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Mars from Deimos by Ron Miller |
Sci-Fi Art Now: What tools do you mainly use to create your art?
Ron Miller: Photoshop almost exclusively.
Sci-Fi Art Now: Why?
Ron: About ten years ago, I had to meet a really rough series of deadlines: writing and illustrating two books every three months for nearly a year. Each book would have up to 20 illustrations.
After doing the first few traditionally, I realized there was no way I could meet the deadlines and maintain anything at all resembling quality work. A few years earlier a book had turned out badly because I had taken on too many illustrations in too short a period of time -- resulting in many of the paintings being much too hurriedly done.
So I swallowed hard and took the advice of several colleagues who had been urging me to try painting digitally. And it worked! I could create a painting that looked as though it took me a week to render... but do it in only a day or two.
Sci-Fi Art Now: What inspired you to become an artist?
Ron: I was born that way.
Sci-Fi Art Now: What was the most useful piece of advice you were given when you began learning your craft?
Ron: Neither give nor accept unsolicited critiques.
Sci-Fi Art Now: Which artists most inspire you?
Ron: A zillion! But if I limit myself to my specialty, astronomical art, there are only three: Chesley Bonestell, Ludek Pesek and Lucien Rudaux.
Sci-Fi Art Now: What is the appeal to you of science fiction as an inspiration for some of your work?
Ron: One never knows from assignment to assignment what'll turn up. It's always a surprise!
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Titan by Ron MIller |
Ron: It's usually the most recent thing I did... until the next one comes along. But I did an illustration a couple of years ago for Scientific American I'm still very proud of. It's a scene on Titan just after a methane rainfall.
Sci-Fi Art Now: In your career, have you had any bizarre experiences while creating your art?
Ron: Well, it might not be particularly bizarre, but I think I do have the (probably) unique experience of having one of my works slightly more than halfway to Pluto.

My only fear is that the stamp wasn't canceled... if not, the spacecraft is going to wind up right back here in 15 years.
Sci-Fi Art Now: What most frustrates you about being an artist?
Ron: Never doing anything really good enough to suit me.
Sci-Fi Art Now: What keeps you going despite the hopefully occasional frustrations?
Ron: Hope springs eternal.
Sci-Fi Art Now: What advice would you offer to anyone starting out as an artist?
Ron: For God's sake don't get into my specialty, I have enough competition as it is!
• Check out more of Ron's work at www.black-cat-studios.com. To contact Ron email him via spaceartATembarqmail.com
Some of Ron's recent works include Digital Art: Painting with Pixels
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