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Elora : Colour Therapy

Jan 13, 2021 Artist Profiles

3 years ago

Interview with Elora Pautrat (instagram.com/Owakita_)

1) Please tell us about yourself and the work that you make in one or two sentences.

My name is Elora, I’m a french Environment Artist working for the game industry as well as an illustrator and photographer. I like to create pastel-ethereal soothing worlds through these mediums.

2) Where do you draw inspiration from for your digital creations?

Other than the obvious depiction of Japan in my art, I am inspired by a lot of things, it’s actually hard to pin down just a few because everything around me is inspiring. Since I was a kid, I’ve been hugely inspired by Impressionism and the color palette used in those paintings, it’s so vibrant. Japanese woodblock printing is one of my main inspirations too, when you look at them, they really convey this feeling of just sitting down somewhere and admiring the nature surrounding you. The whole process of colour therapy really has a big impact on my work as well, it kind of dictates what I’m going to depict and the atmosphere of the whole design. I think growing up in the alps influenced the way I approach what I want to create, I’m not looking to depict actions or such, it’s more about contemplation.

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3) Why did you start making art inspired by colour therapy

I use to have a lot of anxiety issues when growing up. Drawing these landscapes and using these pastel colors really calms down my anxiety and helps me refocus on myself. It is more than lines and shapes. It’s about colors, emotion, serenity, and nostalgia. At some point I realised that when I was editing a certain way, I felt much more relaxed, so I kept doing it. Imagining the Far East with pastel colours and the serenity that imbues the region. I receive so many messages from people telling me that they feel the same as I do after looking at my pictures. It’s really rewarding.

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4) How did your art evolved

I have a fine art background, I really only discovered and tried 3D art & digital art while studying game art. It quickly became the easiest medium for me as it was what was more practical for me to create while I was travelling around the world. Obviously the type of software you use influences your art as well, you also evolve with them and their updates. I don’t think my art style is final yet, and probably never will be! Artists constantly evolve, they use new tools, travel to new places, meet new people, learn new techniques, everything around us has an impact upon our art, and the way we depict it. Overall I think I am the most proud of, is to still be able to create art that helps me heal and relax! Give me and those who enjoy my work a sense of warmth. And as long as my creations convey these, it all that matters

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5) Can you describe your creative process?

I always do a little sketch of what I have in mind first, really rough, it doesn’t need to be really detailed. Then I proceed to think about a colour palette, very often it dictates what I’m going to include in the artwork (for example I’d add neons/vending machines in a night scene). Over the years I gathered a lot of reference through traveling and taking pictures of absolutely everything. I have my own library of references that I use to create my designs and take bits there and there, it’s like a puzzle really, then I do a quick sketch on top of everything and then clean the line art. I actually did an interview/livestream with Adobe about this, it’s in French but even without listening to the comment you can see how I create an artwork, the references I use, etc.

Maneki Machine
Edition 1 of 1
A Maneki Neko vending machine in a corner of Ethereal Tokyo

6) What words and phrases would you use to describe your work.

Ethereal, soothing, nostalgia and warmth are the words I would use to describe my work

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7) How did you first find out about CryptoArt?

I first started hearing about it through artists I’m following on twitter, then some of my followers suggested I should give it a try!

8) What excites you about the movement?

Giving more credibility to digital art. As a Game developer I get endless comments about how 3D arts and Digital isn’t «real art» that you’re not a real artist etc and doesn’t belong in the art world and galleries or even worth to spend money on. I completely disagree and some of the best exhibits I saw lately were focused on these mediums. I think through this movement digital artists will finally get the recognition we don’t get on a daily basis, and I’m really looking forward to see how it’s going to evolve!