Interview in Koinup Blog

Pier (AKA Koinup Burt inworld), one of the creators of Koinup, interviewed me some days ago for the Koinup Blog. I think is an interesting conversation, so wanted to share it with you all:

Raul Crimson is one of the best known Second Life photographers.
He is a acclaimed Metaverse Artist and he is sharing his creativity on Koinup since some time. Some Raul Crimson photos are camping in the coolest sections of Koinup. He’s also managing a cool blog, that I suggest to have a look

Koinup interviewed Raul about his art, tips and projects. Continue to read it….

Here’s the Interview

Q: When you’re creating new art and photos, where do you draw ideas and inspiration from?

A: Normally all come from my imagination, or the things I’m interested in, or fascinated by… Some other artists inspire me too, some modern photographers like David Lachapelle or Pierre et Gilles are really an inspiration to me lately. Also some “classic” artist, like Bronzino, Velazquez, or even El Bosco or the Old Dutch masters are really inspiring. Watching at their works always give me ideas or inspiration. Don’t use to “pre-draw” my works, I have them in mind and work on them, mainly because sometimes the concept grows or changes during the process, so i prefer to work “on-the-go”.

Q: What advice would you give to newcomers and beginners with Second Life art and photography?

A: First, watch and learn… learn new techniques, watch to see what others do helps a lot to learn…
Then, experiment, don’t be afraid to try new ideas, the important is to express yourself, to create the images that are in your brain.
For me the most important things in an image are light, composition and story. Techniques, filters, brushes.. are not an end themselves, are only tools.

Q: Which are your fav works on Koinup and why you love them (if you can, please give me the links)

A: Oh! I have a lot! But will talk about some of them:

Tattered Memory by Bkiddo
This one is wonderful, is not only wonderfully done, has story, is evocative, full of sensibility.

Tandem by Prad Prathivi
Lovely work on light and composition, also evocative, even melancholic.

Lash BlueGirl by lashxevious Another jewel, just wonderfully done, inspiring, imaginative…

Self Portrait by Pilgrim
Really good concept, and lovely work in exploration of the “dark side”.

I have a lot more… but well, don’t want to bore you.

Q: Which Koinup artists you should recommended for the next Koinup Interview?

A: Well, is hard to recommend when you see so much great creators, but I think to interview Ryker Beck would be a great idea, she is great in sharing her knowledge and techniques with people. Also Kimberly Mirabeau, who has a wonderful sense for beauty… and also Lano (Lano Ling), he is just someone full of sensivility and with a wonderful technique.

Q: If you should make a reportage from the Metaverse, what places you would love to photograph and share with your friends?

A: Oof! Hard one too! Well, I love some places around, I specially remember Las Arenas Doradas, Crimson Shadow or Creamshop as beautiful places, but I think I’d love to portrait also welcome Areas, Mainland, Infohubs… they are Second Life for many of us. It is always great to go there and see the imagination people have with their avatars.

Q: What are your upcoming projects in Second Life?

A: Projects… he he he… well, I’ll just tell a bit, I’m part of the team for a new magazine for SL, a really new concept with a great team, but can’t talk much about it for the moment… is a secret!
Also some projects of working a new line of furniture with someone, mainly for photography, and also have a plan for a new art and creation area, but this may take a bit…

Q: Are you already exploring other worlds for creative ventures? What have you found there?

A: Well, I’m exploring some other virtual worlds or MMORPG like World of Warcraft, vSide, or the OpenSim new grids, but for the moment I’m more exploring than creating them. I feel comfortable with the tools I have in SL, so for the moment I’m creating more here.

From here, thanks to Pier and all the Koinup team for your great work, and for this interview, of course!