Welcome to our VIP Interview with William Orban – Founder and Artist from WILLO. William is a Chicago artist that creates digital art based on provided images of people who wish to celebrate themselves for the beautiful being they are.
William began his creative career doing illustration and design working with a wide array of clients from the NFL to Playboy. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue a visual effects career which he did for 12 years working on a variety of television shows and feature films.
VIP Interview With William Orban Founder And Artist From WILLO
Hi William Orban! Please tell us a bit more about your artistic your focus?
The WILLO focus is to work closely with real people, sex educators and great blogs like Adultsmart to offer every person, no matter their size, age, shape, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation an opportunity to view themselves for what they are; beautiful just as nature intended.
My thoughts are simple, we are all going to die one day so be proud and celebrate YOU as a body of art. That may start off a bit dark but I believe it is very much the opposite. I wish for EVERYONE to be comfortable with their body and I aim to show that they should be….. one work at a time.
Tell me about yourself
I have been an artist for as long as I can remember which started with a sketch pad as a boy and continues to take me on fun and rewarding ventures. I never had to make a career choice as I always knew it would be creating art one way or another. Even though I was later making art for high-end corporations, the older I became the more I felt I was missing something, so I sought out to have my work make a difference for people more than for corporations.
I have lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, Scottsdale and St. Louis and I am now preparing to get on the road and drive aimlessly for a year around the nation to promote Willo and the beauty of people and sexuality through art.
What is it like being an entrepreneur?
I love the freedom but at the end of the day, it requires three times the amount of work. It is something I am passionate about whether feast or famine. I enjoy doing new things and today for me it is more about finding good in what I do more so than how much money can I make for someone else.
What inspires your creativity?
People, Peace, Love, Sex and Groovy Colors!
What is your creative process like?
For me it is seeing more than thinking. I tend to go into a visual meditative state rather than having a blueprint plan. I guess the best way to answer that is that I listen to what someone likes or dislikes. With that in mind I go into that place until I can feel what I am seeing to get that “ah-haa… that is bad ass” moment.
How can people feel comfortable with their bodies?
That is often a roadblock for many. I think ALL bodies are beautiful and I promote acceptance of what you’re working with. We ALL have a hang up one way or another!
I worked with Playboy, with both photography and retouching. As much as I enjoyed to work with them that I later felt it was selling lies to some degree. NOBODY looks like the girls in Playboy, including the girls in Playboy! If only I could show the before and after of the original shots and the end product MANY people would feel much more comfortable with their own image.
Today, I am not trying to build a “perception” of someone… I am trying to show real people they are beautiful and worthy of being the centerpiece, a centerfold so to speak.
How do your clients choose their pictures?
The spouse, friend or partner is usually the photographer and they have 100% creative freedom to choose any photo they would like as long as they are 2mb or higher, the more resolution I have to work with the better the end product. I offer photography but since my clients are all over this it is the best option. I accept images from smart phones etc. High-end shoots are not required, but I do ask for the best quality they can provide.
I always recommend they pay attention to lighting so I have more to work with, but not to over think it. Many images are snapped in the moment and not staged what so ever. I can work with these since I am applying effects, changing the background etc. The end result rarely resembles the original image anyway.
In short, the better the original, the better the final output and quality.
Are there any limitations to the images you will work with?
No, they can be G rated or anything beyond! It takes quite a bit to offend me and I certainly do not care to judge. As long as it is legal, safe and consenting then it’s all good by me.
The majority of my work is individual pieces created for people for their own use and enjoyment. ALL CLIENTS have 100% discretion. I DO NOT SHARE ANYTHING without prior written consent from the client.
How do you and your clients decide how to edit the picture?
I ask each client several questions such as what are their favorite colors, ideas and a quick overview of what they like. In many cases, they will point to one of my images and say I like the direction of that one. I have had a lot of success with this model as each is a unique piece anyway.
My clients have control of what they want to reveal in their final image. Some want their breasts shown while others want things to be blended into the work. Some want their faces shown, some do not. I have no rules. I listen to the client’s thoughts and do my thing based on their wishes. My job is to make a product they are proud of.
How do you find people react to seeing their lovers or themselves as works of art?
I have had a very good response and they end up very excited by it. Some people are very timid to hang their bodies on the wall and that can be a hang up so to speak. Many simply want the digital file to enjoy and share or do as they wish. It depends on the person and the subject matter of course.
At the end of the day, I want the client to receive whatever they are comfortable with. In MANY cases I have been requested to create an abstract piece that nobody can see that they are even in the image but rather strategically place them where only they know what is actually in the image. It is a form of subliminal placement in a way.
For example, I did an image of a dog in a suit standing on a window ledge. Outside of the window were green rolling hills. The truth was those rolling hills are the client’s wife laying on her back in a very suggestive way. The observer sees a dog in the window and never notices the details of the rolling hills. Once hinted to look out the window they get a great laugh. Probably my favorite piece.
What are you most proud of with your work WILLO?
What makes me happy is when a client receives their work and they simply say:
“Wow, this is beautiful. Thank you!”
I find great pride in that.
A woman once told me that she wished she had done nudes when she was younger. I told her she’s still beautiful. She replied that later down the road she will look at this artwork and it will make her feel young again. That makes me happy.
What are your price points?
I want my work to be available to anyone. My price starts at $250 USD. I have done others in the thousands but they were very custom pieces. The $250 price point gives you about any of the work you see here.
Canvas Prints/Deliverables
Each piece is created with printing to canvas in mind. Prints are bright on white canvas material stretched to a wooden frame and certified eco-friendly latex inks for stunning quality and lasting durability.
All clients receive the final resolution digital file to do with as they wish.
Do you only work with nudes?
Absolutely not. I work with anything that makes a person happy. I don’t care if it’s their Harley Davidson, family photo or the golden retriever. Whatever makes a person feel good sexually or otherwise I am open to the client’s wishes.
Please visit my Tumblr page to view more of my work!
Have no regrets with what nature gave you! Celebrate it!
“People, Peace, Love, Sex and Groovy Colors to you ALL!” – Willo
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