Secret Showcase - Portfolio Update by Rik Oostenbroek

Rik Oostenbroek, one of Abduzeedo's favourite artists, has just updated his portfolio. His website is now fully in flash and focuses very much on his work. If you follow Riks designs you will recognize plenty new artworks, from client work for Mazda til personal work for the latest DepthCore exhibition. But what they have in common, is that both kick asses. Rik Oostenbroek, and there is no doubt, will soon belong to the greatest artists in the web.

His new portfolio: SecretShowcase.com

Hey Rik, it's great to have you here. Tell us quick what you have been working on in the past year?

Thanks a lot man.
Haha people online must have thought that I was dead or something, but I've been working on lots of skill, commercial and personal wise.

Commercial wise ( working more on photobased stuff ) it went quite well, working on big ( worldwide ) projects for respected clients was lot's of fun and not for the money but just to see your work exposed in a way you dreamed of back in the days.
Had to deal with art directors as well, what's quite a surprise in the beginning since you're used to control everything yourself.
So on the freelancing side of life I've learned a lot!
All my personal, more abstract style, work has improved a lot since I tried to work with different shapes, trying to involve Illustrator and blend it with my Photoshop shapes and so on.
I've learned a lot about colors, how to use them in a new way, how to combine different ones.

So it was really a productive year for me!

Boards Amsterdam Trailer by Rik Oostenbroek & George Dechev from Rik Oostenbroek on Vimeo.

What is the difference between your old and your new work?

My work became more mature and less messy, I used to destroy photo's, combined with a mess of shapes and other photo's.
I think my work now became a bit more mature and less kid-like, not that I'd even had that in mind for this year, but it happened;).
Was working with only a few color combinations and this portfolio just looks way more random, less boring and the same imo.
I've just tried to focus myself on different forms of digital art to make it less the same and discover new things every time.

Do you have any favorite pieces or designs you feel more connected to?

Hard question man, most of them special to me..
I think my favorite piece is Waiting on a better day, just because I think it's one of the strongest images I've ever made, one of the most personal ones as well.
A color-palette I never used before and different shapes as well. It was just a piece I needed to create for some reason, it gave me a lot of energy and inspiration back then.
It was quite a gate what opened for me style-wise, something different again..

I had some wallpaper requests so I will publish that one on bigger sizes soon as well.

Explain what progress you made since you launched your old portfolio ?

A few days after my first release Computer Arts mailed me within 3 days if I wanted to be on their cover, a month later I was working on a piece for Volkswagen, it all went really quick.
Being featured on nice blogs, people like you who want to ask me questions to share things about me on the internet, it all came very quickly to be honest.
I never actually thought it was that much appreciated, the stuff I threw online.
I actually made money with it for the first time back then, it was such a big step and I loved it.
Since that moment I started to freelance and work for several agencies, really much fun. Handeling with deadlines, doing your financial part of the work, working with other designers together on projects.
I think the styles I've showed here can tell you that I've been involved with way more styles since that first release.
And I'm very glad with that and never expected it all that quickly.
I've even been ripped tons of times, never expected that ;)

What are your future plans?

To get a nice respected design studio with a few people at then end of the road of course;).
But I'm actually looking around for some good education or another nice way to improve my weaknesses, so it might lead me to new things.
I would really love to learn more and more, since I'm still young.
Maybe getting some experience in a different country. We will see how it goes!

Thanks for this short interview. Do you have any final advice for everyone?

Thanks a lot man, I appreciate this a lot!
Do whatever brings you joy. And check out my new portfolio:)

His new portfolio: SecretShowcase.com