Interview with the 2nd place winner of Derby 48

Mitohapa is relatively new but quickly made a splash with her Revolution entry in derby 42 and has steadily gained votes and skills to get printed this week. Here's a few more interesting tidbits about her.

Shirt.Woot Stats? (first derby / shirts bought / shirts printed)
42 (Join the Revolution) / 2 / 1. I consider my first real derby #42. I’m sure I disturbed some people with the superfluous blood and guillotine thing. Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.

What are you tools of choice?
I tend to use printer paper, a .5 lead mechanical pencil, a truly decrepit scanner, Photoshop CS, and my beloved laptop and Wacom Intuos 2.

What is your typical process for going about a design?
I’m not sure I have an exact process, since things tend to change based on my schedule or sleeping habits, but here’s how it generally goes. First, I’ll zone out for a while as I run images through my head. I generally go with the one that solidifies first. This may not always be the best idea (in fact, it’s usually quite uninspired), but it’s always the one that wants to get drawn the most. Then, I’ll sketch it out and scan it in (sometimes I skip this step) before heading into Photoshop and outlining. After outlining, I’ll struggle with preliminary colors for the remainder of the evening. Extra time is spent cleaning lines and/or last minute touches.

What design or art experience do you have outside the derby?
I’ve taken a high school level ceramics and photography class.

Would you like to do art/design full-time? If so, what is your dream job?
Technically, I already do/will. They will be running me through RISD in the fall, after which my life will be forfeit without art. Yes, I’ll probably end up starving on the street. My dream job would probably be working as a concept artist for Square Enix. Feel free to laugh! Only in my dreams, I know.

Any plans to sell your designs outside woot?
Some strange, half-formed ones. We’ll see. People keep asking, but I’m not used to the whole people-wanting-to-buy-my-junk thing.

What advice do you have for new derby artists?
I still mentally group myself in that category but, hmm... Pay attention, I suppose. Keep your eyes open even throughout the week as you’re going about your everyday life. It might expedite the idea crunching. When you’re in stores, browse through the T-shirt sections (of all age-groups and genders). Consider what works, what doesn’t, and why. Think about why you like something. If there are certain components of a shirt you find yourself attracted to (placement, color, style), you might be able to apply them to your own future designs, with similar effect. Also, there’s no replacement for a good, prolonged block of thinking (which I tend to forget) and a clever design. And of course, the most important part, which people repeat time and time again, enjoy yourself. While I may not always draw what I like to (thankfully, otherwise you’d get freaky monsters from me week after week), I always have a lot of fun throughout the entire process, and end up putting a lot of myself into my designs. It’s a very satisfying feeling, and has made Thursdays my favorite (and most stressful) day of the week. So yes, have a great time.

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