inspiration

By Ansley Berrones

South Central Hills, CA

Here is an unbelieveABEL artist I would like you to check out. His art has a bit of a “gangsta” feel to it but looking a bit deeper, it has a history. Having a chance to get to know OG Abel, the artist behind the designs, has been motivating. He stands firm in believing that no matter what negatives you may have experienced in life, you can always turn it around and be successful – quite obvious in his personality, success and of course his designs. Read more to get to know OG Abel and allow his creativity story to inspire you.

Tell us a bit more about your background. How did you get started as an artist?

As a kid I couldn’t imagine myself as a successful artist or anything close to what I do now. I thought I would always have to hustle for money. My father telling me that artist’s die broke didn’t help either. All I know is that art sometimes would shelter me from the environment that we lived in. With so many friends and family falling victim to street violence I don’t think I ever imagined myself living this long.

I thank my mother for being so strong after dealing with so much of life’s hardships head on. I remember her asking me as a kid to draw her religious images from the bible. I would always look forward to drawing the Garden of Eden because of the animals, my favorites were lions. As a child, I would complain less about going to church if it had great paintings, architecture, and/or sculptures. I remember how I would sit with her on Sundays and pay little attention to the day’s sermon; I would study the elaborate religious paintings through instead.

 

Give us a little more information about your work. Did you go to school to study? What or whom inspires you the most? Are there any particular websites that you frequent to find inspiration?

My art education came from art classes in Junior High, High School. As a kid I loved participating in contests throughout the LAUSD. It was my way of making some much needed cash.

I also attended a two year Visual Communications program at Los Angeles Trade Tech (LATTC). It was at LATTC that I was introduced to the computer, so I had to get one. My sister’s friend worked for APPLE and got me a very good deal on a Powermac 9500 at almost half price. It was the best thing that had ever happened to me at that time! I remember many sleepless nights just myself and my Illustrator and Photoshop!

I’m inspired by life and by its wonders and by people who are free and peaceful even after living through life’s hardest struggles.

What is your typical work day like? What tools do you use to help the design process from start to finish? i.e. traditional art tools, digital art tools and anything in between.

First thing I do when I get up in the morning is check the stock market on my iphone and catch up a on the day’s news on TV before I drive to the office, Where I start the day by going through all my emails and messages.

When doing artwork, most of the time I start with a rough sketch in my sketchbook or a blank piece of paper. I then scan it into Photoshop and make a few more revisions and then print it out as template and sketch a little more over it and then re-scan again. Sometimes I repeat the same process a few times until I have captured the look that I want. Once the final sketch is done I can complete the final Illustration in any medium I want, like Adobe Photoshop, or Illustrator or I can also paint it by hand on Illustration board.

[Read more…] about Vector Artist – OG Abel – Interview