Featured Artist | Navid Ruins – DC Creators Network

Featured Interview | Navid Ruins

Creative Name: Navid Ruins

Real Name: Navid Rahman

Brief Description of self: I guess I’m quiet and observant, it’s hard to really say, I’m passionate about the things that matter to me and just want to make the best work I can.

Long Description of self: My work has always been a form of world building, creating environments with a blurred line of whimsical fantasy and reality. Much of the work deals with Illustrating fictional matriarchal societies, focusing on the cultural and environmental impacts of the habitats they reside in. These are generally inspired by my own Bangladeshi background, native textiles, patterns, agriculture and environments can be seen in imagery.

Project Details: This is an ongoing series of illustrations titled “Fruit Bearer” – The series was inspired by a something I heard. “Don’t resort to cutting down fruit bearing trees, for that would be much too drastic” I spent a while trying to find the source for this quote but no luck. If anyone knows the author, I heard it in passing and it resonated with me for some reason.

Medium & why: I generally stick to a few things Microns, Gouache, Bucket Paint, Spray Paint. I’m trying to be better about expanding my tools, I strictly did black and white pen illustrations for years adding colors in the last 5 years or so. The above illustrations were pencil drawings turned digital illustrations, digital is fun cause it lets me experiment with palettes without wasting materials.

Favorite part of the creation process: The line work, it comes the easiest lets me turn my brain off creatively and just meditate and do it, it also just feels great to pull clean lines.

The most challenging part of the process: The colors! I never know what colors to use, when I find a palette I like ill use it a bunch, sometimes cause it’s just what feels good, or it’s cause it’s the stuff I have in the studio.

Other creative influences: I cook, a lot.

How creativity betters my life: Just lets me know I added a microscopic dot of something to the world, if you see it or you don’t. Someone might see it and be inspired so I think that’s worth it.

Advice to other aspiring artists: I would say to keep working, no matter what, just keep working you improve everyday, you learn with every new piece, and you’re never going to stop growing. It doesn’t seem like it in the scope of it but when you look back you’ll see the difference.

Testimonial: Probably just the mystery quote “Don’t resort to fruit bearing trees, for that would be much too drastic” — If any of the readers know the author please let me know, all my google searches come up with nothing.