PhotoshopGuy and the collages of a dreamer

Avik, alias PhotoshopGuy, grew up in India in a simple family. As a child, around the age of five or six, he stepped into a drawing and painting class, without knowing what it would become. It took him sixteen years to master Photoshop as a self-taught artist, through tutorials and sources of inspiration.  

It was in 2019 that something shifted in his mind, a desire to do "something different." Digital collage then imposed itself as an obvious choice, a surreal and mysterious language. The 2020-2021 lockdown, and the years that followed, marked a new stage where his creativity reached a turning point.     

His work is fed by his influences: The X-Files, which he has watched forever, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even Alien. As a counterpoint to this cosmic imagery, there is a more earthly tenderness for animals, nature, and sunflowers, as if his work were constantly navigating between heaven and earth.

Digital collage is not his only form of expression. On paper, using graphite pencil, fine felt-tip pens, or Japanese brushes, he also dedicates himself to traditional drawing. In it, he captures the female body, as well as animals and landscapes.  

"I like to capture a woman's body according to my own vision. I think their body is an artwork in itself; their beauty tells a story."

"For drawing, I like using woodless pencils; they're more practical, I don't need to sharpen them constantly, and they last a long time. I use smooth Canson Bristol paper and Fabriano paper for quality rendering and inking, a smooth texture. I always use the Zig Kuretake brush pen and the Pentel brush pen for quick sketching; they provide the fluidity and flexibility I need to draw anything quickly. I love drawing pens and fude brush pens. Collecting different pens is one of my little hobbies."

When asked what he feels when creating, he simply replies that he feels free, creative, and at peace. To make ends meet, Avik works as a laborer for a friend who runs several small businesses, about four days a week. Art doesn't feed him materially yet, but it remains his true driving force. It feeds him in other ways—spiritually, emotionally—even when daily life requires thinking about other things.

Every day, it is this same passion that drives him to continue, to experiment with new things, and to share his visions with the world. That is where the beauty of his story lies: a creator who assembles his imaginary worlds with infinite creativity, guided by a flame that nothing can extinguish.   

© Photoshop Guy

© Photoshop Guy