There are many excellent vendors in the Renderosity Marketplace, but few can compare to SVEVA (aka Susan Justice). She has been a top selling vendor for over 6 years running. If you spend some time looking (or shopping) in her remarkable Renderosity store, you'll see why. Her work is consistently beautiful and imaginitive. From gorgeous kimono designs to detailed backgrounds and sexy, moody 3D female models, Sveva is a gifted digital artist and vendor. Renderosity is very proud to name Sveva our "Vendor of the Month" for April, 2015.
Sveva took time out of her very busy schedule to answer a few questions about her life, her work and her experiences as a vendor at Renderosity.com.
Renderosity: Tell us a bit about yourself and your background. What made you want to become an artist and a vendor?
SVEVA: I've always been artistic, from drawing to cake decorating (two of my earliest jobs I was a cake decorator), I've worked in galleries, helped manage an art sales company, and I've volunteered as a gallery moderator at deviant art back around 2008 for two years. I helped get the digital mixed media galleries up and running! I've always just been drawn to art and artists, I studied 2 years at art school in traditional mediums such as pottery, design, and drawing.
When I got my own computer I discovered not just video games, but also digital art, this was back around early 2002 I believe, so I combined my love of games with my love of art, making tags and portraits for people in the gaming community with psp.
I soon moved on from this and taught myself photoshop. I worked in photo manipulation, digital painting, and combining mediums, I took commission work for book covers, CD covers, and magazines, and sold a lot of prints. I appeared in several publications such as ImagineFX. Business was ok but not good enough for me! I wanted more out of it, and so I found a way to sell more by becoming a vendor at Renderosity.
At first I didn't put much into my store as I was really busy with covers and commission work, but eventually I came to decide that I could make a lot more as a full time vendor, I taught myself everything about Poser that I could, I went from just 2D and using 3D in artwork to learning how to texture clothing and hair. I dedicate most of my time to learning and creating - it's just what I do. It's my passion.
But I didn't stop there either, I went on to teach myself to
model. I am still learning, it's trial and error, no one starts off
knowing everything, you learn as you go, you create what you want
and learn from mistakes. Art for me is not just a job, it is a
lifestyle, I have late nights working, and sometimes early mornings
to meet deadlines, I work whenever I can because I enjoy it, but I
also have to take care of two small kids, so sometimes you just
have to go with the flow and ideas get put off or projects go
unfinished.
You've been honored with the VOM for April, 2015. What do you think is key in your success as a vendor?
Dedication. Never giving up, learning all I can. Pushing forward even when I am not in the mood to work, brain storming, ideas, imagination, taking it to the next level and onto new limits. I don't let anything stand in my way, if I don't know how to do something I figure it out, because I won't be happy until I do.
Also - I only create what I would buy myself, if I wouldn't buy
it, I won't create it, I don't create just for something to do, I
do it because I love it, each product has been another push
forward, I could probably pin point exactly where I was and what
else I was doing by taking a stroll through my shop. I always come
away learning something even if it's very small. That is one reason
I push the limits - if I don't I will get bored - I have Attention
deficit disorder, and OCD, as does my oldest son, we can't sit
still for too long, I have a hundred more ideas where the last one
came from, I have a ton of unfinished work because I get bored, I
see something else I would rather make, and leave the other project
sitting unfinished, it's a blessing and a curse.
Could you list some current favorites among the products you've created and tell us a little bit about them?
I really love my Gypsy Earrings, I made them because I love everything hippie, boho, gypsy, I wear these type of earrings and jewelry myself, so I thought why not make earrings for my shop? I love all my earring sets actually, I find it a lot of fun, and relaxing to model earrings, I guess I am kind of addicted to it. Do all my products sell millions right out the door? No. But I know they will over time. I have faith in myself and in my creations. Some types of products do really well, others are more niche and take longer to sell. I get it, and I am OK with that.
I also truly love all my backgrounds but most especially my
Fairywoods! They just came to me very easy, I was in a fairy mood,
and so after those I made the pedestals, and the Fairyclouds. They
all did wonderful in the market.
Where do you get your inspiration/ideas for your products?
"I only create what I would buy myself, if I wouldn't buy it, I won't create it. I don't create just for something to do, I do it because I love it, "
The fairies!? No seriously I get my inspiration from everywhere.
Inspiration and creativity is all around us, just look and listen.
I spend so much time looking at artworks, browsing different sites,
trying to trigger something in my head, most of the time it comes
relatively easy. My kids are inspiring, especially my daughter,
even though she is no longer with us.
What is currently in your digital toolset, and what could you not do without?
- Photoshop - Poser Pro 2014
...and...
- Daz Studio - varying other modeling programs, blacksmith, mapping programs, many many many gigs of resources... Also my scanner, my canon DSLR camera, my iPhone 6 plus, various sketching programs on my surface-tablet pc, my drawing tablets, and of course my Maingear PC.
I have invested a lot of money into my "career" :) basically I
have a lot of gadgets, but I could not work without photoshop and
poser. They are probably my most used, as I have them open every
minute I am awake!!
What might we find you doing when not at work?
I work from home, like many of us, and I have 2 young boys with me almost 24-7, so they are quite demanding! Lol! But I also play video games such as everyone's favorite WoW, Diablo, Star Craft, and many others including my most recent fav Battlefield - Hardline. I also enjoy the GTA games and I am patiently awaiting the newest GTA to release on PC, I have already put a lot of hours into it but on the Xbox.
I am also obsessed with clothes and shoes. I have a massive walk in closet stock piled with too much stuff, so I buy and sell my clothes in places like poshmark, clothes mentor, and platos closet. My fav brand is Free People! I LOVE their clothes, I have a huge collection.
So family, video games, and shopping?? That about sums it up! We also enjoy traveling to Florida to see my family, and Colorado. At some point we want to visit Canada (to meet a close friend) and New England, as I from Mass. originally and have friends and family up there. I told my partner I wanted to visit her in Estonia!! :)
When in Florida you might find me up to my waist in water by
some rocks looking for crabs with my bare hands while waiting for
fish to bite as we do a lot of fishing when we are down by Tampa.
My mom and family and my closest friends are down there.
Can you give us any hints as to what you might currently be working on?
Hrmm... I was modeling a prop set but it still needs to be
finished, of course I have loads of ideas for earrings,
backgrounds, and basically anything lilflame does I will texture :)
I adore her and her outfits and lingerie! She is very talented,
funny, and just all around an awesome partner to have. I am a lucky
girl to have Lilflame, Wolfie, Lunchlady, and sometimes Jonnte, to
work with, they are a great bunch and I wouldn't trade them for
anything. Thank you guys
Any final words or advice for artists who might be considering becoming a Renderosity vendor?
NEVER ever give up!!! If being a vendor is what you want - then
do it! Don't let anyone bring you down because it isn't worth it.
Do what you want, if that means learning to model, or create
textures, then do it. Teach yourself - it can be frustrating at
first but eventually you will get it. We all had to start
somewhere. You have to be dedicated if you want to really take your
art to the next level, but that's ok because you can do it. While
one may learn quick, another slower, it's ok, follow your dreams -
that may sound corny but it's true. Follow them and see where it
takes you. Heck, I still dream to have a restaurant someday and be
a chef, or a writer! Many people tell me I should write, maybe
someday :)
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Make sure you stop in and visit SVEVA's
Store in the Renderosity Marketplace
SVEVA'S Store in the MarketPlace
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