Q and A…

If you're looking to check out some random and possibly pointless questions and answers from yours truly, you've come to the right place!

1. What's your name?

Ben Krefta. I'm known over the web and on forums as Bomu - Japanese translation of the word “Bomb”. I often sign my artworks with the name Bomu written in Katakana (Japanese characters). I'll go into the origins of my internet name another time :)

2. Where are you from?

I currently live in a tiny village in the south east of England called St. Mary Hoo. It's so small, I usually just say I live in Rochester or Kent or failing that, United Kingdom!

3. What's your current occupation?

Freelance artist, web site and graphic designer. If anyone is offering some graphic design, web designs, illustration or comic book colouring work, you know who to call

4. What would be your dream job?

Basically something not too stressful, enjoyable and pays well. One idea might be to own my own high street shop and online mail order business. I just don't know what I'd sell! Or I'd like to run my own design and illustration business. I wouldn't wanna try either right now without more hands on experience, but something I'll consider for the future. More realistically, I'd be happy with a full time graphic, web or game designer role.

5. How would you describe the kind of art and design work you do?

The majority of it would be classed as "digitally rendered manga style character design aimed at older male teenagers". I try to just draw what I think is cool at the time. A lot of my art doesn't have any deep meaning or political messages and so on. I like designing cool looking characters with detailed accessories and outfits rendered to a high quality airbrush style finish.

I also like dabbling with other styles - more western comic book styles and graphic design and occassionally photography. I'm a fan of contemporary design or anything that looks new, clean, slick and proffesional as well as sci-fi and futuristic graphics. I try to incoporate these preferences into web sites and graphics I produce.

6. How would others describe your style?

There's a strong anime and game influence, but it's perhaps not so typical “anime”? My line work has Japanese influence, while my usual colouring style is a more mainstream western comics style. Manga and anime such as Katsuhiro Otomo's “Akira” for example uses a high level of accurate detail. This is something I'd like to demonstrate in my work rather than a more sketchy or painted-look approach.

7. Do you like your own artwork?

Sometimes I manage to impress myself, but If I look at something I've done a day later, I always manage to find flaws. I also find it difficult to be a fan of my own work, as there are so many other great artists out there that are better than me. I think I'd like my artwork more if: I didn't need reference to get it looking perfect, was quicker at producing quality work and if I could consistently produce my best work every time. I hope as I improve, I'll begin to worry less and less about these issues.

8. Why do you draw?

I really admire people that can create something out of nothing. Artwork can amaze, influence and inspire people and to be able to offer this is really worth while. It's also a great feeling to have achieved something. I just like producing work that looks good and is based on things that inspire me - this is how I express myself.

9. What inspires your art?

Movies, comics, games, anime and life in general! When it comes to characters, I'm generally more interested in the macho muscular He-man-type males and sexy, busty babes as opposed to more typical average leaner looking manga males such as Spike Spiegel, Tenchi or Kenshin and opposed to cute younger looking females like Sakura (Card Captor) or DiGi Charat girls. I think this is maybe due to growing up on a diet of "He-Man", Arnie movies, "Street Fighter" and the like. And the girls... well, what guy doesn't like sexy girls?

10. Do you have any fans?

I have some (thanks!). I think most people that can hold a pencil will know at least a few people who can't do better so will be admired for thier skill/ work. I'm by no means a celebrity, even in the anime or comic art field, and quite rightly so! But if I were pumping out stuff as good as some of my idols or other top end pros and not getting any recognition I might be disappointed.

11. Did your family encourage you with your art?

None of my family ever put me off. The fact my mum's very artistic helped and encouraged my brother and I with our art. My brother decided to give up drawing after he got to about 18 and I eventually overtook him.

12. What is this “Graphics tablet” of which you speak?

It's one of those cordless pens which you use instead of a mouse. Difficult to get used to at first, but once you do, it makes CGing and digital artwork faster and easier and helps prevent wrist strain you might get with a mouse. I hear Wacoms Intudos 3 are best buys, but a 9x12 might set you back a few hundred.

