Who is BigT? Ok first things first, a BIG thank you to all the people that took the time to vote for me, and also may I send a greeting out to the other Nominees; I just want to let you guys know I didn't think I was in with a chance after seeing all your brilliant work! Talk about tough competition!...Well done to you all!! Well I'm BigT, real name Tony Sellars, I live in Yorkshire, which is a beautiful part of the UK, I'm in my late 40's and have always had a love of art. If you were wondering, the BigT nickname I picked up way back in school, I was tall for my age, not now, I'm just a normal six footer, I just got there quick! How long have you have you been rendering/doing computer graphics? I have been dabbling in computer art for about 2 years or so, which is when I first got Poser 4. Later I found Renderosity and my interest deepened greatly, seeing all that great artwork, not to mention all that freestuff, I was like a kid in a sweetshop!! Do you have traditional art experience? I have no formal art training other than the usual school classroom stuff, but I have always loved sketching and did some work in the 80's with an airbrush and some motorscooter panels for some friends who assured me I was quite good, not to mention 'Free', and for more years than I can remember I have enjoyed building and painting scale models, achieving "competition standard" no less, which I think gave me an eye for detail and composition. What are you currently working on? I simply work on what what takes my fancy, I have no commercial experience although I have been advised on quite a few occasions to produce a book containing my images, which is what I would really love to do. Time will tell I guess. The other thing I am working on is improving my Postwork which is an area I really enjoy doing, plus I would like to learn 3D modelling which I think I will try to develop further this year if possible. What software do you use and why? Thanks to friends in the States I recently upgraded to Poser 5 and have found the move to be a good thing. I for one love the extra features found in 5 and find it runs flawlessly on my system. All my postwork is done in Photoshop 7. I also use Vue occasionally but have yet to use it to anywhere near it's potential. What do you think your best piece of work is and why? I don't have favourites as such, every piece I do I try to improve in some sense, although that does not always happen, but I think it's good if you can look back and see mistakes you made and later improved on. Most of your pieces seem to involve dragons. What is it that draws you back to this subject? Yes, a lot of my stuff does seem to revolve around our scaly friends it seems; they just sort of evolved from nowhere and became a part of what I do best. I actually find I enjoy using them greatly, I am a fairly modest person but I think I can claim to be a world authority on posing these fella's. Just because of how often I do it! :) Also I think with the dragons you can really let your imagination loose and get away with it!! Why do you like to work with 3D software? I like to work with 3D software because I find it's almost instantly pleasing. When I was building the scale models I mentioned earlier I would spend many evenings going into months, painstakingly constructing, converting, and painting whatever I was working on, not to mention all the research that went into the subject you were recreating, and the cost could be prohibitive as with a lot of hobbies. I find that 3D art gives me the same Buzz but with quicker results, I can still construct and paint without the mess!! Or the cleaning up!!! Who/what inspires you? Life! Anything and everything around me, I can find inspiration from simply watching a tv programme or reading something perhaps in a magazine or book, the world is FULL of inspiration! How has this online community (Renderosity) enhanced your work, relationships, and learning? When I discovered Renderosity my eyes were opened, here I had found a place to share and develop my work with other likeminded people, here suddenly were people willing to share with me and help me grow. Parting Comments/Advice to other Artists? Well only to say perhaps if you lack inspiration, open a door, open your eyes, it's there. I DO want to thank all the members and staff here for welcoming me and allowing me to be a part of this great community, you really make it what it is...the Best! Best Regards, BigT :)

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Be sure to check out Bigt's gallery! Click on 'AOM 2003' on the sidebar to learn more about Artist of the Month and to view our past winners.