Fatima Pantoja
Questions we asked Fatima:
How many hours does it take to complete a portrait?
It depends on the portrait. Sometimes I am hired as a portrait artist on events (parties, sports events...) and I do them in 20 min. If I am not in a rush I like to take my time and it can take me 20 hours or even more! Of course I don't paint the 20 hours in a row. I do sessions of 2-3h hours each time :)
How many different colours do you use in a portrait?
If it is a charcoal portrait just one. If I am using a different technique I usually start with the primaries (Yellow, blue and red) and white and keep mixing so it can be around 100 colours if not more!
Who or what inspired you to be an artist?
My dad always painted and my sister and I used to use his watercolours and make a real mess... To keep his watercolours save my mum took us to art classes. My mum and my dad are the ones who inspired me and my sister who is also an artist!
How many paintings have you done?
Difficult question!! I would say I have done well over 2000 paintings, that is without counting drawings, digital artwork and sculptures! Of course, not all the paintings are succesful. There are lots of paintings I am not happy with but they are also important because they help me develop further and grow as an artist.
What material do you use the most?
At the moment I am using a lot of acrylic and soft pastels. I love the intensity of the colours and sometimes I like to use them together too :)
When did you start your career in painting?
I believe it started when I was 9... I have always drawn. But when my mum took me and my sister to art classes I knew that was what I wanted to do.
What is your favourite art supply to use?
I have a few favourites, each of them has something I love. Jacksons Art. Love the online shop and I really like the soft pastels they make. I also love Cass art. They have my favourite set of acrylics. But whenever I can I try to buy local, there is a small shop near where I live called pullingers, it looks like a magic shop. Full of materials and hidden corners where you can find treasures!
What would you have done instead of being an artist?
Maybe a gardener? I love nature. It really makes me happy being outside or in a garden. I am trying to create a garden full of flowers so I can paint them later :)
What is your favourite piece of art?
I can't choose just one!!
As a painting I love a sketch by Sorolla (Joaquin Sorolla) he is a Spanish artist who study where I did. I have attached a picture. The title in English is: children in the sea. Is a small sketch, nearly abstract, but he manages to capture the moment so easily, just a few brushstrokes and he tells you everything. I love that.
As a sculpture.
Pablo Gargallo's work is fascinating because he is a sculptor that uses empty (negative) spaces as well as positive ones. But I also love the work made by Camille Claudel!!
Were you nervous drawing David Gandy?
Nope, I didn't know who he was! It was on my way home in the train that I googled him and I was Oh wow!!! What made me nervous was that he was very symmetrical and I find symmetrical people quite difficult to draw/paint.
What got you into painting?
I have always painted what was in front of me. But it was seeing my dad's paintings on the wall and seeing him paint that made me want to do it too. My mum thought it would be good to join an art group. Me and my sister were the youngest ones there, I was 9 and my sister 6.
Are you a self-taught artist?
Yes and no. I started on my own, looking at paintings and reading books but I did what is called here Arts A levels and after that I went to uni to the Facultad de Bellas Artes San Carlos de Valencia where I was lucky to have a couple of great tutors but you do need to do a lot of the work yourself. I need to do things in order to understand and learn them properly. So I worked really hard to learn.
