Today I have the honor of introducing you to my incredibly talented cover artist, fantasy illustrator Eva Džamková. Eva, tell me a little about yourself.
I am an artist from Slovakia and I’ve always loved painting. Online I usually use elvish nickname Celebril, but my real name is Eva. 🙂 Usually I paint fantasy stuff – my journey of fantasy artist started, when I was a kid and painted my first unicorn in a kindergarten.
Nowadays I paint mostly dragons, elves and other fantasy creatures. Some of my paintings are based on the World of Warcraft universe, as I spent many years playing it. I enjoy painting characters of others too, as it is a great feeling when my commissioners are happy and get their visions on the “paper” thanks to me. 🙂
Besides painting, I love fantasy in general, archery, cats and nature.
Tell me about some of your latest artwork in the fantasy genre.
Recently I found some time to paint some personal artwork – characters from the RP-based book I am writing with my friend. It is always great joy and relaxation to paint characters from it, and I also wanted to paint a landscape – as I don’t paint those very often. I mostly I focus on characters.
You’re latest work is gorgeous, as usual! I love this one you’ve done for the dragon calendar. Does the art have particular meaning or symbolism?
They are my beloved characters from RP story I write with my friend for several years. It is like I really know them – they are my companions, my friends. I know them as if they were real. It is a great experience to go through all adventures with them and to depict the scenes in paintings.
So this one will be featured in the DRAGONS 2024 calendar, a collection of fantasy illustrations with dragons from 13 authors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. That is awesome!
Please describe the type of artwork you create in general.
I mostly paint characters of other – either dragons, elves or characters from games. I also love to paint human bodies – halfnaked or sensual, so when I have an opportunity to paint them, it is a great fun and experience.
What types of art projects are you hoping to work on next?
I hope to make more book covers, in-book illustrations, maybe to work on some tabletop games.
Well you definitely keep yourself busy! I know you are not only an artist, but also a writer. I hope you can find time to work on that project as well. Do you ever get to work on personal projects? What are they?
Occasionally, between my commissions. I love to depict scenes from the book I am writing with my friend – it will be called Onyx and Amber. I have so many sketches and unfinished illustrations, but I hope I’ll manage to finish them one day. 😀
What is your dream project to work on?
It was my dream to paint something for World of Warcraft. However nowadays I don’t have any particular dream. I just enjoy painting itself 🙂
Why do you make fantasy art?
Because fantasy is what I love the most – since I was a kid. It is an escape from reality, my sanctuary, a world where I can be whoever I want. It is a perfect world, where I would love to live.
That is exactly the reason I write fantasy. When did you first know you were meant to be an artist?
I painted and drew since kindergarten – and I’ve always loved it. During my elementary and high school I used to draw fantasy characters around block of notes which I wrote down. I guess my teachers weren’t very happy about it, but they tolerated it.
After finishing the high school I thought, that I would attend the Academy of Fine Art, but I decided to study religions and painting remained a hobby closest to my heart. I started to paint digitally, as I got my first graphic tablet and I fell in love with it. Soon I got my first commission and since that I’ve known, that painting fantasy stuff is my dream job.
How have you changed as an artist since you first began creating?
Well mostly I changed the technique – I replaced traditional tools with a graphic tablet. Also I used to focus on the details too much – now I care more about focus, values and painting as a whole picture.
What was the hardest lesson you had to learn in making art?
That there always will be people, who won’t like your art and find things to criticize. Just ignore them, because there will be always people who will love it. 🙂
There is so much overlap in the good advice for creative arts. Writing is so similar in that respect. What your write isn’t for everyone, and there will definitely be people who don’t like, don’t enjoy it, and don’t appreciate the time you’ve dedicated, but you just have to shrug that off. What advice would you give to a new artist?
If you love it, do it. Nowadays a lot of new artists are discouraged by massive amount of AI generated images. Don’t be. In every real artwork you can see the soul, the hard work behind it. Just keep practicing and doing what you love no matter what.
What are some of the most useful tools you’ve found that make creating or sharing art easier?
The most useful tool is my graphic tablet and Photoshop. I used graphic tablet with no display first, but after I bought the one with display, I’d never go back! It is the greatest thing for a digital artist. For sharing are best internet galleries, however today they are overflowed with AI generated pictures, so for real artists it is hard to stand out.
How do you balance art with the rest of life? Any tips?
As I sit a lot during creating art, I recommend to take some exercises. Stretching, jogging, walking. And it is always easier to find inspiration in nature!
Definitely, everything about being outside is good for my creative brain too!
How do you approach planning a new commission? How much do you innovate or balance feedback?
I always try to prepare various sketches and ideas, so my client can better imagine the pictures I have in my mind. I am open to changes and try to depict my client’s description the best I can. When the pictures is finished I am open to small changes and improvements, I always try to do my best 🙂 I believe that there is always something to improve.
You were such a pleasure to work with in terms of helping me clarify my cover idea, then refine it to something better. And even when I didn’t fully know how to articulate what I wanted, you were so flexible with making adjustments! I am so excited to work on the next book cover with you!
It is incredible that you were able to interpret a beautiful vision from the literal trash that I gave you. Readers, check out below and laugh at my own artistic incompetence (on the left). Obviously, Eva’s work is on the right!
Readers, if you love fantasy art, check out Eva’s links below: