What’s not to love about Disturbia Clothing. From killer illustration, concepts, pictures, and cut & sew pieces they are firing on all cylinders! Disturbia is claiming that their new line titled “Dead Empires” is their biggest and baddest release to date and after taking a look at it, I really can’t agree more.

With 21 new pieces he new line has everything that you have come to love from the horror based clothing line and some surprises such as new all over prints, custom cut & sew hoodies and even a new snapback all presented on fantastic looking new website. From top to bottom this release flat out rocks.

Check out the entire new release at www.disturbiaclothing.co.uk and get ready to fire up your paypal accounts.

Even though I didn’t own a clothing line at the time, I knew if I ever wanted some illustration work done, Mike was on the top of my list. So fast forward some time and myself and my business partner for Pong Deck were brainstorming how we wanted our cards to look, Mike’s name popped into mind. I immediately hit up Mike and pitched him the entire Pong Deck concept. Two weeks later, 18 custom illustrations and one t-shirt design in the books Mike had single handedly developed the Pong Deck image.

Before we get into the interview, I just wanted to say if you are in the market for an illustrator definitely hit up Mike, he was by far one of the quickest and most friendly artists that I have worked on a project with. You can email him directly at mike@cherrysauceclothing.com or visit his portfolio at: www.krop.com/mikegaboury

Mike Gaboury Interview

So before we get too deep into this, why don’t you quickly introduce yourself!

Hi! I’m Mike Gaboury, I live in cold-ass Canada, love videogames, illustration and energy drinks.

When did you first realize you had a talent and love for art?

I drew monsters, videogame/comic characters, and doodled all the way through school, instead of paying attention. I’ve always loved it. My mom would bring home giant boxes of printer paper from work and i’d sit there and draw while watching cartoons for hours… not much has changed. Fortunately for me, some people like what I draw, and actually want to pay me for it! WIN!

Did you go to school or receive any formal training in art, or our you completely self taught?

I took a few drawing classes growing up, I remember a comic book one, and maybe a few traditional ones through high school. Went to college for digital media production ( graphic / web design ) and focused mainly on illustration, design, and flash games. When it comes to shirt design, I learned how to properly do it when I first started up Cherry Sauce, reading through resources on Emptees and whatnot. Attack of the Cupcakes and Curbstomp were my first actual illustrated shirts.

Aside from being an amazing artist you also run a clothing line called Cherry Sauce. When did Cherry Sauce start, and where did you come up with that name?

My friend Jason and I used to hang out and talk about businesses we could start that would be manage-able for a low cost startup, eventually came to the decision of starting a clothing line. Our first idea was an “all zombie” brand, I think we were going to call it undead apparel… SO glad we didn’t end up doing that haha. For the longest time our official name was going to be Composure (yes, from the name of the august burns red song) There were too many brands with similar names and a whole lot of copyrights, plus we ended up not wanting a darker, angry, metal sort of brand.

*PAUSE FOR NAME EXPLANATION*

Jasons family has a cabin, and our group of friends and go out there often. When gassing up the boat, the oil mixture for the gasoline was a goopy, bright red substance, and we called it “Cherry Sauce” but we said it kinda funny (like someone who had been eating oil, pretending it was cherry sauce.) and we ended up saying “cherry sauce” all the time, kind of a code-word for boating/having fun. Just goofing off.

*AAAND BACK*

So when we went back to the drawing table, and were scouring thesaurus.com and random name generators… nothing was turning up. Being bored I decided to type out CHERRY•SAUCE in some sexy helvetica bold, and jokingly showed it to Jason, who absolutely loved it. After convincing me on it, we looked up the domains…. Uh oh… cherrysauce.com is a porn site, AWESOME! Sooo we ended up buying the domain cherrysauce.ca. After a 3 shirt line we sold mainly to friends and family we decided we needed to up our game a bit. After securing some funding, contacting artists, and getting things did, we launched our first REAL line on my birthday, July 24, 2009.

How hard is it being the both the artist and business person behind running a brand. I have always wondered why more artists don’t just start their own clothing lines!

I love it… most of the time. Having FULL creative control over lots of your products is both a blessing and curse. I get to oversee a shirt from conception to sales, but I also tend to overthink and spend way too much time on stuff for my own brand. Luckily, when I’m just not feeling it, or just can’t seem to get my ideas across on paper, we contract amazing artists like Matt Girouard and Nils Vogeding to design for us.

I agree with you though, most artists SHOULD have their own lines, the problem… I can imagine, iiiiis money, as starting a clothing line requires a solid chunk of cash to get going. Plus most of the best artists are illustrating full-time, and either a) don’t have time to add even more designs to their workload, b) probably don’t want to spend their free time doing.. what they do for work

Where would you say you pull most of your artistic inspirations from?

Videogames and comic books play a large part. I like to base my style on a mixture of saturday morning cartoons, tattoo art, urban/hip-hop, and whatever is on tv. Lots of my ideas and brainstorming occur while I’m driving to and from work actually.

What are some of your goals and ambitions for both your art and clothing line?

That’s a tough one to answer, my goal for my art/design is that I would love to really get my style nailed down, to a point where people can see my work and know instantly that it’s mine. (see godmachine, shantz, nicolo etc..) My goal is to spend more time drawing on my free time, and work on my linework and quality so work sees growth, if you aren’t getting better then what’s the point right?

For Cherry Sauce, I’d love to do all (or at least a large portion of warped tour) next year, perhaps start attending trade shows, and get some designs done from popular artists for a more diverse line. I hope our fan growth continues and people see and like what we are doing!

Working with you first hand on my Pong Deck project I’d have to say you are one of the most timely artists that I have met. Have you always been that way or something that you continually work on?

I’d actually say that’s one of my weakest points to be honest, one of the disadvantages of doing contract work on the side, is that when you work a full-time job, and have a clothing line, sometimes there isn’t a whole lot of free time for contract work (and it piles up fast) So one of my goals is to perhaps look into time management tools, and help speed up my workflow!

So as far as Pong Deck goes did you find it difficult to come up with 18 different ways to portray a plastic cup?

