A truly inspiring art book!

My dear friend Isis wrote this wonderful artbook "Arts of Isis Sousa and Guests".

The book on amazon.de

The book on amazon.com

Today I want to tell you about her first book and Isis herself. She´s a truly wonderful person and artist!

I´m glad I got to know her, she´s not only a kind and caring soul, she also inspires me with her work and the way she sees things. A truly amazing person!

About the book:

"This art book is pretty amazing!

Isis is a wonderful person and very talented artist, which can be seen and also felt in all her works throughout this book. The tutorials in this book and the video lectures that are coming with the digital version are easy to understand and really helpful. You can feel how much thought and time Isis put in her book, shaping it into something special.

Also the artworks done by Isis and her fellow artists are simply gorgeous!

I really recommend any fantasy artist to read this book and get inspired not only by the wonderful artworks, but also all the little stories and tips.

My personal favorite of Isis’ artworks is “Son of life”, the cover of Grace Dravens book of the same name.

The details and color composition are truly beautiful. I especially love the hair and face of “King Macbeth”.

From all the guest artists in this book, the artwork of Marilena Mexi resonates the most with my personal taste. I love the way she does her backgrounds. She really “touched my heart” with her works, as she recommends others to capture their viewers.

This is the first of many books to come as it seems and I am looking forward to the next one.

Isis, you´re awesome! Keep on the great work!"

(this is my review posted on amazon.com and amazon.de)

The interview:

What is your real name?

My real name is Isis Feitosa de Sousa, but I’ve adopted just the first and last name as artist name, becauae I think my middle name sounds ugly!

Do you have an artist name/alias?
I thought about several other names to use as artist name. In the end, I thought using my real name would help those who have crossed my way during my life to identify me and know of my artistic endeavors, so I stuck with Isis Sousa :).

Do you have your own website?
I do, there I upload only portfolio pieces, bio, links to my online galleries and contact information. I also have a blog, where I do interviews, write tips, news, and a lot more!

http://isis-sousa.blogspot.de/

http://isissousa.cgsociety.org/gallery/

http://isissousa2.deviantart.com/

How old are you? (if you want to answer, that is :P)
I am 27, and I feel almost too old as an artist making through the industry, but almost too young in terms of learning. So I hope I will be a painting master someday, may as good as Luis Royo, or Pierangelo Boog…

Since when do you draw/paint?
Since I was a toddler and I never stopped. When I was a teenager, I used to paint with acrylics over wood & canvas, and black ink over canson. I loved working with black & white and pointillism. Then I switched to graphic design, and came back painting, this time, digitally.

Is this your hobby or work?
Hm… (thinking!) It is both, indeed! I do commissions and freelance jobs as a way of living, but also enjoy the time painting for myself, to enhance my skills. For a few times (luckily), I have had commissions which were nothing but headache, due to the clients lack of education on commissioning artwork and dealing with artists. Those are the typical clients who think they are the center of the universe and that we artists are nothing but subordinates. On the other hand, most of my clients are wonderful, and I have a great time brainstorming with them in search for great solutions for our artworks, these are the clients who know what commissioning artwork is all about and they lift you up and help you become a better person and artist. And it is this type of work, which feels like doing hobby, because they are so enjoyable.

If it is your work why did you start to walk that way?
I had many ideas about when I wanted to be when “I grow old”, “someday”, etc. I thought about anything from being a biologist, psychologist, linguist, writer, anthropologist, etc, etc and etc! But since I’ve always to express myself through paintings and drawings, I started my career in Graphic Design. I wanted to work with form and colors and have my earnings from that. That was the turning point of becoming an artist.

Who and what is inspiring you?
I have a passion for two artists who made me travel through Fantasy Realms when I was a child/teenager: Luis Royo and Andreas Marshall, mainly because of Heavy Metal LP’s and CD covers! I am a headbanger since the age of 9 and got enchanted by those amazing artworks on the covers of my favorite bands! Nowadays, my biggest source of inspiration is indeed my artist friends, because they are always producing amazing works, in different styles and techniques than mine, and all that diversity fills my head with new ideas and joy. One of my most talented friends is Pierangelo Boog, because he has the talents of an old master (although he is not old!) and his skills impress “the hell out of me” to say so!

Other sources of inspiration are: Heavy Metal one of my biggest passions in life, Art Books, Psychology books, Leadership & Self-Growth books and of course, almost all things Fantasy: books, cards, movies and games. I am also deeply inspired of handicrafts and History.

What inspired you to make that book “Art of Isis Sousa and Guests”? Do you plan to make more books?
Art of Isis Sousa & Guests was a big boom in my green life as artist. I say green because I consider myself just a beginner, with a long way to go. And this book is not a technique book, but more of an inspirational material.The inspirations for it to happen were Marcin Migdal, from Mad Artist Publishing, my husband, parents, brother, and awesome friends and inspiring artists.

I do plan to publish Fantasy & Dark Fantasy illustrated books, and also other art books in different themes and nonetheless, more books with my artwork in the future :)

What is your favorite quote?

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. - Albert Einstein

Any tips and ideas you wanna share?

First, thank you Stephanie, for being an awesome artist and taking the time and engagement for this interview! I would like to say to artists out there, especially those beginning their journey:

1-Don’t be afraid of trying different programs, techniques and styles. Never restrict yourself in experimenting with art. Art is an expression of the soul, not a specific painting or drawing fashion.

2- Praise and enjoy your friends’ works and also the works of those you don’t know. Praise all the beautiful work out there.

3- Focus! Get rid of all distractions and be strategic on your actions and activities in the pursuit of your dreams!