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Q1: Let’s start with the common question, if you can kindly introduce yourself.
Hello. My name is Nik Sargent. In 12 words I describe myself as Artist, Scientist, Innovator, Analyser, Fixer. User/Customer Experience Evangelist. Bumblebee fanatic.
I’m actually a full time IT Communications consultant and a photographer and digital artist on the side. I actually wanted to be a film score composer when I was a a child. I also keep and study bumblebees. Scotland is my homeland.
Q2: How did you get into the field of your work?
I got into IT after completing my degree in Computer Science and Electronics; but I wish I had done something artistic instead. So, my artwork is something I have developed from a hobby, alongside my music.
I won a camera at age 6 and ever since loved creative photography. Eventually I got into digital photography as soon as it was possible and have never looked back, because for me the computer just opened a whole new world of possibilities.
The painting side of things is more recent and a natural way to bring together more of my interests: art, painting, computers, photography – I fell in love with palette knife painting when I was at school, so it’s always been there. I went through a slightly obsessive phase at one point, drawing fantasy art with cheap “Bic” pens, but that was a long time ago!
Q3: Do you have any current favourite artists, comic artists, photographers who may have influenced you to become the artist that you are?
One of my strongest influences was Salvador Dali, not that it really shows in my current work! I adore Van Gogh, Monet and many other painters who challenged convention and changed the rules. My art teacher – Mr McDiarmid – was the palette knife guy who inspired me.
It’s important for me, though, to keep being inspired; so I’m constantly on the lookout on the web and social networks for great, fresh talent; I’ve no particular favourites.
Q4: What are the main tools of your trade?
Aside from a camera (more often than not, my iPhone) it’s a mixture of tools – part photo-processing and part digital painting. These include Tiffen DFX3, Dynamic Photo HDR, DAP2 and, of course, the workhorse, which is Corel Painter. I don’t use Adobe Photoshop at all, though I do use Lightroom.
Of course, eyes, are the main tool. I was taught to “see” rather than merely “look” at the world around us – using your eyes properly is the most important thing you can do.
Q5: How was it for you to learn the process of that? Did you teach yourself, take classes or learn from other existing artist’s tutorial?
I taught myself through experimentation. It’s quite possible I have a unique combination of tools and thus a unique workflow and unique results. I’d like to think so! Each of my images goes through at least 7 key stages of workflow with the various applications and perhaps up to a hundred processing steps.
Q6: Do you think its possible for you to describe the process of your art style, what are the dos and don’ts, the important aspects you set yourself to achieve your style of design?
My process is all about “light”. Thinking about light, controlling light, painting with light. Particularly when I’m working with other people’s photos, where the quality can be very variable, I’m not afraid to take the image far away from where it started. My process is to create “art” from photos, which means being free of the limitations of the camera, and even the real world.
I start and often finish with an HDR process to control the light in the scene, to make it look the way the human eye can see it, rather than a camera. Then its filtering, masking and all manner of processing to control what’s in the scene, depth of field, colour and tone. Only after that does the painting start, which is done over the top of the image. You can zoom into my final images and see every bristle mark in every brush stroke.
Q7: What are the biggest struggles you encounter as an artist?
Thankfully I’m rarely short of ideas or material to work with, especially since I can work with images people send to me. So, for me, it’s not having time, as I have a full-time job. It’s also quite costly to keep all the technology up to date if you are a technology-based artist!
Q8: Do you have any other future plans that don’t involve creative art?
Actually my future plans and aspirations do involve creative art because I’d like to become more established as a photographer. But alongside that I would like to move to Scotland and put more effort into researching Bumblebees.
Q9: Do you have any personal mottos, quotes or existing quotes that motivates you to do what you love doing? Can you share it with us or provide words of wisdom from your experiences for those who look up to you?
“There are no rules”
That’s not to say that just anything is good, because actually there are things that separate good and bad; but what I love is the idea of pushing photography into the realm of art so that it becomes pseudo-realistic and challenges the notion of whether your are looking at reality or not.
Q10: What do you think the future will hold for all artists from all backgrounds from now?
I think the future holds mixed blessings. I think musicians have seen such a huge benefit from the growth of the internet and social networking, being able to cut out the middleman and get straight to fans. I believe the same is happening for artists.
But with that opportunity brings a lot of competition as well as a lot of work of variable quality – so some artists, even great ones, may struggle to get heard. Actually, what you’re doing here is one way to tackle that.
However, one thing I’m fairly sure about, there will be a time when artists from any background have the opportunity to be seen and heard.
Q11: To round off the last question, where can your fans and new fans find updated news and progress from you, – Where can we find you?
For those that want to see the artwork, you can go straight to http://inpictur.es/
You can find more about me at www.niksargent.com
And there’s more “behind the scenes” about my paintings at www.brushstrok.es
I’d also love to see you on any of the main social networks
twitter @niksargent
facebook www.facebook.com/brushstrokes.art
google plus: glpl.us/nik