13. What's so good about Photoshop?

It's recognised industry standard graphics software. Being a professional piece of kit and you can get a lot out of it if you know how to use it. However, many people think if they own Photoshop they'll become art masters! Photoshop or any software package is just a tool. It takes time to learn it properly but even then, if you don't have basic art and design knowledge you'll never be able to produce decent work. I'd also never recommend it to beginners to the world of art, illustration and design. Basically you need to get good at drawing, understand shading, light and composition, then you could consider perhaps a cheaper alternative such as Paintshop Pro.

14. What equipment do you use to create your work?

This is where I get all technical…

Hardware: PC: Intel Duo Core E6600 processor, 2GB of 900Mhz DDR2 RAM, GeForce 7950GT Graphics, speedy 500GB Maxtor HDD. Running Windows Vista operating system. 19" Dual DVI LCD Monitor set up. Hp 5400c scanner (needs replacing!) and Hp 1220c A3 Deskjet printer. Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet- A4 (9x12").

Software: Adobe PhotoShop CS2, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Flash MX. Occasionally I use: Adobe Ilustrator, Adobe In-Design, Pro-Create Painter, Adobe Image Ready, Open Canvas (for online drawing sessions with buddies).

15. Do you think only Japanese artists can do good manga?

A big pre-misconception is that only Japanese can draw manga. That's like saying only Americans can play baseball despite the game being really big in Japan. Manga in Japan is taken very seriously, as reading comics is a popular past time for kids and adults alike. The artists are praised in the same way we think of movie stars, so there's always a demand for quality and a reason for artists to maintain a high standard of work when it comes to Japanese manga art. I have seen many western 'Japanese manga style' comic artists and writers who's standards are easily on par with Japanese comic pros. Coming from a different environment and culture means there are gonna be differences in style and content but if western artists mimic a typical Japanese manga style, it is no less manga than if a Japanese draws it.

16. What art styles do you like?

Generally I like anything clean cut, original, modern, detailed and professional looking.

17. Do you have any favourite artists?

I like Capcom Artists, especially Shinkiro (Capcom vs SNK) and Edayan (Rival Schools). Kishiro Yukito (Alita/ Gunnm) Hirohika Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), Joe Madureira (Battle Chasers), Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell).

And there are 100s of fantastic artists on the net alone, which I admire. A few of which can be visited through the links page.

18. So what exactly is the difference between “Manga” and “Anime”?

Generally, in the west, the word “manga” refers to Japanese style comics, while "anime" refers to Japanese animation. Anime and manga are not only an art format (comic, animation, whatever), but a style in their own right. I might describe myself as a manga or anime artist as these styles are very prominent in my work, even though I'm not an animator or comic book artist. As “Manga” is sometimes used by both Japanese and westerners to describe anime, if can become confusing!

19. What are your top 20 Anime & Mangas?

1. JoJo's Bizzare Adventure
2. Fist of the North Star
3. Angel cop
4. Ninja Scroll
5. The Guyver
6. Street Fighter
7. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
8. Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm)
9. Vampire Hunter D: Blood Lust
10. Cyber City
11. Dragon Ball Z
12. Hakkenden
13. Giant Robo
14. Dangaioh
15. Akira
16. Metropolis
17. Grave of the Fire Flies
18. My Neighbor Totoro
19. Princess Mononoke
20. Crying Freeman

A lot of my favs are old skool titles. Other than the fact I don't watch as much anime as I used to, I wonder if new anime in general no longer has the same impact it did when I started getting into it? But If you're reading this list and can recommend similar anime, which I may not have seen yet, let me know! There's so much crap out there that it's hard to actually find something I'll really enjoy!

20. Umm. I'm unfamiliar with a lot of those anime titles! What's JoJo's Bizzare Adventure?!

Try googling for it! It's basically a kinda of 'supernatural martial arts' manga / anime. Series 3 of the manga (which was made into an anime, although only a few episodes were released in America) is my favourite and contains some of the most ingenious battles I've ever seen. There's no typical DragonBall Z style 'Whoever has the biggest power level wins' style fights. Battles are won through stratergy- the heroes overcome their foes by using their individual strengths after discovering an enemy's weakness. It's really hard to explain without just checking it out, but it you're a fan of Shonen (For guys) manga, I'd totally reccomend it.

