FT69 : Kyle Strauss, 19, Cleveland, OH, USA. Currently working 3 jobs to fund a new interest in tuning cars for track & street. I work for ohio school pictures as a photographer, am an independent contractor for HHR Reality, and the Graveyarder for circle K.

.Omega : So how did you get started in digital design? (how long ago, inspiration to get started)

FT69 : I got started in the arts through video games, about 7-8yrs ago. I was playing the true competitive games when teamcompete was still number one, before MLG started being mainstream, just creating "sigs" for people on the forums, and it all started there.

.Omega : Sounds like you've used a lot of different programs, what would you say is your favorite program to design with?

FT69 : My favorite program, its probably a tie between photoshop CS4 & Illustrator CS4. Photoshop is great but its limited to the size of the image you start with, illustrator is more technical, and most photoshoppers don't even make to mess with it. But if you want to make it print industry put down the raster and move to vector.

.Omega : What do you enjoy designing the most and why? (sigs, logos, templates)

FT69 : In the beginning it was sigs, but at the time thats all I knew. it was challenge to work captive art is so small area. Majam, Bones, and Brutal were some of best i've seen back then and i constantly tired to match and surpass them. eventually we all had are nitch, all had are strong styles. But now its mostly Photography for me. Taking a image that exists and bending it to your view, to me there's nothing else like it.

.Omega : What's your top five favorite designs that you created?

FT69 : I really don't have a top five, its usually the ones i just get done with are my favorite at the time. this new one of Cleveland, OH is one of my all time favorites i've done.

.Omega : What artists do you follow to get inspiration off of?

FT69 : Their is mutiple artists that got tons off inspiration off of, but the mains are listed right here, masters of the styles.

Pete Harrison, aka wirestyle

Peter Jaworowski, company, Ars thanea

Kim Høltermand, amazing Photographer

Cole Barash, my all time favorite photographer, seen in Forum snowboards' "that" and commonly in Transworld Snowboarding.

Denis Olenik, if want a logo done right he is your man.



.Omega : Well thank you for your time, but before we leave do you have any final thoughts or suggestions to our readers?

FT69 : If there's a style you want to recreate, grab the image and go off that, not a tutorial, it will make you become a hell of a lot better artist, i MAYBE look and 2 tutorials to give it my own twist. once to make comfortable with your program, throw away the tutorials and do it yourself.