VEKTORMAGAZINE FOREVERYONE
VOLUME 2 | NO 9 | THE ASIANA ISSUE
THE ASIANA ISSUE FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH: JEROME CASTRO OF WWW.BYJEROME.COM, CATALINA ESTRADA OF WWW.KATIKA.COM AND TOBY YEUNG OF WWW.CUBEMEN.COM
#9
#9 CONTENTS
THE
ASIANA ISSUE
00
FRONT COVER COLLABORATION BY VEKTORJUNKIE, RANGER BASTARDS, THEYHATEMYDESIGN AND IDA BELOGI
08
VEKTOR SHOWCASE // ASIANA
48
INTERVIEW WITH CATALINA ESTRADA // COLOMBIA // WWW.KATIKA.NET
80
INTERVIEW WITH TOBY YEUNG // HONG KONG // WWW.CUBEMEN.COM
84
VEKTOR SHOWCASE // ASIANA
04
INTERVIEW WITH JEROME CASTRO // FRANCE // WWW.BYJEROME.COM
52
VEKTOR SHOWCASE // ASIANA
92
THE REMIX PROJEKT // VEKTOR KARMA
#9 SPECIAL THANKS + CREDITS THANKS FOR DOWNLOADING THE 9TH ISSUE OF VEKTORIKA MAGAZINE “THE ASIANA ISSUE” MANY THANKS TO ALL TALENTED DESIGNERS/ARTISTS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED AND ALSO EVERYONE THAT HAS PROMOTED THIS PROJEKT BY LINKING TO IT OR POSTING IT ON DIFFERENT NEWS SITES. SPECIAL THANKS TO JEROME CASTRO (WWW.BYJEROME.COM), CATALINA ESTRADA (WWW.KATIKA.COM) AND TOBY YEUNG (WWW.CUBEMEN.COM) FOR SUPPORTING AND SHARING THE WORDS WITH US ON THIS EDITION. MAY THE VEKTOR BE WITH YOU! VEKTORIKA SUPPORTED AND LINKED BY CREATIVE BEHAVIOR, PIXELSURGEON, LOUNGE 72, K10K, BD4D, DESIGNER IN ACTION, MADE IN STRATOR, CROSSMIND, SURFSTATION, GODOTE, DESIGN IS KINKY, HALFPROJECT, DIGITALMALAYA, UPWARDLINK, LINKODROMO, SWEDEZINE, PLEASEZINE, DIGITAL ABSTRACT, BIGBROSWORKSHOP, COPYRIGHT MAGAZINE, DESIGN RADAR, UAILAB, COBALT REVOLVER, PACDESCO, IBLOG, FUNKBUILDERS, KOMPUTER AKTIF, TERRITORY, DESIGN CONTEST, PRESSE ILLUSTRATOREN ORGANIZATION, GRAPHOLA, GOMMA, BLUE VERTIGO, BAKDERGISI, WACOM ASIA COMMUNITY, DESIGN DIARY, BANGKOK2, ILLUSTRATOR WORLD, DOXOB, TEMBOKBOMBER, ILLUSTRATION MUNDO, COMPUTER LOVE, THE LITTLE CHIMP SOCIETY, ART & GRAPHICS MAGAZINE AND OTHER SITES THAT WE’VE FORGET TO MENTIONED.
MANY THANKS TO OUR GRACIOUSLY HOSTING SPONSOR: SHAUL SWARTZ AND ASHESH PATEL AT NI SOLUTIONS/NETKEEPERS. SEE YOU ON THE NEXT ISSUE OF VEKTORIKA :) VEKTORIKA PDF MAGAZINE PRODUCED BY GODOT GUNTORO OF WWW.VEKTORJUNKIE.COM © NOVEMBER 2006 - MARCH 2007 COPYRIGHT FOR EVERY SUBMISSIONS BELONG ON EACH CONTRIBUTORS.
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
Jerome Castro France www.byjerome.com
Please introduce yourself and tell us little bit about your background. My name is Jerome Castro, i am a graphic designer and Illustrator. I also have interest into motion graphic, typography and video stuff. I’ve been studying in a graphic design school and later new medias. As long as i can remember i have always been drawning and always loved it. So i’am really happy today i can work as an illustrator and being commissioned for illustration works.
