Feature Friday! November 2014

Hullo folks! Dado here!

Starting now, every first Friday of the month, we are going to feature people here in our blog and we're calling it Feature Friday! Enjoy!

Feature Friday! presents:

KHUZANG

Khuzang is an animator and a digital artist. He worked on the popular show My Little Pony as a Flash Animator and now makes his own cartoons on Youtube. Visit his DeviantArt page HERE. His page also leads to his Gumroad, Youtube and Tumblr pages.

• What are you working on right now?

I’m still figuring out what type of content should/want I be putting out. Right now, I’m developing a short parody series on Youtube. Other than that, I am working on in a Halloween collab with someone in Deviantart.

• How and when did you discover that you wanted to do art?

The first time I got into drawing was in 4th year high school when I saw the works of Vinz Ngo (aka Bleedman). He is known for his anime-inspired chibi style and was popular for making fan arts of popular cartoons in his style. During this time, I’ve watched a lot of internet animations back when Newgrounds.com was popular. This has been a factor that when I decided to go to animation. I wanted to make cartoons like what Egoraptor, Zeurel or Harry Partridge does. Back then, I sucked horribly at drawing. The only time I got to learn how to draw better was when I entered my Animation course.

• If you weren't doing art, what would you be doing?

I could be surfing the web most of the time, checking out blogs of the artists I follow or play video games. There are times I’d go over my collection of cartons or browse Youtube –that or I just listen to Podcasts.

• How has your practice changed over time?

It hasn’t changed that much since I draw digitally most of the time. I’d sketch on paper when I’m away from the PC. Currently, I use Paint Tool Sai or Flash 8 to draw. For animations, I use Flash.

• What work do you most enjoy doing?

Sketching is what enjoy doing the most. It has this therapeutic effect on me whenever I spend lots of time just sketching while to tuning in to music or a podcast. I feel good after that. I have to watch out that I don’t over-do it or it will leave me with a sore wrist.

• What art do you most identify with?

I’m into simple cartoony styles. Styles in line with Bruce Timm or Genndy Tartakovsky like “Batman: Animated Series” (specifically Season 4), “Samurai Jack”, or “Symbionic Titan”. I look up to other cartoons like “Grojband”, “Super Best Friends Forever”, “Wakfu” or “Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt”. Most of the time, these kinds of cartoons have that energy and whimsy in them that I’m very attracted to.

• What's the best thing anyone has said about your work?

Best compliment I ever received is when I do fan art for artists I follow, they’d feature it on their blog.

• Who is the biggest influence in your work?

Tons. I can’t simply pin-point it one artist. I can say that the internet has exposed me to so much material that whatever artwork that grabbed me at the moment I want to draw, I go with it.

• What is the single work of which you are most proud?

If I’m proud of one thing it might be “Sunset Shimmer Wants Cake”. Yeah, it’s a parody animation but this is the first animated parody I've done that received great reception. What I got from this is that it gave me some sort of green light that I can (possibly) produce my own animation. It’s one of the factors why I wanted to make my own web series besides Carbot (creator of StarCrafts parody series).

• What is your dream project?

I dream of making a decent living off my own content to a point I’m not thinking about money at all.

• Who do you dream of collaborating with?

I would be interested to having a collab with Carbot for a season of Starcrafts – to see what’s it like to make a weekly episode. Oh and, I would love to work as animator with Genndy Tartakovsky or Lauren Faust. I’m leaning more to Lauren if she gets to do “Galaxy Girls”.

• Tell us one of your guilty pleasures

Watching shows that supposed to be for little kids but enjoying it anyway(?).

• If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be?

Genndy, Craig McCracken or Lauren Faust. Then make a web series.

• What's the strangest thing you have in your house?

Uh, nothings comes to mind. Well in the neighborhood, I sometimes spot a couple of squirrels climbing up trees – and one time, a monkey. I don’t think they usually live in urban environments…

• When was the last time you were truly frightened?

Yeah… about like a 3 weeks ago, maybe (?), getting these thoughts telling me that what I’m doing is pointless.

• What music are you listening to these days?

The music I tune in mostly is Techno music (Daft Punk) and some Rock (Metallica) or good music covers I bump in to Youtube (i.e. 331Erock / SimGretina / Sogreatandpowerful). Most of the time, I just listen to podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience, Guys with Pencils, Duncan Trussell Family Hour, Bancroft Bros. Animation Podcast, or Church of What’s Happening Now. Learn new things while working stuff.

• What is the worst advice you've ever received?

Any advice from business people who have zero idea of what I’m gunning for.

• What is the best advice you've ever received?

“Just keep swimming” -- This is basically the common train of thought I keep getting as advice.