Headphones, music, comics and art: the perfect mood to start creating a new illustration!
Those who know me well know that the number 102 is the one I always say when I don't know the exact number of something.
Hello! First of all, thank you for joining the D.A.R.E. community. The first thing that intrigues me is your name. I guess “Spank” is your nickname, right? What is your real name?
Hi, I’m Spank and yes, this is my nickname. My real name is Mattia.
Why Spankz102?
There is no specific reason for the name. I was fourteen when I started entering the world of graffiti/street art and I think in these fields the main factor is a nice name for a nice tag. Spank came to my mind a bit by chance. You know, after all those afternoons hanging around with friends, sometimes you talk bullshit that maybe stays in your mind. Instead, those who know me well know that the number 102 is the one I always say when I don't know the exact number of something.
Tell us a little about your journey. When did you start making graphics and illustrations?
Let’s say that I have always liked to draw since I was really young, in fact I believe that the strongest interests come from children. At 8 I started making my first commissioned drawings for my friends, I was always drawing Dragon Ball characters. While speaking precisely of graphics and illustrations, I would say that I started in 2014 when I was 15 years old and I used programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop for the first time.
Illustrations and drawings are for me a place more than a thing, where I can take a big and heavy “backpack” of everyday problems off my shoulders.
Are graphics and illustration just a passion or even your job?
At the moment all this is just a passion, but who knows? One day it may become a real job for me, I always hope so.
Illustration means to me...
…Whenever I’m in my room, or in a place that stimulates me, with my favorite songs playing in my earphones. Nothing around, just brain art and I feel so calm and happy. So maybe, illustrations and drawings are for me a place more than a thing, where I can take a big and heavy “backpack” of everyday problems off my shoulders, especially in this period.
My illustrations are just the product of stories, contents, relationships and feelings.
What’s the power of illustrations?
The power of illustration, or art in general, is to allow you to produce something that speaks to everyone even without words, because art has its own language. Every day we can see art around, but the way we see it is different. Sometimes, for me, my illustrations are just the product of stories, contents, relationships and feelings.
What inspires you?
There are many things that inspire me: my favorite songs, great artists like Alex Solis, Ettore Pandini and Nychos, who are definitely the ones I’ve been following for the longest time and obviously, I have all their comics. However, sometimes I just get inspired by an idea that gets bigger and bigger like an avalanche coming down the mountain, as I see photos, videos of skateboarders and graffiti.
Recently you realized an artwork for @fedez. What led you to do an illustration about him?
I admit, I have never been the biggest fan of Fedez’s music. Obviously, sometimes I listen to his music, but a few years ago thanks to X Factor I started to appreciate him more and more for his spontaneity, charisma and way of thinking - he is really a nice person. Then, watching his live on twitch in the last period, I got the inspiration for an artwork.
I saw that @fedez really appreciated your illustration. It must have been a great satisfaction for you, isn’t it?
Well it was a great satisfaction, I think one of the greatest satisfactions that came from this.
‘Dare’ means to me...
… Look at the people who have accomplished exceptional things in their life. Those people who were not afraid to take risks and do whatever it takes to be successful. So, ‘to dare’ means to question our habits and our daily routine. It is the risk behind experiencing something new. Maybe the biggest risk is never to dare.
Spank told us he is working on a new project called Toy. To see more details and understand what it's about, check out his Instagram page.
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