Q&A with Aristotelis Falegos

Hello my name is  Aristotelis Falegos, the person behind Azbeen Illustration. I’m an illustrator and animator based in Athens, Greece and currently I’m spending my time making graphics for games.

What inspired you to become an illustrator?

Drawing has always been a big part of my life since I was a child. I always felt that written and verbal communication was somewhat of a struggle for me, whereas images came naturally. So it was just a matter of going with the flow, following my passion and hopping everything works out fine in the end.

What tools do you use to organize your work?

For recording ideas fast, nothing can beat the old pencil and paper combo. I always carry a sketchbook and pencil with me and they never fail to deliver. Apart from that my work is all done digitally with the help of a tablet (a "Cintiq companion Hybrid" these days). I used to be a big fan of illustrator, but I have gradually moved over to photoshop as I have adopted a more painterly style. Also i think I should mention  Wunderlist, Evernote and Pinterest  which although not directly art related, have helped me immensely in keeping all my work organised and my mind sane.

What is your ideal work environment?

I haven’t really thought about this before and I don’t think I have any real preferences. I tend to make myself comfortable anywhere as long as the people around me are happy and nice.

Where does your design inspiration come from? 

Inspiration for me comes from two distinct types of sources.

The first is other artists, whose work I admire, get inspired by and keeps me motivated to continue with my own craft.

The second source is any medium that provides stories about human interaction. Anything from books, movies, games, talking with people or even just observing the world around me. Stories are everywhere and they make the world go around - not money, money is just a part of the story.

© Aristotelis Falegos

Who are the creative people you admire most?

I admire many people and for many different reason and the list just keeps getting bigger, but recently I’m constantly being amazed by the artists working in the animation industry. These guys really know how to use colour , light and composition to capture emotions and tell stories. A few of my favourite would be Mike Yamada, Nate Wragg, Nathan Fowkes, Tyler Carter, John Nevarez and Cory Loftis.