Artist interview: Chrono. See the last image for Auratoshi Maxxamoto - dropping May 29!
Hey guys, we’re starting a series of interviews with artists participating in the "Satoshi Reveal" drop (May 29). To start, we’re interviewing our friend Chrono (u/WorstTwitchEver)!
1) Tell us more about who you are, your background, and anything it would be cool to know about you.
Hi there, my name is Chrono and my real name is Daljit. I’m a 24-year-old graphic designer and illustrator based in NYC, and I'm passionate about working with brands to create scroll-stopping and thought-provoking visuals. My projects have ended up in places ranging from Times Square to the front page of the Reddit store to even your local Babies R Us retail store. I graduated from CUNY Queens College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design, and I apply these fundamentals in my day-to-day projects. During my free time, you’ll find me working out in the gym, playing online games with my friends on Discord, and devouring a chicken and rice meal.
2) Tell us about your creative process.
When I have a project to work on or work on an idea I have in mind, I want to do as much research as possible so I can get a solid understanding of what I’m diving into. I tend to sift through Pinterest and Behance to find relevant images to build up a moodboard that I can reference throughout the entire project timeline. Once I have everything compiled, I begin to sketch out concepts and eventually land on something I like. I like to spend a lot of time on the sketch as I want to make sure the client can understand it (I also want to be able to understand it haha). Then I go in with refining and adding details and coloring, just giving it that Chrono touch. I would usually show it to the client and other people to get feedback on whether I have to change anything. Once it’s good to go, I send it over to whoever requested it and post it on my socials (when I remember to).
3) What software and hardware do you use to create your art?
I’m an Adobe slave so I do all of my drawing in Photoshop. If I need to make logos or any other kind of vector work, then I hop on Illustrator. If I need to do video editing or create motion graphics, then I would use Premiere Pro and After Effects. When it comes to drawing, I always use a drawing tablet because I’m not insane enough to draw with a mouse and I also don’t want carpal tunnel. My current drawing tablet is the XPPen Deco Pro Gen 2.
4) Do you work in art full-time? If not, what do you do for a living?
Since I’ve pursued a degree in graphic design, I’ve made my art career, which is something I’ve always wanted to pursue. Joining the Reddit Collectible Avatar (RCA) program when it first started, while still going to college, was an amazing opportunity and I feel super lucky to have been picked for that.
5) What are interesting things you learned during your artistic journey that could be useful to people starting their journeys?
It’s ok to copy other artists, as long as you’re not claiming their work as yours. Even tracing is ok, as long as you’re, of course, not claiming that work as yours and you’re actually learning something from it. Some inspirations I copied to develop my personal art style include Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, One Piece, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. I believe an art style is developed from consuming multiple sources and combining them into something unique to you.
6) How was your experience creating a Mashi for the "Satoshi Reveal" drop? Tell us about your inspirations.
To be honest, Auratoshi Maxxamoto was originally going to be released as an avatar during the RCA days (original name was going to be Aura or Aura Farmer), but it was rejected for unknown reasons. That was my 1st ever rejected avatar and it really stung as I spent a good amount of time working on it and was really looking forward to releasing it. That being said, when Mash-it became a thing, I figured I could release this guy in here eventually. When I was asked to participate in this event, I wasn’t sure if I could create something from scratch before the due date and that’s when I remembered this avatar I’ve had sitting in the drafts. To talk more about Auratoshi, I wanted to create a star-shaped character adopting the streetwear aesthetic I’ve implemented into a handful of my past creations in the past.
7) What do you like the most about Mash-it.io and the community?
I really like that this community is super loyal and strong and that everyone is passionate about this project. This level of optimism is inspiring and the good vibes that radiate from the community make me happy to see it.
8) If you wish, please share your social media links so people can follow you
Instagram: u/Chrono.23
Twitter: u/Chrono01
Portfolio: www.daljitliyal.com
