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I recently discovered Kimi Tallant, or KWT Designs, at one of the many art sales I’ve attended recently. Tallant’s pop culture illustrations were so fun and simple while still being able to tell the story of their subject that I got sucked right in. Tallant’s illustrations are minimal in that they don’t feature a lot of shading, they just allow the bold lines and colors to speak for themselves. When I first found her work, I was particularly drawn to a series of image collections that tell the stories of popular TV shows, I snagged myself an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia page. These posters are brilliant representations of the storytelling ability of Tallant’s work, her stylized illustrations of popular references from certain shows give the die-hard and casual fans alike an awesome piece of memorabilia. But Tallant’s work isn’t limited to just the page, her art is applied to a whole slew of products! She actually got her start in making enamel pins, which is super interesting because I can’t think of many artists who got their start in enamel pins, and she’s since expanded to shirts, stickers, postcards, beanies, and anything else you can think of! Her illustrations lend marvelously to the products they’re a part of. This stuff is just so cool, so it’s no surprise that she’s built a pretty solid following with her work! I could ramble on and on about the facets of Tallant’s work, but fortunately I don’t have to! I got to have a chat with her about her work, process, products and so much more. She gave a really great interview that I think will make you fall in love with the bad-assery that is her work! Enjoy! 1. I always like to begin by asking about background, so what got you started in art? Any schooling? Big inspirations? What shaped you into the artist that you are today? I have always considered myself an artist in some capacity, but didn't get serious about illustrating until I was in graduate school. I have an MFA in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design, which is where I was lucky enough to learn the bulk of my digital design and technical digital skills I needed to start KWT. Prior to focusing on illustration I cycled through a whole mess of things including poetry zines, home made body butters, wood burning and cross stitches before gaining a little traction with enamel pins and patches. 2. You've got a bold, unique illustration style. What helped form your illustrative styles? Were there any specific artistic inspirations that you built your style around? One of my biggest sources of inspiration for many years is the documentary Beautiful Losers and basically all the artists highlighted within it including Steven 'Espo' Powers, Margaret Kilgallen, Ed Templeton and Barry McGee (amongst so many others). I first watched that movie in undergrad and I think it was my first realization that you don't need to be a highly skilled, realistic artist to be able to be a successful artist. I've also always been inspired by graffiti and street artists and a whole mess of traditional tattoo artists, basically a whole mess of outsider and non traditional artists who are out there being persistent and doing the damn thing. 3. Your work is heavily driven by pop-culture, what first got you into utilizing pop-culture imagery in your work? Is it all just stuff you enjoy watching yourself? I say all the time that I just really love media, whether that be television shows, movies, books, music - I just eat all of it up. I'm really lucky to have a platform where I can create work that includes a mess of pop culture that I just love and get the chance to share that love with an audience who loves all of it too. 4. You've got a lot of work that's built around collections of images that come together to imply a narrative. How did these image collections come about? How do you decide the important factors of something (i.e. a show) that are included? When I put together my pop culture sheets it really is about a blend of surface level and obscure references so it could be a bit fun for the novice and hardcore fans alike. Generally when I'm starting one of my pop culture sheets I'll just start running through everything I can think of about a particular piece of pop culture and often end up watching through whatever I'm working on to try to think of more and more to add. It almost feels like a scavenger hunt and is always a ton of fun. 5. So building off of that, tell us about your general design process. How do your pieces start? Are your pieces rigorously planned out or do you allow things to organically come about? How much of your process is hand done vs. digital? Almost all of my pieces usually start with the smallest fragment of an idea or a dumb pun I thought was funny. I usually have the fraction of a visual idea rattling around my head when I think of a pun, but don't plan out too far until I actually sit down to start working on them which could be days or weeks later. The entire process is done digitally and often in one sitting when I finally give an idea some attention. I do have a couple projects I keep around that are a little less planned out such as my monthly subscription post card and skate deck designs. These projects I like to sit down and launch into without any forethought just to see where they take me which has been it's own fun and interesting challenge. 6. Your site says that one of the beginning factors of KWT was your work in enamel pin design and I find this very interesting as most artists land on enamel pins later in their creative ventures. So what were your beginnings in enamel pin design like? How did this play a factor in/develop into further creative ventures such as sticker making and screen printing? I generally count the start of KWT as when I released my first enamel pin, though the business was floating around in a lesser form for about two years prior to making them. My first success I found was making sassy cross stitches and selling them at local craft events. The more time I spent at these events the more I realized 'hey the artists in the scene I admire are making pins and patches, why can't I do that?' so I did. Starting to make pins was my first real dip into the world of product design and I definitely started seeing the art I was making in a totally different perspective trying to consider if someone would actually wear it. To my astonishment people started filling up backpacks and cork boards with dozens of my pin designs and I know without any of this validation and success I never would have had the confidence to start being more serious about what I was creating. Tee shirts were so daunting to me for many years because I never felt like I had quite enough to say to make them interesting, but after years of making teeny tiny pins it's been super refreshing to spread out a little bit and feel like I'm finding my voice as an artist. 7. As well as your many enamel pins, you've got an array of products, a lot of which are hand printed. Do you find that product design is a big part of your creative practice? Does your design process differ when making one product as opposed to another (ex. a sticker vs. a shirt)? If so how? I actually usually try not to consider what something may become before I start drawing it. I have general ideas of 'oh this might make a cool shirt', but I try not to let the medium that the finished product will appear on affect how I work on a piece. I've been finding it sort of fun to just get started and see where something takes me instead of trying to force it to fit into a format that I'm comfortable with working with. 8. A few pieces in your catalogue feature amazing illustrations over top of and interacting with real life, is this something that you plan on doing more of? Further, any new projects in the work that you're excited about? I had so much fun creating those pieces and using the city I love as inspiration for my work and I love running a business where I can divert to something radically different and still have it fit into my general catalog. I'm not sure I'll keep working in that style, but it's always fun to get the chance to do something new and exciting to get my enthusiasm stirred up for my work again. I'm lucky that I tend to feel equally excited about all new projects and ideas as they roll through and I have so much good stuff cooking behind the scenes constantly. 9. You're very active in the art market scene, that's how I found your work after all. How important has this local art scene been to the development of your art career? How important has it been in the growth of your rather large following? I truly would not be here without my local art scene. It never gets old being able to have a face to face interaction with my customers (and it also never gets old meeting online followers in the real world!) and I know I would not have found half the success I did if it weren't for the connections I made with other artists in the community at these events. The Philly art scene is so wonderful and I'm really happy to have the chance to get out into the real world and put a real face on the work and business I'm building. The exposure and audience I've gained from it all is just an added bonus! 10. Finally, PLUGS! Where can people find your work? Any shows/events coming up? Anything and everything you'd like to share and everywhere people can find your work, fire away! You can find me mainly over on my Instagram @kwtallantdesigns which is where I post any and all updates, along with my website kwtdesigns.com. I'm always out and about vending, this spring you can find me at the Trenton, Asbury Park + Philly Punk Rock Flea Markets, along with a bunch of others that will be announced as they pop up. I also recently started expanding my biz to include a whole range of custom commission work including pins, shirts, illustrations, logos, album covers, etc! More info about that can be found on my website.