21. What was the first anime you saw?

Other than day time kids shows like Mysterious Cities of Gold and the Moomins etc, Akira was my first! I got seriously into anime around about the mid 90s which I felt was the best time as far as the UK anime scene was concerned - you had a load of new releases coming out each month and I was even member of the official Manga club!

22. Are your friends interested in anime?

Other than web buddies, I've never had friends interested in anime or manga to the same degree I am. The fact I've not had people I could meet up with and talk to about the coolness which is ‘anime' is a bummer! (Thanks for inventing the internet!) Although it's still sometimes hard to stay motivated to draw this sorta stuff when you have no one truly appreciating what you do within your circle of friends. Although if you step outside the circle you'll find it's a different story. It's good to know there are millions of fans out there and you're not alone.

22. Are you an Otaku?

Who'd want to be an otaku (obsessive fanatic generally over anime and manga)?

You can understand that being an obsessive isn't a good thing. It's usually referred to those who spend all there time and energy on one thing, who eat, sleep and breathe it. I don't think many people can be classed as Otaku because it's really about being a hardcore fanatic. it doesn't include a 'liker' of anime, only the real 'Train Spotters'. Such fanatics are shunned by most of society because of their unhealthy infatuations; even fellow fans usually disagree with them because they're seen as 'know it alls' and are generally sad.
So, do you still want to be an Otaku?

Despite this I've used the term for myself on odd occasions simply because its implications aren't the same in the West. It's not seen as an 'evil' obsessive, just a term for a intermediate/expert fan without the same connotations as in Japan .

But these days, I'm just your average fan. Within the small anime fan circles etc. I'm a novice in many respects (every fan will specialize in different areas), as far as the rest of the country goes, I'm quite knowledgeable!

23. Ever been to an anime convention?

Most anime fans I know through the web are regular con goers, but I can't say I make a lot of effort to seek them out, visit and mingle with fellow fans.

24. What about the Internationa Anime and Manga Festival?

Yeah, I guess you could call IMAF a con. It's based around a massive art contest held annualy in London. The fact it's geared towards artists as well as the usual anime and manga fans makes it pretty cool and worth checking out even if it's just to browse the gallery artworks.

25. If you were an anime, manga, comic book character, who would you be?

I dunno if I'd wanna be anyone in particular. I've always been a fan of the silent hero, who always holds back and shows little emotion. He'd be tall, well built but not like a tank. He'd be agile and wears a cool costume! Girls love him, but he's more interested in his own goals :p

I also like the bad guys, but most look evil or have something physically wrong with them, so it might not be a great idea to be one of them!

26. What are your top 20 Movies?

1. The Matrix
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Green Mile
4. Dark City
5. Gladiator
6. Minority Report
7. The Butterfly Effect
8. Fight Club
9. Steven King's IT
10. Terminator 2
11. Donnie Darko
12. Falling Down
13. Die Hard
14. Leon
15. The Game
16. Predator
17. Full Time Killer
18. The Karate Kid
19. 300
20. Sin City

If you're reading this list and can recommend similar movies, which I may not have seen yet, let me know! I'd be interested in hearing about your favourite movies.

27. What are your all time top 20 Video games?

1. Metal Gear Solid Series (PS1& PS2, Gamecube)
2. Shenmue Series (Dreamcast)
3. Mario Kart (SNES)
4. Secret of Mana (SNES)
5. Legend of the Mystical Ninja / Goemon (SNES)
6. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
7. Genso Suikoden 1 & 2 (PS1)
8. Zelda Series (Nintendo)
9. Guitar Hero Series (PS2)
10. Command & Conquer 1 & 2, Red Alert 1 & 2 (PC)
11. Time Crisis Series (PS1, PS2)
12. Breath of Fire 3 (PS1)
13. House of the Dead 2 (Dreamcast)
14. Silent Hill Series (PS1, PS2)
15. Onimusha Series (PS2)
16. Resident Evil Series (PS1, PS2, Dreamcast)
17. JetSet Radio (Dreamcast)
18. Tony Hawk Skateboarding (Multi Console)
19. Bust-a-Move Series / Puzzle Bobble (Multi Console)
20. BomberMan (SNES, DS)
21. Street Fighter 2, 3, Alpha / Zero 3 (SNES, PS1, Dreamcast)

