What type of graphics do you make, and which type is your favourite?

I mainly make covers however, occasionally I'll step out of my comfort zone and make banners, blends, icons, book jackets, bookmarks or maps. I make manipulated covers by default. All my attempts at doing simplicity turn into manips. And minimalism is nonexistent. I am practicing vector based graphics which I've not shown anyone yet and so far, I'm really loving it.

How long have you been designing graphics?

I started designing roughly around autumn 2013 so almost three years which is the longest I've ever stuck with a hobby.

How did you start?

When I first joined Wattpad, a friend offered to make me a cover and I was jealous that she knew how to do such a thing. Envious, I downloaded a couple of free apps and the reign of slaptext covers began.

Early 2014, I discovered the Multimedia Designs Club and realised there were other incredible designers (Although, I was convinced my slaptext covers were the most beautiful things on Wattpad) In a vain attempt to improve, I googled Pixlr advanced and started dabbling in the big world of layers. They sucked, but I was happy.

Unfortunately, my laptop stopped connecting to the Internet so I switched back to my phone and downloaded Masquer and Phonto. I scarred a couple of Wattpader's eyes as I continued to churn out horrible covers, but my blending was improving.

Finally in 2015, I discovered PicsArt and as cheesy as it sounds, we became BFF'S. I was obsessed, but became frustrated by the lack of font options and Phonto glitched like crazy. Christmas arrived and I became rich, so I splashed out on Photoshop touch and it provided the font options I desperately wanted E.g bevel, emboss, gradients etc.

Photoshop touch and PicsArt remained my faithful companions until February/March 2016 when I realised I was getting fed up with the limitations of both apps.

So along came Photoshop cs2 (once I figured out how to connect my laptop to the Internet again) and I've been using it ever since. I think my graphics are decent (though some will still scar your eyes) but I've got a long way to go. I love the options Photoshop cs2 provides and it doesn't freeze my ancient Windows Xp laptop too much.

Gimp was downloaded at one point too, but it was so confusing. It turned my brain to mush.

This turned into a mini story. Oops.

What is your favorite part about graphic design?

The planning. I love taking someone's ideas and trying to figure out how they'll translate onto the cover. In my head I'll draw up a mental image of how I want the cover to look. (99.999999% of the time, it never turns out how I want) I enjoy finding the right resources to make the cover (Deviantart I cannot live without) and I like experimenting with the composition and colours. Ohh and I love the hue/saturation feature, I can't live without it.

Where do you get your inspiration?

MayTijssen's Pinterest board. xD Other Wattpad designers like seventhstar, FerretBird, Forcade and countless others give me inspo. Books sometimes do too.

How long does a graphic typically take you?

Anywhere between 15mins to 4 hours, depending on how much patience I have on that day. But  usually it takes me three or four attempts before I'll give the requester their final cover.

What advice would you give aspiring designers?

Keep practicing! There were so many times when I felt demotivated as I looked at the work of other designers. But keep on practicing. I still have a lot to learn. I barely know how to use 80% of Photoshop cs2, but I'm going to keep on practicing and I'm going to keep improving. And I'm going to watch YouTube tutorials until my mind burns with all the knowledge. o.o

A fun fact about yourself:

I'm going to start learning Italian in the summer and I can't wait. I've always wanted to learn another language. ^-^