I am trying something new this week with interviews! :o I decided to start interviewing a few artists friends but not in the traditional format. I am asking them questions related to their art, and instead of answering me with words, they will be drawing quick illustrations depicting their interpretation of the question. The drawings are 2-5 minutes procreate sketches (iPad) and the interview is done in person. My first interviewee is a close friend and peer, @nateomancy. < click here to I will ask him a few questions (in bold) in which he will respond with illustrations. Who are you? What's your biggest fear as an artist? How was your day? Draw the first thing that comes to mind Draw a monster Draw a two-color design Draw a three-color geometric design Draw your "family tree" Follow Nate's instagram:

Clean, simple and bold imagery brought off of the surface by a limited color palette with a lot of pop is what drew me to the work of Gina Scamuffa. Another art market find, shouts PHILA MRKT, I first noticed Scamuffa’s colors from across the room. The imagery was pushed so far off of the page by the contrast between heavy black and soft pink that before I could even make out the image I had a vested interest. Once I got into the imagery I was not disappointed either, Scamuffa takes a dive into the human form in a variety of manners but almost always in a way that pushes us to disregard what society marks as flaws and accept that our bodies are beautiful. Powerful, fun, and even whimsical (a descriptor I used in a question that I liked so much for her work, I’m using it here too) Scamuffa’s work uses powerful symbolism to break our understanding of reality and show that no matter what there is beauty within what we see. The imagery in Scamuffa’s work and the reflection of bodies is heavily rooted in the concept of mental health and how so often mental illness can skew how we see ourselves. Scamuffa gave great insight as to why this is a recurring theme in her work and what it means to her. She’s got some awesome work and gave a really great look into some of the deeper meanings behind it. Enjoy! 1. I always like to open by asking about background, so what got you started in art? Any schooling? Big inspirations? What helped shape you into the artist that you are today? Art has always been a big part of my life. It’s something that I truly enjoy, and has definitely become an outlet for a lot of the inner workings of my brain. I studied art at Rowan University, and ended up getting my BFA in graphic design. I think having a foundation in design really helped to develop my style and apply what I learned towards my illustrations. I was also lucky enough to receive a scholarship to study abroad in Florence Italy while I was in school, which was amazing beyond words. Having the opportunity to live in a city that is so immersed in art history was incredibly humbling and inspiring. 2. You've got a distinct illustrative style that presents your subjects (often the human body) in a powerful, fun, and sometimes whimsical way. What inspired your illustrative style? How does your work begin? What brings about the imagery in each piece? I draw inspiration from so many places. Pulling from history, the Renaissance, Post Impressionist, and Surrealist movements have always been a huge inspiration to me. Artists like Bosch, Van Gogh, and Dalí all visualized the world around them in radically different & innovative ways for their respective time periods. I’m also super into comics and animation. These mediums allow creators to really lean into the fantasy elements of their stories, which I love. Most of my work usually starts with a weird idea that won’t stop rattling around in my head until I get it on paper. I enjoy pulling inspiration from real life, and twisting it slightly to make the viewer have to question what they’re looking at. 3. The "Bodies art Beautiful" theme is a recurring one in your work and it adds a lot of power to your imagery. How does work like this differ from your more whimsical illustrations? How is it similar? Is there any process differences for designing these works? I think the core of a lot of my work is rooted in mental health. I end up drawing bodies because they’re an extension of the mind. How you view yourself is often warped when you’re struggling with a mental illness, and it’s something that a lot of people deal with every day. Being open and honest about your physical and mental well being is hard when it’s stigmatized by so many people. This type of work is very personal to me, and I can only hope that it makes someone else feel like they’re not alone. 4. Your more recent work has been predominantly black with subtle splashes of pink, what inspired this limited color palette? Is there a narrative meaning that separates this from your more full colored work? I recently participated in Inktober, which is a daily drawing challenge for the month of October. I tried to simplify the color palette so that I could focus more on the illustrations themselves, rather than being bogged down by a full color rendering. It was mostly just for fun, but it ended up turning into a little series of its own. When I was in school, my printmaking class held a “dusk till dawn” night once a semester where we stayed up all night and made art. There’s something about being pushed to be creative under pressure that leads to some cool work you might not have stumbled upon otherwise. That being said, burnout is also a real thing that you should take seriously. Pushing yourself is good, but not if it sacrifices your health or mental well being! 5. I stumbled upon your work at the Phila MRKT and your feed shows that you're quite active in the local art market scene, how important has this been to not only your art career but your art style? Living in Philly and becoming more involved in local events has been such a big part of my growth as an artist. Philly has such a thriving art scene full of talented creatives that support and encourage each other. I owe so much of my success to all of the friends and connections I’ve made here. I try to participate in shows and markets whenever I can, and have seriously loved getting to know more and more people in the art community. 6. Finally, PLUGS! Where can people find your work? Any shows/events coming up? Anything and everything that you'd like to share and everywhere people can find your work, fire away! I post the most regularly on my Instagram @scamuffastudios. Any new projects or upcoming events I have going on will be there! I also sell some prints, pins & stickers at etsy.com/shop/scamuffastudios.

