Animals are among God’s greatest gifts to this earth, bringing us so much kindness and companionship that we desperately need. They also tell us so much about themselves just from how they look. Fish have gills, which help them get oxygen underwater. Four-legged animals are traversing somewhere on land. Feathers help birds fly high in the sky. So what do zippers and stuffing tell us?
Meet Bogo, an artist who has been creating creature designs, from stuffed animals to colorful aliens, since she was a child. Today, we’ve brought her on to share a little about herself, her process, and her design inspirations.
Can you tell us about yourself?
“Well, little introduction, Im bogo, bongos, nena or nugget; I go by so many names Haha! I am a southerner American, whos accent tries to fight through every time I speak, I am a Jack of all trades! I can crochet and sew my own patterns, 3d model and texture and draw! its actually hard for me to pick what to do each day.
I came to making art when I was super-duper little, I am talking barely able to hold a crayon. My mom is an artist, so she taught me almost everything I know about art. But I started taking art seriously when I was around 11 or so. When I was 12, I tried to make my own comic, but LUCKILY that cringy thing was burned down along with the rest of my house.”
Where do you source your inspirations?
“I have so many sources for inspiration. The art for Splatoon, PS1-style games, and 2000’s art are my biggest go toos when I want to make something. Also, basically anything loud, bright, or cluttered tends to inspire me since I’m like a little crow when it comes to art! I also just pull inspiration from art books, any art books. Right now, I’m looking through the World of Warcraft’s art book and studying some of the creature designs right now.”
You have colors that really pop. Can you tell us why you’ve chosen this eccentric color palette for your style?
“I love bright colors!! I always have, since I was younger. I also love color theory and trying to make, like, a blue look like a purple, and shading in anything that isn’t black or purple. I have issues trying to dull down my colors even if they NEED dulled down, ha.”
I’ve noticed that a lot of your characters seem to surround stuffed animals as of late. What has made you gravitate towards that theme in your work?
“Honestly, I have no idea haha!! I didn’t even notice that I have been leaning more towards stuffed animals in my themes. My best guess is my character Jangle. I have been super obsessed with her for the past 2ish years, haha. Also, the fact that I make stuffed animals might have had an effect on my art.”
Another theme I’ve noticed is this early 2000’s digital vibe. Why do you like this style and bring it out in your works?
“Early 2000’s styles are so bold, unique, and most of the time loud! I’m actually pretty happy that you could tell I was bringing it out in my works, haha! I always second-guess if I add too much or too little of the 2000’s digital vibe.”
Out of art books you’ve read, what’s your personal favorite and why?
“Oh my gosh, the Undertale art book is 100% my favorite art book ever. From Tem’s beautiful designs and Toby Fox’s goofy MS Paint doodles, it is such a fun read. It helped me when designing my own games to just go with the flow and have fun with it! Also, seeing the sketches for one of my favorite games is so cool.”
When it comes to creature design, what aspects of creatures are your favorite to expand upon?
“Ah, my favorite thing, and I hope I explain this semi-well, is when the design of creatures makes sense for their environment. Like how some cows have long, thick hair because they live in colder places and such. I love it when horror does this, like my favorite, Vita Carnis. The elder mimics the only thing you can see is their face, due to their use of the dark to hide themselves. Or just, like, creepy cute designs; like a scary wolf thing trying to look cute or a cute bunny thing that actually has like, ears for mouths haha.”
Any goals for you when it comes to art and any advice for artists/
“My goal for art is to inspire the younger generation and make people smile! In all honesty, it’s one of the reasons I keep doing art, in the hopes it inspires others to do the same. My advice for artists would be STOP TRYING TO MAKE PERFECT ART, make tons and tons of imperfect art! Also, you are the only one who can DRAW like you. Believe it or not, you can have imitators, but they have to practice for hours for something that comes naturally for you!”
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We really enjoyed the early-2000s digital vibe that Bogo drew inspiration from. We can’t wait to see where she takes her art in the future! If you want to see more of her work, she has it posted on her Instagram and Tumblr here!
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