Peter Nowacki Interview, AKA Velendil
Peter Nowacki, AKA Velendil, is a 21 year old designer from Warsaw Poland. He is currently attending an arts university and is studying to become a more well-rounded designer. To achieve this goal he is studying 3D art to compliment his already amazing 2D work, as well as motion graphics and animation. In this interview, Peter discusses his inspiration for most of his work, as well as shows off one of his great free fonts. So check this interview out!
1. Welcome to Psdtuts+, please introduce yourself. Could you tell us where you’re from and how you got started in the field?
Hello there, my name is Peter Nowacki and I’m from Poland, now studying in Warsaw, born 21 years ago. Graphic came to me in a really amazing way because everything started from fantasy books and games which I used to play with my cousin when I was young. I’m the only child so in my opinion fantasy was my way of escape to magic worlds in my imagination.
A few years later, I decided to set up a private fantasy forum. I started learning HTML and PHP and of course I had to make a design for that site using PaintShop Pro. This is the way everything started, next step was using Photoshop and creating logotypes.
2. You have only been designing for about four years and your skill level is already above the average designers. Why do you believe you caught on and flourished into such an amazing designer so quickly?
Huh, it’s almost four years by now, life is running so fast, but I’m glad that you like it. I really don’t know why, maybe because that I love designing and don’t see myself in any other field. When I was younger I was dreaming of being a lawyer, but fortunately I changed my mind. I have an amazing imagination and graphic design gave me chance to show it. This is the way of escape for me, like fantasy books which I still read.
3. “The Maze” is an absolutely stunning illustration with a very strong abstract feel to it. Walk us through how you made this piece and tell us about the back story to it if there is one.
This piece was made for the Evokeone art pack. My main aim was to show that an image can go towards the spectator and affect or connect with him, giving him a chance to consider on it. Also the splatters changing into deep space make an illusion of depth. I really like connecting splatters, clouds and cracks into one part of an image. Also the decision to leave the image desaturated was brought up from advice.
4. From your perspective what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a freelance designer?
The first one is the changeable income. It all depends on clients and how much of them you get. I prefer to work at home. This is a positive part of being a freelancer – you choose the place where you would like to work, and you are the boss. Waking up early in the morning is a nightmare for me. That’s why I love to work in the evening, so the only option is freelancing for my habits.
5. After you have completed your stint at the University what do you hope to accomplish in the design field?
I’m learning 3D graphics now and the next step is animation. I would love to go deeper and deeper into 3D world, so I hope my future will be connected with 3D,.I mean that I would like to design 3D interiors for games or movies. Motion graphic is also something in which I would like to explore, so now I really don’t know what I would like to do after university. I’m still learning new things and trying to connect all of them.
6. What advice would you have to some of the younger designers who wish to attend design school? What should they think about before attending. What type of school should they look for?
Hmm, is hard to say really. I haven’t got experience in choosing schools. In Poland I there are only few artistic universities, and selection was easy. But what I can say is that you should choose what you really like to do in the future. You have to feel it and love it. I don’t understand people who chose artistic schools just because – that’s wasting time in my opinion.
7. “Distort” is a very original looking font that you personally created. Walk us through how the idea for this font came about and how it was executed.
Thank you, I don’t imagine that somebody would like it! The idea was to achieve the original font after an explosion. I haven’t seen it in any magazines. It was a font made for fun. My type teacher advised me to use the Fontstruct site where you may use a free application based on modules. So I designed this font and adjusted it to this flash program.
8. Is this font going to be for free distribution or for retail? If so where can we download/buy it?
It’s a totally free font based on Fontstruct and you can download it from here.
9. Thanks again for providing Psdtuts+ with this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?
Thanks a lot for the opportunity at being interviewed. Final thoughts? Never give up! Never!
Where to find Peter on the Web
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The maze is amazing… Wow..
All his works are nice…
ALL the best for your future Peter!!
you talk too much
ahhhhh…….
Great work.
Thanks for share those things.
Inspiring.nice interview
good stuff!
Awesome work! really inspiring…
Amazing Work by Peter…….
& Nice Interview by Emil…….
Very inspirational, thanks!
Jin is cool
really not impressed with any of his work. 4 years! looks more like 2 years
I’ve noticed from the past interviews that everyone who you can consider to be a “good” designer is in the field because they love what they do.
So many people just get into a job because of the money or because it’s “easier” that they end up struggling down the road.
