Arkin Tyagi is an illustrator with experience working in the field as a storyboard artist, character designer, concept artist and sequential comic art. He has worked with brands such as Bear Walker/Marvel, Dark Matter incorp, Scout and has produced individual projects with a variety of clients across a vast body of work.
LSA: When did you gain an interest in digital and why did you pursue it on a professional level?
AT: I started drawing digitally when I was 13, I remember I had an old android tablet and a cheap 2$ rubber tip stylus that I used to start drawing digitally. I pursued digital art professionally because I have always wanted to become a professional artist and digital art just allows me to produce the ideas I have in my head exactly the way I envision them. On top of that, digital art is an essential skill to have in the art industry right now because this is where the future is.
LSA: What opportunities lie from becoming a digital artist rather than your traditional painter?
AT: The opportunities in both fields are extensive but they are also very different. Most commercial projects today employ digital services for the convenience, speed and flexibility offered by the medium. The opportunities offered by the digital medium range from graphic design to high-end work on blockbuster films.
LSA: Do you think digital art will one day fully replace analogue art?
AT: No, nothing in the contemporary world is truly gone, I do think digital will replace analogue art as the primary method of work though. Most of these steps have already been taken and most major studios work entirely digitally now.
LSA: I can see that a lot of your work is inspired by Marvel and DC, Tell us about your choice in that?
AT: I have always been smitten by comic books, my start as an artist happened because of comics which is why most of the material I draw to this day revolves around the fantasy and superhero genre.
LSA: What difficulties did you have to face to get to the position you are now?
AT: I had to move a lot as a child which severely limited my exposure to art education, I had to teach myself how to paint both traditionally and digitally. The industry in India is not developed enough to sustain a long career which is something I had to navigate through. On top of that, having to shift from India to the UK was something that really created some hurdles for me to jump through.
LSA: What would you say your personal favorite work is and what lead to that thought?
AT: There is a piece called ICARUS, which I made in August 2021 and the idea behind that was to create an extremely psychedelic version of the Greek myth and really push my texture work as far as possible.
LSA: Going from your early work to your present I see that you have changed the art style to a more classical look, why is that?
AT: It happened entirely because of my urge and the client’s need to get work done as fast as possible. My art style is just the fastest and the most efficient way I know to produce stylish art. My influences include 90’s pop art and 60’s retro comics, I decided I wanted to create a contemporary version of those aesthetics and have now become fast enough to produce one full illustration a day, every day.
LSA: Do you have any projects that you are currently working on?
AT: I am working on my original graphic novel called ‘The Alpha Council’. It’s a superhero murder mystery set in a universe where superheroes are government employed individuals acting on the wills of those who run the countries they are meant to represent and protect. The book focuses on the murder of the world’s greatest superhero and how a C grade unknown superhero called Surya gets tangled up and framed for this crime.
Interview By Filip Adamczewski
