Interviewing The Artist

Hello guys and gals, I hope September is treating everyone well so far. As promised, I had a chance to sit down with the very skilled artist who won Sunshine State Hockey's logo contest, Breanna Philley.

Sunshine State Hockey: "What made you decide to play around in Photoshop the first time?"

Breanna Philley: "I saw wallpapers online and I wanted to figure out how to make them. I delved around on google and figured out that you could use either Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro to make them. My friend actually had an Adobe Photoshop 1.0 disk and I used that to learn my way around the program."

SSH: "You have made a lot of different creations for SSH's friend site, The NHL Arena. How much did all of those requests help improve your skills?"

Bre: "In my opinion, I was able to improve immensely. I started out learning what the filters did, what worked and what people liked and what they didn't. I was getting requests almost everyday and that had me using the program and practicing everyday. I've been doing requests over there for 2 years now, and I owe the members over there a lot for helping fuel my passion."

SSH: "Your other major passion is hockey. How much has that helped you in creating designs? Do you think you would have as much success if you were to try something you were less interested in?"

Bre: "If I were to have started out creating artwork for something else, I do not think my skills would have developed much. It's the criticism and the people that want me to get better that make me want to do the art. It's a nice feeling when people say they really appreciate something you've created."

SSH: "How far do you plan on taking your skills in Photoshop? Do you plan to make a career out of it?"

Bre: "I plan on at least getting farther with it than I am currently. I wish to go into a career field that uses Photoshop in some way. I'm looking either to go into a Graphic Design career or Special Effects for TV titles. I've got an interest in a few different artistic fields."

SSH: "Lets talk hockey. Your a girl who loves hockey, what do you say to those guys out there who think your nothing but a puck bunny, this guy NOT being one of them."

Bre: "I say they need to give girls a chance. I love the game for the skill, the speed and the atmosphere. The journey of following a team from the beginning of the season and hoping they finally get to the Stanley Cup is something worth watching year after year. Not every girl is only watching the sport to admire the attractiveness of a guy."

SSH: "Who is your favorite hockey player and why?"

Bre: "Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks. He's a phenomenal player with tons of skill and a lot of heart. I've never seen him give up, even when his team was getting tired."

SSH: "Your favorite team is the Sharks. If you had to pick a second favorite team who would it be?"

Bre: "I like the sense of unity among the players and fans of the Florida Panthers. So, if I had to pick a team, my pick is the Panthers."

Final Question

SSH: "What was your thinking behind the winning logo for the contest?"

Bre: "I had heard the story about "Mellanby and the Rat" and I loved it. I wanted to include a rat in some way. I liked the way a circle enclosed everything and brought it all together. The colors I used are based off the Florida Panthers colors."

To go along with the interview, Bre gave SSH one of her first works and her top five favorite creations.

**Warning** Most of these images contain designs based of the San Jose Sharks, sorry for the inconvenience. **Warning**

One of Ms. Philley's first creations.

If you have any comments or questions, or would like to know how to get in contact with Bre, send an E-mail to FloridaFlyer86@hotmail.com or drop a comment off on SSH's Facebook page.