ArtStation Pro is the easiest way to get your own clean and professional personal portfolio website in a matter of seconds and linked directly to your ArtStation page! This week’s Featued Pro Portfolio interviewee, Gilberto “Soren” Zaragoza, is a 2D and 3D digital artist based in Mexico who has been involved in several international projects with companies like Warner Brothers, DC, Disney, Marvel, and Bandai just to name a few.
Check out Gilberto’s ArtStation-powered website.
In this interview, Gilberto explains how he got where he is today and what kind of portfolios go the extra mile for him.
What makes a portfolio stand out to you?
Nowadays, there’s a lot of artists with amazing skills but for me the portfolios that stand out are the ones that can evoke emotions and the ones that have those details that tells stories! It doesn’t matter if it’s a prop, a vehicle, an environment or a character, and if it’s 2D or 3D art. The ones that can make me feel pulled into a situation or that put something different on the table and are supported by the fundamentals are the ones that rise above the others.
Tell us about an artwork you are most proud of and why?
Easily
Orion Rings because this artwork has an internal and personal meaning. It represents a catharsis of tons of bad situations that I had to deal with and it pushed me to doubt and hate my work and my self at some point. I was doing well as a professional but I felt empty so when I started this piece, I just wanted to throw it all out. Not for the likes, to land a job or for my portfolio, but it was to reconnect my self with what I really love and that is to tell stories. Since then, I’ve started to enjoy every project that I had the chance to take part in.
What kind of practice / experiences lead you to the level you are at today?
As a self taught artist, being curious took a major role. When I started to work as a professional for small gigs in a studio here in my hometown, I tried to emulate artists I admire like Maciej Kuciara, Ben Mauro, Justin Fields, Dan Luvisi, Marek Okon, James Zapata and many more. Of course I failed tons of times in the process but I always wanted to improve and create amazing things like they do, so I started to do conscientious practices of the fundamentals, first as a 2D artist then I switch to 3D artwork but following the same rule to create things with a purpose of understanding how those things work. After that, the daily speed sculpt and joining different digital art challenges seeing what artist around the world were doing motivated me to improve.
Advice for aspiring artists
Trust your gut but be open to critique. This is going to help you a lot to evaluate your work through the vision of other people and it will give you a broader spectrum with new possibilities. Leave your ego in your closet and don’t be afraid to try to emulate what other artist are doing but try to do this with tons of different artists until you start to create something unique. Also, to make a good living doing what we love, I recommend developing social skills in the same way we develop art skills. Trust me on this one, it’s going to be a game changer in your career.
See more of Soren’s work on his ArtStation Pro website. To find out more about ArtStation Pro portfolio websites, click here.
