Alexey Oglushevich is a vector artist from Magnitogorsk,
Russia. He initially studied to be a metal worker, but as the technological age
grew he became interested in computer graphics. Like many digital media
artists, he is self-taught. He views vector graphics as a hobby and he works to
develop his own unique style, not drawing influence from any other artist in
particular.
To complete his works he begins by sketching out his ideas
and also taking photos. He then starts creating vectors in Adobe Illustrator,
Xara and CorelDraw. He usually works between 60-90 hours for each piece.
Below are some of Oglushevich's pieces. He primarily creates
still life images as well as portraits of women. Unlike some vector artists who
use vectors to create fantastical works, he creates only realistic images. He
often plays with light and reflections in his images. I think it is his mastery
of the depiction of light and reflection that makes his images look realistic.
One of my favorite pieces of his is the second image below,
entitled Glass. My eye begins at the upside-down glass and then continues
around the image counterclockwise. After looking at each of the glasses my eyes
look at the reflection of the glasses on the glass table. Then the reflections
carry my eyes back up to the glasses. I like this piece because although it is
very simple, it is intriguing to look at because each glass has its own unique
shape. There is no bright color that distracts the viewer. Hence, the overall
grey tone allows the viewer to focus on the light in the image and how it
interacts with each glass. Ogolushevich uses ordinary images, like glasses, but
portrays them in an new way, displaying the beauty in the object. I think by
creating this image with vectors instead of only taking photographs allows Ogolushevich
to "create glossy" finish look to his art. Vector art also allows him
to emphasize certain features, like light, that he would not necessarily be
able to photograph in this way.
A major theme in his work is beauty, which is especially
apparent in his portraits of women. This can be seen in the image below,
Portrait with a Rose, which won the Grand Prize at the CorelDraw International
Design Contest in 2009. I think Ogolushevich aims to portray the beauty in the
world around him. Roses represent love and beauty and in this photo the rose
seems to also represent femininity and sexuality. The woman and the flower
complement each other and your eye switches back and forth from the woman's
face and the flower. Ogolushevich also uses light very well in this piece by
very realistically depicting the light hitting her face and the sheet.
Below are some additional images of Ogolushevich's work. He commonly portrays flowers as well as animals. The last piece, Water, is also interesting to be because for my vector project I plan to use an image that has the ocean in the background. I hope to be able to blend a variety of colors together to make a realistic ocean as he did in his piece.