if you are an artist you most likely have artist friends who want to create with you :) the awesome thing about having friends who are also artists is that you can create together, in any medium, and the energy between two creative friends is unmatched. last night, my friend Nate Hissong and I (@ nateomancy on instagram) collaborated on a document we did in Procreate on his iPad. we used the same materials and the same medium and just mashed our two styles together to create something super cool. it is good practice for creative problem solving and intuitive designing. do yourself a favor if you are in a creative drought---collaborate!

Recently, while at a show opening, I was strolling through the collections from previous shows and I came across this large photo of what appeared to be a masked man screaming. Something about this photo really sucked me in, I couldn’t stop looking at it. There was just something about the haunting nature of the character, the framing of the scene, and editing that made me want to see more. So I hunted down the artist, whose name seemed equally as ominous as the work, and that’s when I found Brian Sheehan, aka LGRDMN. The body of work I found was truly impressive, immersive, and diverse. Sheehan has two sides of his work that come together to form one fascinating portfolio. On one hand, he’s got a collection of photos just like the one I was so drawn to at the gallery and these are a brilliant combination of artistic elements. Sheehan creates, or collaborates with other artists to create, all of the costumes in the photos which are highlighted by these really freaky masks. The photos are representations of, what seem to be, wild performances that show these characters going nuts or being spooky, often in the real world. The photos are just so fascinating, they range from highly edited to almost no alterations and the more you look at them, the more that’s revealed whether it’s the subtleties of the character, the environments or lack thereof, and the push/pull between the two. Deeper into the work of Sheehan is a series of designs that take all of the elements I mentioned in his photo work and push them beyond the realms of reality, creating these detailed and mind melting works. The macabre nature of the photos is pushed even further when the structure and realm of reality is melted in this design work. Yet no matter how wild the design gets, it’s still so clean and crisp. Sheehan blends and breaks the elements and sections of his design so well that no matter how layered or intricate they get, it never feels busy or overdone. I could ramble on about the ins and outs of Sheehan’s work because I’m entranced by it since finding it, but I was fortunate enough to get to talk with him about the nuances of his work. We dove into the details of creating his photo work, how he builds and pushes elements of his photo in design, and a whole lot more. He gave tremendous insight into his work and all that he’s got going on and it was a great interview. Take a deep dive into this wild and crazy work and enjoy the interview! 1. I always open with the background, so what got you into art? Any schooling? Big inspirations? What helped shape you into the artist you are today? There is an early memory of my mother telling me to "draw it yourself." I remember asking her to draw me different characters/ creatures from the books and comics I was into growing up. Maybe around 7, I traced my first T-Rex out of a Jurassic Park book. Over the years I've gotten away from the illustration, and more dependent on photography. Though, I still wouldn't consider myself a photographer. It's just simply the dominant medium being exhibited. Sometime down the line and started playing in bands. I always listened to music visually. With that came the need for flyers, t-shirt design, and album art. Again, with the help of more adept peers, taught myself Photoshop and later additional programs from the suite. I was falling out of love with illustration and more drawn to manipulating photography. Crude, public domain, vintage photos Id scavenge and cut/ collage together. Inevitably it became restricting and frankly, kind of lame. I started shooting on my phone (people, statues, textures) until buying a used camera from my roommate at the time. Everything I do now is attempting to combine (almost) all of my interests into one form. Costume/ prop making, poetic, surreal storytelling, photography, graphic design, performance art, etc. 2. You've got quite a unique style that's built largely around the use of characters and masks. How did you begin developing this style? Was there any inspiration specifically to the look? How has your work with these subject types developed? The classic horror films (Universal Monsters, Hammer, the silent greats, Godzilla), countless more contemporary films from the 80s and 90s were probably my biggest influence. Eventually you want to create your own. I started working at haunted attractions at the end of high school. It really changed the way I perceived what art can be. Performative, character design and craft, and spontaneous. I had the good fortune of more adept friends who were kind enough to show me techniques and help make things physical. 3. Are you hand making all of the costumes that you use in your photo shoots? Are they made specifically for a certain shoot or do you just make a costume and build the set around it? For the most part.I prefer to use my own pieces unless full permission from the maker/ artist has been granted. I've done some collaborative stuff with other makers and friends. Missy (MM Fabrications) has had me out to LA a few times now to collaborate. I try to leave as much room for experimentation during the shoots. I'll often have specific items in mind for certain models. However, the more impromptu sessions end up being more fortuitous. 4. It seems as though your photo shoots are almost more performance than shoot, are you working with a model for these shoots? Are you doing any of the performing? What is the actual shooting process like when you've got these characters maneuvering around a space? Yes, I've been taking a more voyeuristic approach. Falling back in love with long exposure after a couple years away. For me, it helps tell the narrative in a more dramatic way. Working with different people gets different results. I try to keep it as collaborative as possible without compromising my aesthetic. Aside from that, I don't want to reveal too much about the process. 5. For your more straight up photo work, how much editing and manipulating are you doing? Is there any variation in the editing for when something is just released digitally vs. when it's sent to print? What do you typically? It depends. Gravitating more towards the photography these last couple of years and keeping the manipulation/ digital painting/ collage secondary. 