GABRIEL LEVESQUE FEATURE
Gabriel Levesque (@oskadesign) has a mind built for design. Constantly pushing the boundaries between reality and fantasy, you'll find his work to be fresh and intuitive. It's with a great deal of diversity that he creates, implementing every sort of shape, subject and element - creating with both his computer and his iPhone. His intriguing work has had him on our radar for some time now and it was with great excitement that we finally had the opportunity to chat with him about his talents and his creations. Have a read!
I'm Gabriel Levesque and I'm a graphic designer from Montréal, Canada. I make digital art, sometimes for awesome music producers, and other times just for me. My art is an attempt to convert the feeling of being tiny compared to the infinite immensity that surrounds us into images. In short, I like space. I also can't work without music in my ears. Trust me. It's impossible. My dream is to be able to keep making art forever. Until the end of the Universe or maybe even after. I'll find a way to go to another one and keep making my weird art there!
What got you into graphic design to begin with?
I was actually looking for a graphic designer to create an artwork cover for an album I was working on (but never finished because graphic design took over) and I ended up looking on Instagram. After seeing some amazing stuff from @matthewcustar, @nghbrs and @maysgrafx, I felt inspired to create my own art using apps those guys were using. Eventually I started using photoshop and Cinema 4D on PC.
How exactly did that lead to your Instagram work?
At first I only wanted a place to share my work with others, but the more I was posting stuff, the more I was realizing that there is such an awesome community of amazing and talented people on Instagram. It's also crazy inspiring to see all the cool stuff there is on there!
As a graphic designer, what does your editing process generally look like from start to finish?
It really differs with each piece. Usually I have an idea in my head already and I just work from there. Other times I play around until I get something that looks okay. Or sometimes the client tells me what they want! When I use apps though (only for personal projects in my free time) I like to first look at the options they are offering me individually and then try to combine them to get more out of them. I'm not always successful but sometimes I get some very interesting results from that! It's just really fun to see what I can get out of apps alone. Also, something that is always part of my process is that I always listen to music while working. It helps alot to get inspiration and to focus on my art.
What sort of music do you tend to listen to while you're creating?
As for music, I listen to alot of genres. It really just depends on the mood I am in or the style of the artwork I want to create. Lately I have found myself listening to a lot of Koven and Machinae Supremacy, which are two completely different genres!
When you use Mextures for an edit how do you typically do so?
Usually it will be to make some cool gritty backdrops for my edits or to add some grain and sick coloration. But sometimes I like to combine Mextures with apps like Marblecam to create some nice textured spheres (planet-like) or Decim8 to create shooting starts using the beamrider effects on some grains on a black backdrop from mextures. The possibilities are endless really!
Do you ever save formulas?
I've never really saved formulas because I like to create them on the spot, but I thought I'd create four just for you guys!
All of these are meant to be put on a black empty background.
Rusty - CATTMYX - This one is either a rusty background for edits, or you can put it through Marblecam to get a rusty sphere.
Night Sky - JRWWXFE - Well the name pretty much says it. You can also use the decim8 app and get some serious shooting stars.
Planet Ø - PAQWBME - That one creates a cool blueish planet when put through Marblecam.
Atmosphere - UHPGHFT - This is a background that could set the mood for some atmospheric/space edits and probably my favourite of the 4.
If you had to choose, what has been your favorite piece to create so far and why?
Oh that's a hard one! I would say my favorite piece (in this case pieces) I have done on computer were all from the cosmic geometry series I did. I really feel like this is the kind of thing I want to do and the process went really well. I had a lot of fun making these (specially 4/5 on Instagram). My personal favorite done on my phone is "wormhole". This one was just a happy accident. I was experimenting with Glitché and Circular+ and the result took me by surprise.
Do you feel like Mextures offers anything unique to your editing process?
Mextures is by far the best app out there that allows me to create sweet backdrops for my edits. I can't think of another one that would offer me the same thing. And the filters are pretty unique to Mextures as well from what I have seen. That way you can get some nice coloration you would not get from another similar app.
Is there anything in particular you hope to accomplish through your Instagram work?
If I can inspire at least one person through my art I consider that mission accomplished! Also, a lot of my artworks are inspired by the feeling of being tiny compared to the immensity of the Universe that surrounds us. Hopefully some people can feel that when looking at my art.
Who are the people who have most inspired your work?
I would have to say Justin Mays (@maysgrafx), Matthew Custar (@matthewcustar), Aaron Cahill (@nghbrs), Kilian Eng (http://dwdesign.tumblr.com) and Samuel Burgess-Johnson (@samuelburgessjohnson) just to name a few.
Don’t forget to check out more of Gabriel’s work here!