Meet Martin Davidian

Today we’d like to introduce you to Martin Davidian.

Martin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m Martin and I’m a Digital Artist/Illustrator at Rad Panda Studios in Chatsworth, California. I began my interest in drawing at a young age. Take it, at the start, I was a very loose and feeble doodler when it came to drawing. Every artist starts with a doodle and sticks figures, and I remember my doodle artwork being an eyesore, but it was my favorite pastime. I was a slow learner in my youth when I came to academics, but drawing always gave me a gateway for my entertainment and expression.

I took drawing seriously when I was 19, but I mainly used pencil, ink, and paper. Due to that being my only knowledge in the art field at the time. I had a fear of using color in my artwork in the beginning, only because I thought I would ruin the image or design, and that is mainly because of my perfectionist mentality. I took very little classes or lessons in my youth, I disliked working with art teachers when I was younger. Only because I felt like my art skills did not reach their expectations or I wasn’t good enough. Thankfully, my mother in her youth used to be an amazing artist, who taught me some fundamentals in sketching and kept me inspired to keep pushing my limit. From there I have been teaching myself in drawing ever since.

I was always skeptical about my work, only because I felt like I was limiting myself from trying other mediums to expand my skills. But my pencil, ink sketches and doodles eventually gave me a wonderful start in the working field. The first job I ever landed was an internship at JPL NASA in the Climate Change Operations program when I was in community college at the age of 20. And the story to how I got that position was thanks to my science teacher, Lauren Tenenbaum in Oceanography 101. Turns out she worked at JPL as a second job and needed an illustrator for her Climate Program weekly blogs. I would draw on the class writing board and sketch funny factual cartoons as extra credit. Thanks to that work, she was able to land me that position at NASA! From there, I had my first opportunity to illustrate for a children’s science fiction story by author Alexes Razevich called “Khe”, after my internship was finished. After a while, more freelance work seemed to open up. I worked as a storyboard artist for short films, comic book concept artist, and tattoo sketch artist.

That is until I was introduced to digital drawing platforms. If the color was my first fear, the second fear would be drawing or painting in a digital format. By the age of 24, I finally took a chance with buying and training myself to draw on digital Wacom tablets and Photoshop. At first, I hated it due to my lack of understanding of the tech, but in time and thanks to helping other local artists in my community and my close friends, I was able to grasp the program and compose designs I have always wanted to compose.

Now, I mainly work as a Digital Artist and I couldn’t be happier. This has given me more opportunities in expanding my skill and intrigue in studying conceptual designing for film and other entertainment platforms. I’m still learning and expanding my knowledge as much as I can. I mainly collaborate with the creative team at Rad Panda Studios and work freelance for other projects as well as personal projects.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Naturally, in every start, challenges are always presented. My challenge at first was being invested in shifting from ink and pencil mediums to the digital medium. Also the challenge of standing out from the art community. At first, it always felt intimidating to see other digital artists designs and immediately you would compare it with your work, and feel inadequate or incomplete. However, most professionals and other artists are well versed and always look forward to guiding other artists with helpful tips to elevate and brighten their work. Being self-taught can feel daunting due to lack of knowledge, but thankfully in this day of age, art communities and online tutorials are always available for public use, and that access has given me and I believe many other artists out there, the venue and guidance needed. However, If you are not willing to take the risk and challenge then it doesn’t matter. My first teacher in digital media was a conceptual artist named Josh Fee who taught me the basics. Most of my start in digital designing is thanks to his help.

After years of practice and study, I feel more ambitious in taking chances on more projects. However, I still consider myself a student, not a master, and have much to learn. I am always looking forward to it. The key is trial and error, and repeat.

Please tell us about your work.
I mainly work at Rad Panda Studios and Colossal Productions as an art consultant and designer. The studio is a full media house consisting of music and film projects. I help in designing concept art, graphic designs, illustrations, etc. I’m very proud to be part of this company, mainly because it feeds into my love of creating, but also working along side close friends. I also have an independent company as a freelance artist.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My parents deserve all the credit for supporting me and my work. Their support always gives me confidence and energy to keep challenging myself to better my skills in the art field. Without their support, I don’t think I would have pursued this career. My closest friend, Aramais Air, whom I’ve known since elementary school. Aramais Air is the founder of Colossal Productions and co-founder of Rad Panda Studios. We have always wanted to film and tell stories through film and art since we were kids. Our close friendship and support for one another’s craft have always been our forefront. I’m grateful for his help, because going to work with your best friend makes the day go by much smoother but also fun.

Contact Info:

• Address: 21354 Nordhoff St Suite 102, Chatsworth, CA 91311
• Website: https://www.radpandastudios.com/
• Phone: (818)216-7010
• Email: martin.artrealm@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martin_artrealm/

Image Credit:
Profile image taken by Mary Gabrielyan.

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