At first I was a little overwhelmed, how on earth am I going to make a CUP so animated? Then I thought to myself… if Disney can take the most random of things, and turn them into fully animated characters, it can’t be that bad! So I looked up animated characters, and the process people use for designing them. Found out if you draw the face first, the rest comes easily, doodled for awhile ’till it made sense, and went from there.

Any last minute parting words or shout out?

Stoked you guys chose me for your Pong Deck illustrations, I have nothing but good things to say about working with you guys and am sure Pong Deck will catch on and be a hit! You have yourself an awesome product.

Shout outs to my brother Matt and girlfriend Amanda for helping me with ideas for some of the cups, Jason (other half of Cherry Sauce) for being patient while I worked on contract work instead of Cherry Sauce, and the rest of FNAM for input and suggestions.

Take care and stay awesome!

Check out Cherry Sauce Clothing at: www.cherrysauceclothing.com
Or Mike’s Portfolio at: www.krop.com/mikegaboury

The only downfall from my end is the fact that Malgusto is based in Spain, so with that being said you are looking at a higher shipping and handling rate and also Euro to US conversion rates. But with that being said Malgusto is one of the few really good tee companies out of Spain that I personally know of.

Make sure to check out the brand at: http://malgusto.bigcartel.com/ and use code TREND for 10% off your purchase.

I also love the fact that all of You’re History’s designs are indeed tied into historical figures and events, honestly history never looked this good! The first four designs feature Jack the Ripper, Cleopatra, Grigori Rasputin and Robin Hood, with obviously Robin Hood being the only fictional character in the bunch.

The inherit problem with having your entire line designed by one person, especially an artist that is very recognizable in this genre of tees and also is a very sought after artist is that your brand suffers the risk of looking similar to other brands out there. You’re History definitely reminds me of brands such as Zombie Liquorice, Shred and even Miles to Go but with a historical twist. As much as I love the historical references and spin on the brand I’m not sure if it will be enough to make the brand standout from the rest of the pack. Either way I think You’re History has come out of the gates swinging and in the process have released some very cool looking tees and we wish them all the best.

As far as the tees go all tees are printed on American Apparel and come complete with a custom neck tag and back print and run £16 or roughly $24, but if you use coupon code “FROMHELL” for 18.88% off your order from now until Friday at Midnight!

Check out the full release and pick up some tees at: www.weareallhistory.com

I first realized my passion and talent for art when I realized that I hated reading. Ha!ha! As a child, I loved drawing and enjoyed reading books that had a higher percentage of images than actual words.

My mother would get me into these book clubs and reading wouldn’t stick until she got me my first comic book. I finally started reading but I’d be amazed at the artwork. I’d copy what I saw and eventually started creating my own characters and plots. My parents have always been very supportive of my talents. If I showed interest and dedication to anything, they were behind me 100%. It wasn’t until friends of mine would tell me how cool my drawings were that I knew I had a knack for it. My brother has always been a big fan of my work. When he’d show his friends my work, I knew I had done something cool. My brother and I would even have drawing competitions on family trips. We’d always get a huge laugh out of it. Most of time we were making fun of each other or our parents.

Did you get a formal art education, and if so where did you go and how do you feel it shaped you as an artist?

When I was in grade 10, I was heavily into reading comics. I was a huge fan of Greg Capullo who at the time was the lead pencil artist for Spawn while McFarlane worked at creating his empire. I found out Mr.Capullo was signing at a comic book convention in Toronto during my summer holidays. My family drove 8 hours down to Toronto to visit family and I took one afternoon to get a couple of comics signed. After an hour waiting in line, I finally got to meet him. I didn’t have time for a long conversation, but I asked him: “Do you think people should go to school to be illustrators or in comics?” I was standing there beside my father who just retired recently as a Director of Education and Greg replied by saying: “Nah… You don’t need any of that shit. If you’re good, you’re good. Somebody will find you.” Obviously that didn’t sit well with my father. Regardless of Greg’s advice, I ended up graduating from the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto with an emphasis on Illustration from the Design department. I really do believe that my education made a huge impact on how I draw and how I design. I got to see some amazing artists and designers come out of my graduating class and I’ve always been an observing learner. Most of my instructors were very approachable and helpful to cultivate each person’s talents. All the instructors were working illustrators and designers while they taught so we had great people to look up to. They’d even miss classes because they had meetings with clients. It was all very exciting.

Now you are both an illustrator and graphic designer. Do you have more love for one over the other and how does being both benefit or hinder you?

I’ll always have more love for illustration because it’s something that I created. I didn’t need a mouse to be creative. All I needed was a sharp pencil and some paper. When I was kid, I used to have a bin of old photocopies my dad would bring home from work so that I could draw on the backs of them. I still have most of them.

I think developing my graphic designer brain was more of an economic benefit. Most of the illustrators that I’ve graduated with were hit by this graphics boom and our minds had to become electronic because A. We didn’t land an agent that had the time to go door to door with our portfolios Or B. We couldn’t afford to spend time drawing and painting while the rent needed to get paid. Only a hand full of illustrators would go on to solely do freelance illustration and be successful at it. I had some early success with illustration but found that my electronic style was more sustainable than my editorial style. So I started learning more and more about Adobe products. Some designers out there think that being a jack-of-all-trades is a bad thing. I disagree. It’s like getting your PHD, the more you know the better. I still have a lot to learn and each day I get better at something else that keeps me needed by clients. I’m even now messing with After Effects which takes some work off of my Creative Directors hands.

Are you an artist that needs to be in a particular mood when creating, or can you just design at any time?

I really have to be in a good mood. I procrastinate and sometimes work a lot better in tight situations, but my mood has to be in check. I feel that if I’m in a terrible mood, I tend to forget how to draw and that really gets me pissed. It’s like that dream you always have when you’re running or my case skating (I’m a hockey player) really fast and everyone is passing you with ease. Artistically speaking, if I can’t draw a hand in a certain angle or contortion, you might hear some grunts and sighs. But that’s when I leave the desk and find something other than drawing to do. During my college days in my apartment you’d find little marks all over the walls due to me flinging pencils and crayons in frustration. But that’s when I would do all nighters for projects I had weeks to do them in.

