Howdy! Welcome to my Art Crib!
Mihai Alin Ion is my name but friends tag me Johny. I am a self-taught, self-promoted freelance artist, currently living and working in Bucharest, Romania. Drawing is my passion and I`ve been doodling since I was 10. Art is my hobby but also my part-time job.
Regarding my line style, I compile illustration with realistic 3D drawing, dark nature art, caricature, portrait, comics, cartoons and sketching. My creations are old school graphics, freehand drawn, using mixed media on paper. My drawing kit is a never-ending puzzle board, as I daily add, combine or remove pieces of drawing tools. If coffee gives you exactly the brown color you need, than by all means slosh down some coffee over your artwork, it will naturally fit. Poor red vine for stains, use white toothpaste, and most important, cheap art supplies create magic effects when you less expect it!
MY SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
Walt Disney`s comics, like Mikey Mouse, Donald Duck or Goofy & Pluto, old Cartoon Network series, like The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Top Cat, Tom & Jerry, Hanna Barbera`s Yogi Bear, Droopy D, Bugs & Daffy and all Looney Tunes family, superheroes like Space Ghost, Plastic Man, Birdman or Captain Planet, Bruce Lee`s kung fu movies and especially a whole army of toy soldiers, indians, cowboys and romans - this was my childhood`s inspirational universe, that later on started feeding my artistic hub.
THE SELT-TAUGHT TECHNIQUE
And so I`ve discovered the beauty of drawing! Nobody tutored me, never wondered if I have any talent or possess the know-how skill! I simply started creating, feeling confident. Piles of art supplies, infinite ideas, started as a noob, improving my technique, drawing by drawing. Each project proves you never stop learning. In order to improve you must not stop creating. I remember the elementary school, I was able to draw Bruce Lee without any reference photos. In high school, during classes, drawing quick sketches representing my teachers was the main source of amusement for me and my classmates. Earned my first money from drawing at the age of 14. Did several illustrations representing wild animals, for a biology teacher from Buzău, my hometown.
MY ART SUPPLIES
In order to bring my illustrations to life I mainly use mixed media on 250 mg grey paper. Reeves Acrylics and School Friendly Gouache to fill the pencil sketch, Cretacolor Karmina Colored Pencils, Winsor and Newton Grey Tones Promarkers to create the shadows, Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pens to lighten some areas, and Uni Posca White Paint Markers. At the moment I`m filming with my SmartPhone in FHD 1920x1080 mode and a small Cybershot 20 pixels Camera for pictures, using a tripod.
For the editing part of the drawing videos I simply use the Windows Movie Maker free software. As a "trademark" I always try to insert some stop motion animation funny scenes. Adobe Photoshop & Adobe After Effects play their role for the engaging content, the advanced editing part. I upload my projects into flash making-of videos, on my Youtube Channel - Mihai Alin Ion with a play length of approximately 1 to 20 minutes each. The video content is signed MAI Original!
FELLOW ARTISTS I FOLLOW
As they say, experience is a master teacher, even when it’s not our own. I sketch daily to improve my skills, I try to steep myself in the art of drawing by following various artists. Without any doubt, masters of the realistic, dark, and fantasy art, such as:
Marcello Barenghi, Christopher Lovell, Boris Vallejo, Tai Taeoalii, Karl Kopinski, Bogdan Petry, Jim Lee.
MY ARTISTIC GOALS
Regarding my current projects I`m focusing on building my portfolio and respecting the commissioned art deadline projects. So, if you like my artwork style and are interested in commissioning, please feel free to drop me a Message. Thank you for dropping by, hit the social media buttons, subscribe and follow for art updates, share my drawings with your friends if you wish and stay tuned, there`s more to come! New projects and longer videos, animations, comic book series, art competitions, drawing tutorials, comic conventions mingling and gift shop goodies are included in my future plans. Thank you for your online and offline support! Family, friends, acquaintances, confrère artists, you are my real art curators! Make sure you hang my artwork to your favorites, Thumbs Up & Stay Awesome!
