We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Hoffrichter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

David, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was very young when I knew my life as an artist began. I never wanted to do anything else, however my journey led me all over and it wasn’t until recently that I started making it my mission to make this path my career. Growing up with Tourette Syndrome the way I was able to express myself was through a visual means. When I would draw or paint my tics would go away for a time and my art was an ice breaker to meeting new people. Art gave me confidence that not only allowed me to succeed in life but gave me a fire to keep pushing the boundaries of how far I could take my art.

I started painting when I was 9 years old but realize I’d never stop learning and growing as an artist. I’ve learned to turn my Tourette’s into an advantage and I’ve helped young people with disabilities who might feel discouraged to really own what makes them unique. Once a disadvantage stops becoming a boundary you learn that you can go farther than you ever realized.

I started with watercolors as a child into my late 20s and about 10 years ago moved into oils, 5 of which I’ve been developing a professional portfolio for fantasy illustration for gaming and book covers. Currently I offer commissions where people will often ask me to create a cover for their ideas. It has been a wonderful journey to be able to help grow and promote peoples dreams. I’ve had people tell me they had their book sitting waiting for the right artist. I’ve been very fortunate that word of mouth has been a successful way for me to grow my small business.

It feels like with every new project I’m one step closer to fulfilling my goals, but I realize I’ve been making my dreams come true for years. It has taken a lot of help from friends and family but I get to do what I love most every day.

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As of right now people contact me for specialized commission work that typically deals with fantastical elements. I primarily work traditionally in oils, but do work digitally when it is requested. I sell my originals and prints online and at conventions. I’ve had people buy my work locally all the way to Australia. I use sites like Etsy/zazzle/red bubble to sell my work on different products.

I’ve been growing my social media for a few years, my biggest following being on Facebook. Followed by instagram. But having direct connections with people through email, dms, and conventions means the most to me. I often will work for people on their concept until they feel very comfortable with the design and know roughly what the end result will look like. When I accept a commission I am less worried about an hourly rate and more concerned in giving my clients the best results they asked for.

My personal style is I like to incorporate a little mystery into my work. I want the viewer ask what the figure in the piece is thinking of or what they’re really up to. A little mystery goes a long way!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think most people who aren’t familiar with art don’t realize the time it takes to make a painting. The world runs on art whether someone agrees or not. The symbols that direct traffic on signs were created by an artist, fonts used for receipts were created by designers, so on and so forth.

Society needs to stop thinking how we can do something as cheaply as possible and ask “how can we make the best concept possible”. I realize some people have a budget and have to stick with it but realize that the smaller the budget the less experience you’ll get for your complicated piece. It might end up costing you more in the long run.

With that said, don’t be afraid to hire someone new. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for someone giving me a chance. Granted at the time my rates were much lower.

If you can’t afford original art or a commission for your project, ask an artist about their prints or licensing rights to their art. Buying a 40 dollar print or paying a flat fee for pre-existing work goes a long way for creative people. It also helps us take us to our next painting. Money isn’t everything but it certainly helps feeling appreciated when you give an artist what they ask for.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

When I was first learning traditional mediums I had many people tell me that learning digital would not be useful. In recent years I started incorporating digital painting into my concept stages. It allows me to quickly idealize a sketch without worrying about wasting materials. Digital for me also goes much more quickly than doing it traditionally because I can add values that help show shapes better. When I get a rough digital concept down I’ll do it all over again I’m a more refined traditional way. But if I knew this process 20 years ago I think my life would have been a bit easier for some pieces I struggled with in years past.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.davidhoffrichter.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/davidhoffrichter
• Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/dhoffrichter
• Other: Www.Etsy.com/shop/hoffycoffee

Image Credits
David Hoffrichter