Artist Feature :: Syrcaid

Real Name: Erika
Online Alias: Syrcaid (it used to be Starluck but then a casino stole my name)

Location: Illinois

Website: http://www.cosmicjive.org

Online Gallery: http://starluck.deviantart.com

To start off, please tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are from.

I'm 29 years old, female, and I'm from Illinois. I enjoy cartoons, good company, and a good sense of humor.

When did you first start drawing/painting? And what is your favorite medium/media to work in and why?

I used to draw entirely with pencils and ink, but since I got a good tablet PC I've been drawing almost entirely digitally.

Do you work professionally as an artist? If not, what is your actual day job?

Before the economy went bad, I was painting new and restoration glass for churches. I also did a lot of seasonal pieces, painting on glass using low temp enamels. I can't work hot glass or do lampwork, but I can build a stained glass window from scratch. I haven't done it in about a year and a half though, the arts seemed to be hit hardest by the economy where I live.

What does art and the creating of it mean to you? What sort of applications do you use your artistic talents for?

It's like breathing, no matter what anyone or anything does to me I can always draw. It's an outlet and an old friend. As for online, I'm all about creating new creatures to share with everyone else and that's typically in the form of cyberpets.

Are there any other artists/movements/styles you draw inspiration from? Where do you get the majority of your inspiration for your works from?

Oh, there's tons of places. Tim Burton, Don Bluth, Hayao Miyazaki, Dr. Osamu Tezuka, and Edward Gorey are some I can name off the top of my head right away. But I also draw inspiration in things like movies and music.

Can you remember the first image you displayed publicly online or in real life? What was the general reaction?

I can't recall my absolute very first, because I think even those things they have you make in grade school like cards with bits of glue and glitter count as art. But the first one everyone else probably remembers is "Starluck's Sweetwater Valley" where I made a bunch of animated GIF's and bitmap style images and Photoshopped backgrounds. As far as I know, people still show up and leave comments in my DeviantArt gallery telling me of having fond memories of the site. It's still up and a majority of it is free for public use now.

What is your main motive for creating art?

Because I can't help it. It just happens and sometimes it's fun to share it with others.

What are your goals as an artist, short term and long term? Where do you want to be with your art 5 or even 10 years from now?

My goals are just to create and to continue to create no matter what happens. There's been a lot of ups and downs and bouts of where I thought the world would come crashing down, but there's always a pen or a pencil or even a napkin at a restaurant. I used to know where I wanted to be but if I run out of time it's now my ultimate goal to be content with what I've been given and to improve at my own pace.

What is your favorite part of the process of creating?

Dreaming it up and waiting to see if anyone else enjoys it, too.If someone were to look through your online gallery, they would probably notice some repetitive faces.

Can you tell us about your light blue centaur and any other familiar faces from your art gallery of importance?

The light blue centaur is me in a manner of speaking. A lot of people have online personas, I'm neither "furry" nor human and it amuses me that I can't be labeled as "anthro" but I don't fit in anywhere else other than general Fantasy. The others you're likely to see are Evil the pink haired catboy, S-D with a really strange story, and Zizi the little mouseboy with a plant always growing on his head. The other characters I draw, if I didn't create them myself, are other people. They are of great importance to me, a majority of other people's characters are those of people who've never left their place in my heart. I think what most people want most is to be loved and remembered.

Do you have any advice for beginner artists who are interested in your area of expertise?

I don't think I have expertise, I feel often like a little decorator crab who picks up pieces of what they like best and sticks it on their back. I don't like being labeled and I recommend that people never settle on a certain style (unless they absolutely love it) because of pressure. No one has the right to tell you what your style is and what it isn't. You're not required to have a style and you're not required to please anyone but yourself.