Glaring Spotlight: Inklin Customs

In this edition of Glaring Spotlight, we speak with Inklin Customs, and get the answers to questions posed by the Cardsphere Discord community.

What is your favorite piece that you've done?

My favorite personal artwork would have to be my City's Blessing token. I was really proud how it turned out, and even  updated it late last year to use for my banner. I had a lot of fun with the colors and lighting.

Were there any pieces that were particular challenging?

The ChannelFireball tokens were challenging to make. They were so kind, and were open to any concept. The stain glass was very popular at the time, so we went with that. I was trying to make the team more realistic, but in my style. It was tricky to find a balance, but I am incredibly proud of the outcome.

How did you develop your distinctive style?

Years of practice. I was fortunate to have a supportive mother with my interest in art, and encouraged me to take all the art classes I could. I went on to study fine arts in college to learn the foundations. I am always exploring different methods to see what I liked, and what worked well for my abilities. You can never stop growing as an artist.

How long does it take to produce a new token, start to finish?

I would say it takes about 1 - 3 months to produce a new token from start to finish. Time to come up with an idea then start sketches usually is the longest process depending on how many times I need to rework it. After all of that is done then it is formatting and sending off for printing which takes around a month or so for me to have them in hand.

Who are the biggest influences or inspirations for your work?

Hayao Miyazaki, Scott M Fischer, Amber Davkro, Howard Loyd, Curisaris, Rebecca Guay, Hajime Ueda and Babs Tarr are some of my favorite artists. Their styles are very different, and their work inspires me so much. Highly recommend looking into their work if you are not familiar with them.

What kind of materials/palette do you use?

I work mainly digital nowadays because it is fast and efficient. I use an ipad, ipencil, and program called procreate for the artwork, and photoshop to put all the tokens together.

Do you find it easier having lots of premixed colors, or do you mix from primaries to get exactly what you need?

Actually, I loved mixing paints when I did traditional art. I had to take color theory in college which helped  so much. I am pretty good at color mixing, but I loved layering colors  together with watercolor the most.

How has your life changed without the SCG tour for commissions? Do you miss the long days?

I miss MagicFest and the SCG Tour dearly. It was so nice to interact with the Magic community in person, but thankfully we have the Internet to keep in touch. I have been overwhelmed by the support of the Magic community, and they have been keeping me busy with commissions.

What was your craziest "hair adventure"?

I would have to say my current hair style. I decided to cut it myself, and I am in the process of dying my bangs green. I was trying to go for a 90’s anime a e s t h e t i c. haha

If you could switch jobs with anyone in the Magic community, with whom would you switch?

I don’t really ever want to switch jobs with anyone, I would love to shadow Cynthia Sheppard. I would love to see her in action as an Art Director, and to work with other awesome artists. Plus she is such an amazing artist herself, and was super cool the one time I met her at a Grand Prix.

What are you doing to stay relaxed and sane during COVID?

I have been mostly keeping myself busy with art. Fun things I have been doing is catching up on some anime series, learning and experimenting with makeup , and making dumb TikToks.

If you had unlimited resources available to do a new project, what would it be?

I would love to get into animation. I really want to take some classes to study more about how to do it smoother, and learn more about editing.

Where can people follow your work?

✦ http://www.inklincustoms.com/✦
✦ IG/FB/TIKTOK:  @InklinCustoms
✦ Twitch: http://Twitch.com/Inklincustoms
✦ Patreon: http://patreon.com/inklincustoms
✦ Discord:https://discord.gg/8xajvU
✦ E-Mail: Inklincustoms@gmail.com