I'm not sure if I even waited to hang it up before I sent Scott a message, asking for an interview. Scott is a pop artist who molds his typography to create stunning visuals from fandoms near and dear to the geeky heart. Currently, he travels to conventions around the country, sharing his art full-time with the world. Read on below the cut to learn how he tackles each piece and why he made the scary jump from "cubicle slave" to full-time artist.
C: What three things do you think most contributed to the development of your unique art style?
S: I've always loved movie quotes, and always been fussy about getting them right. So that love first and foremost got me started on the first pieces that became what I do now. Second was a need to constantly one-up myself; how can I make this next piece more intricate/detailed/challenging than the last? Third, the constant inspiration that washes over me every time I do another show in artist alley. There is so much amazing work by so many amazing artists at just about every geek convention. Just being among them makes me want to be a better artist.
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| Scott's Doctor Who quote art |
S: It's funny because at the beginning I would probably have said that I don't have one key fandom, but looking at my body of work there's a clear winner. I have a trilogy here, a four-set there, but to date I have made a dozen different typography pieces centered around Harry Potter. I wouldn't have thought I was a Potter super-fan but it's what I keep coming back to.
C: How long does a piece take you, on average? Do you have it all imagined out beforehand...or is it mostly trial and error as you're arranging your typography?
S: Well, the first step is sourcing the quotes that I want to use. I always have an idea of some of the iconic phrases that have to be included, but doing a new piece always means going back to the movie (or book, or TV series, etc) to fill in the rest. Recently that meant spending about six weeks straight watching every last episode of Supernatural. Like 5-6 episodes a day.
So, once I have my quotes, then it will take about another 20-30 hours to finish the piece. I design the final image, and then begin laying in text letter by letter in Illustrator. It is very trial and error. There are many moments where I have to undo my last half an hour's worth of work because the quote I want to use doesn't quite fit in the space where I want to use it. When that's finally done I have a black an white layout that gets painted in Photoshop
C: Do people - at conventions especially - give you suggestions on what they'd like to see you create? Have you ever gotten any really off-the-wall ones?
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| The Big Lebowski |
S: I constantly get suggestions. It's tough because I feel like I can only do a fandom-based piece if it's based on a fandom that I really "get." I want one of my pieces to be a true fandom experience, where the really iconic moments from the property stand out at you and then you dig in further an find all these other great lines and scenes. It's pretty impossible to fake that by just sourcing quotes online. So I get a lot of the same requests for fandoms that I just don't know a lot about. Babylon 5, Stargate, Attack on Titan, Pokemon. All unfortunate holes in my geek knowledge.
Early in my career, I got commissioned to do a piece based on the 1993 Three Musketeers movie with Charlie Sheen. I think it may have been a gag gift for a few friends based on an inside joke. I watched the movie and sourced my quotes and put it together. I wouldn't do that again since it's not my fandom and I'm guessing what Three Musketeers fandom there is is not based much around that particular film.
C: You stopped being a "cubicle slave" in 2012 to pursue your art full-time. What precipitated the decision? Was it intimidating?
S: Oh, it's very intimidating. If you're lucky enough to quit your day job to pursue an artistic pursuit and you're not intimidated, I think you're not considering how tough it is to make it out there. Haha, yeah, "cubicle slave" is the phrase I use in a bio somewhere. Honestly, I was just a horrible employee. I've never been able to reconcile myself with having to spend so much of my life at a job where I was unhappy just to pay my bills. I had about a decade of working customer service call centers that I was just sure were going to suck my will to live til there was nothing left. So melodramatic, I know.
Anyway, I got my start on my typography work as a personal project. I wanted art for my home that wasn't just mass-produced movie posters, and so I made it myself. Some friends suggested I try selling those pieces and I got some interest online. Several years later my online business grew large enough to replace most of my income, and I hoped that pursuing it full-time would allow me to grow it a bit more to make up the difference. Luckily, I was right, and here I am.
C: Lastly, what conventions are you getting to this year? Do you have any dream conventions you'd like to get out and visit someday?
S: I have a lot of conventions this year! It's April first and I just wrapped up Emerald City Comic Con, which was my fifth show so far this year. That leaves me with MegaCon, C2E2, Denver Comic Con, Phoenix Comic Con, Leaky Con, Wizard World Chicago, DragonCon, Rose City Comic Con, Salt Lake City Comic Con, and New York Comic Con still to go! I've been on the wait list two years running for San Diego Comic Con, which I'd love to do, and I have some friends who are currently gearing up to go to a show in Dubai. How awesome would that be?
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| The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring |
Thank you, Scott!
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