Maigan Lynn

Tonight we are visited by the talented fantasy artist Maigan Lynn. She does wonderful fantasy images in her artwork. You can visit her website and purchase her psp tubes at CDO. Thank you so much for talking with us Maigan. I am delighted to have you here.

Maigan has chosen some of her favorite pieces to be featured here.

1.How did you become a part of the psp tube community?

A little over a year ago I was contacted by MyTagArt about licensing my images for tubes. I had NO idea what tubes were at the time so I looked into it and found this amazing community of digital tag artists (and they ARE artists in their own right!). I thought it was one of the coolest ideas so I, of course, said yes. A couple of months ago MyTagArt went out of business but I knew I'd still like to be a part of the psp tube community. By this time I had heard of other companies and did some research about different companies and Creative Design Outlet was the one that I felt suited me best.

2.What does your artwork mean to you?

 

My artwork is my sanity. If it wasn't for being able to express myself and being able to create this world for myself, I'm scared to think what might have happened to me. I struggled with severe anxiety for 11 years. I wasn't able to work any kind of consistent job. And to everyone else around me I LOOKED normal. I didn't look sick. But inside my mind I was having a hard time even getting out of bed every morning. I had always loved art and always dabbled in it but I found myself spending more and more time looking at different artists online. I was inspired by their stories and their craft so I really got into it and gave it a shot. I quickly realized that even though I was struggling with everyday life, I could create an entire world for myself where I could feel and be whatever I wanted. You'll notice a lot of my art piece are very brightly painted. I needed things that made me feel happy. In having painted this wonderful magical world for myself, I started to notice that the world outside started looking brighter as well. My art really was/is the most profound therapy for me.

 

3. What inspires you in creating your artwork?

 

You can be inspired by anything if you just open your mind to it. I make sure to surround myself with people, and things, sights and sounds that stimulate a positive vibe. As a kid I LOVED Disney movies. I loved the stories and the colours, and the magic of it. It made me aware of a place in my mind where anything was possible. As I got older I really started enjoying fairy and mermaid illustrations. The more art I sorted through the more familiar I became with the artists. Amy Brown was always the one who inspired me most. Not only her amazing artwork but her story. She was just a regular person who did a couple of drawings that sold. And then she did more and they sold. And thus began her career. It just made the dream seem so much more attainable.

 

4. How long have you been selling psp tubes?

A little over a year now

5.How do you create your artwork? Is it by hand 

or digitally? What tools do you use in doing the artwork?

My process is a bit time consuming, I suppose. I do all of my work by hand. I do admire digital artists and maybe one day I'll gain the knowledge and practice needed to do it well, but that day isn't here yet! Instead I do it the old fashioned way! First I sketch out my design - either straight onto watercolour paper or I sometimes do a quick sketch on bristol paper and later transfer it to the watercolour paper. Once I'm happy with the sketch I outline it with black pigment ink. The next step is to paint it with watercolours and add in metallic acrylic bits to give the painting some magic and sparkle! I think because I use such concentrated pigments (less water, more paint), the paint tends to fade out the black ink slightly so the last step is to re-ink the entire thing to give it a nice crisp and clean look.

 

6)Aside from psp tubes, what else do you create

with your artwork?

I have a few different licensors I work with that create all kinds of different merchandise using my images including stamps, fabric blocks, cake sheets, mouse pads - all kinds of things. I also make quite a bit of merchandise myself. The majority of the things I sell in my online shops have been handmade by me aside from a select few items (like my prints and puzzles.) I have things like keychains, magnets, bookmarks, necklaces, stickers, colouring books, and ornaments, just to name a few.

7) As you have developed your style and artwork, which artists

have influenced you?

 

Definitely Amy Brown. She's always at the top of the list. As I started getting more serious about creating art as a career I found the work of Rion Vernon who most of you know from PinUpToons.com. His work is VERY popular in the PSP community. His girls really inspired me. They were fabulous and beautiful and the big eyes really did me in. I started discovering more big eye fantasy art and came across the work of Jasmine Beckett Griffith. When I first started really selling my work I was so overwhelmed. But I was smart enough to ask questions of other artists who had been doing this longer than I had. I have made friends with the most fabulous, talented, and kind artists and I'm inspired by them all the time - there are now simply too many to name!

 

8) Does the psp community help artists become more well known

with getting their names and artwork more visible?

Definitely. I have new fans and supporters because of the PSP community that I never would have had before. I've had lots of tag artists who have purchased my tubes and have then also purchased artwork from me, whether it be prints or originals or other merchandise. In today's world the internet is one of the biggest marketing tools. A lot of the PSP tube artists are part of groups on FaceBook or Twitter or MySpace or Google + which means they're more likely to find my work. It only takes one person in an online community to say "Hey, check out this girls stuff!" and then all of a sudden there's a flood of new fans and supporters coming in.

9) What do you enjoy the most about being part of the psp community?

 

I love seeing the different ideas people have when it comes to my work. To take one image and have it made into SO many different tags is amazing. I'm always in awe of the things these artists come up with and I'm humbled by it. I also love how friendly and interactive the PSP community is. So far my experiences have all been positive.

 

10) What are some of your favorite art pieces which you have done and why?

 

It's funny but a lot of my most favorite art pieces are a little more on the Goth side of things. There are a few on the light side such as Peacock Princess and quite a few in my Zodiac series. However my goth girls steal my heart every time. My ABSOLUTE favorite has to be Charlotte Metalwin. She's a blond mermaid with a bird cage head piece, a lace fan, and a stone lion. It is the one original I own for myself and will not sell to anyone. One of my other most favorite pieces that I only just recently sold was Red. She's Little Red Riding Hood inspired and she just turned out so lovely. I had had this image in my mind for a while and I kept having to put it off for commissions or for shows I was preparing for and finally in September 2011 I was able to lay her down on paper and she turned out far better than I had even imagined.

11) Do you prefer tags with your art tubes animated or non animated? Or are both great to you?

 

I think both are pretty fantastic. I don't think I've seen many animated tags as of yet. Most of the time the tag artists will send me the tag they created and I keep them displayed in an album on my Facebook Fan Page but I don't think I have any in there that are animated.

12) Do you do commissions for taggers? How about ideas for tubes which taggers may have?

 

I was only recently told what this actually meant. It's something I would definitely be interested in but I would have to check with my licensor before I said yes for sure. As for ideas for tubes, if it's something I'm also interested in It would definitely be considered. However, I'm starting to become quite busy and I have a list of art pieces I need to work on that feels like it's a mile long! lol! So it really depends on the subject matter, if it appeals to me, and how much time I have available.

13) Is there anything which you don't allow to be done with your artwork? For example mirroring, animation, etc.

 

Not really. My biggest concern is that whatever is altered that it be tasteful and not diminish the original image. These creations are more than just drawings to me. They really are an extension of myself. I'm pretty open to anything as long as my work is respected.

14) Would you like to receive tags which our members may do featuring your artwork? We often love to send the artists tags by our members. 

 

Of course! I would LOVE to see them. Like I mentioned above, I have an album on my Facebook Fan Page that I add the tags to. I try to give credit to each tag artist if the information is available to me. I LOVE keeping a collection of all of the beautiful and unique creations!