But yes, music, a clean organized environment and a full stomach all lead to a great creative mood.

I’m really digging the your new website layout. Do you do web design as well?

I actually only designed the elements of my website. I just have to give a plug to www.bigblackbag.com who programmed the template. They give you the entire programming framework and you just need to fill in the design and content elements. It’s a quick fix to what I needed at the time and I was really happy with how it came out. One of these days I’ll get into a custom site.

At my day job I have done some web design but not much. I can only do front-end work. I don’t do programming. I think the only real html work I’ve done was back in the Geocities days. I think my site had Comic Sans on it haha! You graphics geeks will know what I’m talking about. I can dabble in Flash but nowhere close to some flash folk out there.

What has been your favorite piece that you have done and what did you like most about it?

The one I got most excited about (excuse my name dropping) was this piece I did for Tony Hawk Skateboard Clothing. I was young and naïve at that time and really needed rent money. I was also fresh out of college. So I would submit work and if they liked it, they would pay for it. That didn’t mean they would use it, and there were no royalties, no usage fees, no nothing, just a small payment for my hard work. Eventually they would tell me that one design would be used in their clothing line. I was so pumped to see it reproduced but they didn’t sell them in Canada. I had to get HR to send me one. A number of months later, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 for Playstation came out. Walking home from my retail job, I decided to spend a quarter of my paycheck on the game. After turning it on, I went to the option of choosing a skater to play as. At this point my jaw dropped. Tony himself was wearing my design on his Video game T-shirt. I was initially totally stoked and called my mom up. My mother being the money savvy lady that she is eventually asked me: “Shouldn’t you be paid for that?” then I sobered up on reality and yea, I should have been paid for it. Live and learn I guess. But the Hawk fellas were good to me. They kept giving me work and it got my foot in the door with different projects after that.

Who are some artists that inspired you or that you looked up to over the years?

Like I mentioned before, I’ve always enjoyed Greg Cappullo’s pencils, Todd McFarlane’s work and Alex Ross’s work amazes me. Frank Miller’s usage of shadows has been a huge influence in my black and white work. Recently though, I’ve been really keeping up with a lot of designers and illustrators on your site, forum boards and on Twitter. Rob Dobi, Hyrdo74, Pale Horse, Godmachine, Kyle Crawford at EZ, Maxx242, OG Abel, Shepard Fairey are some of the recent guys that have made me really excited to be an illustrator.

What is the most rewarding part about being an artist?

You get to go to sleep knowing that you’re being fed by something you’ve been passionate about… something you really worked at and developed. I look at the house my girlfriend and I bought and the two of us know that we couldn’t have done this working shift work in retail or in restaurants. Sure it’s not smooth sailing all the time, but we’re proud of ourselves and we work hard at it. She works in the fashion industry so she understands how my passion drives me.

One particular rewarding time that really got to me though was when my sister (who’s a teacher) asked me to do a show and give her kids a little tutorial if we had time. There was a child with autism in her class who had a helper. The helper told me after my little tutorial on drawing that he’s never seen this student so interested and excited about something before. When art can dive into someone’s psyche so deep that you get a breakthrough, it gives me shivers. I was just happy to let this little guy bring what could be a passion of his forward.

If someone wanted to hire you for a project are you available and how can they contact you?

I’m always looking for new exciting jobs in whatever line of work you’re in. I’m of course very busy, but I’m flexible. I can touch my toes even with this beer gut I possess at the moment.

Anyone interested in contacting me or just to have a look around can visit my website www.paidesign.net and click on my contact tab.

Thanks. Love your site by the way.

The tee is currently on pre-sale for only $15 and comes in both guys and girl style American Apparel shirts. The tee will officially begin shipping on November 18th and is limited to only 100 prints.

I really think this tee as well as the Night of the Living Bread shirt shirt are really good examples of Seventh Ink coming into their own. I really hope that they stick to this style and level of quality. Looking back at some of their older designs and comparing the new designs, these new designs are on a completely different level, and I like it!

Check out everything that Seventh Fury has to offer and pre-order Tyrannosaurus Rockstar at: http://www.furyshirts.com/

The Chef and the Butcher have done it again! Pyknic has just released its latest line today, and I honestly cannot say that there is a single tee that I dislike! From more mature and non-flashy designs, to cute designs, to bold and colorful designs, Pyknic has all your fashion needs covered! Not only are regular tees represented in the new batch, but so are V-necks, raglans, crewneck sweatshirts, and even 80’s-cut sweatshirts for the ladies. There is even a limited edition shirt that is numbered and packaged in a custom-printed take-out container!

This release is incredibly cohesive, and I have no hesitation in saying that every item that was just released belongs in this line. Pyknic has always been known for their extremely loud colors and designs. That being said, I really think they did a fantastic job of broadening their horizons with some more mellow-looking designs, all without moving too far away from what has made them popular in the first place. The new line is definitely a welcome breath of fresh air and to me it is, by far, the strongest Pyknic release to date!

With a huge array of new products, Pyknic has literally set up a picnic for us consumers to enjoy! So, what are you waiting for? Go on and pick up some mouth-watering gear today at Pyknicwear.com!

Website:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26196360@N06/

Background/Education:
I never had any professional training in art and design. Instead, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Why/How Did you get into design?:
I think i am really into art and design and trying to make a living at it even though I could get myself an engineering job much easier.
After graduated, together with a friend, I did some hand silk screened t-shirts for sale. Everything started from zero and it was just some sort of hobby stuff and we didn’t do this for long until I found out some online t-shirt design contests and started to take part. It was my first win at Threadless.com that brought up the thought of making a living from drawing and taking this into serious consideration. This might be the first time I wanted to get into the career of an artist/ designer.

