Making a living off your art is no easy task. Thousands of talented artists struggle in vein for recognition and those that do gain attention know that success doesn’t come easy. Take Antoni Tudisco for instance, the German graphic artist has put in his time and developed a unique and incredibly colorful style all his own that’s garnered attention from brands like Nike and Kellogs.
Abuzeedo spoke with Tudisco recently about where he draws his inspiration from, the challenges of the profession and some pointers for artists looking to catch a break.
When did you develop an interest in graphic arts?
Tudisco: “It all started when I was 13. I had a Myspace account and if you can remember, you can design your own profile page with HTML/CSS etc. so I started experimenting around with design to have the coolest profile among my friends and through that, i learned to how to create websites with the help of some tutorials of course. And then I discovered that you can edit pictures using some programs so I started editing photos using Photofiltre ( a freeware) and Gimp. I sometimes sat for 3 hours editing just one photo only adding texts and applying auto contrass because i really had no idea about anything. 🙂 As a “newbie”, I really thought I was the best graphic- artist back then until I bumped into your website. After seeing the posts on your site, all I could say to myself was: ” Man, I aint got nothing on them! Not even close man!” And I always asked myself how can this people do something breathtaking? Then I swore to myself to be just like them someday or maybe even better, and have an article at Abduzeedo, but before I start, I have to find out where to get 400$ for a program I can use. At the age of 16, I established a clothing line named “Manila apparel”. And because I am half Filipino, I sold T-shirt and Hoodies with typical filipino designs on it. It was really in demand back then but I had to cut it out because of copyright issues.”
Even doing a lot of commercial projects, you kept working on your personal stuff often. When did you develop this aesthetic and how could you describe it?
Tudisco: “I already reached it this far, that my artworks are being recognized and appreciated and even to the point that my style has been a trademark where people can immediately say: ” That’s Antoni Tudisco’s work!” just by looking at the actual photo. And that’s one thing I constantly do with every projects I get. And it was really a long and hard way before I reached it this far.”
Tell us five lessons you’ve learned till now on being a successful graphic artist.
Tudisco: “- STAY ORIGINAL
– HIDE YOUR SOURCES
– PRACTICE LIKE A BOSS
– It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
– A picture is a poem without words.”
Read the full Antoni Tudisco interview at Abuzeedo here.