February 2002

Hello! My name is Risto Klint and I have an obsession…

I was born in Sweden in 1968 but have, since 1994, lived in the exciting, multicultural city of Montreal, Canada. I have two great kids named Brianna and Michaela; they make me smile and laugh everyday. My wife is Diane and my mistress is named Xara X; they both remind me everyday that the best things in life come in small packages.

I found Xara X a little over a year ago at the good old i-us.com and downloaded the free 30-day trial; it was love at first sight! The sleek user interface and the raw-speed kept tempting me back for more until one day I decided to take the big step. I hit the 'Purchase' button! There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that it would be the best buy I would ever make and I was right! Xara X has brought me great joy. It allows me to draw for my own enjoyment and the opportunity to create illustrations for others.

If you have looked around the XaraXone you might have discovered that I have already been the Featured Artist, in March 2001. So, what am I doing here again? Well, our XaraXone host Gary Priester thought it could be interesting for the visitor to have the chance see how an artist's creations could mature with some additional Xara X experience. I thank Gary for giving me the opportunity to be that artist! I hope to show you what a year's worth of experience with the same basic Xara X tools did for me in terms of refining my illustrations.

You will also find some new types of images that I have been experimenting with for the last couple of months. I hope you will enjoy!

So, what have I learned in a year? I would have to say: "To just go nuts!" I find that when you work quickly and try different things you will have some accidents… and some of them will be happy ones that teach you new things, or take you to a place where you would not have ended up otherwise. Besides, it is impossible to paint yourself into a corner with Xara X. You can always back up, with that unlimited 'undo', to where you strayed, and get back on track to that surprising place!

In general, what has surprised me the most about Xara X has been the realisation of how versatile the tools are - and the many ways they can be combined! I wonder if there is any software out there that can be put to test like Xara X, without crashing… surprising you with the results? Nowhere has that been more obvious to me than with the Xara X brush feature. I don't use brushes that often but I have been watching with rapt fascination, the amazing brush creations of Ivan Louette (Featured Artist February 2001) and others, at Talkgraphics.com.

Looking ahead, I will continue working with Xara X on the types of things I have always been drawing, striving to make them more clean and simple, hopefully without becoming dull. I also hope to find time to experiment more with the Tracer Tool in combination with all the Transparency and Fill options. There are still a lot interesting things to discover about the Tracer Tool, I'm sure.

It is the journey that is the fun part!

In the gallery - you will find examples of some of the stops that I have made on my travels!

In hopes that you will enjoy the visit and that we meet up again…

A bientot!
—Risto Klint
Montreal, Canada

P.S. You can also find me at www.ristoklint.com

All images The Art of ©2002 Risto Klint
[Click the thumbnail image to see the full-size images]

XARA Artists Wanted! We are always looking for new artists to feature on this page. If you would like to be considered for one of the future featured artists, Click Here to contact us. Please don't send images at this time. What works best is for you to place some of your best images on a Web page and send us the URL. If we decide to feature you and your images, we will contact you and provide further instructions.