Favorite Project(s) that you have done:
I haven’t have many opportunities to be involved in some really exciting projects. Most of my freelance work are art directed by clients and I can hardly say they are my best since the theme and concept were already provided. My favorites work would be some of my own illustrations which I submitted to contests and a few of them should be coming out very soon! Do check my flickr folio if you have time, it has my most complete gallery.

Influences/Inspirations:
As I didn’t go to any designing course I am pretty much influenced by the daily things and stuffs around me. Ever since I started taking part in online t-shirt designing contests, I have been surfing the internet for inspiration and this is by far my major learning process. Some of the artists that I am quite heavily influenced by are The Head of States, Frank Chimero, Nick Dewar, James Joyce, Luke Best, Josh Keyes, Paul Blow, Pietari Posti, Christoph Niemann, The Small Stakes, Emiliano Ponzi and many more.

How would you describe your Style:
This is hard to say, as I love doing more than one style. I always tend to create some conceptual based illustrations. I actually find hand drawn and clean vector quite ‘compatible’ as I think these two different approaches could be combined perfectly and the result is really fresh to me. Instead of describing my drawing style, it would be easier to define my work in terms of theme and concept, and they would be illusion, nature, universal and conceptual.

Is this your full-time gig?
I don’t think I have fully established myself as a professional artist/ designer but at this moment I have no day job and my income are purely from freelance illustrations. So the answer should be, yes. Anyone who happen to read this, please get in touch if you like my work!

One Piece of Advice:
Learn, practice, think, and work hard. Be confident about your work.

Favorite Medium:
Ink and paper, watercolor.

Favorite Website:
ffffound.com
flickr.com
swiss-miss.com
gigposters.com

Favorite Band at the Moment:
Not really listening to a lot of music recently, some of my all time favorites are Sigur Ros, Mum, Mogwai, Coldplay, The Strokes, Radiohead, The Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian, Club 8, Kings of Convenience, etc.

Favorite Clothing Line:
My fave would be Uniqlo from Japan, also 2k by Gingham, Rockwell, Youreyeslie, Sixpack.

Here is a quick description provided by the site:

Gross Out is the ultimate tool in barf enducing photo enhancement. We’ve all drawn a mustache or an eyepatch on a photo before for a giggle. Well, Gross Out takes that concept, multiplies it times INFINITY, and covers it in eyeballs, zits, slime and tons other gross crap that we’ve compiled for your amusement. Upload a photo to see what we mean!

Speaking from a first hand experience the site is extremely easy to use. Basically upload a photo, and then click to choose which Gross Out items you would like to add. After clicking an item you will be able both scale and rotate the items to fit your picture. While there aren’t a ton of options at this point, there is definitely a good amount to get started with your creations!

Gross Out is also having a contest to celebrate it’s launch. Simply upload and create your Gross Out picture and you will be presented the option to submit it into their contest. The winners will be receiving T Shirts from Crispy Tees!

Head on over to www.getgrossedout.com and start your creating!

Have fun!

Website: Mr. Gauky

So MrGauky, lets start with the top! Where did you get your MrGauky moniker?

Its nothing exciting really, my surname is Gaukroger and everyone except the mother unit has called me Gauky since I was a child.

When did you first realize you had a talent for art and what drew you to it?

I’ve always drawn and been visually motivated, although I spent most of my teen years skateboarding, not really knowing what I wanted to do. I still drew a lot and it was mostly character based stuff, I just didn’t have the direction I have now.

Did you get a formal education in Art, and if so where did you go and how do you feel it shaped you as an artist?

At first no… I was self taught, but when I was 21 my friends mother who was an art teacher suggested that I took the educational route and that was the turning point.

There always seems to be a bit of an argument that it is not necessary to go to school for art to be an accomplished artist. What is your take on this?

Going to art school doesn’t mean that you’ll leave as an accomplished artist, it all depends on whether or not that person has the drive and passion for what they do. I didn’t take the educational route to be taught to draw, it was the access to the facilities and being surrounded by other creatives that helped me focus on my art and gain a sense of direction. It helped me, but I guess it all depends on the individual.

You really seem to be an artist that uses a ton of different mediums. What is your favorite to work with and why?

Well there’s still plenty of other mediums that I’d love to learn, oil paints being one of them. I love hand rendered stuff and the majority of my work starts out as large biro drawings, which I don’t sell and keep in an originals box. Even though I love working digitally, I prefer anything that’s hand rendered whether that’s paintings, drawings, screen prints etc. There’s something so much more satisfying about a physical piece of art, than viewing it on a computer screen.

Looks like you have even done some 3D character modeling! Could you talk a little bit about that field and your experiences with it?

It was always something that I wanted to learn, but it seemed like a very daunting direction to take. After a friend suggested a program called ZBrush, I decided to watch some tutorials and took it from there. I’m still very much a novice and there’s lots to learn, but its a fun learning curve.

Are you an artist that needs to be in a particular mood when creating, or can you just design at any time?

It’s less about being in a particular mood and more about distancing myself from distractions. There’s nothing worse than a sunny day with a deadline looming, I’d much rather go skate my local park than sit indoors.

Do you have any prints or artwork for sale?

Yes… Although I haven’t got around to creating an online store, I’ve got a new website in the works which will have one and make buying my art more easy. I am always up for commissions, if people contact me.

What are your favorite type of projects to work on?

At the moment I’m mostly working on printed media such as t-shirt designs and skateboard graphics. I’d prefer to work on a few solo shows, but finding the time to juggle that with freelance work is hard at the moment.

Who are some artists that have inspired you over the years and whom do you look up to?

Growing up around skating, a lot of the board graphics inspired me and a lot of my friends are producing amazing art, which has kept me inspired throughout the years. There’s also artists that I don’t know like Oliver Jeffers, Shaun Tan and Dave Copper who continue to churn out inspirational art.

If someone wanted to hire you for a project, are you available and how can they get a hold of you?

I’m pretty much always available or will try my best to find time for new projects. Anyone can drop me an email at: mrgauky@mrgauky.com and we can take it from there.

www.drewmillward.com

So could you start by giving us a small bio, age, education, favorite
food, etc?

