Thank you for interviewing with us Anthony! Can you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us how you got started? What are some resources (books, websites, etc.) that you used to learn digital art?

You’re very welcome, it’s my pleasure. My name is Anthony Gargasz & I’m a digital artist & designer. I first got into digital art when I was about 12 years old & my friend showed me photoshop. My mind was instantly blown. Seeing how pristine everything looked compared to MS Paint made me very keen to learn what could be done with it. From there I started making forum signatures, and eventually adapted my concepts to larger canvases. The magical internet was the single greatest resource for learning digital art. I learned most basic techniques from popular tutorial websites, but the digital art collective EvokeOne was the most helpful of them all. It was a place where I could receive great feedback & criticism from awesome artists. Showing my work to others who I thought made cool work & receiving their feedback helped me develop a vision that I could translate into art.
Exhale
Exhale  
Exhale

On your website, you mentioned that you’re 20 years old and self taught with a month of college. How is self-learning compared with going to school? Which do you prefer and why?

Self-learning is the way to go with anything creative. I think that teaching myself taught me to absorb & interpret things in my own way. When I got to college I had already been passionately pursuing digital art for about 6 years. Starting off in fundamental classes drove me crazy. They filled in some basic design principals I had never picked up, but I didn’t see it being worth it in the long run. On top of that I had no interest to learn general education classes such as math & english. Seeing some of the graduating portfolios & experiencing terrible work be praised over hype inspired me to drop out. I didn’t want to work my ass off for a piece of paper that said I went to a fancy school & am now a fancy designer. I wanted to show my work to the world & let them decide what I was capable of.
Unleash Your Mind 
Unleash Your Mind

In 2010, your artwork “Dream” won 1st place for a $15,000 scholarship to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh but you didn’t attend that school. How different do you think your life would be if you were to choose that direction?

My life and character would be drastically different if I would’ve chosen to stay in school. I would be 6 months away from having a college degree, with a hefty amount student loan debt even with the $30,000 in scholarships I ended up having. I don’t think I would be better off whatsoever. Dropping out of school made me more motivated than ever. Two years went by of me constantly striving to live up to the high expectations I set for myself. That period of hard work and sacrifice all paid off. I now work for BLT Communications in Hollywood, CA and work on advertising campaigns for the entertainment industry. Being 20 years old & moving 2000 miles away from home to a place I’ve never been was difficult, but the experience has already taught me more than I could ever imagine learning in school.
 
Dream

Your artwork “Dream” was also featured on Evokeone and DeviantART’s Daily Deviation. How has this publicity affected your motivation? Did you create more artworks as a result of this?

That feature was the first time I felt confident as an artist. It made me realized that you are capable of getting good at anything you want as long as you’re willing to put in the work to do so. I was inspired to use more 3D in my work & continue to experiment more.
 
Dream
RUNNING / UNTHOUGHT 
RUNNING / UNTHOUGHT
Sweet Dreams 
Sweet Dreams

Where do you get your inspirations from? Do you have any artists who you follow?

Most of my inspirations come from various blogs I cycle through daily & my behance activity feed. My go-to sites are FromUpNorth, Otherfocus, Abduzeedo, and SerialThriller. I try to follow as many artists I can & stay connected on twitter, tumblr, and behance. Aside from visually aesthetic inspiration I try to soak my brain in some TED talks weekly and live a conscious lifestyle.
Villain 
Villain
Artjunks Wallpaper 
Artjunks Wallpaper

As a designer, what are some things that you do differently to make your artwork stand out?

Well thats a very good question. I think I just have an obsession to develop the way I think of & execute art. Not in a sense of trying to be the best or say I’m the best, but just always being able to push myself further.
Artjunks - The Rebirth 
Artjunks – The Rebirth

What is the average time you spend on your artworks? How often do you use Photoshop and what other software do you use besides Photoshop?

A solid piece can take anywhere from 10 – 20 hours depending on how complex of an execution it is. I spend the majority of my day using Photoshop, and other than Ps I use Cinema 4D with the occasional Illustrator.
I Work Hard For This. 
I Work Hard For This.

Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently if you could go back in time?

I’d go back in time to when dinosaurs existed & prevent their extinction somehow. If I could only go back a few years I would’ve spent much more time learning 3D.
Advanced Photoshop Issue 102 
Advanced Photoshop Issue 102

Thank you for participating in this interview with us Anthony. What advice can you give to other aspiring artists?

No problem, it has been my pleasure! As for advice I’d just say don’t get caught up in your ego, and don’t ever stop learning from everyone & everything that’s around you. Hard work will never go unnoticed, though it may seem like it does at times. If you are good at what you do the right people will find you & help you achieve more.