Meet the Artist: Mich-Spich

 

Define your art style in 3 adjectives:

I would describe my art style as detailed, colorful, and naturalistic.

 

What is your drawing process like?

I do a lot of pre-planning. I start by compiling my references and draw a physical sketch. I used to be a traditional artist, and so keeping this part of an otherwise digital process makes my art feel the most authentic to me. I then export this sketch into my program Aseprite, and begin planning my color palette from photo references. Depending on how I feel, I start with the main subject or the background and go back and forth between making the whole piece cohesive. I make my final color adjustments near the end which I look forward to the most since I can put my full focus into adjusting the colors.

 

When and why did you start drawing?

My journey began from childhood, where I mostly learned to draw with colored pencils from my dad. I expanded my use of different media through art classes which made me even more interested in the possibilities of what I could do with my craft. I was motivated by those around me who were confident I had talent, and because I liked to impress people, I made it my mission to improve as fast as possible.

 

What or who is your biggest inspiration?

Stefanie Grunwald, I remember seeing her work and instantly I fell in love with her work for the detail, lighting, and composition. She is one of the reasons I started drawing my pixel art landscapes! Otherwise, the places I hike and visit are my inspiration.

 

How has your art style evolved over time in your opinion?

Starting out with pixel art, I tried to add as much detail as I was a realistic traditional artist. I quickly figured out that the intent to place pixels in a visually appealing way is more important than trying to replicate a photo or make every detail stand out. Being a restrictive medium, I used different canvas sizes to achieve a good amount of detail and pixel visibility. I also used to add many transparency layers and color modes to enhance my work and make it saturated in color, but overtime I noticed how unclear my art would look with all of these additions. In the past few years, I have stopped using these extra layers and stuck with one mode and making deliberate choices with my colors.

 

What are your dreams for the future as an artist?

I want to start attending art markets and meet many local artists! Art-wise, I would like to have more time for animations and learn more about perspective and composition.

 

Share a fun anecdote from your art journey!

Do not be afraid to try new things, you never know how it can change your journey! When I took IB Art courses in high school, we had to expand our media use around a specific theme, mine was man and nature. I had a hard time trying to create symbolism and meaning behind an art piece other than “it looks pretty”, and during critique it would come up as the main thing I needed to fix in my work. I got frustrated at myself for not being able to put significant meaning into my work until my teacher made me realize that I had to come at it with an open mind and how I felt about a topic with the knowledge I gained searching it up. Learning about topics like urbanization and species extinction made me gain interest in ecology. I ended up creating 12 pieces surrounding man’s relationship with nature in both positive and negative ways, earning me an arts scholarship and my first gallery show. After I graduated, I wanted to pursue an arts degree, but I ended up taking a sustainability course which I enjoyed so much it made me change my trajectory and pursue environmental science for my degree.

 

What is your favorite drawing you've ever made?

To this day, it has to be this art piece of my two OC’s, Pluto and Nova. I like to visualize when listening to music, and that’s when this idea came to mind. It stuck with me for nearly a year since I was too afraid to start it thinking I could not make it turn out as good as I had it in my head. I did end up putting my all into it for Newgrounds PixelDay 2024 contest. I ended up winning second place in the pixel art division.

Doodle Challenge!

Set a timer for 2-5 minutes and create a sketch based on the theme Jolly Gem in your style!