My name is Ross Ciuppa…
…and I’m a digital artist, creative director and entrepreneur. Outer Eye Studios is my personal brand, under which I take commissions, produce original works and fan art, as well as provide educational content and tools for other digital artists, all while coexisting with an eldritch entity that freeloads off my psyche.
I create art and stories because doing so invigorates me, but digital art is also simply the best language I know to convey my thoughts, values, and experiences -to materialize them in a way that is compelling to others. Whether I’m creating content for myself, a client, or the masses, I hope that my art can inspire others to pursue their passions or perhaps see an aspect of their world in a different light.
Mission
To create art and stories that move people emotionally and/or philosophically as well as create content that inspires others to pursue or improve their careers in the digital art community.
My Story (the short version)
One of the earliest memories I can recall is drawing Spiderman and Venom at my kitchen table in New Jersey. For as long as I can remember, I have been attracted to art, at first in the form of fan art, replicating or re-imagining my favorite childhood icons like Spawn, Venom, Ganondorf, or Bowser, but later with the intention of bringing something original into the world: my own icons and stories. By the age of 12 I had firmly decided to pursue art as a career.
My initial objective was to create video-games, which is something I imagine crossed the minds of many millennial teens, but after later realizing the plethora of technical masteries required for the craft, I opted for a slightly less specialized route: animation. I graduated from The Art Institute of Virginia Beach with a BFA of Media Art and Animation, which set me on the path toward the three largest commitments of my life thus far: Creative Directing for a digital art studio called Epic Made, producing the SUPERNAL webcomic, and marrying my wife, Briana.
Now, in addition to those commitments, I plan to grow my name as an independent artist and get back to my roots of graphic illustration. I want to build a community around those same characters and stories that I loved as a kid, while educating and inspiring those who want to follow in my dream of adding new stories to the world, especially ones born of our common interests.