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~FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS~
Here are some questions that I’ve been asked via e-mail or in person by those who are interested in me and my work. I also discuss my blog and my site and any other questions that I think people would be interested in knowing. So if you have a question for me, look here first before sending an email. What does ‘Alxlen’ mean? ‘Alxlen’ is one of several names I go by online. It’s a combination of my first and last names (Alex Leon), except with the third letter from each name taken out. ‘Alxlen’ is intended to be a visual symbol that can be put on my work, whether the work is illustration, flash, or whatever. What is the purpose of this site? This site serves as a portal for people to see my work and find it easily. It’s also a place where people can be kept up to date with what I’m up to and what projects are currently in the works. Finally, this site also allows individuals, companies, and organizations to contact me for commissions. I like your website. Are you a site developer? I am not. My brother played an enormous role in the site’s creation and overall design. You can contact him here. What do you consider yourself? I am first and foremost a visual artist. I work with the computer primarily, and I also work through traditional means. Essentially, I consider myself a storyteller and I like telling these stories with animation, illustration, and writing. How does your mind work in relation to your projects? I love starting projects and I love finishing projects. The middle part is always difficult, but it pays off. What inspires you? Music is always a great inspiration. I find that music can bring out the images in my mind better than reading a book or watching a movie. Music simply brings forth and articulates the visions and stories in my mind. When do you work best? At night, and with some coffee. Some music playing in the background or the familiar sound of TV reruns playing. I find that I get my best ideas when I’m away from home, but I finalize them when I’m at my computer. Where are you located geographically? Currently, I am located in Northern NJ, not far from New York City. What do you look like? I’m ruggedly handsome… Do you have any pets? I have a toy poodle named Spencer. I had a Guinea Pig named Shmitty. What’s your favorite color? I like green, sometimes brown or blue. What is your blog about? I created a blog so that people can be informed about what I’m up to. It’ll be updated as events warrant, not daily or weekly or anything. It’ll be sporadic. I’ll let people know about new pieces, sketches, or any substantial changes made to the site, as well as project updates on any series in development. It’ll also be a place where I post links to anything I find interesting or anything that deals with topics I like. Do you play any online games I might find you on? I play many online games. The major ones would be CS, TFC, Dark Messiah, and WoW. I play a Dwarf Paladin on Dragonmaw, I only pvp and I keep him at 60. WARNING: This section contains spoilers! What inspired the Mario Brothers movies? I love Mario, and I love epic tragic stories. I thought it would be funny to combine the two. It turned from a comedic idea… into a serious drama. Though I still snuck in some parts that I thought were funny, like Mario and Luigi being the only ones able to release the Life Mushroom with their ‘talent.’ Why such long periods of time between each release of the Mario Brothers Series? After completing an episode of the series, I would usually lose interest in the project for a bit of time. Also, since I was a college student going to classes during the years Mario was in production, I treated the project as a hobby that I would work on during my free time. Why did everyone die in Mario? I had the story end that way because that’s how I had planned it from Part II onward. The first movie was an actual joke, not many viewers realized this. So many people emailed me about my ‘serious’ Mario movie, being the first of its kind, and all that. I decided ‘hell just go with it'. So I made up the story and found a way to use the first scene in part I as the final scene in part V and it all worked out. So the story had to end with everyone dead, because Mario says that in the first part: “Dead… all dead.” Sad yes, but I loved that ending. It seemed very fitting in my mind. Also, many have commented on Mario’s ‘suicide.’ I never considered his final act as suicide. I simply saw it as Mario finally allowing whatever unknown forces that were pushing for his failure to prevail. He was killed by the game, in my mind. Also, Mario dies in his games constantly; I just made it more dramatic. Can you tell me how to get the music you used in the Mario Brothers Series? I created an iTunes iMix (basically a soundtrack), which includes most of the songs that were featured in the series. It’s only a partial soundtrack, but it does include every song that was available for purchase on iTunes. You can view the iMix here (you must have iTunes installed). How many FPS was the Mario Brothers Series? Mario is 18 frames per second. Ever going to do a similar movie (to Mario), but with say, Zelda sprites? Hey, maybe. If I have the time, the money, and the inspiration, I could do anything. Will you ever work with sprites again? I currently have an idea in the works for something interesting… What is Ryth? Ryth is the name of a fantasy world that is currently growing. There are some stories that take place on this world that are being fleshed out for Flash. ‘Reawakening’ was an introduction to the world, and currently there is a second movie in production that will elaborate on the world. How many FPS was ‘Reawakening?’ ‘Reawakening’ is 24 FPS. Do you take suggestions on what songs you could use in your Flash movies? At this point you can suggest anything. But from now on, I will be creating my own original music for my future personal projects. How did you get into Flash? I’ve always liked making movies, but after spending a summer at film school, I realized that I didn’t particularly like working with actors, or rather, I didn’t enjoy directing live-action as much as I thought I would have. After my experience at film school (it wasn’t bad, in fact I very much enjoyed it), I realized that I’m rather individualistic and decided to concentrate on my artwork. After some time, I learned that animation was the best way to combine what I loved about movie making and what I loved about illustration. Flash allowed me to do this easily and quickly, and to have my work instantly available to a worldwide audience on the internet. How did you learn Flash? I got Flash after I discovered Newgrounds. This was back when I was just beginning high school. I liked the animations and the ‘look’ flash had. I got my free trial and was hooked from then on. I essentially taught myself the program (although I’ve yet to master the scripting language.) I’ve always viewed flash, first and foremost, as a movie making instrument. I love animating with it and have never been disappointed. I’ve tried other animating software but have always come back to flash. I simply love it. Do you offer tutorials on flash or anything related to art in general? As of now, I don’t. But you will find links to some free flash tutorials on the links page. ~ILLUSTRATION-RELATED QUESTIONS~ What is your Illustration style and preferred genres? I enjoy doing realistically rendered pieces, as well as cartoon, comic, and anime styles. I work traditionally with pencil as well as on my computer with painting programs such as Photoshop and Painter. What is your favored medium? I prefer to work digitally. It makes my work easily distributable and easier to deliver to clients. Pencil is my traditional medium of choice. When did you start Drawing, any tips? I have always been drawing, since I was little. I’m still learning to draw, and any one who says they know everything about drawing is lying. You never stop learning and there’s isn’t enough time in life to know it all. There are some areas of drawing that I have found very valuable to know: Life Drawing – Draw the nude human form, study how it moves, look at anatomy books; study how other artists draw the human form. Study animals as well. Light – Light is everything we see visually. In my mind, when I look at objects, I am not seeing the object. I am seeing the object interpreted by the light. The object would not exist visually if not for light and its interaction with the object. Once you start to understand light, how it acts, how it reacts, you can realistically render anything. Draw Backgrounds – It’s great to draw characters and do all their details, weapons, gear, and whatnot. But you should also learn how to draw backgrounds. Especially if you are aiming to be a comic book artist, backgrounds are extremely important. Learn perspective; know how to create convincing areas of space. It will bring your characters to life if you give them a place to live. There are many other things to know but these are the ones that initially came to my mind. A major thing to remember is to never stop drawing… ever. Are you available for freelance work? I certainly am available for both professional and personal illustration commissions. If you have an idea for a commission that you aren’t sure I would do, please inquire and I shall let you know. In regards to personal commissions, if you are a writer and would like to see your fantasy/sci-fi character depicted in a sketch or a more finalized illustrative form, or if you have any game characters that you’d like as an illustration, this is what I’m referring to. Is there a price guide with samples of the type of personal freelance work you’re available for? A price guide is coming soon. How can I purchase licensing rights for your flash or illustrative work to promote my own work? Contact me via the contact page. What if I would like to work with you on a project? If I am available, interested, and dedicated to your idea, I will let you know. You can pitch ideas for joint projects dealing with either Flash or Illustration via the contact page. |