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW Where are you from? I’m french, I live in Paris. It is very useful to be in a big city when you work in creative jobs because it is easy to move, meeting people, going to exhibitions etc .. Could you share with us the history behind byjerome. com? Before i decided to go on my own, as a freelancer, i used to work for some companies, web agencies & creative studios. I moved from one to another, trying to get more exciting work each time, i knew at this time i didn’t want to specialise in some specific kind of work (like doing just webdesign, just print works etc). The last studio i was working in just collapsed and so i thought i was just the perfect time for me to try working by my own, as i was really looking for some works that would allow me to develop my own style, in a more personnal way. Wich is not that sure when you work for some clients or on some projects you can’t choose. That’s really the point about being a freelancer, you can decide the projects you want to work on. And that’s nice. Since i work as a freelancer, i’ve been working on music videos, motion graphics, veejaying in some parties, with some small music companies or independant artists. What do you think about vektor graphik? What do you love about it? For me, using vector tools is kinda magic. Nowadays, i think it is a really important point to be able to work with vector. It is so useful. Useful because for me an illustration is never finished. I can always take back an old one to redesign it a bit, mixing it with new stuff etc .. and of course, vector files allow you to make it fit with all size without loss.
Vektorika magazine getting bigger and better at each issue and is a good place to look for inspiration and see how many ways vector can be use What kind of vektor softwares do you currently use? Well I must say that I don’t know much about vector softwares, except the one i use, Illustrator. It’s the one i started working with and now it is quite a big friend of mine. Beside this vector software, of course i need to use some others, that are nonvector tools. And that’s also an important point why i love using Illustrator. The whole family products at Adobe, from Photoshop to After Effects, and all the stuffs between just work that well together (well more or less in some case ok :). So You can easyly jump from one to another. How would you describe your style? I will say colorfull, kinda retro in a way and fun. What also comes out is details. I love details. But i try not to get lost in one style, i try to make it go a bit further each time.
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
How do you work from concept to the final artwerk? Could you tell us the creative process? Well, no rules really. It depends of the final idea i have of the project. It usually start with some sketches on paper to get the idea comes out, particularly for character design or logo design. I draw til i find the “perfect” shape, make it work then redraw it in. Most of the things around, like typo, backgrounds etc are added in Illustrator. Once this is done and goes well, it ends in Photoshop for final details. The creative process may include a couple of beers in some cases :)
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
What inspires you? Could you list the 8 things that inspiring you in your creative process? For me, the creative process is something that’s always on. So inspiration is everywhere, anytime. While walking on the streets, reading, watching movies or even when buying food at the supermarket. So let’s say life is inspirational, music of course, comic books, TV (series from the 80s, the golden age :) and of course others people’s work. What do you think of vektorjunkie.com? It’s great and the guy behind is nice ;). And the Vektorika Magazine is just fine. It’s getting bigger and better at each issue and is a good place to look for inspiration and see how many ways vector can be used. Thank you so much for doing this interview. Any last words... Thanks to you for the interview ! It took me so long to complete it that i’am really happy to still be in :). Vektorika rocks! Keep it up!
