Meet Kevin Carden - a photographer and digital artist who has the capacity to turn ordinary-looking living rooms into surreal and enchanting scenes with the power of Photoshop. Having started working with the photo editing software a decade ago, and while it is obvious that Kevin has the skills to transform photographs into magical paintings, he is now eager to share his behind the scenes knowledge with the world.
"I honestly want to encourage all the artists out there to keep being creative and keep trying to learn from others and learn from your own mistakes. It takes a lot of hard work, but it's very rewarding in the end when you can share your passions and creativity with the rest of the world," Kevin told Bored Panda.
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Kevin Carden doesn't shy away from sharing his creative process with the world
Image credits: christianpsart
Kevin Carden is a digital artist and photographer who doesn't shy away from sharing his creative process. On his Instagram where he has over 319,000 followers now, Kevin offers people the chance to take a sneak peek at the creative process that he goes through before sharing the final version and a side by side comparison of the photo.
"I honestly want to encourage all the artists out there to keep being creative and keep trying to learn from others"
Image credits: christianpsart
He started learning to work with Photoshop a decade ago
Image credits: christianpsart
Kevin started playing around with photo manipulation back in 2010, "a few years after I had graduated college." At first, Kevin tells Bored Panda, he was just editing nature pictures that he had taken before fully realizing how "much more creative you can be with this software." The photographer began blending multiple photographs together to create "really unique pieces of art" and hasn't stopped for over a decade now.
And continues perfecting his techniques
Image credits: christianpsart
While he's not immune to creative block
Image credits: christianpsart
"Coming up with creative ideas is usually the hardest part of my process," the artist told Bored Panda. "I get inspiration from my faith and from themes in the Bible which are so much fun to illustrate. I also get photo ideas from my wife and children as well, and oftentimes I am just illustrating everyday life as a father."
He finds himself drawing inspiration from various things
Image credits: christianpsart
"Sometimes, I just get ideas out of the blue with no real explanation and those projects tend to be the most popular for some reason!"
Image credits: christianpsart
"I do have a more defined process that I use sometimes though, especially if I find myself in a block. I might try to look for unique relationships between two opposite themes or use other creative brainstorming techniques. And then sometimes I just get ideas out of the blue, with no real explanation, and those cool photos tend to be the most popular for some reason!" Kevin told us.
Kevin is also inspired by his family and his faith
Image credits: christianpsart
The artist says that his kids are enjoying the creative process
Image credits: christianpsart
When asked about what his family thinks of his craft, Kevin told Bored Panda: "It's definitely a team effort! My wife and two kids are my favorite models of all time. And if I am featured in the picture, then my wife will usually be the one taking the pictures. Since our kids are young, they certainly don't think these creative art pieces are anything odd. It's just every day normal life for them. So I tell my daughter that I want to create a picture of her eating ice cream on the planet Venus, she gets excited because she gets to do something fun with her daddy, see a cool photo of herself, and even get a sweet treat in the end. Also, almost all of the photoshoots are in our home, often in the playroom or in our backyard. So the kids feel like they are in their natural setting and they can be themselves."
The majority of the photoshoots are done at home
Image credits: christianpsart
So that the kids would feel more comfortable in their usual surroundings
Image credits: christianpsart
Kevin Carden also likes exploring religious themes through his art. "My faith is very important to me," the artist says. "And, therefore, my artwork is going to convey these themes as well. The Bible is full of so many miracles and supernatural stories that cannot be easily portrayed using only photography."
"My wife and two kids are my favorite models of all time"
Image credits: christianpsart
And by using technology, Kevin is able to transfer them into the world of magic
Image credits: christianpsart
"With the technology of editing software, I can bring those Biblical themes to life in creative and powerful ways. I am burdened by a large amount of cheesy and low-quality religious artwork out there. I am just blessed that God has given me this talent and I want to use it to create high quality and thought-provoking pieces of art."
"God has given me this talent and I want to use it to create high quality and thought-provoking pieces of art"
Image credits: christianpsart
Most importantly, he wants to share his talent with others
Image credits: christianpsart
All in all, Kevin says that he couldn't possibly be happier when it comes to his job. "There is nothing more amazing to me than being a digital artist," he told Bored Panda. "I love being able to work from home, spend more quality time with my family, and spend my "working hours" doing something I really enjoy. There are some days that are better than others though. And nothing is more frustrating than when a project that you are working hard on does not come together."
"It's very rewarding in the end when you can share your passions and creativity with the rest of the world"
"I honestly want to encourage all the artists out there to keep being creative and keep trying to learn from others and learn from your own mistakes. It takes a lot of hard work, but it's very rewarding in the end when you can share your passions and creativity with the rest of the world."
To see more of Kevin Carden's mesmerizing work and the before and after shots of it, make sure to follow him on Instagram.