Colors Gallery, meet _Gen_
@_Gen_ is a once in a generation artist with a loose, distinct style that can't help but draw attention. A lover of nature, they use art to express themselves in a way that highlights their strong passion for the outdoors. Now is the time to get know this passiont artist, let's get to the interview!
@_Gen_ I can't tell you just how exciting it is to have you as our 99th artist of the week! We hope you're just as excited! Now that we're here, tell us about yourself! What should the Colors Live community know about you?
"I am so happy to have been chosen as the 99th artist of the week and am so excited to share a little about myself."
"I'm a huge animal person, so some of my favorite things to draw are fun little animals. And I love to express myself through my art!"
hello by _Gen_
Your style is so... loose, yet soft and refined! The way you color really stands out to me as well. How did you come up with your style? What were your inspirations? How would you define yourself as an artist? And when would you say your journey as an artist really began? What made you go from just an 'occasional doodler' to a serious artist?
"I found my art style by trying every style until I found one that fit."
"It took me a while to settle into a style that suits me, but I feel that my looser style really fits with my personality. My biggest inspirations are other artists. Not any one artist in particular, I just love to see the different styles and types of art that other people can come up with."
"As an artist, I tend to follow wherever the art takes me. I like to be very free and loose with my lines and try not to be bothered by any mistakes I might make."
"I have always loved to draw. For as long as I can remember, I always had a crayon in my hand. But I would say that I started to take art a lot more seriously in 6th grade when I won a prize at a local art show."
fishes by _Gen_
You joined us back in 2022! What would you say has been the highlights of joining the Colors Live Gallery for you? How did you discover us in the first place and what keeps you around?
"I first discovered Colors Live on my birthday in 2022 when I got my first Switch."
"I love the community and am always inspired by the other artists that I see there."
universal by _Gen_
Generating awesome art appears to be your thing! Outside of Colors Live, do you use any other software or mediums? How does Colors Live fit into your process?
"Other than Colors Live, I am mainly a traditional artist. I mostly work in colored pencils and acrylic paints."
"I spend a lot of time working on commissioned pet portraits, so when I sit down to draw on Colors Live, it’s a fun way to express my creativity."
Which paintings of yours were the most memorable for you when creating them? What challenges did you have to overcome, and do you have any personal favorites?
"The paintings that end up being my most memorable ones are the ones that I had the most fun creating."
"Some of my favorite paintings are the ones I struggle with and finally get right because I find artistic challenges fun to overcome."
Favorite artworks on and off Colors Live? What do you like the most about them?
"There are so many artists on Colors Live who inspire me, but one of my favorites has got to be @Acchan."
"Their artwork just feels so soft, and I love the scenes that they are able to create."
Keep Out by Acchan
What are your top 3 favorite Colors Live artworks, and how do they inspire you?
"Some of my favorite artworks on Colors Live are by @Acchan, @Teallicht, and @sharp_eyed_detective:
Yggdrasil Tree by Acchan
2 by Teallicht
Come on, Eric! by sharp_eyed_detective
"I love the way @Acchan depicts scenes. I am amazed by @Teallicht’s style every time I see it, and I really love the way that @Sharp_eyed-Detective depicts their characters."
I really adore your #gensocs! Do your characters have any lore? What's your process when coming up with them? What would you say is key to coming up with memorable characters?
"When it comes to my OCs, most of them have some sort of lore kicking around in my head. Some of them are fleshed out enough that I have considered a webcomic, but most of the characters aren't that in-depth."
"When I'm creating a character, I like to give them a story before I give them an appearance. This also helps me when I'm trying to make a memorable character; when I have an idea of a character's background, it is easier for me to imagine how they might look."
new oc? by _Gen_
What is your goal when creating art? Does each piece have a message or a story you want to tell?
"My only real goal when creating art is to draw something that I enjoy."
"Rarely does my art have any particular meaning other than maybe representing how I was feeling when I was drawing it."
<3 by _Gen_
2025 is starting to speed on by! What are some goals you have for this year? What about in the near and far future?
"My only real goals for this year are to improve on my backgrounds and environments and to keep creating art that I enjoy making."
Contest by _Gen_
Tell us some important wisdom that has gotten you through any rough patch! What advice do you have for up-and-coming artists and non-artists alike?
"The piece of advice that has helped me the most is to stop dwelling on small details and focus on the bigger picture."
"Don’t be afraid to make mistakes."
You've made some serious strides as an artist, but does it ever get to be too much? What do you do when you aren't feeling inspired or are feeling a little burnt out? What gets you back in the art game?
"I do get pretty burnt out from time to time. A couple of things that help me get my inspiration back are watching my favorite shows and drawing the characters, or just doing little doodles of my pets."
"When that doesn't work, it’s always nice to take a little break from drawing and to focus on some of my other hobbies."
tea time :) by _Gen_
If you could mentor your younger self, what lessons would you teach them?
"If I could go back and mentor my younger self, I would just tell myself to draw everything and to not get discouraged over mistakes, and not to worry about everything being perfect."
Are you a nature lover or a lover of folklore? I noticed that you're quite adept at drawing fairies, elves, and other magical/nature-related creatures along with cute animals as well! Where does this passion stem from?
"I love both nature and folklore. I grew up in a fairly rural area, so I've spent a lot of time outdoors and with nature."
"I've also always been fascinated with fantastical creatures like fairies, mermaids, and unicorns. I grew up reading fairy tales and hearing all sorts of myths and legends, so I have been drawing fantasy creatures for as long as I can remember."
winter spirit by _Gen_
Anyone you want to shout out?
"I'd like to shout out my little sister @Nanny. She can be pretty irritating, but she is always the first person that I run my drawing by."
thpiderman by _Nanny
That wraps up our interview with @_Gen_! The Colors Team would like to thank you for your time! Don't miss out-- check them out!
Check out all of our previous interviews here:
For those who may need a reminder
The Artist of the week will be posted every Friday so be sure to tune in!
Prior to that, the artist may be contacted via email or other means at least a week or more in advance so be sure to check your emails( and spam) so you don’t miss out on a chance to be featured.
If you don’t reply within 48 hours another artist may be chosen to be featured for that week instead and you will be in a future artist of the week update.
The announcement of who is the upcoming featured artist will be announced at least 2-3 days in advance or earlier so look out for that too!
If you would like for any of your questions or comments to be featured in an upcoming interview please check out colorslive.com/discord and visit the official artist of the week channel to submit questions/commentary for a chance for those to be answered before Friday.
Suggest a new artist for artist of the week on the forum post in my gallery or by posting with the #heyzyik tag.
Are you carrying your "Lucky Charm"? You're out of luck if you don't enter #wc599!
Stay creative!
Zyik & The Colors Team
