It’s time for our next Featured Student! This month we are featuring:

Giorgos Christopoulos

• Website: G-Chris

• Instagram: @g.chris.artwork

Below is an awesome Q&A that our friend Katy Adebayo, conducted with Giorgos.

What motivates someone to be a martial artist by day and a graphic artist by night? Giorgos Christopoulos would know! In the following interview he not only describes the enthusiastic attitude he has towards his professions, but he also shares his most treasured advice, some of his goals, and what causes his fire for creativity to be kindled. 

Could you tell us a bit about yourself? 

Sure! My name is Giorgos Christopoulos and I am an artist and martial arts teacher for kids and adults, from Athens, Greece! I have two masters, one in Physical Therapy and one as a Taekwondo Performance Instructor. I’m always learning new things in both those domains as well as in art!

I am the owner of two Taekwondo clubs, so that plays the role of my day job (removing the financial anxiety of the art world), but when the night comes I put my mask on and my artistic journey resumes! I also run my upcoming brand G.Chris.Artwork!

I am 31 years old and I try to balance both my occupations, since I love them both from the bottom of my heart!

If you already have a day job that you love, what motivates you to make art as a profession?

The truth is, I really want to make an impact on my family with my art some day. I want to communicate my thoughts and feelings to them for all the years to come with my art. And my chosen vehicle for that endeavor is drawing!

Plus I really like to show my skills to kids! I mean who doesn't love seeing a kid get inspired to draw, when seeing an adult do it?

What are three goals of yours as an artist? 

Well, first I really want to illustrate my first mixed style children’s book (with elements from both the children's book and the comic book worlds) and see it published!

Secondly, I strive to find the perfect balance between my day job, my artistic job, and my personal life. So finding that balance is a goal of its own.

And lastly, I really want to illustrate a story that I am gonna be proud of and leave it as a legacy for my kids. I want them to hold a book made from their dad, that will give them some insight to what's going on inside their pop’s mind. 

What would you say are some sources of motivation behind your work? Do you have other artists you are inspired by? 

My motivation is clearly just one. I love to draw things. Even when freelancing work and commissions are scarce, I draw every day. I love drawing my own things and I also find real pleasure in drawing nostalgic fanart or redesigns of things that inspired me as a kid.

As for artists that inspire me, there are tons. My steady sources of inspiration, whose art I am never tired of looking at, are:

Albert Uderzo, Jim Davis, Jeff Smith, Skottie Young, Mike Mignola (I am so intimidated by his heavy inks), Eichiro Oda (Onepiece), Akira Toriyama (Dragonball), Horikoshi Kohei (My hero academia) and SVS’ very own, Jake Parker. But in the end, whenever I see art, I am simply drawn to it, and I love seeing artists perform.

Could we see some of your work?

Of course! I wish I could show you all of my work and get feedback on it! Well, since I can't do that, here are some of my most enjoyable pieces. (They are not the most complicated or technical ones, but some that emit a warm feeling and some nice memories when I created them!)

"Witnessing the fight"  This piece was a gift for a client which depicts his son and his dog. I was so happy to draw this, and my client made a canvas out of it!

"We all can be somebody's hero"

Commission for a client's kids. Apparently the big brother was learning how to be responsible for his little sister! Found the idea cute!

"Demons"

Personal piece; pretty self-explanatory.

''Final Goal"

Personal piece featuring my favourite mantra/quote

"Storm"

Day 17 from Inktober 2020

What's the most important thing anyone has ever done to encourage you?

I love my wife's constant support. I can be pretty harsh and judgmental toward myself so I need the voice of a person I care about saying encouraging things about my art. Artists tend to be really hard on themselves and on each other. We might stick to technical details like perspective, tone, design etc., all in good spirit, and in the end, we forget the most important part of art.

Art is made to be shared not only with other artists, but with "simple" non-artistic humans. 

And seeing my wife's smile and wide eyes when I show her a piece that I have drawn for 4-5 hours (and got tired of looking at, partly hating it...) constantly reminds me that it is worth it!

If you could share one piece of advice with other artists, what would it be? 

Don't be intimidated by other artists’ work. Learn to love the results of others, not envy them. A lot of times, we tend to compare others' finished illustrations with our own warm-ups. This is a cruel and nasty feeling. You can be a fan of the way an artist draws robots, and another artist draws monsters, and not be jealous of them. I am pretty sure Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts) loved watching other artists perform, without feeling inferior to them! If you love art, you can be a fan of other artists' work without burdening yourselves!!!

And finally, what would you say to yourself that you would like to read again five years down the road? 

" Be the man that your future self would be proud of. "

Thanks so much, Giorgos, for this interview! 

Featured students are selected from our amazing group of members! Want a chance to improve your illustration skills? Become an SVSLearn member today for 30 days with our free trial and take the next step on your journey to becoming a working illustrator.