6. Moving into your design work, how do you maintain the style of your photo work in these more elaborate and crazy designs that sort of push the boundaries of both mediums? Thanks for saying so! I do graphic design & photography for a living. My "day job" is designing licensed apparel for retailers. Both brick and mortar as well as online storefronts. I come home, and dive right into the freelance and personal work. Design is an immense aspect to the work and how it's presented. Again, my art is me attempting to encompass all of my interests. 7. A lot of your design is pushing certain photo elements with illustration elements, how do you go about this process? How do you push real life elements into design and stretch the boundaries of reality? Is it a rigidly planned process or do you just allow the work to present itself to you? Both! Most of it is trial by fire but some pieces just manifest on their own. Sometimes the narrative comes before the visual piece and vice versa. Working digitally opens new doors I wasn't able to experiment with when I was illustrating. 8. You've got a very limited/muted color palette in your work, how do you decide if/when you include color? How do you decide when to add the few vibrant colors that you use? It's really just comes down to my preference each time. I try not to do everything grey scale, but try not to add color just for the sake of it. Subtle reds/ crimson adorning the grey scale usually hits the sweet spot. While there are some cases in which color is an intentional part of the narrative, it's often just an aesthetic preference. Growing up on black and white films steered me into the unsaturated realm. I've always been drawn to it's overly dramatic characteristics. 9. You've also got an array of client work, how does your design process change when working for someone? Do people have an idea of what they're getting when they approach you or do you have to lay that out for them? It's both. The best are the clients with little to no guidelines. It's why I can't establish flat rates. Every project is different and the price fluctuates based on the creative freedom, deadlines, and if there is too specific of a concept to where I'm just being someone's hand. All are good and I welcome any commission. I just can't do them all. Band artwork is kind of my bread and butter and I'm honored to add the visual to the audible. Would love to do more work for movies, books, games, etc. Have been getting a lot of requests for video work over the years. Finally getting comfortable with it and planning to do more in the not so distant future. 10. Finally, Plugs! Where can people find your work? Any shows/events coming up? Anything you'd like to share and anywhere people can find your work, fire away! My friend Nate (Red Devil Made This) and I just launched our new art collective "The C.O.I.N." and announced chapter II of our immersive art exhibition Cagliostro. A DIY, immersive art exhibition taking place in a historic 19th century haunted house, transformed into a gallery space for one night only. https://facebook.com/events/544609069429124/?ti=as Will also have work in the 2020 edition of Detroit's Dirty Show. https://www.facebook.com/TheDirtyShow/ The Catacomb Saints Exhibition in San Antonio, TX 02/22/2020. https://www.facebook.com/events/453448245469147/ Performing with my band, Fell Ruin, as well as vending my art at Shadow Frost Music & Arts Festival 2020 in Fredrick, MD. We will be doing a few dates in route to be announced soon. https://www.facebook.com/events/319480581997089/ Will be announcing a show curated by Gretchen Heinel in Nyack, NY April/ May 2020. A few other projects in the works that I can't really reveal yet. Also, planning to release my second book sometime 2020. Work is already well underway. Links: https://lgrdmn.com/ https://www.instagram.com/legerdemain_art/ https://www.facebook.com/LGRDMN/ https://lgrdmn.bigcartel.com/ https://darkartandcraft.com/collections/legerdemain-brian-sheehan Fell Ruin https://fellruin.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/FELLRUIN/ https://www.instagram.com/fellruin/ The CO.I.N. https://www.thecoinlives.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thecoinlives/ https://www.facebook.com/TheCoinLives/

Now I am not the most knowledgable on the rules of design or branding. For this reason it is uncommon that I reflect on album art. However this one is an image that many people are familiar with and one that I can't quite get out of my head. It is the album cover for Brand New's 2006 release titled, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. For this review I am going to separate the image from the music project; this may infuriate some designers out there but let's do it anyway. This is an image made famous by the band Brand New and has recirculated recently in the form of memes across social media. In my opinion the work deserves much more praise for its own successes as a stand alone shot. As someone more so interested in painting and sculpture than photography, I would like to approach it in the sense of spacing, color, composition, and conceptual fuel. What we see: Anchoring the piece are three figures. A small, female child. Arranged in position mimicking the exterior of what appears to be an older home. Dull colors accenting the major players of dark and light. The dark outfits seem like blaring signals of complexity in each of the characters. Where the light, in the form of faded, paint chipped, white walls, acts a divider both visually and physically with the spacing of characters along it. While the girl comes off as the protagonist, I am much more interested in the two taller figures to the right. They are ominous. Maybe due to the black hoods/coats, and skeleton masks. One stands relaxed hands in the pocket, no sense of the girls just around the corner. The other stands with staggered feet. Splitting his attention between his counterpart and the potential of someone coming around the corner. For this figure the information being shared is sensitive, private. The girl and the masked figures also fall on the rule of thirds lines. As well as the corner of the wall splitting the picture plane almost directly in half. What we gather: There is a feeling of false security in visual separation. The girl naively stumbles upon a conversation while standing just out of site of the speakers. One figure feels no threat of being "caught". The other is aware that someone may be listening and is cautious of the information that they let slip. The piece touches on communication. The are always barriers that block truly open conversation, whether that be our own insecurity to divulge sensitive details, our inhibitions to be vulnerable or confrontational. We cling to physical barrier to assure safety in our expression. Here we see the adults exploiting the girl's naivety to hide from her. The use of the corner to visually separate. And lastly the literally mask they wear to not show face. Even with all these barriers at work, a message is still expressed. We can imagine that the girl can hear what they are saying. Maybe she doesn't comprehend but the communication is there, just fuzzy. Out of sight. Out of mind. But within earshot.

