Interview with Yumi. Pixel Art as one of the most popular forms of digital art.

FireFly

Hi, DIANA! Pixel art is a type of digital art that ranks alongside 3D graphics due to its impact on video game culture. You work exactly in this style. Tell us why you chose it and when you made your first-pixel art.

Yumi

Hello, Andrey! I've been drawing pixels since my teenage years, inspired by old games and modern indies. It mainly was animated doodles and tutorials.

My main interest in pixel art is how easy it is to learn but hard to master (ah, yes, a gamer quote).

Everyone can create a 16 px punk face, but when resolution becomes a few hundred square pixels, a real challenge begins, and you can create unique characters, patterns, and worlds.

It's also amazing how the viewer's imagination plays a critical role while viewing this kind of art, especially when an image is complex/full of details. The art on a monitor is the same for everyone, but people see details differently inside their minds.

FireFly

Since you recalled your teenage years, you can tell us more about it. And also about your hobbies, lifestyle, family, and the places where you have been and lived.

Yumi

My mom graduated from an art school. She always drew a lot, so became my assistant in drawing. I was a very calm child; even when I couldn't read, I could sit and look at pictures in books for hours and often tried to picture them.

I've been trying to draw cartoon characters in various styles since childhood, but pixel art has become my favorite.

As a hobby, I can single out travel. I've been to many countries, and plan to visit as many as possible.

Also, I have a small business of making natural candles. I adore home fragrances, perfumes, and making candles is like meditation for me. About a year and a half ago, I started doing yoga; it is one of the best decisions in my life. I've been going to the gym for about six years, but now I realize that yoga works better for my body. However, I try to combine it all the same way.

FireFly

Cool! It means you are in good physical shape, our body is probably our best friend, and it needs to be protected)

What are the specifics of working in pixel art? Many people think that this is simple, I know that it is not), but perhaps you can tell our readers about this in more detail.

Yumi

Oh, there are many rules about making pixel art, but I think the main idea is to know them and be flexible about it. There are specifics about pixel placements, amount of colors, dithering, etc. - I try to keep them in mind and come up with my own stuff.

To make profound art, you also need to have basic drawing knowledge - from lightning to perspective. Basically, like with any art, the further you go, the more skills you need. Of course, you can always create more enormous canvases, add animations, more figures, forms, and characters, and it will surely give you more challenging time.

FireFly

By the fact that the number of transactions per second limits any blockchain, it is tough to make a real web-3 game or a metaverse with heavy 3D models. Pixel art is the best for this. Am I right? Do you have many offers to make characters for web3 games?)

Yumi

I think you are right! It's one of the best styles for web3 games indeed, especially if everything is drawn with care.

I had some web3 jobs, but mostly just small/custom orders. At the moment, I'm open to commissions/offers :)

FireFly

Tell us more about all your past collections in the NFT world, especially about Kitty Paradise, because the trading volumes of this collection on Singular are impressive. Especially understanding the price of KSM at the peak of the collection sales. Can you tell us more about upcoming news on your Kitty Paradise collection? How and when did you get into the DOTSAMA community?

Yumi

Sure! Kitty Paradise was my first ever NFT collection on the Singular marketplace, which I found randomly after seeing insane gas fees on ETH. It was just a set of cute cats; for some reason, people loved it, for what I'm super grateful. I'm constantly trying to host events, airdrops, and raffles for holders to provide some value.

Moreover, I'm working on another collection that will continue the Kitty series. Upcoming plans changed due to the harsh bear market (especially in NFTs) and IRL reasons, but I hope to release it whenever possible.

I'm also drawing 1/1 artworks; these are split into multiple collections and blockchains, but will be mainly released on (and migrated to, if possible) Raresama.

FireFly

Do you constantly communicate with your collectors? What platform do you use for this? Can you explain to our readers what 1\1 art is?

Yumi

Of course! I know most of my collectors, and many of them have already become my good friends. All communications are usually done on Discord and Twitter.

1/1 is pretty subjective naming, and it's hard to categorize in the NFT space, but I usually put 100% unique and single-editions in this type.

For example, all Kitties have the same base, and even though they all are unique and hand-made, I wouldn't call them 1/1. My landscapes and portraits are all done from scratch as self-sustainable and complete arts, so they fit in 1/1 type for me.

