Interview with Jakub Jagoda

February 1, 2023

Summary: Jakub Jagoda is one of the featured fantasy artists of our Collection #1. We interviewed him to better understand his artistic inspirations & thoughts on the current state of technology in art.

Article available on Medium

Introduction

On November 24th, we released the first art collection of the Faerian gallery on the theme of “Light”. 6 artists participated conjointly with 22 unique artworks, all opening a different window to the realms of fantasy worlds.

We recently spoke to Jakub Jagoda, an illustrator from Poland. He’s relatively new to the art world, but hasn’t let that hold him back – he’s created over 100 pieces of art in 3 years!

He has quite a wide range of themes that he’s explored, including monsters, humans, and nature. From scary demons, to tranquil landscapes, and everything in between – Jakub has done it. In his art you experience true fantasy, from ancient trees who come alive, to witch doctors and prophets, to vampires and draugrs. His art examines the dark side of mythology, and the complexity of light and dark, which made him a perfect fit for our first collection!

We first checked in to see how Jakub is doing, and what kind of fantasy race he would like to be!

Faerian: How are you doing?

Jakub: I’m barely surviving, but I’ll do my best to respond to your questions!

Faerian: If you could be one fantasy race (elf, human, dwarf, etc.), which one would you pick? Why?

Jakub: I’d probably stay human, being human seems like a great middle ground between all the other races.

Faerian: If you could live in or visit the fantasy universe of your choice, which one would you pick? Why?

Jakub: I really love the world Andrzej Sapkowski created in “The Witcher” books. Being a Witcher in this universe could be a challenging and exciting experience.

Faerian: I love the Witcher! I played the video games when I was younger, and recently started watching the Netflix series. Such a fascinating world!

Each artist has themes they enjoy exploring. Some are influenced by the reality around them, some are influenced by their vivid imaginations. Jakub definitely enjoys exploring the world of the macabre, and tastefully blends the real world with fantasy.

We also asked him the most important question – why did you become an artist? The beauty of artists is that they all come from different walks of life, and this diversity is what makes it so beautiful.

Artistic Inspiration

Faerian: What themes do you most enjoy exploring in your work and why?

Jakub: I’ve always been drawn to human or humanoid forms and that’s what I mainly explore in my works. I’m also quite an edgy person so everything dark and macabre draws my attention and I channel it through my work. I also enjoy creating stories in my illustrations, be they obvious or open to interpretation.

Faerian: What made you want to be an artist?

Jakub: As a child I can remember rumbling through my dinosaur books and superhero comics, I’ve been fascinated by the illustrations there and had the urge to put this inspiration on paper. Also, my grandma and parents motivated me artistically a lot in my early childhood and it stuck with me through my adulthood.

Faerian: Why do you focus on fantasy universes? What do you love most about the world of fantasy?

Jakub: I’ve always been fascinated by things out of this world. Besides, somehow I’ve always preferred fantasy to science fiction.

Faerian: I really connect with this, I’ve always preferred fantasy over sci-fi. I’ve always enjoyed exploring the past versus the future.

Next, we discussed his artistic inspirations. Artists from all over the globe pave the way for the next generation, and inspire artists and art lovers with their creative visions.

Faerian: Who are your artistic inspirations?

Jakub: My biggest inspiration is Zdzisław Beksiński, replicas of his art hang around my bedroom as I write this so i’m constantly surrounded by the beautiful and surreal worlds he created. I also love the art of James Gurney, Grzegorz Rutkowski, Clint Cearley and Piotr Jabłoński.

“The Excursion” by James Gurney (1995)

“Untitled” by Zdzisław Beksiński (1978)

“The Necromancer 2” by Piotr Jabłoński (2020)

“Cemetary path” by Clint Cearley (2015)

Greg Rutkowski - Dragon’s Breath 2 (2022)

“Dragon’s Breath 2” by Greg Rutkowski (2022)

Artistic Technique

We then wanted to understand Jakob’s process for creating. Each artist has a “method to the madness”, and artists each have a unique way of doing things.

We also wanted to know why Jakob decided to share his skills with the Faerian Art Gallery, as we are so humbled by his faith in our team.

Faerian: What tools/techniques could you not live without, to do your art?

Jakub: My eyes. Living without my eyes would suck and it’s the only thing that would stop me from doing art, period.

Collaboration with Faerian

Faerian: What made you choose to work with the Faerian gallery?

Jakub: I’ve been kind of disappointed with the direction that NFTs were going so I appreciate that Faerian tries to put art back into NFTs.

Faerian: What made you trust to sign with us?

Jakub: Great communication!

Opinion on NFTs & AI art

We then moved on to a tricky topic, AI generated Art. With strong opinions on both sides, this is certain to be an interesting topic.

Some say it’s good, a great way to see what AI can do, others say it kills the humanity and essence of art.

We also chatted broadly about the state of the NFT world – and his take on where things are, and where they’re going.

Faerian: What are your thoughts about AI art? Good thing, bad thing? Why?

Jakub: I think it’s the next big step for art similar to what digital art did to traditional media. I generally view it as a good thing with some caveats like copyright issues and stealing identity from other artists. New jobs will come some old jobs will go, that’s just the way it goes. Whether we like it or not we’ve got to accept that AI is the next big thing and soon we’ll see it dominate other industries.

Faerian: What are your thoughts on the current state of the NFT world?

Jakub: I think the whole crypto market and all things related to it are kind of screwed over and forgotten because of the incoming recession. At first, I thought NFTs would be a new way to make money for skilled artists but it turned into a show of bland copies of crypto punks, scams, and theft. Although I think NFTs could turn into something worthwhile in the future.

Faerian: I agree. I think being able to use something as ubiquitous as the internet to allow for greater distribution and sharing of great art, is one of the things the internet was originally intended for.

Next steps

Faerian: To finish, what are your next exciting projects/adventures?

Jakub: I’m currently working on improving my art through studies and learning. I’m also trying to get a name for myself in the art world. There are a couple of projects I’m working on, but now it’s not the time to reveal them yet.

Faerian: We love a bit of mystery! Can’t wait to see more. Thanks for speaking with us Jakub!

You may see Jakub’s portfolio here.