– What’s your Nickname?
Flavito, Flav, Greco.
– Where are you from?
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
– Your years?
30
– What have you studied?
I have a technical diploma in advertising and design. That’s the most I’ve done considering formal education.
– How and when did you become an illustrator?
I always wanted to be an illustrator. My first ‘paid’ job was to draw a banner for a taekwondo school in which I was studying, and the payment was the uniform. Then, in my early 20s, I started freelancing for small agencies and audiovisual companies.
– What have you worked before an artist?
At young, I paid courses and ateliers by saving money while working with my father. He’s an artisan (he makes leather shoes and sandals), and I’ve traveled with him around Argentina, helping to sell his crafts. Besides that, I’ve only worked as an illustrator.
-Where do you work and what are you working on at the moment?
Currently, I’m freelancing from home, and also working part-time as color key artist for an animation project I still can’t talk about (it’s a music video). I’m also doing some poster artworks, working on a horror comic book and establishing future business relationships with foreign representatives.
– Favorite and good artists for you?
Since there are some great international artists we all know about, I prefer to recommend a couple of the local artists I admire: Quique Alcatena, Sebastian Cabrol, Santiago Caruso, Guillermina Prosdócimo, Ezequiel Torres, Gabo Leps, Patricio Delpeche, Cons Oroza, Matías Bergara (a comic artist from Uruguay), Salvador Sanz.
– Favorite drink?
Fresh lemonade. But talking about booze, I’m reaching that age where wine is overcoming beer.
– Favorite place?
Wherever I find trees.
– Favorite movie?
More than one: The Shawshank Redemption, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Memento, Unbreakable.
– Advice to young artists:
Never stop drawing, always be learning new skills (not necessarily the ones the market dictates), be honest with what you want to say as an artist, find great masters and colleagues to share your stuff. Be kind and smart, and find people that are also starting and are in need of artists (writers, musicians, filmmakers, independent publishers). Collaborate with them but getting the most creative freedom you can.
– Your strong side?:
I love drawing more than anything, I’m obsessed with detail and improvement. I’m extrovert, so it’s really easy for me to be a team worker and socialize (but sometimes I’m an annoying person, too). I love to learn from other art fields and put them into my craft.
– Behind strong side 😉
– Sports?
So lazy for sports. But I’m falling in love with table tennis.
– Links to useful tutorials:
Some names to get the fundamentals of academic drawing: Michael Hampton, George Bridgman, Russian academy. I remember this one from Sam Nielson that I loved a couple years ago: http://theartcenter.blogspot.com/2010/03/sam-nielson-painting-process.html
But I’ll also say: If you can, learn face to face from an artist. Find your teachers, your guides. Meet and draw with real people. There’s no shortcut.
