| Name | Latetodagame aka Antei |
| Country of Residence | European living in Germany |
| IG | @latetodagame |
My favorite piece by Latetodagame is probably Gandalf handling an AK-47, drawn with just a ballpoint pen on DHL blanks. From these artworks to murals featuring lettering, Latetodagame is, in my opinion, an all-around artist—and a brilliant one at that. Here’s his story.
Let's start off with a beer. What beer would you say is your favorite?
Surprisingly, for someone living in Germany, I’m not the biggest beer guy. If I had to pick one, it’d probably be Becks Gold, or maybe Tsingtao or Asahi. If I’m in the mood for something stronger, Strong Zero is all I can say.
From looking at your art, you do various types of art. Where did your journey in art began?
Uff, I do remember that I’ve been always doin some kinda sketching. Oldest memory is me as a 5-7 year old makin „megaman“ sketches.. but the conscious thought of „wanting to become better“ was born when i watched the old ghost in the shell and Akira movies when I was around 14 I believe. And shortly before that there was also a music video I was surprised by (or better a little scared by) as a kid: Ken ishii - Extra.
How did you end up in the graffiti scene ?
A little after my 15th/16th birthday (I think). I started skateboarding, no I was never good at it . There I had the luck of meeting a lot of awesome people who all did more than one thing, some were skating/breaking, some were making music and some were writing graffiti etc. That was around 2000 (plus/minus a year maybe).
From then on I focused a little more on letters (especially their structure), but never stopped with characters and everything else. Painting always been way too much fun, and that won’t change anytime soon.
Your ballpoint pen drawings look so good. How did you come to start with this type of art?
Thanks a ton, I was looking for a way to sketch where I could do at least sketches anywhere without having a pen on me, and one answer was getting used to ballpoint pens. you can get em everywhere for dirt cheap or even ask someone to borrow you one. I already knew there were some people doing hella good artworks with those pens, but for me it always was more about the first thing.
What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your artistic skills?
Hunger is one the words that comes to my mind first.. hunger for doing something expressive, hunger to see what I can do, and the hunger to become better. That drives me since day one, pushing me to always try to learn something new and experiment. Never learned any of this stuff in an art school or something, always tried to learn as much as I could on my own.
While I never really been alone, I met a lot of other dope artists over the years, and I can’t thank every single one of them enough! You guys know who you are!
If you would have to describe your artistic style, what would you say?
Mmmmh, dunno… slightly chaotic maybe. With a hint of humor.. often experimental…? Oo honestly I would love to hear how other people would describe what I do.
Can you share some of your favorite or most significant artistic projects or pieces you've created?
The most significant piece I work/ed on is always the current one, the one that gets most of my attention and focus. (Ps: at the time of writing this its a caricature of Gandalf the wizard and macho man randy savage as one and the same person)
What brands and tools do you use for your artwork and what do you recommend?
I use everything I can get my hands on. Doesn’t matter what it is, you always can use something for something. But when it comes to recommendations:
- BIC ballpoint pens (the clear ones),
- One4all acrylic markers (especially Signal White)
- Dope wall paint (the cans suck though) and Ironlaks (oh hell I miss those oo)
- Montana black cans
- Caps: those yellow banana skinny caps and those black orange dot fat caps
- Most stickerblanks: Japanese blanks and 228s of course.
- Black books: „World map black book“
Everything else is optional to me.
What do you like the most about what you do ?
When I can surprise people with a sketch they didn’t really expect. I mean most who know me know what I do but if I can surprise them and maybe even make them laugh that’s awesome.
Are there any artist you look up to now or in your earlier stage as an artist?
Nowadays I try to see everyone in an equal way, we all started somewhere and if we don’t give up we all get somewhere right? But if I had to name a couple suiko one (jp), katsuhiro otomo and masamune shirow, t-kid are the first that come to mind.
Everyone has their way of working. How do you approach the creative process, from conceptualization to completion?
Depending on what I have to do.. if it’s one of my own works I don’t think too much about concepts and just start and have some fun, most of the time. Exceptions are only bigger stickers where I try to build up a concept work. But even with those it still is mostly: „idea-collecting material and supplies-rough sketch-layer of acrylics if necessary-ballpoint pen-finish“ as a very short version.
How do you stay motivated and overcome creative blocks or challenges in your work?
Mostly with coffee and music. But aside from that, If I have a block on one piece I just switch to another for a while, then go back and get it done.
Not every art, is for everyone. How do you handle critiques or feedback on your work, both positive and negative?
You always can learn from both and both have their place. If someone likes what I do thanks a ton, if not oh well im not mad at them. both can be either a nudge into the right direction, or even give you an idea you haven’t thought about before.
The most thing I like to see in an artist is progress. What are your long-term artistic goals, and where do you see your art career heading in the future?
Where I will end up I don’t know, but I can say I’ll keep working on becoming better and acquiring new skills I want to add to my repertoire. Right now, for example, im working on something that needs quite a while to learn, but its hella fun. some may have already guessed what it is ;)
Some artists feel they have a deeper meaning regarding their artwork. Does your art have a deeper meaning to you?
If it has a deeper meaning, and that in my opinion is all up to the viewer, it would be never give up, go through with whatever you want to achieve and don’t be so negative all of the time. Have some fun once in a while ;)
Do you have anything else you would like to share with the world?
So many Walls so little time, lets get to work!
And stay positive!