What are the projekts you are currently working on ? Any future projekts you can share with us ? I don’t have any big project at the mo. I try to spend a few more time looking around, drawing, getting inspired ... I try to develop my illustration style deeper, mixing differents inspirational style ans see what happens. But I have many projects all around. I guess some of them will pop-up on my site if finally come to life. So have a look sometimes. Any favorites projekt? Yep. I must say that the last collaborative works i worked one are among my fav ones. I wanna talk about Annie & Chickenzilla, on which i worked with a friend of mine, Marie, a 3D artist. These illustrations are going to be part of some books (Design Is Kinky book and the book Human? by Fontmonster). I think collaborative works are great. It allows you to go further and deeper you would go on your own. We have a couple of projects we are actually working on so it should be shown sometimes. Who are your favourite artists or designers? Hard to say. Just to name a few in different areas, i will say Francis Bacon, Joel-Peter Witkin, Vaughan Oliver (V23), John Maeda, psyop, mk12, vault49 ... and a thousand others all around :)
Jerome Castro // France // www.byjerome.com - www.hellofreaks.com
Christina Gakopoulou // Germany // www.cg-art.de
Tony Ariawan // Indonesia // www.area105.com
Jin Hyung Im // South Korea // www.csublime.com
Melina Leibelt // Germany // www.melinaleibelt.de
Amenth // Indonesia // www.theyhatemydesign.net
Robbie Conaway // United States // www.rcpopart.com
Idrus // Indonesia
Maria Shishkina
Singgih Dwi Cahyanto // Indonesia // www.thetjintagetirs.org
AndrĂŠa Di Rosa // France
Yongkiat Karnchanapayap // Thailand // www.pictoverse.com
Bart // Poland // www.noizz.net
Niklas Kansmeyer // Germany // www.niklas-design.com
Luke Feldman // Australia // www.skaffs.com
Eike Oliver Mitte // Germany // www.vectorian.de
Daniel Martel // Spain // www.danielmartel.com
Agus Pramono // Indonesia // www.thecleber.org
Mike Castello // www.mikecastello.com
Sarah Tauhid // Indonesia // www.magensaa.com
Jos茅 Alfredo Orellan L贸pez // El Salvador
Ida Belogi // Italy // www.b-9.it
Elijah Nguyen // Australia
Tragiklabs // Indonesia // www.tragiklabs.com
cmvektor // Greece
Avocadolite // Singapore // www.avocadolite.com
Daniel Bergert // Germany // tschakalaka.deviantart.com
Manuel Baechler // Switzerland
Francina Ruana // Spain // www.laxisca.com
Reactivator // Indonesia
Wesley Nijssen // Belgium
Rika Siahaan // Indonesia // cruelreds.deviantart.com
Koivo // Russia // www.koivo.com
Benoit Martin // France // www.benoitmartin.fr
Chlorophyll // Indonesia // www.gema-yugi.blogspot.com
Mal // UK // www.maldesign.co.uk
Putra Adi Setiawan // Indonesia // artupida.blogspot.com
Aleksey Maksyashev // Russia // maxyrius.deviantart.com
Carlos Javier Idrobo // Colombia
David Hartono // The Netherlands // www.hartonoda.net
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
Catalina Estrada Colombia
www.katika.net
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
Please introduce yourself and tell us little bit about your background.. Hi everyone, my name is Catalina Estrada. I´m graphic designer and illustrator. I was born and raised in Colombia (where I graduated in graphic design) and I´ve been living in Barcelona for the past 7 years. Here in barcelona I also studied Fine Arts (Lithograpy). I work freelance and I also teach illustration at a graphic design school in Barcelona, and at the same time I work in my art personal projects.I always end up combining Graphic Design, Illustration and Art in most of my work.
Thank you for being so supportive and for sharing so much with people, I think you´re doing a great work, vektrojunkie is a beautifull project, very inspiring!!!
I guess my work is a reflection of what I have experienced in my country: the colorful green, the beautiful landscapes, the amazing flowers, the trees, the animals, the memories of my childhood, the people and their stories, the literature, the tales I was told, the beautiful music of that place, the time I spent with the people I love. Where are you from? I was born and raised in the in the outsides of Medellin (Colombia) where I had lots of contact with nature. There in Medellin I graduated in Graphic Design. Some years ago I moved to Barcelona where I graduated in Fine Arts. Could you share with us the history behind www.katika. net? What does it mean? It´s my personal portfolio, it contains mainly illustration, graphic design and my art personal projects. Katika is the way some people call me, it´s short and little name for catalina, so that´s why I named it like that.
What do you think about vektor graphik? What do you love about it? I love the versatility that it brings to me, also and specially that I can do as many color proofs as I want, I´m care so much about color composition that it is a great help to me to be able to try as many combinations and matches as possible until I feel that there´s like a balance among the colors and shapes. What kind of vektor softwares do you currently use? Adobe Illustrator. How would you describe your style? Very colorfull!
