Featured Artist: Mike Parisella (@slimesunday)

This month, we've got another very special Featured Artist. You've probably seen his stuff and have been in awe of his surreal style and beautiful use of color. That's right, the man Mike Parisella, otherwise known as @slimesunday. The guy puts in the work and is pumping out some ridiculously stylish artwork. I was lucky enough to get him to give us a little peek into his world and how he does what he does.

Be sure to follow Mike on Instagram (@slimesunday) and if you'd like to help support what he does, purchase some products from Mike's Society6 store.

Check out the interview below and feel free to leave any other questions you may have for Mike in the comments section. 

Can you give us a little background info on yourself? Where do you live? What do you do for a living?

My real name's Mike, I live about 20 minutes outside of Boston and currently I'm slaving my ass away on minimum wage hoping I will catch a break. I mean I have a college degree, but that shit's boring and who needs a degree when art is something you really want to do.

When and how did you start creating digital art?

This may sound a little crazy but truthfully, the birth of my art originated after hearing Skrillex's track First Of the Year (Equinox) a few years back. I think it was the first time I really thought "damn, computers are insane!". I was fascinated by Skrillex's implementation of computer software and just out of curiosity, I bought some software to try and figure out how he created those sounds. I never wanted to release any music or anything, I just wanted to know how those sounds were created. In the last 2 years, I've really transitioned into creating visuals.

Do you have any formal training as an artist? Or are you self-taught?

I'm self taught with a little help from online tutorials.

How many hours per day do you currently spend creating art?

A lot. When I'm working I skip lunch to make art and when I'm supposed to be sleeping my eyes are bleeding from too much synthetic computer screen light.

Would you consider yourself a professional (you get paid to create art), or a hobbyist?

I get paid to make art for people but I definitely wouldn't call myself a professional. I still have a lot to learn.

What are some of your favorite apps or software programs to use for creating art?

Apps : Mextures , Union , Frax

Software : Photoshop , Cinema4D

What are some of your favorite accounts to follow on Instagram? Artists or otherwise.

@beeple_crap because he has some awesome crap, @nghbrs, @casualtyofcool, @oskadesign, @matthewcustar, @maysgrafx , @nevandoyledesign , @mattmillsart of course , @vaguespace , @witchoria , @iso50 , and @skrillex. I don't follow a lot of people but I make sure I'm following people I really like. The ones I mentioned are definitely some of my favorites.

Do you have any advice for people just starting to create their own art? Resources, tips, etc?

If you're just starting out your shit is going to suck. Everyone's stuff sucks at the beginning. Eventually though, you will begin to grow exponentially as an artist. Most of my stuff still sucks. I have hundreds of images sitting in a folder because they are pretty stupid. In addition , I delete pictures off my IG feed all the time because they get old to me. If you want your stuff to really pop , you need to become obsessed. Make it the only thing you do, watch tutorials, and just try your best to get better. The Internet is crazy, you can figure out how to do anything you want. Just don't be like everyone else. That's something I struggle with everyday. I see a cool idea and I want to recreate it. Draw inspiration from others, but try your best to be original.

Where can people find out more about you or get in touch with you? Twitter, website, etc.?

My website will be up soon, as of now you can see all my work on Instagram @slimesunday . To get in contact with me, my email is slimesunday@yahoo.com

Well, that's it. I'd like to thank Mike for taking the time to answer these questions for us. Be sure you're following him on Instagram (@slimesunday) and he's got tons of art for sale on Society6 if your walls need some love.