I’m Drew Millward. I’m 28. I live in Leeds. I was birthed in Coventry, and grew up in Bolton. I studied at through school, and university, since it was the only thing I showed any glimmer of talent at. I love noodles.

You do a ton of poster designs, how did you get into that niche?

While I was at university, myself and some friends put on gigs in Leeds. Out of that the necessity for posters came. Since I did art, some of the responsibility fell to me. In fairness I hadn’t actually drawn anything for years, so that was something that I just started doing around that time. From that I ended up picking up some poster work for other promoters and bands, and it basically picked up from there. It was around 2004/5 I started putting some of the stuff I did up on gigposters.com, after which things started to take off. I eventually ended up being in the fortunate position of being able to give up my ‘proper’ job and start drawing full time. This brings us about up to speed. I still do a lot of poster work, but my client base is pretty wide ranging now, which is nice.

I must say the artwork that you put together for your poster day is extremely detailed and intricate, how long does it usually take you to complete a design?

It really depends. Sometimes I can wrap things up in a day or so, other times it can take a week or more. I try to keep a few things on the go at once, that way I can jump between different projects to keep myself interested. I have a pretty short attention span.

Are you an artist that prefers a lot of direction from a client or someone that likes to just put the pencil to the paper and do what you feel?

Definitely just putting pencil to paper, and seeing where it takes me. Due to a lot of the work I do being for bands, the major task in hand is to illustrate their music/image/ideas through the work I make. If I can come close to that, then it means I’m doing my job properly. I suppose I’m in a fortunate position to mainly work for clients that I can on some level understand. That makes things a lot easier, and allows me to create work that both I, and the client, are happy with.

Have you won any awards or been recognized for any accomplishments with your work?

Other than the enormous sense of well being and the worm glow inside, not really. I make art because it’s what I love doing. I can’t think of anything I would rather do, so that fact that I can make a living from it is pretty much reward enough. Although some sort of trophy to show my mum would be nice.

Have you had a favorite client to work for or with?

Each project is different, and rewarding in its own way. I’ve been lucky in as much as I haven’t had any nightmare clients. Most people hire me having seen what I do, so I’m usually just left to my own devices. This suits me fine.

If you didn’t become an artist what do you feel that you would be doing?

I would probably still be working in an office, being incredibly miserable. I’d like to think, that in some parallel universe, I could have been a teacher, or a Nobel Prize winning scientist, but as stated earlier, I was pretty shitty at everything else.

Can you describe a bit of your creative process? Any moods you need to
set, do you plan on the computer or just start sketching?

Inspiration comes from anywhere, so when the mood takes me I tend to just go with it. I always start out with paper and pencils. I have learned over time to not over think things too much. Something that seems like a great idea can slowly go bad if you sleep on it too much, so I tend to just run with ideas that arrive.

Have you ever hit a dry spell for ideas and what have you done to overcome that?

All the time. I try to keep a few things going at once, that way I can always move to something else if inspiration is in short supply. If I’m drawing, I like to have a painting to go to, if I’m painting I like to have something scanned and at the computer stage. It allows you to take a break from things while still working.

Where do you find inspiration for your art?

Pretty much anywhere. Books, comics, films, myths and legends, songs. It’s certainly not something I could pinpoint at all.

What are three things you couldn’t live without having?

Pencils, paper and pens. The 3 ‘P’s.

What can we look forward to from you this year?

There are a lot of things in the works at the moment. Stuff I can’t talk about, stuff I can, but would rather have it be a surprise. There will be more posters and prints that will be available through www.postersandtoys.com, some new clothing stuff from Hide and Seek apparel, some new stuff for the Alamo cinema and Mondo Tees… the list goes on. There are a few other personal projects that I hope to have the time to put into action too, should I find the time. But, in short, same ole’, same ole’.

Jordan buckley. 27 and 5/6th. founding member of Every Time I Die and proud University of Buffalo drop out.

When did you first realize that you had a love and talent for art?

I drew He Man all my childhood. that’s what made me realize i liked it, and when i won a drawing contest in first grade by drawing our ice cream factory field trip, i think that was the first time i realized that i might be good at it.

What are some of your earliest memories when it comes to drawing and art?

Ha, i think i just gave you my first two!

I see that you attended college for illustration and then dropped out when ETID went full-time. Do you feel that college had an effect on you as an artist and do you have any plans on going back to finish your degree?

I did learn a lot in my 2 1/2 years there. especially in my figure drawing classes. i drew naked old men or naked fat women in 3 hour blocks, twice a week. great for fundamentals. one time a dude even got a boner. it was great. i always told myself i would go back, but now i’m at a point where i think hard work can get me just as far, if not further, than a college degree.

I absolutely love the illustration you did for the cover of “New Junk Aesthetic” what was the inspiration for it?

Well to be completely fucking honest, each drawing inside the album dealt specifically with the song it is assigned to. so the cover is the only one with more of a general theme. basically, its someone just trying to cover their eyes from their surroundings but finding that it is physically impossible to do so. that’s kind of the way we were feeling when we wrote the music. there is so much inauthenticity and a lack of passion and aggression, that even though i would like to separate myself from that aspect, it’s impossible to do when you tour 10 month a year.

The video for “Wanderlust” came out incredible. How did it feel to see your drawing basically come to life?

Such a relief. when i was told that was the idea, i was so nervous. it’s hard to just put your art in someone else’s hands and hope for the best. it’s such an amazing final product though.

Do you find easier or more difficult to do art knowing that it will be used for your band and does the band give you direction at all when designing ETID art?

It’s always nerve wracking when there is a chance that people will not like what you create. music or drawings or cookies for that matter! keith gave me great direction so that part was easy. the rest just boils down to confidence and bravery!

Do you have to be in a certain mindset or mood to draw? (Any certain music, time of day, food you need to have, etc)

I have some OCD’s that need to be taken care of. basically i need a clear mind. so i have to be somewhere clean and organized. and if i have little things to do, i have to do them before i can sit down. when i draw, i need it to get my full attention so i dont usually every start drawing before 3pm, which is why i usually end up drawing until the sun comes up. and i love listening to the howard stern show while i do it as well.

