We are excited to have, Rosario Carmina (most people call him Rossi), as our Featured Artist, we’re noticing a trend here, there are many YOUNG artists out there that are amazing at drawing Marvel Characters lol, Rossi is one of those amazing young artist, make sure to click the links and follow all of his channels, you don’t want to miss a single post from rossi.
Find Rosario: Instagram – @rossi_arts – ETSY STORE
How old are you?
I am 19 years old.
Where are you from?
I am from the UK and live in London!
How long have you been an artist? What is your specialty?
I have been drawing ever since I could pick up a pencil, but I have only been an artist, full on since the start of my Instagram account in June 2016. The creation of Instagram and the idea of sharing my art with people all over the world, really inspired me to keep going and improve my skills. At the same time, I never knew how many other incredible artists were on Instagram too, and seeing all their work on a regular basis, hit hard for me as I’d never seen anything like it! I’ve been extremely motivated ever since!
I specialize in Fan Art and Realistic Comic Art, drawing literally anything I feel like, with help from references. I take these images and I try to draw them as realistically as possible, keeping to my own technique which helps each art piece to be recognizable. I believe that building your own style and technique is very important in growing as an artist because it makes you memorable and helps your work to be recognized whether your name is on it or not.
How is one way you make money with your art? Do you have a job in the art industry? If So, what’s one thing you don’t like about it? If no, where would your dream job be? Do you have a favorite Artist? Where do u find inspiration?
I currently sell prints of my artwork on Etsy for anyone who wants to see my art first hand, right in front of their eyes. I also offer commissions too as a way to have your own ideas drawn and the original artwork sent straight to you. However, it is not completely about the money for me, I do not think it should ever be that way for any artist. My journey as an artist has shown me how supportive people can be. I am truly grateful for the incredible support and comments I have received over time and value all of it as much as any money I will ever make from it.
We all have dreams and goals in life and for me, becoming a concept artist would be the real goal. More specifically, for Marvel Comics. Ryan Meinerding is currently the head of Visual Development for Marvel and the work that he has done has always amazed me. A great example would be, the latest Spider-man costume seen in the Avengers Infinity War Trailer. All over the world, people are commenting on how incredible his new costume looks. Toys are being made for the film, based off Ryan’s design. Fan Artists like me, are drawing Spider-man with his design on it. It would be a dream come true for me to be able to say, “I designed that.” Ryan Meinerding is a huge inspiration to me and the work that he does, keeps me going strong and my head held up high!
What is one accomplishment you’ve had in your life? Does not need to be art related.
One great accomplishment for me has to be when Chadwick Boseman (Actor for Black Panther) liked two of my posts on Instagram. This was a huge moment for me as I never thought that my work could be appreciated so much, that it actually reaches out to the actor who plays the very character I am drawing! I was blown away and had never felt more motivated!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?
A lot has happened and changed since I started drawing full time so, it is hard for me to say where I will be in the future, however I can only hope that I would have completed my studies and just improved even more over time! However, one thing I really hope to do in future, is to attend a comic con event. A lot of artists, rent out stalls for the day, to showcase their artwork to everyone. It is a great way to become a part of something much greater and a big step up in making a name for myself and helping to get my work out there!
If you could meet and talk to any person in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?
If I could meet and talk to anyone in the world, it would have to be Hans Zimmer. As well as art, music is also a very big part of my life. I play the piano and have been playing it for over 10 years now. When I go and see a film, I love the music scores in a lot of them and that is especially the case when going to see a movie, with Hans Zimmer as the soundtrack composer. My favourite movie scores by him are, Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel. I’d want to ask him, what it takes and how to keep coming up with new ideas in music. He is another huge inspiration to me.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
If I could go anywhere in the world, it would have to be Dubai. Two other interests of mine, are a big reason as to why I would love to go there. Cars, and architecture. At home here in London, during summer a lot of people from Dubai come and bring their super cars with them. I love to go and see them with friends and it makes for a great day out. However, going to Dubai and seeing all the cars would be incredible. At the same time, the buildings and the look of the city is jaw-dropping. I remember watching Mission Impossible 4, where they have a large part of the film set it in Dubai, and a huge action scene inside the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. I remember thinking and still do think “Wow that’s incredible. I’d love to go there!”
What is your favorite brand of art supply? Whether it’s a brand of pencils or brand of camera or software
I use a lot of different materials for my drawings, but the one I enjoy using the most, is prismacolor pencils. These pencils are waxed based so blending with them produces results that are a lot better than what other pencils can produce. The colours are extremely vibrant and I have used these pencils for over a year now and do not look to be changing from them anytime soon!
Any advice for young artists?
Over time I have received a lot of messages asking for advice on how to improve as an artist. My answer is always the same! Two words… Practice and Patience. As obvious as that may seem, I cannot stress enough how important they are. Improving over time, does not happen with finding the best equipment, or by taking shortcuts. Practicing and recognizing every mistake and where you went wrong is the best way to overcome every obstacle. Patience is just as important, as improvement does not happen overnight. It happens over time. Every time you draw something, make sure everything is as good as you can possibly get it, before moving forward. Making mistakes that could have been avoided is something that does not need to happen! Being patient and taking extra care with every piece of art you do, is the best way to grow.
