Hey it’s Tonio,

~I’m an artist, videographer, and skater based in New York. I’ve been drawing my entire life but I discovered my art style when I was 19. I still remember the day everything changed.

~A friend of mine had expressed his difficulty with artist-block and translating ideas to paper. Later on I thought about it and something inside me wanted to overcome the obstacle of artist-block and get back to making drawing fun. That night I opened up the sketchbook and tried something new… I started drawing lines without a clear idea of what I was making.

~It was daunting yet freeing at the same time. It was fun making random lines and watching as they suddenly become solid shapes and objects out of thin air. The pressure to create “amazing“ work was alleviated and I was left with a thrilling experience every time I picked up my pencil.

~One day I finished a drawing with a blue diamond in the center and decided to color it. At the time I heavily avoided coloring out of fear but I decided to take the risk. When it was completed I was surprised at what I was able to accomplish in spite of the fear of ruining the piece. The colors were beautiful and vibrant, the shapes and figures reminiscent of objects in the real world mashed together to create something new, and there’s only one thought that came to mind, “Eye Candy“.~

~And so that brings us all here. Welcome to Eye Candy! :)~