The Eclectic Design (& Designer) Behind Velvet Spectrum

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Photoshop art”? From design to photography to illustration, I imagine the answers to that question vary drastically across the board. The endless creativity that comes out of our Photoshop community is unbelievably inspiring, and it’s especially exciting to see an artist use Photoshop to explore multiple facets of art.

Luke Choice of Velvet Spectrum is one of those artists. He recently partnered with Photoshop on Instagram to show off his wide-ranging skillset, and we caught up with him here to learn more about him as a designer.

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Can you tell us how you were first inspired to become a designer?

I had a healthy obsession with comic books growing up, courtesy of my eldest cousin. I would constantly illustrate scenes from them, but never considered it possible to make a career from it.

After finishing high school, I was intent on not entering higher education unless I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I spent a couple years working odd jobs in construction, until someone introduced me to Photoshop and I began to create friends’ 21st birthday invites. This was the ultimate catalyst that set me on my career path.

Between 3D, illustration and typography, your work is pretty multidisciplinary. What are the benefits of working with so many different facets of design?

Starting out, I would say yes to every project that came my way, which exposed me to all facets of design. I believe if you have a grasp of basic design principles, such as composition and balance, then why not try everything? With all these tools at my disposal, it seems silly not to experiment. I become very restless if I don’t evolve in my process and aesthetic.

I love to fuse the different processes of my work together, such as creating textures in 3D that I incorporate into my collage work, or using them as a base to manipulate for my typographic work. I enjoy revisiting old projects and evolving them using my growing skill sets and techniques.

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Your designs are often bright and colorful. Where do you find the inspiration for these?

My father was a great illustrator and painter, who had a passion for Australian flora and fauna, which I was always fascinated by. He was the kind of guy to stand and watch a sunset, a connection I cherish with him. Being aware of the beauty in nature is my biggest inspiration and I make sure that I take time away from the city to appreciate it as often as I can.

Describe your overall style in one word.

Eclectic.

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As a part of your partnership with Photoshop, you asked your followers to comment what inspires them. Which comments did you choose for your final piece and why?

A lot of the comments were reflective of my personal inspiration, such as music, travel and nature. This took me back to my early days, creating gig posters in Sydney for a number of artists and clubs. It would often be quite sexualised collage work with loud, vibrant colors, so I wanted to approach it in the same way. Since the partnership with Photoshop, my love for that style has been rekindled and I’ve begun experimenting with it again, making sure to include new techniques that I’ve developed in my current work.

Follow @velvetspectrum on Instagram for more of Luke’s work and head over to Photoshop’s Instagram to see the final piece he created for us!