Interview with Digital Artist Karim Fakhoury

Karim Fakhoury is an 18 year-old student from Montreal, Canada. He has been passionate about visual arts and informatics since his youth and today, he is combining both styles into his unique creations. He believes in the Shadowness theory of constantly improving your skills and trying to surpass your last effort. His current goal is to learn digital painting and 3D to hopefully become a professional matte painter.
Please welcome /karimfakhoury to the Shadowness Community!

Where are you receiving your formal art education?

For now I am still a student at Collège d'enseignement général ET professionnel. (Cegep in Quebec) I'm nearing graduation in Tradional Arts, and after that, I’m planning to go to university, to specialize in digital matte painting.

What hardware/medium do you use the most?

Being a big fan of Apple products, all my works are created on a 27-inch iMac. In addition, I use a graphic tablet, Wacom Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch for a greater agility and flexibility.

What software do you use the most?

Right now, I only use Photoshop CS5 which responds very well to my needs. However, knowing that I will soon go into 3D, I intend to get the software Cinema 4D and 3ds Max.

Tell us a bit about your first experiences in digital art.

Like many other beginners in digital art, I started by creating signatures/avatars for members on online forums. I greatly enjoyed the pleasure it gave me and I decided to develop myself to the best of my ability. My interest in graphic design quickly evolved into a passion that continues to grow.

What are your current projects?

The vast majority of my works are personal, for my own pleasure. I publish them on my online portfolio - www.karimfakhoury.com - and websites such as Shadowness and Behance Network.

When did you first get interested in graphic arts, and why?

As a young boy, I showed great interest for the graphics in video games and movies. The technological advancement allows us to work and create "art" from a new perspective and it is this artistic progression that attracted me to the graphic arts.

What is your greatest source of inspiration?

Honestly, I get my inspiration from everything around me. The source of influence for each of my creations varies widely and can come from a movie, a picture, a book, a song, a dream, etc. I feel like I am never without inspiration!

How would you define your "style "?

Currently, I do not think that I have a specific style or that I can define it, since I'm still looking for the one that would best represent my work and my artistic side. However, I can say that when it comes to start a new work, my ultimate goal is to convey a poetic and sentimental visual through the characters I create, often in surreal or fantastic landscapes that surround them.




Here is where you can find Karim’s on-line portfolios!

www.karimfakhoury.com
http://shadowness.com/KarimFakhoury
http://karimde0sign.deviantart.com/
http://www.behance.net/karimfakhoury

Until next time, Shadow-People
Never stop Learning, Never stop Creating!

/HellOnAStick

Apr 13th, 2011