My name is Antonis Karidis and I was born in Corfu Greece. Corfu is an island of the Ionian Sea and I am 28 years old.

My father from his early years learn to fly small planes but he never owned one... but I grew up having around me model planes of all kinds rc and plastic ones... so yes planes is what I love most and is the major subject of my digital work!
I studied computer networks and communications but I never worked as a technician but I tried to learn the two things I like most, planes and technology! Let's not talk about my other hobbies because I have a two pages list for what I like to do in my free time, from paragliding, hunting spearfishing to a international level of rc planes flying... I got an big collection of everything :P

For many years I used to make in an almost professional level plastic model kits with many awards and topics to global known plastic model magazines something that gave me a bit of experience after with Photoshop in order to make realistic textures for my models. The procedure is almost the same the tools you are working are different and that's the hard part I believe.
I start flying full size planes when I was 18 and now I am working as a pilot instructor to a private club and I can say I am having a good time although is difficult like any other job!

Yes I am a self-taught artist and so far what ever I learned was by asking other artists around or watching videos on youtube!

My interest to digital world came because of the Aviation PC games that was always my interest, I never was an ordinary user ...I always like to make new things and improvements for these games and here is how I start making my first steps to digital art.
I start making textures for the Flight simulator 2000 and after that for the IL-2 Sturmovik that I became very known...and this is how I start learning the Photoshop.

Making textures for low poly models and make them look realistic was the biggest challenge... I learn so many things by doing that.Photoshop and digital art combines what I like about making plastic model kits...research,reading,dedication knowledge expansion and many new friends is what I mostly love when I am doing this.

My inspiration for what ever I do mostly comes from the books I am read and other artists around the web. Like most of the artists so I got others that inspiring me.There are many forums and sites that I follow such as the CGSociety, foundation3d, military-meshes and many other, but the one I am using mostly is deviantart because offers me an easy and free way to make my portfolio and is one of the most known sites around with many known artists there that can inspire you and teach you many new things. The artists I like are many but the ones I admire are Wiek Luijken that is probably one of the most known digital aviation artists, Russell Smith and stefan morrell Aka stonemason.

One way of my inspiration is the music...I love music when I am doing something on my pc...the kind I like most is the Epic/soundtrack music and I got tons of gigs saved to my hardisk! I can't work without it!

My creative process is not simple and I don't think that are artists around that can say it is for them. If you are free from commissions and you work for your self you can work in a multiple projects and this is what I am doing most of the times,mostly I like to improve my knowledge and force my self to move forward and try new things.

I don't have a certain way of doing things so yes some times I will do a quick sketch but most of the times the idea is in my head and I am trying to transfer it to my computer software to look as good as I imagine it... other times the idea is in my head for ever and pops up when I got the inspiration and the proper materials in order to make it to happen!

I am extremely organised person to everything I am doing doesn't matter if it is my job or my computer, there are no exceptions. I believe when everything is organised and well placed you can work faster and with more dedication!

Like I said I always loved the planes so at my early years at school all my books inside and not only were full of hand painted planes and sci-fi ships. I always loved to design prototype planes and weird designs! I decide to move to digital world because my perspective and my talent wasn't that good in order to make realistic paintings ...for me is the old way with the good meaning... I like technology so I didn't like completely the idea of doing something only to a paper

The software I am learning/using at the moment are Cinema4d, DAZ3d, Poser, Vue, After Effects, and Photoshop!

I can't say that I am proud for a specific work I have done because I like most of them but if I had to choose I believe the "Dangerous Waters" is one of the hardest I have done. It's an underwater scene with a USS WW2 Gato Class Submarine passing between anti submarine mines. It was the first completely underwater 3D scene I did and I spend a lot of time in order to learn how to make something like this!

Motivation is the love for what you are doing and challenges are endless so some times is good to take your time away from what you are trying to achieve and then jump again with more ideas. It works for me anyway!

Commissions? Yes I do accept commissions but I am not the kind of artist that work by a demand and looking to make money by doing art... at the end of the day is not my job but its always welcome if I can make some extra money. Again the subject and the deadline is what makes me to accept or refuse a new work.

In my sort "career" I was lucky enough to see my work to been published to magazines and online sites such as pc-magazine, modelworld, Plastic Models World, pinterest, kiev art-home, furia magazine and many others.
The most successful works I have done so far is for the very known WW1 PC game Rise of Flight from 777 Studios and I did the Box-art and other aviation art scenes plus few trailer clips for the Youtube,

The box art of the Mig-15 for the very known Chinese company Trumpeter that makes plastic model kits, the scene of the "Dam Busters - Operation Chastise" for the Duxford Imperial War Museum.

My latest job that is not published yet, its a book with the tittle "Greek Behind the Cockpits" it will be a volume of many books. So far I think the writers have finished two volumes and I have done the combat scenes for the first one and hope soon to get my hands the new ideas for the next one!I was lucky enough to see my work signed by many WW2 ace legend pilots such as the very known Steve Pisanos and many others.

Yes when you work for a client differs a lot and to be 100% honest I don't like it because when you work under pressure is not that creative, although the majority of what I have done so far was a pleasant experience!

Criticism is always welcome and I feel very pleased when it comes from people that I really admire. Of course I got my own personality, opinion and the way I imagine and look things... so some times I will consider the criticism as another way to make or improve my work but I will not try to correct something if I don't feel the need to do!

Yes of course I help up-and-coming artists and are many around that I helped and wait for my criticism every single time. When you are self-taught you know how hard it is so its a motivation to help a new artist that tries to improve him self. Most of the times I am the one who gets help from others but I like to share what I learned!

You can`t say what is art and what isn't or how hard it is. Both kinds are very very hard and needs a lot of talented and time in order to have good results. I admire both types but I prefer digital because I believe you can make achieve better results!

Technically I can talk for hours but no I don't want say something else, only that I really thank you for offer me the opportunity to talk a bit about everything. Hope you and everybody to have a great new year!

I can be found at Deviant Art (link opens in a new window)

Some images of Anders' F-16 aircraft with Antonis' excellent textures: