Asphaltjungle Feature

AG: What is your name?

AJ: I have several names, but I didn't manage to choose one definitively. My real name is Maxime, my user name on some sites like Y!gallery is asphaltjungle, but I use the pseudo "eeks" to sign my work.

AG: Where are you from?

AJ: Paris, France.

AG: How long have you been drawing?

AJ: I think I was born with a pen in my hand, for as long as I can remember, I've always been drawing. but I began to draw seriously and use digital media two years ago.

AG: Is Art a chosen career choice or a hobby?

AJ: Drawing is a hobby, for now. Nevertheless, I have a kind of artistic career, as I'm an architect, but it's not really the same thing.

AG: Do you possess any formal training i.e. college, workshops, through work experience etc?

AJ: I have never learned to draw or use different medias with whom I work, I have learned them all by myself.



AG: Which media do you most enjoy? Least enjoy?

AJ: I cannot really say which media I don't like, for I only use the one I do like. As a hobby, drawing is something I do for my pleasure, so I only use the media I most enjoy.

AG: What is your creative process? Do you have one?

AJ: I always begin with drawing a rough sketch with a pencil and when I'm satisfied, I ink it, with different kind of pen, most of the time with several rotrings. I never draw directly on my computer, I need to keep drawing in a traditionnal way, on a sheet of paper.

Then when the work is inked, I scan it and I begin to color it on photoshop. I first define the different zones with a basic color scheme, and then I add all the nuances of colour I want.Then I begin to use 3D software to draw the background, which is always very important in my work.

AG: What is your main source of inspiration?

AJ: As for my "gay" art, my inspiration comes from magazines, gay pictures or porn movies. but also from what I can see in my daily life.


AG: Do you have any favourite artists?

AJ: Even if I really like classical arts, most of my favourires artists who have an influence on my art are modern artists. Some men like Tom Of Finland, Etienne or Harry Bush really influence me but I think I'm strongly influenced by japanese artists, as Takeshi Matsu or Jirayia for the gay one, and Masamune Shirow, who draw typical straight stuff, with lot of lightly dressed women, but who draws one of the best mangaka.

AG: Are you currently working on any projects?

AJ: Yes. My biggest project for now is a series of pictures about the far west, depicting the adventures of a bounty hunter in a city where there are only men. the complete project would be a book of around 65 pages and should be ready and self-published for the beginning of December.

I'm also doing a project of an artbook about sport, with soft and hardcore stuff, but don't know when it will be finished.

I'm also working with a few friends on a fanzine project, whose issue N°1 should came out in July 2010 for the Japan Expo in Paris. but before that, we will publish our first calendar in the next months.

AG: Has your work ever been published?

AJ: No real publications for now but some of my drawings have been used for some flyers for sauna parties.

AG: Any advice you would like to offer to our aspiring artists out there?

AJ: Just enjoy what they do.

AG: Cake or Pie?

AJ: both!


Thank you!

You can see more of Asphaltjungle's work at his Y!Gallery

Images©Asphaltjungle
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