Michal Dziekan’s art portrays many general issues worldwide, including global warming, capitalism, people’s self-image, and dependence on social media. In doing so, he rethinks people’s choices and way of life. It may look like animations and funny diagrams, but it has some significant meanings, and people can realize that these images are not young people. Michal uses bright colors and a joyous mood to address today’s critical issues.
A Polish illustrator who identifies himself as “your new favourite artist” is Michal Dziekan. He creates dark satirical images to capture the covetous and twisted culture in which we live accurately.
Michael says on his website that art is his “pixels and printing of blood, sweat, and tears.” He says that it’s Turin’s shroud, and he’s giving us his bits. The artist captures many problems in its drawings, and their distinctive style is as distorted as it is accurate, ranging from pollution to rampant consumption. His most potent arts are named as follows.
More info: Instagram | Facebook | michaldziekan.com | behance.net | flickr.com
#1 Honesty
#2 Words Can Kill
#3 Every Drunk Driver Is A Murderer
#4 Games For Adults
#5 Unhappy With What He Does
#6 Think For Yourself, Don’t Buy Unnecessary Stuff
#7 Cruel Reality
#8 Triumph
#9 Superhero
#10 Justice
#11 Poetry
#12 Facebook Addiction
#13 Freelance
#14 Pollution
#15 Astrology
#16 Pushing
#17 One Step Forward – Two Steps Back
#18 Uncontrollable Consumption
#19 Storks
#20 Expectations
#21 Art
#22 Manhood
#23 Interest
#24 Take A Deep Breath
#25 Perfectionism
#26 Shhh…
#27 Families Living In Tight Flats
#28 Lie Detectors In Smartphones
#29 Therapy
#30 Fashion Industry
Self talk to Michal Dziekan.
In southwestern Poland, I grew up in a small city. When I was younger, I didn’t care about art. Nobody in my family was at all angles connected to art. It was a lot of fun to me, and I just began drawing, and I stick to it. I was about 15 or 16 years old when the Internet age arrived, and I began to look for things that fascinated me. I started to purchase my first tablet, and I began working in Photoshop, I sucked on the pill because I never drew before, but as I said – it was fun. I’d never started to purchase my first tablet. Then high school ended, and I had to choose what I was going to do by studying – I always wanted to do something about math, I loved it, but then I concentrated more on art than math – I finally decided to connect both interests. I started studying architecture, and after hours I learned digital painting by myself. I switched from college to an animation studio in three years.
He spoke about his skills.
I always think of myself with a few exceptions – when I attended a drawing course before my architecture test, I first got a good education in drawing – I got a lot of insight from it, and I still use a lot of this experience. Then years later, I took two courses, the first being the ‘Anatomy for artists’ with Scott Eaton, followed by ‘Character Design’ with Steven Silver. In addition, from experimenting, I am learning a lot. I try developing my style, constantly trying to test new approaches. There are many failures and dead ends, but seeing the improvement is rewarding!
The most significant impact Michal Dziekan had when he was a young man (artists, films, comic books, etc.)?
Films come to mind—one that I know, first, is Batman’s Tim Burton; then my father has been showing me Monty Python’s Holy Grail. Then came video games – for me, in this world, I was so inspired. At one point, my cousin introduced me to Magic the Gathering when I was 11 or 12 years old – I immediately loved it, not because of the gaming itself but because of the craft on the cards. However, cartoons were most influential. All Disney, Hanna & Barbera and some of the animals that came to Poland (I saw Ghost very quickly in the Shell in my life, and I had no idea, but I loved it). Inspector Gadget intrigued me. I still like to draw many of the flimsy devices and instruments. I recall that I couldn’t wait until I get home from elementary school and see the best stuff like Tartakovsky’s Dexter’s Laboratory or Samurai Jack, Ulysses 31, He-Man, Batman Animated, TMNT, and all the 80th best cartoon series or (a bit later) Cartoon Network. A whole new collection of inspirations was later provided via the Internet.
From the first customer concept to the last job: What happens to you, and what is the way you launch a project?
The most crucial step is the concept, especially when the customer does not suggest a particular one. I’m doing a lot, and I’m choosing my favorite ideas (not too many, though, 2-3 max). Often I pick my favorite picture and submit it to the customer. My rule is only to show customers what I like, that work, that I might work very well (at least where possible). I’ll start the design process when the concept is finally approved. The first thing I do is make a good sketch. My sketches are tough. I concentrate a lot on the design in my bits because they are always motivated by the character. In certain instances, it’s random, but doodling all that is in my mind helps a lot. I don’t have a single form of thinking.
Michal Dziekan’s art and what are his favorite instruments?
With around four different brushes, I use a Wacom Cintiq and Photoshop. My procedure begins with a concept. Then I draw a diagram of the whole piece – I focus a lot on composition and character design since it is vital for storytelling. Then I do the entire line work. Flat colors follow. I make light and shadows at the end. I sometimes use a layer for shadows in multiply modes, but most often, it’s just flat color paint below contours.
