Alexy Prefontaine
Canadian Digital Artist and Photographer, Alexy, produces dream-like images, that combine; space, geometry, and nature, which encourage the viewer to form their own opinion and narrative of the artwork. Using programs like Cinema 4D and Marvelous Designer, he creates incredibly detailed, mysterious and surreal designs, filled with colour. As a lover of surrealist artwork, Alexy’s work seriously appeals to me!
Alexy, better known as Aeforia, is known for his imaginative portraits that flow with dreamy oranges, pink’s and purples. Taking inspiration from artists such as Rik Oosternbroek and Patrick Sluitler, Alexy formed his style just like many of us, by playing around with Photoshop and Cinema 4D! This allowed him to take his imagination wherever he wanted. Through the next few years, this imaginative style developed, and so to did his status within the Cinema 4D community becoming a huge name with 90k followers on Instagram. This status has also seen him take on many freelance opportunities, with companies such as Opera and Pantone wanting the chance to work with him.
Image - https://www.aeforia.xyz/
Why does he inspire me?
When a student is making work as good as this, you know he’s gonna go far! Alexy has come so far in the time that I’ve spoken with him, that I really have become a huge fan of his work, and himself as a person. His style of blending abstract shapes and sceneries with portraiture, while using colours often overlooked in classical surrealism, really makes Alexy stand out from the crowd, especially in the flooded world of digital design.
Just like more and more of the artists, Alexy values detail and perfection over daily consistency. Though Alexy doesn’t post on Instagram daily, his consistency, like many other designers, is what has allowed him to grow his following. From barely 5k followers in 2017 to over 90k in 2019 is a considerable achievement, especially for a full-time student!
Creating an interesting atmosphere in surrealism has always puzzled me, but Alexy nails it every time. Most people understand surrealism as ‘random, interpretative based designs’, but there’s so much more to it. Surrealism evokes mystery and challenges the general assumptions of human perception, something a viewer normally takes for granted. This allows each piece to have it’s own ‘story’, something Alexy does brilliantly!
Alexy isn’t just an artist either. His band, Alpha & The Van is just another creative avenue he spends his spare time working on. The band just released their debut album ‘Propeller’ (link later on in the interview!), and of course, he made the album artwork!
The Interview part
I was lucky enough to be able to ask Alexy some questions about himself and his career. I hope that’ll give you a little bit of an insight into his life, personal and commercial as well as his design process. It’s not every day you get to interview an idol!
https://www.aeforia.xyz/
1. Who are you, and how did
you start your journey into the
world of design?
I’m a 3D artist based in Montreal, Canada. My journey started in 2014 when I randomly found apps on the App Store that would let me edit my photos in ways I’ve never seen before. At the time, I suddenly started doing not-so-pretty artworks for my band just for fun, but eventually, I got really hooked! Not too long after, I was using dozens of apps to create artworks on my phone, and eventually, I started using Photoshop.
During the summer of 2017, I decided to use 3D as my main medium for creating and everything pretty much started taking shape from there I think! I am currently completing a bachelor degree in graphic design here in Montreal, and before doing so, I was studying engineering.
Image - https://www.aeforia.xyz/
2. I know you’ve worked with companies such as Opera, Fubiz studio etc.. How did you make them turn their heads towards your work?
Honestly, I think it’s just a matter of working really hard to put out original content out there. If you do so and you’re able to stand out, companies will find you for sure.
https://www.aeforia.xyz/
3. Could you give some insight into your creative process?
My process is not so linear I think and it varies greatly. Sometimes I’ll have a really clear idea of what I want to create right off the bat. I might sketch a little something and then try to bring it to life afterward. Most of the time, I don’t really have a precise idea of what I want to do so I just open my different software and start playing with shapes, composition, and colors.
I usually discover something new and then it really inspires me when I finish the image. I’m inspired by body language, emotions and I always try to convey a unique mood whenever I’m creating something new.
Image - https://www.aeforia.xyz/
4. What other activities do you enjoy besides Digital Design?
3D is a huge part of my life right now, but I also have a musical project! I’m in a band called Alpha & the Van and we just released our debut album ‘’Propeller’’!
You can have a listen here: https://fanlink.to/Propeller
5. How did you develop your ‘surrealist style’?
It’s incredibly refreshing and unique!
Thank you so much! I think I discovered it quite accidentally haha. During the summer of 2017, I remember being really inspired by the work of @sahlooter and @rikoostenbroek. Therefore, I tried creating a piece that would kind of blend both of their styles, while being unique on its own. It was how my ‘’weary’’ series was born:
https://www.behance.net/gallery/55499873/weary
This series really created a spark and it suddenly became clear to me that creating these surreal characters was something I really enjoyed doing and that I was not seeing that much on Instagram back then.
6. What piece of advice would you give to anyone wanting to improve their work and grow in the digital design world?
The only advice I can give is to understand that all good things are the result of hard work and that it may take some time for some opportunities to come your way. Also, try to find your own voice! There are so many artists nowadays, it’s incredible, but it also makes it harder to truly stand out from others.
Image - https://www.aeforia.xyz/
7. Do you have any big designs in the works or anything
that excites you about the future of your career?
This year will be my last one at university. When I get my degree, I’ll be able to focus on my projects full time and go freelance. Really excited about this! Can’t wait to start!
https://www.aeforia.xyz/
8. Where do you get your inspiration
for projects? Who inspires you!
I said it earlier, but I’m heavily inspired by emotions, colours and ambiances. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of artists that inspire me a lot on a daily basis:
@fvckrender
@maalavidaa
@dorianlegret
@billelis
@petertarka
@jellygummies
@neilkrug
@ashthorp
@blakekathryn
@grantspanier
@catelloo
Image - https://www.aeforia.xyz/
9. I initially followed your work due to the incredible Cinema 4D work you produce,
and it’s only gotten better! Are there any other programs you’d
like to try out for your design work?
I’d love to get to know Substance Painter and Substance Designer to get better with texturing!
https://www.aeforia.xyz/
10. Who has been your favourite client to work with? (Collaborations too!)
I’ve worked twice with Opera and they always were really great to work with.
https://www.aeforia.xyz/
11. Thank you for taking part in this for me Alexy.Ive been following you for ages,
and it’s been great to see you improve! What are your social media links for
people to follow your future work?
It is a huge pleasure. Thanks for being so supportive of my work, and thanks for sending these questions! You can find my work here:
www.behance.net/alexyprefontaine
Me: “Thank you again Alexy. You’re a huge inspiration to me, and I just wanted to thank you for this! Hoping we can keep in touch, and I’ll, of course, keep supporting you!”
Alexy: “Much love!! Great set of questions, good luck with university, all the best for that”