Ever heard about the Law of Attraction? basically it is the belief that we are acting as human magnets sending out our thoughts and emotions and attracting back more of what we have put out. Simply put, the Law of Attraction is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. It is believed that regardless of age, nationality or religious belief, we are all susceptible to the laws which govern the Universe, including the Law of Attraction. It is the Law of Attraction which uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality. In basic terms, all thoughts turn into things eventually. If you focus on negative doom and gloom you will remain under that cloud. If you focus on positive thoughts and have goals that you aim to achieve you will find a way to achieve them with massive action. (http://www.thelawofattraction.com/what-is-the-law-of-attraction/) obviously, this is not a magical cure-all for all of your problems, some things cannot be manifested. but most things can! it is not news that hard work and dedication to your craft is the most likely way to become successful. the future does not exist yet. it is whatever you want it to be.

I had an interesting conversation with someone close to me who works in a creative field about the oppressive nature of some firms and I thought it brought about an interesting point, one that I’d like to share with you all. Basically what we deduced that when a creative firm is established, it can be built as a collaborative environment or a controlling environment. Based on what type of environment the people in charge establish and promote, they tell a lot about who they want to hire, who will want to apply, and what types of freedoms those people will have once they’re hired. The funny thing that came out of this was a realization of how much the name tells about a firm. I’ll lay it out through an example, let’s create two hypothetical firms: one we’ll call Johnson & Smith Creatives and we’ll call the other World Creatives. Can you tell right away which of those seems like the more collaborative environment? World Creatives, right? When you apply to work for a firm or group like this you get the sense that you’re joining a collective, a group of people working together to push the limits and ideas of your creative field. Something like World Creatives sounds like an idea, an idea that doesn’t assign merit based on silly things like age and allows all people to offer their best. A name like Johnson & Smith is great for something like a law firm because that’s a field where merit and value can be easily defined by experience, it’s more of a linear field. But when working creatively, people can offer great ideas or value at any age or experience level, so slapping them under an oppressive name like Johnson & Smith only shows them that they’ll never be Johnson or Smith and that their value is only decided by those figures because any credit they earn goes to the people at the top. Experience equaling value or talent is a really archaic way of thinking and people starting firms that blatantly assign themselves to the top of the food chain is even more so. The problem with this is, first, that you’re not working adaptively. One of the biggest reasons that I think places like this become so oppressive is because the people in charge are afraid to adapt or update their ways, so they instead stifle growth and development. The other big problem is that places like this don’t breed great creatives, they end up producing people who are experts at one job in one place. These people aren’t great, say, graphic designers, they’re great graphic designers at Johnson & Smith because they’ve been glued to a framework and have only learned how to make work that appeases what Johnson & Smith like. I think that even down to the name, creative fields need to seek a collaborative environment. If you crush the aspirations of your employees all the way down to the name of your firm, then you’re not going to get the best out of them. Promote an idea, one that constantly develops and grows inside of an environment that promotes development and growth! Now I’m not saying that all “name and name,” workplaces in the creative world are oppressive, but I am saying that if you establish yourself as “name and name,” then a lot of people won’t want to work with you because that firm doesn’t sound collaborative. Those people will never be name A or B so why establish that, we should be wanting to build an environment that inspires growth and where everyone involved, no matter the level of employment, is a collective part of that growth.

Michele Scott is one hell of a clean designer and illustrator. I just recently ran into this guy’s work at one of the countless craft markets that I’ve been attending recently, shout out PHILA MRKT! I was initially drawn in by his fun, diverse, and very Philly illustration style but when I did a deeper dive into his work, the design and incredibly professional display made me want to see and hear more about it all. Scott’s got a series of trippy cartoons that can tell all sorts of stories, he does some bad-ass illustrations over actual images that are shockingly immersive, and he can apply his work to some clean but still exceptionally engaging design. Equal parts trippy, funny, elaborate, and exciting, Scott’s work is definitely a treat to look at in all forms. I was incredibly excited to interview Scott not only because I loved his work but because the energy that he put into it was contagious. The energy and character in this interview is just a peek into the same energy that’s put into this awesome body of work. There’s lots of talented artists out there but an artist with truly inspiring passion is tough to come by and I think this is one of those rare occurrences. Enjoy the read and be sure to check out all that Scott has going on! 1. So to start off I always ask about background, so what got you into art? Schooling? Big inspirations? What shaped you into the artist that you are today? Honestly what got me into art was mainly the ability to draw at an early age. I don’t necessarily believe in “destiny” but I’m not very good at many things and have always been drawn (haha) to art, painting, sculptures, bright colors, funny looking objects and cartoons, like the simpsons. I remember winning some art shows in elementary, middle school, and high school and was obsessed with Keith Haring, the Looney Tunes, superhero comic book characters, and stand up comedy. I actually think stand up comedy had a huge part in my personality and growth as an illustrator mainly because, even when I’m not trying to be funny, my illustrations have an inherent comedic feel to them, that a lot of people seem to notice. So did music, it feels weird working on any artistic things without music playing. So I would say my biggest inspirations would be Steve Martin, J. Cole, Keith Haring, local illustrators (Like Keith Greiman, Loveis Wise, Mario Zucca), and my brother. He’s a dentist, but he’s been wanting to be a dentist since 8th grade and got his bachelor's, masters, and then 4 years of dental school (10 years total). Just to be a dentist. That’s probably the most determined anyone has ever been to be a dentist, and determination and persistence inspire me. So all of that, plus various life experiences have made me into the current human flesh sac that somehow stumbles his way through every situation in life. But obviously great artists, whether it’s illustration, music, comedy, etc. are going to be great inspirations for any artist. But I think the most underrated inspiration is family. I already mentioned my brother but my whole family inspires me. It’s a different kind of inspiration. They inspire me to be great because of everything they’ve done for me and because they believe in me. When you love your family it’s very unconditional I think. But at the same time for everything they do for me I wish I could return in double. The only reason I’d want to be super rich and have that kind of success is so I could pay for my sisters school and pay for my parents retirement and what not. My sister is a huge reason for me to keep going and pushing even when it’s tough. She’s only 16 but there’s something about her that you know she’s going to do great things. So any guidance or assistance I can provide I will always. My brother is like my best friend. When I retire and our wives die I want to buy a house with him and just watch the Sixers for the rest of our lives. My parents are huge for me. I don’t know where they rank on the list of best parents but I’d put them up there. Maybe they’re really low though, my dad did kick me in the balls once. I love them so much. My dad is filled with mystic sarcastic wisdom. He’s always been there for me, he’s a very comforting presence for me. Definitely more confident confronting life things with him in my corner. My mom is insane. Which makes sense because I am also insane. The older I grow the more I’m turning into my mom. We constantly butt heads and argue but I still love her and have most respect for her. She’s one of the coolest and smartest people I know and has allowed me always to be myself and appreciated my weirdness. She always thinks I’m super intelligent and have the potential to do amazing things and having someone who relentlessly believes in you is a powerful thing. I owe her and my family everything. Also my girlfriend. She’s the best and I love her very much. She gets me through the individual days and weeks. She’s the stability I need in my chaotic never stopping schedule and brain. She knows me way more than I think and always has my back. And she always tells me when something shouldn’t be happening or someone is being rude and I don’t realize it, like that John Mulaney joke about his girlfriend. 