A&C Artist: Daphane Love

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Meet Daphane Love!

Daphane is a native New Yorker, an illustrator, gamer, and mom to 3 bad cats.
You can find Daphane at our location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!

Preferred Name & Pronouns: Daphane (she/her)

Website: artstation.com/daphanelove

Social Media: @daphanelovesdrawing

A&C: Who / what are your biggest influences?

Daphane Love: Video games are probably my biggest influence since I'm looking to do art for video game design eventually. I also try to incorporate low-brow fantasy art and anything cyberpunk/sci-fi into my work.

"Deathball Wizard" (2020), Digital, 23" x 69"

A&C: How long have you been pursuing art/did you pursue an art degree?

DL: I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, and I actually do have a degree in Illustration. Art school was fun and sometimes helpful, but I really don't recommend it because you'll be paying for it for the rest of your life. At least wait until you know what you want to concentrate in (or until there is free college tuition in America...).

Left & Right: "Gold Queen" & "Blue Queen" (2020), Watercolor and Gouache on Paper, 9" x 12"
Center: "Lightning Goddess" (2020), Digital, 11" x 14"

A&C: Do you have any tips about the media that you use?

DL: I'm going back and forth between acrylic gouache/watercolor and Photoshop right now. For acrylic gouache and watercolor: layers are your friend. For Photoshop: layers are your friend. It's going to look bad in the beginning, but just layer it, and it'll start to look like something.

Left: "Disconnected" (2019), Acrylic Gouache, Acrylic, Holographic Vinyl on Plexiglass, 16" x 20"
Right: "Gutted" (2019), Acrylic Gouache, Acrylic, Iridescent Vinyl, LED Lights on Plexiglass, 11" x 13"

A&C: Do you have a favorite artist/piece of art?

DL: There's a bunch of concept artists and illustrators I'm following right now, but the first ones that come to mind are Zeen Chin and Ali Hoff.

A&C: What is your go-to album/artist right now (in the studio)?

DL: I actually listen to Twitch as background noise when I'm working on art. Recently I've been "listening" to AvoidingThePuddle and LateNightRetro. It's obviously a little distracting because I sometimes stop painting to watch the stream, or I'll suddenly burst out laughing and mess up whatever I'm working on, but it's fun to listen to otherwise.

A&C: What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given (not necessarily art-related)?

DL: Always make an appointment for the DMV.

A&C: What would be your first suggestion for someone just beginning to get into art?

DL: Having the fundamental knowledge of lines, value, light, color, perspective, composition, etc., may seem super boring and monotonous, but it's so important even if you think you'll never need it. But then again, one could argue that art-making doesn't have or need rules. You know what? Forget it. Just go nuts.

A&C: Use three words to describe your artistic style.

DL: Always use purple.

Left: "Bike Bae" (2020), Digital, 14" x 11"
Right: "Tangled Babes" (2019), Acrylic Gouache, Acrylic, Iridescent Vinyl, LED Lights on Plexiglass, 16" x 20"

Fan of Daphane's work? Check out more of her artwork at artstation.com/daphanelove.