I am really jealous of the next artist being interviewed! I mean I have been jealous of alot of the artist interviewed here! But this guy he is just too laid back and cool for words you can’t help but like his style. Not just his art but just is style of living, writing, the way he “Arts”.
Kandoken doesn’t take himself too seriously which is why he is so cool.
Check out some of his work…
Even though his Phillies smoked my Brewers…he is still alright with me!
Well on with the interview. Not only can this guy draw, he is a fantastic colorist. Some of the work displayed later on in the interview are collabs he did and I will list those as well to give the other artist there shout outs! Thanks again Kandoken for agreeing to the interview!
Could you start with a brief intro to yourself? Name, age, where you from, who you are and what you do….anything you want the readers to know about you…
Yo, my name’s Steve Mack. I’m 23 years young from Philadelphia Pennsylvania, and I’m an illustrator. I love skittles Capcom artists smash bros and heavy food. I also like girly music, white tigers, and street signs with graffiti over them.
What is your art background…Schooling, self taught etc. Also how long have you been into art? When did you start taking it seriously?
I started drawing around the age of 11. I remember being heavily into dragon ball z and alpha 2’s artist Bengus. I took art classes in high school, but never really took it seriously until I was in college. In 2004 and I was on Akiman`s hp, and Akira had a blog on sf comics and I thought omg, Alvin Lee has leveled up immensely! Then looked closer and found it was colored by an artist named Arnold Tsang(cover of Ryu looking at Sagat). and that was when i wanted to throw away my smudge tool and lens flare for the real deal aka take art seriously.
Lines by Joe Ng Colors by Kanoken!
I love your sketches (the ones on your blog esp. )(blog shout click Here) What is your personal preference..pencils or full color illustrations?
I’d like to consider myself an ‘all-around’ artist. I like life drawing in 4B pencils. I use a ticonderoga 420T blue pencil with an F pencil for illustrations, these are the sketches i’d most likely take to photoshop.
Do you have time for video games these days? If so what are you playing?
I try to, just to keep my mind off art, but that’s practically impossible. I’m a fan of the Advance Wars series, along with Metal Gear, Brawl, and Ultimate MK 3. I don’t play FFs(Final Fantasies???) anymore. Too many remakes.
Who are some artist that you admire?
Phew… let’s see. For sure I’d like to say Akiman first, but….. it was actually kinu who influenced me first. Growing up, there was a Chinese owned mom & pops around the corner of my house called Hung Fat. It was awesome, they had new arcades like every 2 months. One month (i think this was in ’94) they had Dungeons and Dragons!!! And I thought the art was sooo $#!@kin cool I was like, ‘wow it looks like Ronin warriors but better!’ I’m sure those were my exact words. But yeah Kinu Nishimura first, then akiman. then it’s a mix of olds and news. Arnold Tsang, Norman Rockwell,Peter Nguyen(saigonradio), LeSean Thomas, Kim Seung, Stanley Lau, Frank Frazetta, so many. The list goes on and on.
Pencils by Joe Ng Colors by Kandoken!
What inspires you as an artist? (Films, other art, people’s comments on DA…etc.)
Umm… I’d say people. Mainly because I like to impress and improve. You can’t get better without the help and eyes of others! One of the key things as an artist you must know. And please.. be humble!
Lines by Jon Buran colors by Kandoken!
If you weren’t an artist, do you see yourself doing anything else creative? (Music etc.)
Definitely music. I looooooove music. It actually plays a huge role in my work. I’d probably make electronic beats. Mainly 8-bit combined with hip hop or something.
Lines by ~nupharius colors by Kandoken!
What are your tools of the trade? (also what programs do you use for colors)
Mainly photoshop 7. cs and up you cant group previous layers i’m like ‘wtf?’
Lines by ~angel-t inks by jrs2345 and colors by Kandoken!
What direction do you see your art going in the next few years?
Hopefully in the right direction.
Lines by Jon Buran colors by Kandoken!
Are there any projects that you see going on that you wish you were apart of? (Film, video games, comics, etc.)
I know people keep saying that I should try out for UDON. Yeah, maybe that. If they’re hiring I’d probably get a passport and head for canada.
Thanks again Kandoken! Awesome interview!
Thanks again man! Love your colors and your pencils!! Good fortunes to you in the future!
The Gamer who digs Art 