2. You've got quite a distinct illustrative style, so what were the big inspirations that brought about your style? How does your work begin and develop? Well comedy and humor play a huge role in my work. I like to be funny and I like to laugh and be goofy and it shows in my work a lot. Also literature! I don’t really read that much and paragraphs intimidate me, which is ironic because I apparently answer in paragraphs. But I loved books that personified objects, I believe Dr. Suess did that a lot. He would just put a face on a car and all of a sudden you have a character in a story that doesn’t really need to be there or shouldn’t really? But the thought process of personifying inanimate objects resonated with me and I can’t stop doing it. I’ll put a face on anything. So I guess Dr. suess is another big inspirational figure for me. Mainly his work, don’t know much about the actual guy. I’ve heard he wasn’t that great. My work always begins with sketching and conceptualizing. It’s the best part. I’ll come up with 5 to 15 to 30 ideas until there’s that glorious moment. I don’t know what to call it. It’s like a click and it makes me feel fuzzy, warm, smart and smile. That’s when I know I’ve got something special. After that I create the final product and hope the client loves it or my online audience loves it. But how a project begins and develops can change depending on the medium and what it’s for. The most important thing is to keep drawing and coming up with ideas. I make lists and my list for ideas/concepts for illustrations or illustration projects is 30+ right now. It’s like student debts. It keeps growing and I keep making small dents in it. There’s not enough time to keep up with all the ideas and stuff. Oh well. 3. You also work in design, but your illustrative style is still very present in this work. So how does the design experience and process differ from the process of making your illustrations? How do you keep your style in-tact enough that the work represents the message of your client but also represents you as a designer? Wow, that’s tough to answer. Keeping the two separate is actually quite hard, yet not many people see me as both. People/friends mainly know me as only an illustrator or designer. When I approach my design work, things are always a little bit harder with clients because it’s more about exactly what they want. So I actually try to approach the conceptualizing stage in design the same way I do in illustrations for a client. That can be a lot tougher because my illustrations have a distinct style so clients have some sort of idea of what they’re going to get. Clients love knowing what they’re going to get. It’s natural. The same reason I would sneak into my parent’s room to find Christmas presents. I want to know if I'm getting something cool and good and what I wished for. In design you definitely have to take some blows. Sometimes you have to give the client exactly what they want. But it can be really fun and exciting working under so many restrictions. I think it creates a neat path for your creative thoughts. Sometimes it just sucks though. But no matter whether it’s a client via illustration or design I love using my style, thought process and personality to help bring someone’s vision, business, or whatever it may be to life. It doesn’t always pay well but money sucks and this shit is fun. But always make sure you’re working for a respectable rate at least. 4. You feature a lot of animations in both your illustration and design work, is this an important aspect of the presentation of your work? Is animation something that you'd like to push further in your work? I’ve been trying to get more into animation and motion graphics. It’s hard and frustrating at times. I have all the elements to create something awesome in front of me but I have to learn a bunch of programs from scratch and it takes a while. I’m always practicing and trying to get better at animating. I use after effects and do a lot of stuff by hand, and recently got an apple pencil and procreate which allows me to create some cool quick animations. I do really want to get into character animating. Right now life is very busy and trying to get everything in order takes up a lot of my time but if it’s something I want to learn and personally think is crucial to some of the things I want to do in the future I’ll definitely learn it some day. The design part of me is so much more driven to learn while the illustration part of me is like “I just wanna draw some cool shit”, I have to get that same mentality in learning more how to animate my characters. I recently discovered this artist James Dybvig and they’re animation stuff is insane, I’d love to be that good someday. But I’m happy with the small amount of animations/motion graphics i’ve done so far. My roommates and I are actually working on a show/cartoon. It may never get created but we have a whole backstory, concept and characters so hopefully we do something with it some day. Another idea on the list. 5. The quality, presentation, and overall development of your work is extremely advanced so what's next for you? Any big plans in terms of illustration or design? Are you looking to pursue one path more so than the other? Truthfully I see myself more as an illustrator. I love design but it really comes down to the fact that I illustrate for fun. Like for no reason at all sometimes. The enjoyment is pure for me. Design feels like a really engaging hobby. Being in the design community and working as a designer exposes me to the awesome new programs and new features on adobe programs that can elevate my illustration work and efficiency. But also I just love branding. That’s the best part of design. I definitely am looking to grow as both but obviously I’d love to be just an illustrator one day. I’d love to incorporate my illustrations in the branding process for companies. Like Keith Shore does the branding for Mikkeller beer. But I’m looking to grow as an artist/illustrator and spreading my style through more than just the digital medium. I want to go back to painting, watercolor, and charcoal; that’s where it all began. I want to get into animations, 3-D printing characters, sculpture, murals, etc. Like I said lots of ideas, not enough time. But I will get as much as I can get done. 6. Finally, PLUGS! Where can people find your work? Any shows/events coming up? Anything and everything you'd like to promote and everywhere people can find your work, fire away! You can find a lot of my work on insta at @m.scooot and on my website mscottstudio.com! I recently just did my first art market and it was a blast, so I'll be trying to part of those more often but nothing concrete yet. There might be a couple coming up but I can’t 100% confirm yet...so follow me on insta and you’ll find out where to find me soon enough. A shop on my website is also in the works so you can purchase all my goodies. I’m pretty busy with some freelance work right now, for privacy sake I won’t mention who the clients are but it’s definitely not the Prime Minister of Sweden...I am totally open for commissions so hit me up on insta or hello@mscottstudio.com and lets work together! I am also just starting to work on a show. It’s still in the conceptualizing stage but will be focused around the concept of home, in general and personal. It will have paintings, prints, watercolors, 3-D elements, etc. I’m hoping to have that by the end of the summer or next fall. Still figuring things out but the art has begun! So again follow me on insta to see when that will be happening. I’ll also be holding some prize insta post things soon so be on the lookout for that as well. I don’t know if i should have a catchphrase for the end of interviews but here’s mine: Papa John isn’t real.