How easy or difficult is it to manage trying to be an artist and a full-time musician?

I like it because i dont know how to sit still anyway. so this works out perfectly. especially with all the free time that can come about on tour.

Like any great artist you have a very recognizable style. What or who would you say influenced your art?

Just years and years and years of practice, until i found a medium and style that i was happy with. trust me. i tried it all. pens just do it for me.

Is it possible to buy any of your art or prints online? And if so where?

Yes yes yes. www.jordanbuckleymadethis.com should have a store section launched any moment now!

I see that you did a lot of custom Vans shoe designs, any chance that we can see any of those released to stores?

I fuckin hope so!

And last but not least that movie could you watch on repeat?

Step Brothers

My name is Ray Frenden. Raymond, technically, but almost no one calls me that. Most of the time, people truncate it even further to just “Frenden.”

Website:

My portfolio and blog resides at frenden.com; I’m just about to redo it. I feel like the current design, though fun, pigeon holes me a bit. Zombies and monsters are great, but I think I’ve taken that about as far as I can and I definitely have more diverse interests. Especially where my personal work is concerned.

Background/Education:

I’m self taught. I went straight from high school into the workforce. I’d drawn a bit in elementary and high school, but nothing serious outside of a poorly funded, though well intentioned, high school art class that was positioned to teach you how to make a ceramic pot more than how to draw.

Essentially, I had a six year, or longer, hiatus between drawing in high school and starting up again. It took an additional three years of self teaching and learning from my peers before I started to illustrate full time. My early work is really abysmal, but I find that heartening, not depressing. It feels good to know I’ve made a lot of progress. And, being self taught, there’s a certain inherent insecurity that comes with the lack of proper tutelage. I’ll take all the good feelings about my work I can get.

Why/How Did you get into design?:

After a few dead end sales jobs, a profession I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy unless he was a soulless automaton capable of skewering babies with sabers, I happened into a print shop. I wore a lot of hats, but mainly that of print designer, project manager, and art director. A few years into the print shop gig, I got my hands on a Wacom tablet.

That pairing proved to be a fateful one; I started noodling on the thing more than I used it to arrange copy and touch up photos, that’s for sure. It was love at first click.

Before I’d stumbled upon Drawn.ca, it hadn’t occurred to me that one could earn a living as an illustrator. There, I met a fellow named Paul O’Sullivan (an illustrator who goes by Dro online), and he introduced me to a private art collective named Robot Face, which is since largely defunct. I learned a lot from the guys and gals that comprised the collective. Over the next three years, I practiced as often as possible. Over the last two, illustration has become a full time gig for me. My success has been largely dependent on surrounding myself with good people.

Favorite Project(s) that you have done:

Most of my favorite work isn’t commercial. I have a few personal works that I’m most proud of, but my opinions on my work change as often as the weather. I seldom feel satisfied, so the honest answer to your question is that there is no answer. Everything is in a constant state of flux. But, I guess that means I’m succeeding in my effort to continually improve and expand my body of knowledge even if the impetus for said improvement is a smidgen of insecurity mixed with a lot of ignorance.

Influences/Inspirations:

Old comic books are my largest influence, stylistically speaking. Milton Caniff, Alfredo Alcala, Johnny Craig, Frank Frazetta; the list is long. To focus on one of them in more detail, if you aren’t familiar with the expressive brushwork of Caniff, please check him out. He doesn’t treat his lines as precious things.

I read somewhere that Stephen King says you have to be willing to kill your darlings. For me, my biggest “darling” is my instinct for really clean line. It’s a fine style, but it’s limiting. There’s something raw and real about an inky brush hitting a page and being okay with eventual screw ups or less than perfect strokes. There’s a humanity there that is lost in much, though not all, of the digital work people do.

How would you describe your Style:

In flux. I’m teetering between line-centric work and painterly, mass-centric pieces. I think that you have to have grasp on both. Definitely more illustrative than design driven, but even that is changing.

Is this your full-time gig?

Currently, yes. It has been for two years. The economy and the state of the illustration industry is making that a bit difficult. With a preponderance of amateur designers and illustrators working for much less than industry standard, the death of print, and the rise of stock, even a successful illustrator has a hard slough ahead of themselves.

I was talking with Michael Kupperman (of Snake ‘n Bacon fame), and he feels that illustration, as a career path, has been obviated. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. Even if you are lucky enough to have a full schedule, add up all the possible billable hours in a day. There’s still not enough money at the end of the year.

I’m trying to diversify a bit – make inroads into the fine arts scene. Moving to traditional work ought to help with that. Digital still has a stigma attached to it in most circles. I mentioned that I started the second chapter of my vocation learning to draw digitally. I’ve returned to the traditional fold. This is coming from a pretty unabashed digital apologist.

Selling product, earning money while you sleep, that’s the only way to make a decent living. It forgoes the limitations of billable hours. Prints, tees, skate decks, vinyl toys, etc. I’d rather not fill the world with more commercial pap, but I have a family to feed like everyone else.

Maybe my savior will be the graphic novel I’m working on.

One Piece of Advice:

Don’t obsess over what other people are doing. Be true to what motivates and interests you. Better work is almost always a result. Be willing to fight for, and educate clients about, decisions that you feel are important to a job. At the end of the day, you’re the one that has to live with being associated with the final product. Don’t sell yourself short. Ask for a fair wage.

Favorite Medium:

My favorite medium, lately, is traditional brush and ink work.

Favorite Website:

This is a bit of a plug, but I run an illustration collective (more like they run me) that has many of the members of Robot Face in its roster as well as some of the most talented folks I have had the privilege of meeting. Our group blog is http://styl.us, but my favorite part, and the part that satisfies your question, is the private forum. It’s a constant source of inspiration. The guys and gals there go out of their way to critique each other and spur each other on. Flickr is a close second.