Peter is a great example. When you love what you do; when you really appreciate the work you do with your time, you always get great results. The outcome will almost always spell “success”. =]
Great interview.
MAJOR photoshop mojo man, good work
Other Great artist.
good but not a “wow” factor
another young artist is born…..keep it up.
you really inspire us
I can appreciate the hard work that has been put into all these pieces. But dang… is it just me or is anyone else tired of seeing pointless shapes and images thrown into a random composition? The end product of these comps are AMAZING and show off true photoshop skillz, but anyone can learn these programs and do the same thing.
Wheres the meaning? What’s the point? I think I’ve missed something, but sometimes its nice to see what the composition is related to whether it is a story, expression, ad … or something with some form of a meaning.
again not hating, just voicing my opinion, feel free to disagree.
I think that when you’re just using you’re imagination doing the compositions is totally valid. The nice thing about Photoshop is that now you can basically make anything look realistic if you’re decent. Sometimes all something is related to is what’s going on in the artist’s head. No more, No less.
I agree with you, and understand 100%… it’s just I would just like to see more concepts using this style with more focus to a pertaining subject to have more meaning. My only frustration is most know how to throw a wild concept together but not enough use this for a “realistic” reason or “real world” concept.
I still feel this artist has great potential and will definitely go far, keep up the great work :)
that’s exactly what i thought. this style has been overdone.
I love his work! Thanks!
amazing…..it’s great work…….
Simply wow….great work…
Really Beautiful work Peter,love the simplicity of the first image… inspiring… keep it up!
this was helpful on how to learn photoshop for me lol
http://computersight.com/software/photoshop/how-to-learn-photoshop/
Very nice =)
Dobre bo polskie? ;]
Real great stuff. nice one!
just purely simple and basic, nothing i can see amazingly there but only nice look (random objects)
I loved the guardian! it’s soooooo beautifull <3
he is kinda sick)
DUDE!!!!!!!!!AWWWWWWWWSOME LET YOUR MIND BE FREE THE MAZE I WANT 4 MY LOGO(I’M A DJ) DRAW AND DREAM WHAT COMES NATURAL IN REAL TIME AND WHEN YOU GET THAT MASTER IN ANIMATION MAKE YOUR MASTERPIECES ANIMATE AND DO AMAZING THINGS!!!!!!!WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF (BLUES,JAZZ,DUTIES,HIP HOP AND STEPPERS) MUSIC JUST A THOUGHT!!!!! AGAIN NICE JOB! OH YEAH BEFORE I GO YOU SHOULD DO A PIECE ON ALL YOUR HATERS BRAVO!
DOOD! LOMFGLMAO WINRAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111ONEONEONEONEONE
This is the largest piece of drivel I’ve seen left as a comment in quite some time.
There aren’t any haters that posted. Just some that have seen better work by better artists interviewed previously.
These designs are really unique and inspiring, there are some obscure ideas and concepts in the designs, id like to know how these are initiated, is there a story behind it?
Beautifull !!!!!!!!
Imagination and Creativity are the best of friends. And, from this friendship, Art is born. Art has always had the power to Inspire, Move, and Divide. It can provoke emotion, and tear away at opinion. Art has always had the ability to survive. Sometimes we love art, sometimes we hate art. But love or hate, who are we to deny Imagination and Creativity bringing such a menagerie of movements and form into our world. Our minds always hunger for the artistic food from its creative bakers. And, so armed with our Imagination and our creativity, anyone of us can set too. We all have the power to enrich our lives with whatever our imagination allows us, and then we play with creation. We don’t need to dissect it, we don’t need to understand it. We just need to accept that this was an imagination realised.
And, as individuals we have the right to chose to either love it or hate it.
So remember, If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you then play with creativity and become its friend, Art will be your friend too.
Really nice work
I love this great stuff bro……… keep it up u got go long way. All the best
I am inclined to agree with a number oif the comments regarding the pieces illustrated.. They are random bits and hardly worth the oooh’s and aaah’s
A bit clever but hardly achievements in the sense of art and its meaning..
Not even aimless doodles just going nowhere
This sort of nonsense should not be encouraged But I guess the manufacturers of the software might see some benefit financially in pushing their wares and giving the ”Artist” a false sense of self worth and likely as not abandon the poor fellow to a well merited oblivion…
Do let us see some really original work with promis and meaning
thanks
Great design work!
Buenismooooo!
awesome…