How/where do you find your inspiration?

I usually seek inspiration through a combination of online and real-world examples and experiences. I like to explore Pinterest, Behance, and artworks from Instagram. I then try to combine them with my previous experience, which I find interesting. 

For now, I mostly use sad experiences in the past that I turn into digital works. I think it can be an artistic stress reliever! I also like cartoons, especially Anime. I learned a lot about understanding the ideal human proportions through watching Anime. Moreover, I really enjoy the stories and that encourages me to continue to make artwork. 

What things do you do when you face a creative block?

First, you must identify what kind of “art block” it is. If the art block is caused by something external, it’s better to go on vacation, or switch to other activities that are relaxing and entertaining. For art blocks that are a result of a lack of creative ideas, I often explore Pinterest and several other art websites to quickly find inspiration. Sometimes I’ll look at my old photos for story ideas in the illustrations that I make. 

What are mistakes/lessons you’ve encountered as a beginner and have learned from?

There will always be people above us and below us. Having big dreams is good but we must always be grateful for what we have right now. 

Dare to say “no”. The more often you say yes to something, especially if it’s not something important, it just drains our time, energy, and thoughts. 

Art style isn’t everything. Maybe it can help us to build a brand, but if we work cooperatively, we must be adaptive and adjust the vision of the team. 

What are your best tips/tricks when working with CorelDRAW?

Believe in the process. This not only applies in CorelDRAW, but in work in general. If you decide to start a project, make sure to finish it! Sometimes, when our work is only 30% completed, we see it as less attractive and want to give up and just throw it away. Try to believe in yourself and trust that the process will always make your work 100% cooler than you expected. 

All artists in this series are customers of Alludo and use CorelDRAW.

A look at some of Talensta’s work with CorelDRAW: