Behind The Screens - Interview With Sandara

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Hello, and welcome to another edition of Digitalists new interview series:

Behind the Screens: Digital Art Masters


Through these interviews, we will get an in-depth look into the minds
and careers of DeviantART's most influential digital artists.

Today's featured artist is sandara


:iconsandara:

Sandara Tang is a professional digital artist from Singapore with 9 years experience. She has spent ample time working in the gaming industry and currently does freelance illustration. In addition, Sandara is a senior lecturer at The DigiPen Institute of Technology where she teaches digital painting and concept illustration. Her iconic style makes her an inspiration to many in the DeviantART community and it is my pleasure to be bringing you this interview today.

 
When did you first discover your passion for art? 

I started drawing when I was very young, and never stopped doing it as a hobby.
It was only some years back that I took it seriously and started to make it my profession.

I had training in watercolors for about 6-7 years (I can't remember exactly, it was so long ago), and I taught myself digital painting.

Your fantasy art is very inspirational to a lot of artists in our community.
Where do you look for inspiration?

I read quite a bit of fantasy books and I get some of my inspiration from them. But ideas can come at odd times, maybe it's something I saw or heard. I usually spend a few days mulling over the image in my head before starting to paint.
What is your favorite fantasy creature to paint and why?

My favorite creatures to draw are dragons and griffins. They're powerful creatures and they can come in all shapes and sizes...very fun to draw!

Blue Dragon by sandara

What are your tools of the trade?

I use Photoshop and my Wacom Intuos 4 tablet.


As a professional digital artist, what advice can you give to those who are trying to become successful in the business?

I guess "work hard" is a given. If you are really eager to work for a company, you can go ahead and approach them first. Show them some of your artworks and if they like it, they will respond. Be professional in your dealings with clients. State upfront your terms and conditions and stick to them, especially for deadlines. I always try my best to meet deadlines. Always be polite too. 


There are a lot of people in the community who think receiving a Daily Deviation 
is essential for achieving popularity on DeviantART. From experience, 
how much would you say getting awarded Daily Deviations has 
impacted your success on this site? 

I'm not sure how many DDs I have got, but I remember in the early days when I just got started, I got a DD for sandara.deviantart.com/art/Lyn… I think that has probably helped me get a start on having more watchers. It definitely helps raises the viewcount. Though, that was quite many years back. Now with facebook and reddit, etc, there's many more ways of getting viewers to your page.


Name three influential artists on DeviantART whose works 
inspire you and tell us why you look up to them.
Her page was one of the first I saw when I joined DA and I'll never forget her dragons and creatures. Her line work is something I greatly admire.

Hydra by Shinerai  vortex by Shinerai    Grass Between My Toes by Shinerai

:iconselenada:
I love her beautiful portraits... I can only aspire to draw faces as well as her. 

The Fragrance of the Earth by Selenada   Black Goldfish by Selenada  :thumb373531504:

:iconabiogenisis:
He has very interesting and excellent concepts. Every time I see his artwork,
it always makes me want to build my own world.

The Lord and the Colonel by Abiogenisis   The Second Instar by Abiogenisis   The Shadow of the Sun by Abiogenisis


Thank you sandara for sharing your wisdom and experience with the community! 
Join us next week for another installment where we will be interviewing

neverdying




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Comments15
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Urus-28's avatar
sandara is really an amazing artist :nod: