'i wish there was art that looked like me': watch alexis eke make striking portraits of black women - graphic pen tablet

Watch a piece of art come out, whether it's a fine pencil drawing, a clay vase on a pottery wheel, or-
Like the case of artist Alexis Eke
Digital illustrations made with software are skilled.
Toronto-based Eke has a technology that combines portrait images with digital painting in Photoshop and Illustrator.
She described her art as "a mix between Afrofuturism and contemporary renaissance" and the black female portrait in her retro palette was popular on Instagram.
She shared her process three times.
Let's get a glimpse of the lapse video where her image is brought to life (
Including two portraits of CBC Art: Exhibition host Amanda Paris).
But before we watched her work, we asked her a few questions to understand her work process: where did you get inspiration from?
I was inspired by Japanese graphic design and Renaissance paintings.
What other artists inspire you?
Kobe Giles, Kanye West and the nearest Hart Coppie.
How did you discover/develop your style?
Through a lot of experiments, I formed my own style.
I don't want to make my job likeable.
From middle school, I focused on creating the art I wanted to see.
Trying different colors, media and layouts helps me bring my art to where it is now.
What kind of art do you want to see when you are in middle school?
Basically, my school doesn't teach black artists at all, and very little does teach black artists.
I know now because many years ago black artists were not as popular/supportive as they are now.
I wish I could see art like me, or artists like me.
I want to fill this gap by creating art that blacks can connect in some way.
Would you prefer to work on a desktop, laptop or tablet?
I 've only worked on my laptop, but I might prefer it if I had a tablet.
Do you use a mouse or a pen/graphic tablet?
I use a tablet.
What music do you listen to at work?
I 've listened to a lot of music genres, but I mostly hear about singing and/or steam Boeing music when I create art.
On average, how long does it take to complete an illustration?
According to the details, three days.
We see what is the program you are using?
Photoshop and Illustrator
Do you have any misconceptions about your art?
I don't have much misconceptions about my art.
People tell me that my illustrations look like modern
The clown of the day actually sounds cool.
What we see has much to do with how we express ourselves and what we say.
That's why I have a white line that connects my eyes to my mouth.
Make the theme in the illustration "human ".
What do you want people to take from your job?
I want people to look at the beauty of black people from a contemporary perspective. black art is not only centered on black people, but also future, retro, contemporary and so on.
In addition to these reasons, I hope that my work can make people feel something, whether it's beauty, anger or both.
What is your next project?
I'm working on a few projects right now, but I'm planning to design the costume soon.
As an artist, what keeps you going?
The information I get from people about how my art makes them feel like I'm really happy and keeps me going.
It's a great feeling to know that the art you create for yourself has a positive impact on others.
Also, think about how far my art has gone, and who I have worked with in the past year, I am motivated.
Take a look at the final portrait of Elexis eke below!
The interview was edited and condensed.