And other great games, which have given me hours of enternament and deserve to be in the top 20, include:

Tekken Series (PS, PS2),
Soul Edge, Calibur 1 & 2 (PS, Dreamcast, PS2)
Crackdown (Xbox360)
Gears of war (Xbox360)
Burnout Revenge (Xbox360)
Dead Rising (Xbox 360)
Bust-a-Move Series / Puzzle Bobble (Multi Console)
Dance Dance Reveloution Series (PS1/ PS2)
Ridge Racer, Rage Racer, Type 4 (PS1)
Samba De Amigo (Dreamcast)
Space Channel 5 1 & 2 (Dreamcast, PS2)
Gitaroo Man (PS2)
Quake 3 Arena (Dreamcast)
Katamari Damacy / We Love (PS2)
Tales of Symphonia (GameCube)
Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Brain Age / Brain Training (DS)
Time Splitters 2&3 (PS2)

I've been into games the Atrari ST first hit the shelves and it's probably not something I'll grow out of! If you're reading this list and can recommend similar games, which I may not have played yet, let me know! And mention what gaming platform it's on, i.e. Playstation 2, X Box, Game Cube, PC...

28. What is your favourite board game?

Pictionary! I can draw, but that doesn't make me great at it. The true Pictoinary masters are people that can translate accurate ideas quickly onto paper. Other fav games are: Monopoly, Boggle, Scrabble. And if you can recommend me a board game to check out, that'd be cool

29. What is your favourite card game?

Texas hold-em no limit Poker. I go through stages of playing a lot of online poker at PartyPoker.com for money or just for fun.

30. What is your favourite playground game?

Pogs used to rock! Remember Pogs? And so did conkers! (I think that one's just a British thing?)

31. What is your favourite TV show/s?

The Simpsons, Big Train (UK Comedy series), Derren Brown: Mind control (Pychological trickery and cool stuff) , Martial Arts documentaries. Other sci-fi stuff.

32. What is your favourite kind of music?

I'm a big fan of chilled out Trance. My favourite artist is Chicane. Outta the 40 odd tunes I've heard, I don't think he's ever made a single bad song. My favourite track of all time is “Saltwater”. It's one of the only tunes I've listened to loads without getting tired of it.

I like soundtracks ‘cos it's good to hear tunes which remind you of the game or movie you heard it in, and I'm the only person I know who tends to prefer songs without lyrics. My favourite game soundtrack tune is “Where the wind blows” from the game Soul Calibur (Reminder to self: add a link to this)

33. Have you ever tried writing a story?

I started, but never finished! I've never been very good at English despite being born in England! Using language to capture the reader is a skill I'd love to learn. I have tried creating stories and writing scripts to be used in comics, but that's something I need more practice with also. I'd like to give it another go as I always come up with cool story ideas. The hard part is developing them into something decent!

34. What is your favourite book?

I don't read many books. I've never enjoyed reading and when I was younger, I never used to be able to read very well, so would avoid the effort of books. Perhaps that's why I like comics and manga?

I do have a big collection of Japanese anime and game artbooks. I love checking out other people's art (as long as it's good!), be it in the form of books or online.

35. Favourite magazine?

Short Answer: Dont have one.
Long Answer: Once upon a time I used to read LOTS of video game magazines, but haven't bought a magazine for ages- basically ever since I started using the internet, as many sites supply the same material you find in magazine, but for free! I have had about a dozen of my letters printed in magazines in the past . On one occasion I even won a £50 game voucher for best letter of the month! Muah! If I had the money I'd probably subscribe to several Design, Game and Anime mags.

35. Favourite colour?

Turquoise, Purple, Black (if you count black as a colour), and some shades of green.

36. What is your favourite possession/thing?

It's gotta be the computer since I use it everyday. My hard drive content is massively improtant to me as it contains all my artwork, photos, music, pictures, games and memories. I also like my Car.

37. Favourite food?

Junk Food eases my pain Mcdonalds, Burger King, Fish & Chips, Pizza Hut. LoL.