15 breaths early, If you had been born just 15 breaths earlier, how many of your decisions would have been the same. If the walls of the hospital had been painted Italian Villa instead of White Dogwood, would you be a little more angry, or been a slightly more confident singer? 15 breaths before a man in New Jersey tried to leave a bar without paying, a cat in Flagstaff, Arizona sneezed. The cat had never had a name, and had never noticed that it didn’t have a name. The walls were painted Manila Tint in the laundry room it had been born in.

Dylan Garrett-Smith was one of the first artists that I really remember noticing as I began exploring the Philadelphia art scene a couple of years ago. The detail of his work is fascinating as he typically builds his imagery with white on black and creates detail with negative space in white shapes. It’s a really interesting effect because I think if you inverted the colors a lot of the depth in the work might fall away, so while the white on black is visually enticing it’s also deliberate. Another thing that makes the stylings of Garrett-Smith’s work so striking is that he can apply it to macabre and brutal imagery or soft and delicate imagery and place details in a way that plays to both. When an artist can develop a style that’s not only visually exciting but can be manipulated to work with a range of imagery it’s truly impressive and always leaves the viewer wanting more. Needless to say, over the years I’ve become a big fan of Garrett-Smith’s work. Whether it’s the hooded characters shrouded in roots and bones or the owls soaring with a quiet beauty, I’ve always been impressed by his body of work. So, I was thrilled to get to do an interview with him to get to hear about his process, development of work, and so much more. He gave great answers and an all around engaging interview that I can’t thank him enough for. We hope you enjoy! 1. So to start, I always like to ask about people's beginnings in art. What got you into art? Any Schooling? What got you started and developed you into the artist you are today? When I was a young kid growing up in the DIY punk scene, I wasn’t very good at playing guitar or being in bands, (even though I tried) but I started designing for bands that my friends, my brother, and I were in. Eventually, I went to Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn, NY and graduated in 2010 with my BFA in printmaking. 2. You've got a very specific style, a lot of dark and macabre imagery, what are some of the big inspirations that developed your style? Visually, the biggest and earliest inspirations for me were Pushead, Alan Forbes, friends like Paul Romano and Jeremy Hush, and punk, but as the years have gone on, the French Symbolists of the 19th century like Odilon Redon and Austin Osman Spare have been incredibly inspirational. 3. Staying on that subject, what inspires your imagery? Your work features a lot of recurring subjects (bones, roots, crows, etc.) so how do you decide how these images relate to one another in each piece? I have an internal visual dictionary where every object is a metaphor that means something specific to me. Sometimes they’re easy to articulate, but other times, they’re too personal for me to be able to describe, or the emotions might not yet have names in the language I know. Everything is very personal and narrative-driven; and on occasion, the meanings behind pieces evolve over time as a result of my experiences, my distance from those experiences, or the things time allows you to learn about your past experiences. 4. You work with an extremely limited color palette, mostly black and gray, what made you want to stick with this aesthetic? And what inspires, or deserves the small splashes of color that you do include? I get incredibly excited about how colors play with each other and how deceitful they can be. A lot can hide in and behind color, but there is something raw and unforgiving about black and white; that’s where I like to explore and experiment with texture, light, etc. Occasionally, a piece will ask for color, so we take that journey together, but not everything needs color to convey what I want or how I feel. 5. I'm interested to hear about your process? How does each piece start and develop to finish? I write a lot, some of which I choose to publish like in my last book, “All is Equal in the Eyes of Dirt”, but I often translate those emotions, narratives, and experiences through that internal visual dictionary and begin telling a story through those metaphors. I take a lot of notes, I create thumbnail sketches, then I’ll make a finished sketch, transfer the image to black paper, and begin creating the final piece before scanning, editing, and getting it ready for print. Once I have it ready for print, I can either send the image off to my client or if it’s a personal piece, I have transparent films made, and I get to my basement where I can burn my screens and print everything up. 6. Your work has spanned many surfaces, so continuing on the subject of process how does your process differ when just making a print as opposed to a shirt or banner? Does it differ at all? The only difference is the surface I’m printing on. The illustration and editing process is the exact same, but some images would rather be shirts, some banners, etc. 7. You've created an array of promotional work for events, bands, etc. How does working with a client alter your creative experience? Do you go back and forth with them a lot or do you like to just do what you do with what they give you? Or does it vary? I’m very honest with clients as far as ideas and concepts go: sometimes they are too close to the material to make the best decisions for the project. They might tell me what they want, but I’m able to show them what they need. And having that creative freedom is going to provide the best outcome for the project while allowing for my best work to be created. When you’re hiring an artist, you’re not just hiring a pair of hands. You need to trust their mind, their process, their vision – that’s what you hired them for. Let them do what they do best. After working with over 120 bands, brands, record labels, etc. it’s a rare occasion that a client isn’t willing to put their trust in me, but that’s also because I don’t work with people that aren’t willing to give me the creative freedom to make my best work. 8. You've done a lot of work outside of your illustrations (design, photography, film, etc.) and there are sprinklings of it in your feeds here or there, but not a lot. Could you tell me a little bit about your experiences in the other creative fields you've ventured in? And how (if at all) they impacted your illustration work? I don’t think we should think of ourselves as illustrators or painters or designers; we’re artists. And sometimes an idea for a piece needs to be an illustration, sometimes it asks to be portrayed photographically, or through film, or sculpture, or whatever. I want to make my work however it needs to be made. 9. Any new adventures or avenues that you're planning on heading down with your work? This year, I want to focus a lot more on writing and film projects. I released my first short film this year at two film festivals and have plans on doing more. Again, some concepts and ideas ask to be made in different ways, and the narratives I’ve been writing and thinking about just wouldn’t translate as a single illustrated image. And if any venues are willing to give me full freedom to get wild in their space, I’d love to create more immersive, experiential exhibitions/installations. 