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
How do you work from concept to the final artwerk? Could you tell us the creative process? If I have time I do some hand sketches, but usually clients need things in such a rush that I have to start sketching in the computer right away... but for my art personal projects I do lots and lots of color sketches before I´m actually satisfied with the composition What are the projekts you are currently working on? Any future projekts you can share with us? I just arrived from Seattle where I had my solo exhibition at Roq La Rue Gallery and it was a great experience! At the moment I´m illustrating a mural (3 by 2.5 m wall) for an optical clinic in Guadalajara (Mejico), I´ve just finished some illustrations for the comming “spooky calendar 2007” by Die Gestalten Verlag, also some greeting cards and gifwrap that you can check out at www.nineteenseventythree.com. I´m also working on an art cast for “keep a breast” exhibition, you can find more about this project at www.keep-a-breast.org. Also working on a commisioned illustration for a book cover that will be released by Der Spiegel magazine. I´m about to finish a beautifull project edited by Chronicle Books, among many other things...
Besides all this I teach illustration at a graphic design school here in Barcelona... and I already have to start working for my coming solo exhibition here in Barcelona at Iguapop gallery in october, so as you can see I´m pretty busy at the moment ;-) Any favorites projekt? Honestly, I love most of them, specially lately. I´ve been lucky to come to a point where clients come to me because they like my style so this makes it very enjoyable to me. I love illustration and graphic design as much as I love my art projects so those jobs where I can combine all those are my favourite ones, where I can create more “artistic” illustrations, and encourage me to create different graphic universes. Who are your favourite artists or designers? I love mostly any kind of art that would be called Folk art, I love the use of colors and shapes in most folk art, the way it´s spontaneous, naive, vivid and refreshing. Also there´s so much good stuff looking at art and design history.... so it´s hard to say about a favourite one when there are so many, but I´d say I love most of artists and designers form the Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Modernism, also Latin american artists.
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
What inspires you? Could you list the 8 things that inspiring you in your creative process? I get very easily inspired by different sources, it can be music, literature, a certain movie, the colors I see in an object, it´s difficult to specify. But I guess my main source of inspiration is defenetly Nature. In Colombia I grew up in the country side, and now that I live in the city I realize how much I miss all that contact with nature, all its colors and it´s life, all the trees, the flowers, the different kinds of leaves, the birds, tha animals, it´s all the perfect combination of color, life, shapes and textures. Nature has a great value to me and it always comes to take part in my illustrations somehow. Things that inspire me: Pancho (my husband), my family, love, nature, music, literature, people, good food, different cultures... Any tips/tricks for vektorlover out there to create such a great vektor artwerks like yours? WORK A LOT!!!! and don´t give up, try to create your own graphic language... I guess that´s just about it.... What do you think of vektorjunkie.com? I LOVE VEKTORJUNKIE Thank you so much for doing this interview. Any last words... Thank you Godot for being so supportive and for sharing so much with people, I think you´re doing a great work, vektrojunkie is a beautifull project, very inspiring!!!
Mark Wasyl // United States // www.lookerland.com
Puguh Raharjo // Indonesia
Thomas Schmidt // Austria // www.vectorforsure.com
Kako // Brasil // www.kakofonia.com
Balung // Indonesia // balung.deviantart.com
Anna Grandone // France
Thomas Dian // Indonesia // thomasdian.deviantart.com
Ivan Caputo // Italy // www.kapcom.net
Dwi Irawati // Indonesia // www.luvutu.com
dmg // Austria // www.vectorforsure.com
Said Achmad Mubarak // Indonesia // www.miaow14.blogspot.com
Giovanni Meroni // Italy // www.inversoadv.com
Carol Tessitore // USA // www.caroltessitore.com
Sean // Germany // www.stilwerk-designlounge.de
Sara Stilo // Italy
Gabor Papai // Hungary
Ian Wills // England
Juan Jos茅 L贸pez // Argentina // www.ojovivo.com
Carolyn Ringuette // Canada // www.hulahop-art.com
Sebastian Lederer // Germany // www.supreme-stylez.de.vu
Sebastian Bach贸rzewski // Poland // www.mwtp.pl
Supathida Seangseaw // Thailand
Samuel Juving // France // www.smoze.com
Santiago Andrade Torres // Ecuador // www.gratisweb.com/lobodesigner