FireFly

Do you work alone, or have a team? Who is responsible for marketing your collections?

Yumi

My husband often helps me with crypto-related questions, but generally, there is no team or marketing here. I'm mostly interested in just creating art and sharing it.

The launch of Raresama really helped me (and many other artists too) with that, as one of our missions is to let artists create without caring about marketing, utility, and so on.

FireFly

Yes, I know that from an interview with Adriana\Momsama. It's a really cool marketplace idea - to take over the marketing, and let the artists just create.

Since you recalled Raresama, it's time to ask questions regarding to this topic) I know that you are one of Raresama's leading ambassadors. Please tell us what you do and how you help new artists.

Yumi

Raresama is awesome :)

We were working together with Adriana/Momsama and RiRi on managing the launch; it was really an honor to be in the such team! I was mostly focused on onboarding the artists, designating ambassadors, and brainstorming core features with teammates. 

The hype on the launch was insane, and not everyone could get into the first collection. Still, we are getting closer to open mint, and I'm sure with so many eyes on Raresama, we'll see lots of new and successful collections in the upcoming weeks.

FireFly

Tell us more, please, about how the mint for new artists will go. I understand that at first, it will be possible to place one work for each artist, and after some time, it will be possible to mint a complete collection, won't it?

Yumi

First, there will be a community collection where everyone can submit their artworks. It's sort of a stress test to see how minting will go.

Once it is done, our next priority will be to allow normal collection mints for the artists.

FireFly

I'm in) mint went well. Everything is fine.

https://raresama.com/nft/0xadebb43264469764adc9a99d19923b58fd1d889c/16

Yumi

Great!

FireFly

Can you tell us about your favorite NFT artists? Whose new work do you always look forward to?

Yumi

Oh, that's very hard because I got too many - haha. I'm a huge fan of Paul Robertson, one of the most fantastic pixel artists in the NFT space, and I do hope he discovers Dotsama soon.

In our community, there is also a huge number of great artists; I won't be able to give a complete list, but will mention SOME of my favorite artists in no particular order!

I'd probably want to mention Elene Tsukiko, Marlua, Tako and Yaki, SFR Studio, Kitchenezky and Grood, SofPixels, Rubentopia, Mad4ox, Luigi Lucarelli, EJVII, Kurkin, Justine Cruz.... and that's just the start.

FireFly

The fantastic list of the favorite artists. I have already done interviews with some of them, and added some to the list)

Has NFT become a permanent job and hobby for you? What advice would you give to new artists just getting to know about NFT?

Yumi

Oh, that's awesome!

Currently, NFTs are a lot more than a hobby for me; it takes most of my working time.

For new artists, I would certainly recommend to do some research about blockchains overall - how to use cryptocurrency, what gas is, how to mint, what forms of scam exist (there are many), and so on. I think it's crucial to understand the space you operate in.

FireFly

Great tips! What about NFT tips? Is it worth considering the whole collection at once? General style, themes, characters, write a story? And how to force yourself to continue working if you were not immediately noticed? Some artists abandon their first collections and think that the problem is in their arts! But there is also marketing, working with the community, choosing a good platform, and so on.

Yumi

Oh, I think it's totally personal! But generally, it's best to have one format/style per collection. For example, if you are drawing pixel art, it would be a bit strange to suddenly add photography unless it's seriously intended.

And yeah, marketing/community are also essential. Many people are equally invested in artist and their works, and often less trust creators who don't have active social media. Various engagements are also always helpful, like having a community hub, events, or interactions with collectors.

FireFly

Yumi! I think we got a great interview! If you want to add something else - I will be very happy! and since I, like you, really appreciate my community, please give us some insider information)) or interesting information) maybe about your new works or Raresama marketplace

Yumi

Huge thanks for this interview! I've been working on Raresama and my arts for some time, and really hoping to release them soon. One of these 1/1's main intentions was to showcase my skills (I hope they are good - lol), emotions, and development in pixel art over this year.

I'm also not forgetting about Kitty Paradise as it was my first collection, and aiming to mint more cats very soon! Moreover, new events and collabs are incoming.

FireFly

Thanks a lot! It was a pleasure to talk with you and good luck!