38. Do you like any weird foods?

I like cockles- they are small shellfish that look like mini foetus'!

39. Favourite Drink?

Lucozade, Powerade, Lilt, Lemon Fanta, J2O, tropical fruit juice, hot chocolate.

40. Favourite Alcoholic Drink?

Cider!

41. Favourite sport?

Skateboarding- I mostly just watch it these days. I like sports that involve tricks, such as skateboarding, BMX freestyling, or even gymnastics!
I play snooker and pool on a semi-regualr basis (if you can class them as sport?)

42. Do you have any children?

Not yet.

43. If you had children would you encourage them in becoming an artist?

I'd like to let them pursue what they wanted, but if they were interested in art, I'd probably encourage it.

44. Do you have any pet peeves?

Yes, a few of them include:

• Old people drivers! Especially when you're in a real life or death hurry and they're happily crawling along at snail pace!
• Arrogant people that think they know everything and can do anything better than you.
• People that give one line replies on forums or emails, or when you ask them for a detailed response and they just say yes or no.
• People that give you evil looks or treat you bad for not giving them tips or 'gratuity' (mainly seems to happen in America)
• Attention seekers
• Inconsiderate people
• People that break promises/agreements (especially concerning money!)
• Clients that want constant changes done to artwork - especially when what they describe will look crap and does! >_<

45. Anything you really hate?

Email spam! No, I don't wan to 'save $$$ on my mortgage', I dont want 'Low cost Meds', or to have my penis or breasts enlarged! Every day I access my email half a dozen times or so and I never fail to get several spam emails in my in box. If I didn't use spam blockers I'd probably get 1000 spam to every 1 legitimate email! Sending Spam emails in the UK has been banned and I wish other countries would follow and make spamming illegal.

46. What's on your mouse mat?

I don't have a mouse mat!

47. Best and worst feeling in the world?

Best: feeling confident
Worst: feeling ripped off

48. If you were an animal, what would you be?

Everyone says something cool like a tiger or wolf. My friend thinks I'd be either a frog or a snake and I'd probably agree with her!

49. What's the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?

The dream I just had. Then I think, I don't wanna get up!

50. If you had the chance to relive your life, would you and from what age would you start over?

There's a lot I'd like to redo. So providing I knew everything I know now, I'd probably restart if from the age of 10.

51. What is most important in your life?

Being alive in general is very important! Friends, family, achieving something worth while.

52. What kind of car do you own?

A Metalic Black 1.8L Ford Puma- The best car under £10K you can buy! Formaly a silver Ford KA Luxury.

53. Do you drive fast?

Only when it's safe. I like to get from A to B as quick as possible, but without putting my life at serious risk.

54. What's under you bed?

Some of my old artwork, misc boxes and a few monsters

55. Are there any websites that you really admire?

Cool Flash ones with music, animation and sound. See links section for examples.

56. Why did you create a personal web site?

A few Reasons: I wanted to share my work with people that might appreciate it. It's a fun little project to manage. It can be used to easily show my work to clients without lugging a portfolio around. I guess it's also worth mentioning there was no such thing as Myspace, Facebook and Devianart when I first thought about having my own site.

57. Ever thought about quitting the site?

Not really. However, visitors are always demanding new artwork in the gallery, changing my art style completely or other updates. If I don't want to update or have the time to do so, I could do without the pressure. It'd also save me money as I have to pay for my site domain and web space each year.

58. Do you use MSN or other instant messaging services?

I used to love IM, but it started taking away all my time so I dont log in to my Live Messenger account as much these days. Sorry to everyone on my MSN list for hardly going online!

59. Would you ever come to the United States? if so witch state would you like to visit?

I've visited the west cost (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vegas and others), so I might check out the east coast if I go to the US again.

60. Anywhere else you want to visit?

Australia, Newzealand (to see reletives), Japan. I wouldn't mind going anywhere in the world if the money was there to spend on holidays.

That's it for now!
If there's something you want to know, and you've read the FAQ, drop me an e-mail or fill out the form below:

There's more?..

More about me and my art, taken from 'Noise' Feb 2006...

Online journal type diary thing. Comments on various issues: My and other's art, web sites I've checked out, stuff happening...