Exploring The World Of Art In South Africa With Leaded B !!!
We sit down with Bradley Grifiths, the founder of Leaded B. We chat about Leaded B and its future, the process of making the art, issues South African artist face , and so much more.
GSG PODCAST We sit down with Bradley Grifths, the founder and owner of Leaded B Artistry. A South African Artist making waves in the industry!
We chat about his artwork, the process of making the art , what’s next and so much more.
LEADED B BRADLY GRIFTHS
Brief Description of yourself?
My name is Bradley Grifths I am 30 years old and I’m a traditional and digital artist. I was born in Bloemfontein but I currently reside in Johannesburg. I have been a professional artist for about a year now.
What is your art all about, and The Difference between your art and many other artists work in your opinion?
I do comic book and anime illustrations; however, I am not limited to illustrations. I also do portraits.
One thing that I think makes my art very different from other artists is difficult to say, however if I had to say based on what I have seen and learnt so far would be that I put an incredible amount of time into fine details and backgrounds.
What inspired you to pursue art?
I started drawing in primary school when I was in grade 3, I started collecting tazos that you used to get from chip packets like Pokemon, Digimon and Dragon Ball Z. I then used to copy the images from the tazos.
At the same time my grade 3 art teacher really assisted me and helped me when she had realised that I had a talent for drawing. I must give credit where its due, if not for her assisting me and helping me realise the talent, who knows if I’d be drawing at this very point.
However, what truly inspired me the most to become a full-time artist would be my girlfriend, she has stuck with me through thick and thin and encouraged me to really purse my art full time. She not only encouraged me but too jumped on deck to help get Leaded B to where it is today. Assisting with social media and so many other tasks that I at first struggled to get done due to the massive influx of commissions coming in. She inspired me and is my rock.
How long does it take roughly to complete one artwork piece?
Around 40 hours on average, however it is truly dependant on details in the artwork, amount of colours needed and of course the size of the image. Naturally the bigger the picture, the longer the amount of time needed to spend on it.
Can you briefly tell us the process you go through to create this artwork?
I start with pencil to get the image and the rough idea, so I create the idea roughly and then that is done, I will start sketching out the harder lines and details. I then start inking the outlines and details. From there I start to create depth and textured with copic markers and Faber castell colour pencils.
For my digital work I just get the outlines done and then I can it in onto a digital canvas that I want to work on : Autodesk sketchbook. From there I start doing colours on different layers.
What can we expect in the future for leaded and your work?
Leaded B will be at Comic Con Cape Town from April 27th to April 30th, 2023. We too are aiming to be at attending Comic Con Johannesburg once more from September 22nd to September 25th 2023.
Something to look forward to is a collaboration that I will be doing with another artist called Shaylin Singh. We will be putting out a limited amount of artwork that we will be collaborating on. Also , we have loads of designs that will be on T-shirts as well as the option to request your own designs.
Lastly Leaded B will be starting a YouTube channel , that we will do live sessions on as well as create content for people to see how it is all done behind the scenes and to give back and educate people in the industry or for people just starting out wanting to learn.
The South African Gaming Market
Do you feel like your work could help pave the way or assist newer, or other South African artist who would like to get into the field?
Absolutely , I wouldn’t say it has happened yet however in the past two conventions I have been at , I have met young artists that follow me on different social media platforms . That honestly is an inspiration to them and to me.
Id say and id like to think that the more I grow in the industry the more I will inspire and that’s what its all about sharing your knowledge. Knowledge doesn’t help the world or the industry if it’s bottled up and kept to yourself. That’s why as I grow, I want to share my knowledge and experiences with others that they might to grow, and everyone can grow collaboratively.
Can you give us an example or a few examples you faced or still face during the process of developing your artwork?
Honestly speaking it would be finances, money translates to so many things. Good quality art supply for example and art supplies are quite expensive as well as getting the business up and running translates to money. Websites, advertising stock, these all cost.
People sometimes don’t fully understand the value of artwork; thus, they aren’t always willing to pay. However that’s no reason to give up , we always have and will make it work and succeed.
In your own words what challenges do artist in this industry face being in South Africa and what would you do or what do you think the solutions are to this?
I think that this answer might differ, in my experience trying to get in touch with comic book stores in the United states is challenging , and I don’t know if they don’t want to answer due to me being from South Africa . Its not easy to get a hold of them but again its no excuse , persist and preserve and one day that can all change.
There too are an immense amount of very talented artists in South Africa as well as the world for that matter, so it makes it a really competitive environment.
Do you feel that South Africa is on the raise in terms of the gaming industry as a whole?
I don’t know too much about competitive online gaming as such, however from what I have seen at conventions, I would say hell yeah! I love to game but not competitively. In the art department like comic books and artist, I can say there is immense growth in South Africa. There are way too many great and truly talented artists in this country.
Any advice for people looking to get into the field you’re in?
Yes, keep working , keep drawing, shove your artwork in peoples faces , get into conventions as soon as you can as they are generally a great boost for you as an artist. Also study and observe other artist that you can learn form, an artist is never done learning or growing.
Lastly, what is your favourite Games or the game you have spent the most time on?
Batman Arkham Knight, the whole Arkham series was and is truly amazing. Its also probably the series that I have played start to finish roughly 15 times and the series I have spent the most time on.