Favorite Band at the Moment:

My favorite band is probably Grandaddy. Or Neutral Milk hotel. Or the Decemberists. Or Arcade Fire. Or…

Favorite Clothing Line:

My favorite line that I’ve worked with is probably 410bc. I usually wear plain, solid-color tees. Pocket optional. So my answer to your actual question is pretty boring. It figures. I illustrate tees for a living, but I don’t wear them.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT RAY’S WORK BY COMMENTING BELOW!

Amy can you start off by giving us a little background on yourself?

My family moved to Colorado from Florida when I was about 2 years old.
Growing up in Colorado gave me a respect for nature. The mountains were only an hour away and the foothills even closer. I guess I took for granted the amazing beauty that was always so near. It wasnt until I left and moved to Chicago that I realized how much I missed it and how much a part of me it was.

At what age did you first discover your love for art?

When I was a little girl, my grandma, who was a talented painter, taught me about oil paints and acrylics. She used to let me use her easel, brushes and paints. Those experiences with her really influenced my drive for creativity. I loved the time she and I spent together painting, and she taught me a lot.
The first painting I remember doing was in kindergarten. It was a really large tempra painting of 3 big flowers. My mom framed it and we had it around the house for years. Somehow over time we lost track of it, which is too bad, I would love to see that painting again! Ever since I could hold a pen, I have been drawing, and creating art.

Did you go to school to be an artist? And if so how do you think that shaped you today?

In High School I took every art class that was offered, and my senior year I decided to take my love of art to the next level and applied to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Moving to Chicago was an eye opening experience. I had never lived in a big city and was in awe of the architecture and abundance of public art. The best part of attending SAIC was the ability to see the master works in the museum at any time, to study their lines, brush marks and compositions. I started keeping art journals and drawing everyday. Art school was an awakening of my creative self.

I absolutely love your style! Whom or what are your inspirations?

I am mostly inspired by artists who are whimsical and somewhat childlike. When I first discovered Juxtapoz magazine years ago I was blown away, inspired and so excited to see a publication that printed artwork that I could relate to. Some of my favorite artists are Joe Sorren, Mark Ryden, Liz McGrath and Scott Radke. Their artwork consistently inspires me to be better and work harder.

I actually came across you while visiting Wicker Park fest in Chicago. Do you exhibit at a lot of festivals and do you see a payoff for doing so?

This was the 2nd year that I participated in the Wicker Park Fest, and the 4th festival I have participated in. Last year I showed at Wells Street, Wicker Park and at Bumbershoot in Seattle. I have found that the best part of showing at festivals is the feedback I get from the public. I love hearing what people have to say about my artwork. Their comments give me ideas, and inspiration.

Do you have a favorite medium to work with and what draws you to it?

I usually create my artwork with a combination of ink, and acrylic paint. Some of my pieces are created using ink and watercolor pencil. I really enjoy both mediums. It is the process and layers I have come to enjoy. Seeing the final product emerge from the many layers of paint is very rewarding. I have grown to enjoy this process, to slow down and have patience with my creations.

Art and music usually tie hand in hand, do you have any favorite bands you have been listening to?

Lately, I really like Belle and Sebastian, Say Hi, Cass Mc Combs, and Langhorn Slim.

Do you have any upcoming gallery shows you would like to promote?

For now I am just focusing on creating more artwork. I have a store on Etsy, and put some of my works up there, buy mostly I am working on new works to show in the future.

Where is the best place for someone to view and purchase your art?

Some of my works are for sale at Futurgarb on Milwaukee Ave, and the smaller works and prints are for sale at the Etsy site. AmyRoseArt.Etsy.com

Travis cook/18

Website:

myspace.com/collateralart
www.emptees.com/people/7945-travis-cook

Background/Education:

I’ve taken a few art classes over the years. I graduated highschool this year, and I plan on going to George Mason in the future and majoring in graphic design or fine arts.

Why/How Did you get into design?:

I’ve always been really into drawing and art growing up, but I really got into designing about two years ago. It started that I would draw up default pictures for little bands on myspace in return for them putting a link to my bands myspace on their page, and then as I got better I started charging actual money. haha.

Favorite Project(s) that you have done:

I really like this one design I made in December last year. It’s of this giant creature reaching for a girl on a tropical island. I guess I still like it because I think monsters are really cool? I don’t know. I usually start to dislike my old designs after a while. haha I think it’s going to be for Rockett Clothing. I’m not totally sure though.

Influences/Inspirations:

As a kid I used to collect comic books and I got lots of inspiration from them. I’d say my biggest inspirations have been Chad Lenjer, Mark Riddick, John Dyer Baizley, Pushead, and Tom Denney. As of late though, I’ve really been enjoying the stuff put out by Godmachine, Brandon Heart, Dan Mumford, and Alex Norman. They’re all really great artists and I can only hope that one day I’ll be as good at them!

How would you describe your Style:

I’d say my style isn’t completely developed yet, but it’s getting there. If I had to describe it, I’d say dark,complex, full of skulls. haha

Is this your full-time gig?

I guess you can say it’s my full time gig; I don’t have a job outside of designing. I still live at home with my parents, but when I move out I’ll probably try to get a consistent job also just in case I start sucking it up with my designs.

One Piece of Advice:

Practice, practice, practice. I actually use MS Paint for a good portion of my designing process. It’s not the normal way by any means, but I practiced and experimented until I got good enough to make some cool shirt designs. Also, when it comes to hand drawn designs, you can’t have a good design without good line art to back it up. Practice drawing the basics until you’ve got them down before trying to be the next Dan Mumford.

Favorite Medium:

Ink definitely. I draw with pencil first then go over with MICRON pens. I’m not too up to date on all the latest designing technology (i.e. tablets) and I also like having tangible drawings lying around that I can show people without running to the closest computer! I enjoy experimenting with stuff as well. Sometimes I get bored of the design I’m working on at the time and just draw something using random mediums. I used tie dye inks to render a skull on a white shirt once. It looked pretty cool.

(AWESOME TUTORIAL ON MAKING THE TIE DYE SHIRT TRAVIS IS TALKING ABOUT)

Favorite Website:

emptees.com (represent!)

Favorite Band at the Moment:

Carnifex probably. It really depends on what mood I’m in. Sometimes I like classical, sometimes I like death metal!

