Artist Interview - Rain Demetri (Pt. 2)
What makes you smile?
- FROGS. I am following at least several Instagram accounts that post pictures of their cute, little Bushveld Rain Frogs and I’m so jealous. I’m pretty sure I would have to go to Japan to get them.
You get into some cool projects don’t you! Huge congratulations on your most recent, designing the Philadelphia Eagles Game Day Poster! What an opportunity and totally deserved. We’d love to know more about how you got involved, were you nervous at all and do you even like football!? How long did the poster take to design and how did you come up with the design?
- Thank you so much! I was more nervous going to the signing then I was during the entire process of making it. I think football is interesting, but I’m not a fan! I’ve never been that close to a football stadium before and I met so many sweet people, so it was a great experience all around. The poster took about two months to design. The graphic design team gave me general ideas and I presented drafts and some of my own concepts, so it was mostly collaborative. :)
Favourite Stephen King book?
- Oh no! I really can’t decide. It’s between Doctor Sleep, Pet Cemetery, Under the Dome, Cujo, Salem’s Lot, and Nightmares & Dreamscapes. I can’t choose, please don’t make me choose, haha.
Portrait or landscape?
- I have to go with portraits. Before I started making mostly monsters, I have made many portraits/self portraits. My favourite part about making them is adding or removing features and really getting obsessed with the details. I love making people look more ethereal.
What did you miss most during lock-down?
- Definitely my family, friends and traveling. I spent a good amount of my time by myself in the studio, but I caught myself wishing I could see them more often.
Is there one body piercing you want that you don’t currently have?
- I always talk myself out of it, but maybe nipple piercings. I’m still unsure though and I haven’t worked up the nerve to actually get it done in the year I thought about it. Maybe after the pandemic!
Three words of advice to aspiring artists?
- Aah, only three? This is hard. The first thing that came to my head was to trust your instincts. Sometimes I catch myself overthinking or getting burnt out easily because I’m being tentative and unsure of myself. If I could have another three words, it would be to believe in yourself. I know it’s pretty cliché, but in many circumstances, that’s what it comes down to.
What’s your favourite tattoo? Do you find the process pleasurable or painful?! (I have a few and fell asleep!)
- You fall asleep?! What I would give to be that relaxed. I have a fairly big and intricate tattoo on my sternum that I love! It’s a moth with crescent moons on the bottom half of the wings and the hands from ‘The Creation of Adam’ on the top half of the wings. That one was pretty painful, but therapeutic in a way. Most of the tattoos I have were more painful than pleasurable, but I still have more skin to cover, so that could change.
Your messages behind Art+Action are inspiring, it’s so important artists have support and freedom to create - what do you believe is the one thing that artists need the most but is lacking in the world today?
- I feel like a lot of the Art+Action topics don’t get enough attention. Community is so important for artists to thrive. I believe that, whether it’s virtually or in-person, having a group of like-minded people that can give you feedback and support can help an artist grow.
What is the strangest request you have ever received as an artist?
- One person wanted me to draw a male, anthropomorphic, white tiger with its shirt off. I definitely wasn’t paid enough to do that, HA.
Which of your monsters would you bring to life?
- That’s a tough one! It would probably look frightening, but I would love to bring my childhood imaginary friend to life. It was a giant fox with horns that would plant flowers with its mouth and cause leaf tornadoes. Hahaha.
Thank you to our beautiful artist for her time and wicked interview! For more RAIN… check out her website