. This is something I learned from studying animation: it’s what makes a still image come to life. So having a sense of flow and fluidity in my art is very important to me.
JR:What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Loish: I’ve had some people tell me that my art made them feel better about themselves and the way they looked, which made me very happy – I want my art to make people feel good and hopefully broaden their ideas about what can be considered beautiful. I’ve also had lots of people tell me that my art inspires them to start drawing again after an art block, which is also really great to hear, because I know how hard it can be to be creatively blocked.
JR:You are known for having done some of the character concept art for Horizon Zero Dawn.
How do you think working on video game concept art differs from working on other commissions?
Loish: It’s very different because there has to be a very high level of detail and visual richness in video game designs. Especially in AAA gaming, it’s really important for game developers to show what they’re capable of when it comes to emulating realism and showing details. So I had to work in a very detailed and rich style, which I really loved. In animation, it’s often the opposite – visual appeal through simplicity and readability is more important.
JR:Is there a question you’re asked as an artist that you feel should not be okay to ask?
Loish: A lot of questions I’m asked are about personal details, like my income. I feel that’s too personal to talk about. But I can always understand why certain questions are asked, I just don’t always feel comfortable answering them!
JR:How do you overcome creative blocks?
Loish:Â I usually accept that I need a break from creative work and focus on something else for a while, and then eventually I force myself to start sketching again. Sketching works because you don’t have to spend a lot of time on it but it can really get your ideas flowing after a long period of creative block. It’s important to make small, simple creative commitments to yourself when you’re feeling uninspired, rather than expecting yourself to suddenly make your greatest masterpiece.
JR:How do you think the digital age of computers and internet has changed the experience for artists trying to make a living?
Loish: It has made a huge difference – my whole career is built on online exposure. It has really been a game changer in many ways. This is a cost-free way of generating exposure for what you create, which is really important in finding work. It also allows artists to generate income outside of big companies. They don’t necessarily have to publish a book with a publisher or work with a game studio – they can also crowdfund their own game or self-publish. I think it has opened up new possibilities for many artists who want to shape their own career.
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JR:What has been your favorite project to work on?
Loish: As far as client work goes, I loved working on Horizon: Zero Dawn because I just loved the character so much. I also felt enormously inspired from this project, and it pushed me to improve in many ways. Outside of client work, creating my own artbook has been my favorite project. It was an amazing way to connect to my fanbase and collect my work in a more professional way.
JR:What does art mean to you?
Loish:For me, it means the freedom to create my own visual language and live the life that I want. Thanks to art, I’ve been able to work freelance for my entire career, which is an amazing kind of freedom that I would never want to give up!
To see more of Loish’s amazing work, check out her social media pages at:
Facebook:Â https://www.facebook.com/loish.fans/
Instagram:Â https://www.instagram.com/loisvb/?hl=en
Deviantart:Â https://loish.deviantart.com/
Or Visit her website at:
Website:Â http://loish.net/
And as always,
Have a geek filled day!
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