Owner of Stellar Ink, Stella Fire.
Art is an ever-evolving entity, both in RL and IMVU. Exploring your personal way of expressing your art on a virtual platform can prove to be a daunting task. IMVU is home to some genuinely creative individuals, each bringing their own flare to the fire. It’s a good thing Stella Fire, owner of Stellar Ink and self-taught graphic artist, was able to tap into her own artistic flow. Verve X Magazine was able to catch a moment with Stella to talk inspirations, goals, plans, and even a few pointers for up-and-coming artists.
First, could you give us a little insight on the artist? Who is Stella? What’s the inspiration behind your art? I’m Stella Fire, owner of Stellar Ink. I have a deep passion for art and my specialty is in graphic design. I use my digital painting skills to do IMVU artwork and teach to a large amount of students, as I am a big supporter for beginner artists. Personally, I like to think myself as a unique artist. My main inspiration comes from color and music. I find that if I edit in silence the edit comes out….. bland. But when I edit with music, I am suddenly inspired and feel the avatar’s vibe. That’s when I connect the most with the client. It’s truly a great experience and when the piece is done, I can’t help but feel excited to give my client their art.
What made you want to start drawing? Well I started doing Art for IMVU when I had a bad encounter with another artist. I was scammed and purchased art I never received. But it made me think, “ Why am I getting scammed? I should just learn how to edit myself.” And that’s when I started playing around with my avatar in photoshop and slowly taught myself how to edit.
Could you tell us what type of art you offer specifically? Are repaints your specialty? Currently, repaints are my specialty, yes. I offer repaints for IMVU, Second Life, and Real life, I also make custom hairs for IMVU, I offer digital painting tutoring sessions, sponsor other artists and shops and have also begun creating real life merch for my fans.
Oh sounds good! For anybody interested, what is your basic price range for each of those services?
My prices vary depending on how many avatars are in the photo. For a 1 person repaint, I charge $13.00 USD via PayPal. From there the price really just depends on how many avatars are in the pic. The largest order I have done, had 17 avatars in it. The client paid $91.00 for it. I do offer VIP memberships for my regular clients. This membership gives them discounts on their orders for a full year! I have all the details for my VIP membership programs on my website.
You mentioned classes, is that done in bulk or one on one? My classes used to be in bulk but now it’s one-on-one, that way each student gets the attention they deserve and can retain the class info better. I’m excited as my team and I are working hard on developing new class topics to teach and methods to share.
Do you do home-pages, invitations, websites, etc? Once in awhile, I do get a client asking about services not listed on my website. I’m pretty open minded and accept custom orders if I feel I am capable. I have done things like clothing items, invitations, logos, icons, banners, ads, and more in the past.
What art program and device do you use? Currently, I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 14, and a Wacom Art Intuos Digital Drawing Tablet.
Is there anything in the near future you have planned for the IMVU community?
I am hoping to begin public modeling competitions, feature monthly advertisements for IMVU businesses on my website, and hopefully finding a new partner. I think it’s time to get a co-owner to help me out :)
Is there anything else you want your fans and our readers to know? Yes. Nobody’s opinion matters but your own. People are always going to try and put out your fire. But if you have something that makes you happy, a light or passion, it doesn’t matter if its art, music, acting, or designing, your opinion is the only one that matters. Doing what you love is important. You can always count on yourself to stay motivated and progress. You are also the only one who can stop yourself from progressing. I have met countless people who gave up because of others’ opinions. Art is not a cookie cutter system. You can’t say “that’s wrong” when it comes to art. Only you can judge your own art and say if it’s what you meant to create. Be confident in your craft and you will progress. That’s a promise <3
Disclaimer: the personal views and opinions written in this post are from the writer and do not always express the professional opinion and views of Verve X Magazine.
Interviewer: Tamekah
Copy Editor: NabilaaHomage
Photographer: Kongan