Christian Woidschuetzke // Germany // www.a-g-s.biz
CĂŠdric Le Floch // France // www.cl-deez.com
Hanz 08 // Indonesia // www.kongtech08.com
Erick Galindo
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
Toby Yeung Hong Kong
www.cubemen.com
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
Please introduce yourself and tell us little bit about your background.. I am a multifaceted designer in web, interactive and print design. Rooted in Hong Kong, Designing characters is the most enjoyable part. My babies, including Spacemonkey, Paperbag and 3World and other character series, were featured in Characters at War Exhibition 2004 and Pictoplasma magazines and calendars, and this really caused me many happy sleepless nights. Where are you from? Hong Kong Could you share with us the history behind www. cubemen.com? What does it mean? CUBEMEN is the tribe of cubic heads. Several years ago, when I was a volunteer in the environmental protection organization “Green Peace”, I recognized the stupid things we do on our planet and it brought me huge shocks. For example, what scientists know is only a tiny portion of the secrets in our DNA, yet what they manipulate is far much beyond - rearranging the genetic codes, cloning humans, etc. They don’t care about the impact at all! In our natural environment, circle stands for perfection, while cubes are not. CUBEMEN is the product of the harms we’ve done on our environments - a failed human clone with cubeshaped head. A cube is so standard and regular in every
dimension, but it’s still our irreversible fault; CUBEMEN is no human. What even worse is, as more and more CUBEMEN were produced, they formed a society, and everyone was so used to the cubic heads that no one thought there is any problem. We are so lenient when facing our own faults, and that’s why we make mistakes and then keep making the same mistakes until we destroy ourselves in one day. This is what CUBEMEN is meant to be. What do you think about vektor graphik? What do you love about it? I can see many vector idea from here. What kind of vektor softwares do you currently use? I usually use Macromedia Freehand 10 and Adobe Illustrator 10, because I don’t like MX and CS user interface. How would you describe your style? Minimal and semiosis. How do you work from concept to the final artwerk? Could you tell us the creative process? After reading the brief, I will start jotting down in words anything I can come up with which are related to the theme. I then sketch a draft layout and think about the execution of my ideas. Fortunately, I prefer minimalism, which means I don’t have to spend too much time on techniques.
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
VEKTORIKA | INTERVIEW
What are the projekts you are currently working on? Any future projekts you can share with us? Recently I’ve started building my own tee brand “avatag”. May spend more time on figure and character design too. Any favorites projekt? My favorite is always the next project. Who are your favourite artists or designers? Buro Destruct. What inspires you? Could you list the 8 things that inspiring you in your creative process? Toilet, bathroom, A4 paper, TV game, music, pillow, all toys on my table, environment. Any tips/tricks for vektorlover out there to create such a great vektor artwerks like yours? Try to do some sketch before you start your work. At least you need to know what you want to express in your artwork. What do you think of vektorjunkie.com? A vektor party around the world. Sure I’m in love with vektor graphic. Thank you so much for doing this interview. Any last words... Thanks vektorjunkie..
Rayi Christian Wicaksono // Indonesia
Erick Mares // Mexico
Mรกrio Borges // Portugal
Monica Cardenas // Guatemla city
Bertrand Petit // France // www.expressiv.net
pfad.ďŹ nder // Austria // www.vectorforsure.com
Jiri Mocicka // Czech Republic // www.givision.net
Petar Tasev // Bulgaria // fan4battle.deviantart.com
Nicolas Salamanca // Colombia
PARTONE
THEREMIXPROJEKT VEKTORKARMA THIS IS A COLLABORATION PROJEKT BETWEEN VEKTORJUNKIE AND SOME OTHER FELLOW VEKTOR FIGHTERS. VEKTORJUNKIE SEND THE VEKTOR KARMA ILLUSTRATION AND THEIR TASK IS TO REMIX THAT ILLUSTRATION WITH THEIR CHOSEN VEKTOR STYLE AND GRAPHIKS. THIS FOLLOWING PAGES SHOWN THE RESULT. ENJOY...
Above artwerks by (left to right): Ranger Bastards, Ida Belogi, Amenth Dwi Irawati // Indonesia // www.luvutu.com
Ida Belogi // Italy // www.b-9.it
Amenth // Indonesia // www.theyhatemydesign.net
Urban Cr3atures // Malaysia // www.urban-cr3atures.com
Budi // Indonesia // www.vektorthunder.com
Yongkiat // Thailand // www.pictoverse.com
Ranger Bastards // Indonesia // www.rangerbastards.com
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VEKTORIKA #1 UNTITLED ISSUE
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VEKTORIKA #9 ASIANA ISSUE