The launch of SHRED is textbook how to get a line off to a great start. First off the artwork is incredible and more importantly the screen print of the artwork is off the charts!!! As you can see these designs are HUGE, and sometimes when you get such a huge screen print it can feel like you are wearing a big piece of plastic on the front of your shirt. This is definitely not the case with the SHRED line. The screen print is soft and blends well with the shirt, resulting in an extremely comfortable and wearable piece of art. The quality of the shirt is also spot on, using American Apparel which is quickly becoming industry standard.

If you are looking to launch a brand definitely take some notes here. If you are looking for a few more summer t-shirts get out the credit card its time to order. The only thing that SHRED can improve upon to really take it over the top is the packaging. I am sure we will see this in the near future. This line is definitely for fans of Electric Zombie, Rockett, Zombie Licorice and fans of IRON MAIDEN!

A Couple Questions with Jon Kruse

Short Company Bio:
I threw around the idea of creating a badass clothing line along the lines of Rockett and Electric Zombie back in December and decided to pursue it along with a few others a couple months later. We just launched the store along with our sister website shrednews.com, which is going to have articles about the music scene. I am really proud of everything we have done so far and am excited for the future. We are sponsoring bands and are going to be at all the major concerts in the following year.

Tee Shirt material/Printing process:
All of our shirts are printed on American Apparel, which are the finest shirts I have worn. Everything is screen printed by the guys at Storenvy and they have done an amazing job. The prints are super soft and the colors turned out amazing. You really need to see these close up to appreciate them.

Where can we purchase this shirt?
You can get them on our site shredclothing.com or at the IAMTHETREND STORE

Website: liviumatei.com (I try to update it at least once per month, but it’s harder then it seems. Took me about 2 months to build the damn thing, had to learn HTML and CSS)

Background/Education: Informatics profile high school, Letters Faculty (graduated in Romanian and English Literature and Language specialty), now struggling to complete my masters in Irish Studies.

Moved from home when I was 13 to go to high-school in the city. Raised at the countryside, spent summers reading tons of books. Discovered Internet when i was 15. Had my first computer at 14. Always oscillated between a technical education and a humanist one. I hated Math, so…went with the last one. I am afraid my children won’t know the joy of reading a good book.

Why/How Did you get into design?: I always liked drawing, and I tried to improve, until around the age of 14 when i lost interest. Discovered digital graphics software around 16 and i started playing around, i also remembered i can draw. Continued to do so until around the age of 18, when i got into college and another 3 years hiatus followed. Going through some personal drama I had to find a hobby that fills my time and makes me feel better about myself. Again, i remembered i can draw. Some time after, i discovered you can make money from illustrating/design, and it further motivated me to improve. This year I decided I hate my 9-5 sales job and that I should give it a try at doing art full-time. Turns out..best decision i made lately!

Favorite Project(s) that you have done: All the personal projects, those that I did for personal exploration/training…or because i felt like it. I am lucky to have worked with great people, i only got screwed 2 or three times, so that’s a good percentage. It would be unfair to give hollers only to some of the guys I worked with…each experience was unique, and pleasant in it’s own way.

Influences/Inspirations: Well, when i started drawing again in high school, i went for anime. Tons and tons of DBZ and other stuff like that. So, the works of anime and manga artists such as Toryiama, Togoshi Yoshihiro, Hiroaki Samura, Oh!Great, or Miyura Kentaro – just to name a few, are the ones that inspired me to up my game when it comes to anatomy, facial expressions, shading,etc. Also, the years I’ve spent on deviantArt helped me to meet interesting artists from which i always tried to learn things. Last but not least, emptees.com is like a damn ocean filled with all sorts of artists, from huge sharks to tiny fish…all learning, all trying to constantly improve. If that doesn’t motivate you, nothing will.

How would you describe your Style: Constantly shifting from one thing I consider to look cool, to the other. You could say I’m in a soul search, trying to find my style. The thing I discovered while doing this is that I don’t have to stick to one thing, just do what seems right to me, and in time, certain elements that are recurring will be those that mark my style. It’s not always supposed to be a conscious effort, that’s my take on the matter. I know I’m avoiding the question, but I’m biased. See for yourselves, check my ‘folio.

Is this your full-time gig? For now, yes. And it’s the best job in the world. My next big step is getting to be an English teacher in a school. I love teaching people. I think it’s awesome to influence even one kid into doing the right things and help him learn from your mistakes, so he could have a better life. Also, I like being the center of attention. And I love people remembering me over the years. This doesn’t mean that i will stop designing, just gonna do both of them as part-time jobs, hehe.

One Piece of Advice: One Piece rules. Watch it. Design-wise…practice DOES make perfect. Also, try to have an objective, like..do at least X many artworks/ sketches/ etc. in a week. That helps keeping focused. Also, don’t neglect the ones that you love. Life is sometimes shorter than you would expect. Relationships need two people to work, being an artist is not an excuse.

Favorite Medium: Pencil and paper are my best friends, but i gotta say, digital art is just as close to my heart. After years of working without a tablet…i am amazed on how quick things get when you don’t have to use the pen tool for every freaking line;)

Favorite Website: Tough cookie. Those that allow me to read free scanlations of manga, my big family-meeting-place at emptees.com, cool blogs/zines such as the GO Media one, and last but not least, sites such as IATT, that allow me to have a big look at all that’s new on the scene.

Favorite Band at the Moment: Please, please don’t hate me for this, i am so clueless about music…i don’t even listen to music when i draw, for me it’s sort of like background noise, something to put me to sleep faster (joke). I do love me some occasional bands, but I am not into music, there I said it. I can appreciate each and every genre, if the mood strikes me…but, that’s all there is to it. people hatezz me for this, i am so clueless that they can’t have a normal conversation about some band/ singer with me.

Favorite Clothing Line: Those that are truly professional in their ways and offer pro products. I also loves me some teefury.com, DBH, Threadless, etc.

Let us know what you think about EZ KUN by leaving a comment using facebook connect below!