Alexy Préfontaine also known as Aeforia is a 3D Artist and Creative from Montreal, Canada. With constant themes revolving around emotion, colour and balance his work and growth is the perfect example of unique creativity and distinction. We spoke to Alexy about his growth as an artist from his early start in mobile editing through to his jump into the 3D world, his influences and a whole lot more.
LS: How did you first get started in 3D Art & animation and was it something that always interested you?
AP: I’d say that my introduction to 3D art was quite random and unexpected. I remember seeing the work of Beeple, Slimesunday or even Hoodass a few years ago and the impact it had on me. These guys were doing amazing work with 3D software and I was in awe. I was so intrigued and interested in creating these digital worlds myself that I just started learning Cinema4D. I instantly got hooked and since then I never looked back!
"My initial introduction to digital art was through mobile apps that I bought to edit photos I had or found online. Having all these apps practically was like having Photoshop on my phone, but it was not the real deal you know? Therefore, at some point, I decided to download Photoshop"
"Inertia" - 2019
LS: If I’m correct you started off your editing journey in mobile editing, what did the journey look like from editing on your phone to the way in which you work now?
AP: Yes absolutely correct! My initial introduction to digital art was through mobile apps that I bought to edit photos I had or found online. Having all these apps practically was like having Photoshop on my phone, but it was not the real deal you know? Therefore, at some point, I decided to download Photoshop and move on from working on my phone. It wasn’t the best either to work on a small screen like that haha! I learned and used Photoshop as my primary tool for a long time before jumping into 3D. The transition wasn’t so seamless because the workflows are so different, but I always ended up bringing my renders in Photoshop to refine them. That way, I was able to learn something new while utilizing the knowledge I already had in my new pieces.
LS: Your work features a lot of purples, pinks as well as blues and oranges, what drew you to this style and did the colour pallets develop over time as you created more?
AP: This is super cheesy to say, but I am a HUGE fan of sunsets hahaha. I’d be delighted if I could live in an eternal golden/blue hour. All the colors in the sky constantly inspired me so much. I also remember that at some point, I was still struggling to find my style, so I thought to myself: “What if I consistently kept the same color palette in each of my upcoming pieces, but I can do whatever I want with the subject or the medium?” As you guessed it, that palette would be featuring a lot of pink, purple, blue and orange. This was at the end of 2016 or beginning of 2017 and slowly, I started to be recognized for these colors and I’m pretty sure this had a profound impact on the direction my style has taken during that time. Eventually, I didn’t want to limit myself with this palette, so I moved away from it and decided to experiment with other colors. It was all very natural!
LS: Has there been any specific thing or person/people who have inspired the way in which you create your content?
AP: Absolutely, I’d say that my close artist friends are the ones who had the most significant impact on the way I create. These people know who they are; I could literally name twenty of them haha. I gotta say though that FVCKRENDER had probably the most considerable impact on me, and I always considered him as a mentor, since he always helped me through the different stages of my artistic career with all the knowledge and experience he had. I’d also like to shout out my friend Malavida; she is the one who probably has to deal with my concerns the most hahaha. She has always been resourceful and helpful on both professional and personal questions I could send her way over the years!
"Some other times though, I don’t have any concrete idea of what I want to do so I essentially just let myself fool around in the different software I use, until I create something that triggers some sort of visceral reaction inside of me"
LS: From the point of which you create an idea In your mind, what does the creative process look like for you to bring it to life?
AP: When I’m inspired, I usually already have an idea of what I want to create in mind. When that happens, I simply use the software needed to bring that idea to life and I work on it tirelessly until it looks like what I imagined. Some other times though, I don’t have any concrete idea of what I want to do so I essentially just let myself fool around in the different software I use, until I create something that triggers some sort of visceral reaction inside of me: ‘’Oh wow, ok now THIS is interesting!” This usually brings back the inspiration I was looking for and guides me through the rest of the process.
LS: On a more technical note, what programmes or software's do you regularly find yourself using when creating your content?
AP: I mostly use these: Cinema4D, Octane Render, DAZ Studio, Marvelous Designer, Adobe CC Suite. Sometimes I use these, but less often: Oculus Medium, ZBrush, Houdini.
LS: When viewing your work you can almost feel as if you're in a different world for a moment, what types of messages do you like your artwork to portray to the general viewer?
AP: Glad you perceive that from my work! I’ve honestly never been interested in portraying reality as it is. I’ve always found myself enjoy creating surreal worlds or characters. Typically, I simply want the viewer to be transported in the universes I present to them in each piece. In the majority of my work, I also want to convey a specific emotion or ambiance. Hopefully, this can be perceived by the person who’s enjoying my work!
LS: The quality and breadth of your work is astonishing, if you had to pick does one single piece of your content stand out to you as your favourite and if so why?
Oh thank you so much!! It always means a lot to hear that honestly. That’s an excellent question...I’d say that my favorite recent work is this visual I’ve made for Delachute, an incredibly talented musician from Montreal. View.
Generally speaking, my favorite piece of all time is probably “Ivy” (Pictured on the right) I honestly don’t really know why, but I just feel like it’s a clear standout among all my work since the beginning, and I remember being so proud of the result when sharing it to the world back then!
LS: Finally, you’ve developed a beautifully unique and mesmerising style. What advice would you give to young aspiring creators looking to do the same and find a style of their own?
AP: Thank you once again, I appreciate it! The advice I always give to young aspiring creators is to be patient. Patience, combined with dedication and hard work will always yield good results in my opinion. I remember when I first started; I was feeling rushed to find a style, clients, opportunities, but I wasn’t finding any of those really. In retrospect, it was a sign that I was just not there yet; that I still had to refine and improve my work before getting bigger opportunities.
All things considered, I’m happy it took me a few years to develop myself, because I feel like otherwise, it would have been detrimental to my growth and thus, I have no regrets on how things went over the years. Another piece of advice I can give is that building a community is immensely important. Try connecting with other folks who are at a similar level or period of their life and grow together. Having some like-minded people around me during my journey was probably one of the greatest things that happened to me as an artist!
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You can check out Aeforia's work over on the links below:
This was a great article, especially the advice part.
Aeforia is a great surreal artist, I love his artwork.