For this week’s MakerStory, we’re speaking with Veronika Vajdova aka Weroni, a digital artist born in Slovakia and currently residing in the UK. Weroni is still early in her career as an artist, currently studying 3D Animation and Visualization, but we’re excited to share her unique journey in discovering and pursuing her passion for digital art.
How did your story start as an artist?
Ever since I can remember, I was always doodling something on every surface imaginable. It took me a while to understand that creating art is a part of me and impossible to silence and treat as something that’s inessential to my life.
When did you decide to follow your path as an artist?
It’s something that happened gradually but there were a few stepping stones that brought me closer to the realization that “Oh, so THIS is what I was meant to pursue all this time”. It first started with me deciding to share my art publicly, which definitely sped up my development. At first I tried to keep everything I shared online, separate from my personal life and I never even share my real name. I was too embarrassed and had little confidence in my work. It all changed when I started getting small recognitions, in the form of websites asking me to feature my work and more people asking for commissions. Over time I found myself spending more time doing art, and one thing led to another and suddenly I found myself applying to study 3D Animation & Visualization in the UK, which brings me to today.
Can you tell us about your style of art and how it’s changed over the years?
I’ve always been very interested in storytelling, but it’s always been difficult to express my thoughts as words, so instead I paint. I like to use symbolism and surrealism to express complex stories and deeper thoughts in my paintings.
For most of my life I was just doodling something and not trying to seriously develop my skills. I kept thinking “it’s too late, there’s so many people that are better at this and I’m already an adult”. Then I decided to buy aquarelles and proper paper and I was amazed by this medium. I switched to acrylics after a while but it still wasn’t enough. What ultimately gave me the courage to try new and different things was when I purchased a new Wacom Intuos Art tablet 2 years ago and started creating digital art.
Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
It usually starts with an idea in my head and I just know that I have to “paint it out”. Then I just gather some references and start painting, which may take only a few hours or months, depending on how complex the idea might be. I also tend to change and build on the original idea over time so it’s a constant process of re-shaping and re-thinking until I get the final “this is it” feeling and I know it’s time to stop.
Do you have a favorite artist, which you draw inspiration from?
My favorite artists constantly change, but currently I’m really obsessed with James Jean and his overall versatility.
What are your biggest challenges when creating art, and how do you deal with them?
I would say it’s the urge to keep working with what I know, since it’s easier. But I know that it’s more rewarding when I tackle something more complex or new that I haven’t tried before, which is what always forces me to try out new techniques or ideas.
How do you see the art market and the art world changing?
Social media definitely plays a much bigger role in the art world compared to when I was a child. It allows people to experience art anytime they want, which is pretty amazing since as a kid I’d only get that opportunity when visiting an actual art gallery or museum, which only happened once in a while.
It first started with me deciding to share my art publicly…it all changed when I started getting small recognitions online. — Weroni
How has an increasingly digital world impacted your work?
Significantly. I used to create only traditional art which was tedious especially when I was planning to sell my art online as prints or products. I switched to digital art originally to make things more accessible in a digital world and just easier. Nowadays, I’m almost exclusively creating digital artworks.
How do you think blockchain and the ability to own scarce digital art will affect the industry?
I’m hopeful that it will help take control of your artwork online and lower the risk of people stealing and claiming your work as their own, which happens all the time.
Follow Weroni
You can find and follow more of Weroni’s work on: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Weroni is one of the earliest creators on MakersPlace and you can buy her original and limited edition digital artworks on her MakersPlace store.
Follow more MakerStories here on Medium as we share more stories from the creators. Next we’ll be talking with digital artist Floortje Visser aka Art with Flo. We’re also a huge fan of her educational videos on YouTube, which we recommend checking out.