10. PLUGS! Tell us where people can find you! Any events coming up? Anything and everything, share it all! I’m keeping events to a minimum this year so I can focus more on my work rather than on traveling, since the last few years have been nonstop. But I’ll still be releasing new prints monthly through my friends at Deathwish Inc., next month, I’ll be releasing my second poetry collection, “Sad Fuck”, along with some new prints and things, and I have a lot of other fun projects planned for the future. Keep an eye (or two, if you’re so lucky) on my instagram (@dylanxvx) and my website (dylangarrettsmith.com) to see what I’m up to! And if you have a band, venue, record label, brand, vegan restaurant, etc. and would like to work with me, feel free to email me at dylanxvx@live.com I wish the best for everyone in the new year!

Way back at the turn of the 20th century, some people thought that painting would cease to exist due the creation and growing accessibility of the camera. It was a legitimate concern as well because painting up until that point had been used largely to represent important things like portraits of the elite, but with cameras a lot of the same things could be represented faster, cheapear, and generally more efficiently. However, painters took this opportunity to display their creative excellence as they forged new styles and techniques of painting that were elegant, visually enticing, and unique to the vision of each artist. Abstraction and new styles of painting were born because simple representation in painting was falling by the wayside and artists needed to explore the medium and find new ways to make it exciting. But, and there always seems to be a but with art, even as cameras became the primary means of important representation and painting drifted further from representation, the realism movement was born and rose to prominence. Realism was a painting movement founded in France in the mid-1800’s and it was built around the rejection of Romanticism. The Romantic movement was very decorative, elaborate, and it exaggerated the drama of what was being represented, so the Realists wanted to return to simplicity. Realism was focused on depicting unidealized scenes of life, all classes of people doing everyday things. The events in realist paintings are not overly exciting, they’re not very decorative, but the composition, depiction, and overall skill that went into creating them was what really struck the viewers. Isn’t it crazy that even though cameras were pushing representational out people were still praising realist painting? Even though cameras have become the primary use of representing life, people have always strived to recreate life through some other artistic means. Although contemporary art has leaned towards the more abstract for the last 50 or so years, there’s been a rise in art accessibility and viewership. I always praise Instagram for the way that it made art accessible, gave a bunch more people the ability to share their work on a grander scale, and made a hell of a lot more people realize that they liked art to some degree. With this rise in art viewership outside of the traditional gallery or scholarly setting I’ve noticed a rise in popularity in one particular art style that hadn’t had much popularity before. I like to call it “Pop Culture Realism,” and it’s essentially just hyper-realist drawing, painting, or sculpture of pop culture imagery. I’ve talked before about the ethics of using popular culture in art, that’s a conversation for another day, but the fact will always remain that when using a pop culture image in your artwork the likability and recognizability of your work is now built in. Take for example The Joker, when that movie came out I couldn’t glance at Instagram without seeing a million different representations of the joker. Why? Because artists were using an image that they already knew people liked to show off their skills. I think that’s one of the most interesting things about Realism, the original movement was about making a mundane scene exciting through masterful painting technique and with this Pop Culture Realism they’re taking an already popular image but using their skill and ability to represent that image as the driving force to make people want to see their work. Again we’ll use the joker example, everyone already knew they liked the Joker, the image of it wasn’t exciting, but when people were seeing this image of the Joker that they liked with colored pencils or markers next to it and they realized that it was somehow created with those then they got excited. People are getting excited about the skill that goes into realistically representing the stuff they like. These artists are even pushing the fascination with their skills one step further and releasing time-lapse videos of them doing the drawing or painting or sculpture. They’re non-traditional views, but these artists are getting a ton of them. It’s pretty crazy to see how people redefine the art world and make their craft successful in different ways and I think the rise of Pop Culture Realism has been an excellent example of people’s ingenuity. Do I think that these works would do well in a traditional gallery setting? Absolutely not. But who needs a gallery when your work is being viewed millions of times across multiple platforms and people are buying into you work because, again, it’s imagery they already know that they like. I think that an ethical discussion can always be had about reusing someone else’s imagery in your art, but for this work the talent required is still fascinating and how they’re showing off their work to tons and tons of people is pretty admirable.