Creative Collective of Ashley Webb and Mat Kaminski: conventions

Showing posts with label conventions. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Bi-Weekly Interview #18 - John Martin

As an artist, it seems like the landscape is ever-changing from simply the tools, to the aesthetic. I intend to be an artist that never wants to stop learning, and as such, I find more and more interesting artists every day. Each artist has a unique insight and point of view, no matter the experience level. New views help open my mind and teach me there are many ways to utilize my skills and I hope that sharing our stories will help others in the same way. I believe there are many paths on an artistic journey, and each interview will help to show the stories of the artists that tread them.

Today we'll be interviewing John Martin.

Kaminski: Morning John, let's dive right in! What's the reason you got into creativity? Did you have anything that ultimately led you down this path?

Martin: Comics. It's the first thing I saw and was like "wow" I want to do stuff like this. I tried to draw what artists like Jim Lee and Marc Slivestri were drawing (at the time they were at Marvel). It showed me that it was a huge part of my soul (I didn't realize this until after I got older).

Kaminski: I hear that! Comics are an amazing transcendence between writer and artist. And each goes hand-in-hand. Do you find certain techniques that apply specifically to doing comic art? Or even certain supplies that seem to work best for comic work? Basically, what's the comic palette like typically for a John?

Martin: I don't think there is a certain technique that just applied to comic art, or any art for that matter. It can all be used if your creative enough. Supplies? Everything from the pencil to a paint brush. It can all be used. As for my palette it's still evolving and growing as I learn and experiment more.

Kaminski: There are certain supplies that I have like a mental block for. For example, Oil Paint eludes me for the sheer fact that it's like a mathematical problem or chemistry problem trying to make sure that everything lays in properly...

Martin: The only block I have on supplies is a financial one. The moment I can hurdle it, I'm trying it. And I know I'm going to make some really bad pieces when I try a media for the first time, but I know I'm going to learn a lot of what not to do.

The only block I have on supplies is a financial one.

Kaminski: Yeah! My fear and my space holds me back.

Oil paint is my ultimate goal, but fuck it's expensive.

Martin: It would definitely have to be locked up somewhere so the animals can't mess with it, but the moment I get some I'm Bob Rossing the hell out of some paintings for a bit!

Kaminski: Gah! I can fully agree there!

On the fact of exhibiting your work, whereas galleries are for fine artists (typically), it seems to me like conventions are really a catch-all when it comes to artwork in general, but a great deal of them seem to cater specifically to comic book artists. That being said, what is your gauge on the con scene? I know you do them alongside me, but I'm sure you have a completely different view of them than I do. Do you have any horror stories or incredible stories that you've experienced via conventions?

Martin: I enjoy doing cons, but I think a lot of your big market cons are starting to get away from the artist/creators and going into more of the media and cosplay (not all, just some like SDCC, Wizard World, Fan Boy Expo). Art theft is on the rise at these cons, also.

I don't think I've had an experience at a con that can be classified as my worst even though I've had a couple bad experiences, but they have been quite out weighed by the great experiences and the people I've gotten to meet.

Kaminski: Well, as we've seen from personal experience, it appears as though celebrity watching is a real thing. For example, I've been to shows where we didn't sell a single thing, and yet the celebrity lines were packed all day long. It has the potential, to me at least, to be slightly disheartening.

On the flip side though, the folks that I do meet and greet at shows really put themselves out there and have very meaningful, incredible conversations. It's always amazing when a fledgling artist comes up with questions and their face lights up when you can give them the exact advice they were looking for.

Switching gears: I know you do a lot of ink work, especially working as a comic inker. What's your favorite thing about working with inks? What kind of advice could you give someone just starting out? Do you have any preference for a supply that you use?

Martin: Well I realized that my pencil work wasn't strong enough to do a book, so I went on to inking which I found out is harder than it looks. Even now I look at something and go, "how did they do that?!" I've come to love adding that extra dimension to a page as well as a bit of myself to it.

Advice I'd give someone starting out? It's not as easy as it looks and start with a brush and not tech pens. Pens will hold you back. Also, be willing to do what the penciler is scared to do (advice that was given to me from Aldrin Aw), and the last bit of advice is don't take critiques personally. They are to help you get better no matter how harsh they can be.

My supplies is normally my Pentel pocket brush, Pigma small brush, Faber Castel super brush, Raphael sable Rd #2, Hunt 102 nibs, and Sumi ink for pages. I use tech pens with brush pens for con sketches.

Kaminski: Man! That's cool, and also good to know! I use a brush marker myself and the strokes are amazing - especially when doing hair.

Do you have any projects you'd like to promote OR personal work that you're exceptionally proud of that you'd like to talk about?

Martin: I'm currently looking for new projects. There is also the 901 Anthology that should be out soon, which has the short story that Mitch Foust and I did (his pencils and my inks). There are more projects in the future that I can't talk about right now, but I'm very excited about.

Kaminski: I'm glad to hear that your prospects and leads are really moving forward! That's super cool and I'm glad for you rockin it out!

I always hear people go on about how it's all about putting yourself out there. How did you manage to get connected to these artists to collaborate? Was it just something that happened naturally or did you have to go out of your way for it?

Martin: It's networking and working the field. Social media has been a great help when it comes to that. I've been able to get advice from some pretty big names in the industry. Sometimes some one will say that some one is looking for such and such and then I send what I've got and hope for the best. I also try and look out for work for other artists as well. If I see something that I know someone would be great for I pass it along. I think I've only been approached by one person about working together (Mitch Foust), I've gone after the others.

Cons are a great help with networking also.

Kaminski: That's GREAT! I think that the artist interdependence is a great tactic to get people to come back and forth.

Martin: I think the big companies are beginning to see that as well. There aren't as many exclusive working contracts anymore.

Kaminski: With working as hard as you do, you ever find yourself dealing with burnout? And if so, what kind of strategies do you use to cope with it?

Martin: Actually I don't. Sometimes I just have so much I want to do that I can't decide what to do first. And most of the people I befriend on social media over the last couple of years are artists as well, so I always see something new or different. I've even found out that I had been fans of a couple of them for years and didn't even know it. I also look through reference material pretty often and see what will make me go, "oh that would be perfect for this" and then knock it out. I try not to get in that hole or burnout because all it will do is make it harder to reach the end goal.

Kaminski: Man, I wish I could say the same, but sometimes my confidence and things wanes.

Martin: My confidence is fragile at times too, but I just try to remember the end game.

My confidence is fragile at times too, but I just try to remember the end game.

Kaminski: And for the final two questions: what goals do you have for the immediate? And long term?

Martin: Well, the immediate goals for the next year (I make them birthday to birthday because that's when I normally reflect) is to finish writing this mini series I had an idea for, get some cover work, and to ink a few books. Long term is to have a name in the industry and work on books that I've grown up loving. To work on games that I grew up playing, and to show my kids that dreams are goals if you apply a bit of focus and determination.

Kaminski: Lastly, what's the best piece of advice you've received or best piece of advice you can give to upcoming artists?

Martin: Best advice: ask questions and listen to industry pros. Befriend them if you can. As you grow and ask for advice, believe it or not, they will actually be watching. Be open to criticism as it's the catalyst to growth. And lastly, just get out of your own way and just draw. It doesn't matter what it is, just do it and try a new technique. You may be surprised on how natural it feels.

Kaminski: Great advice, and thanks John, for wanting to be a part of the interview series!

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Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed this interview with John Martin.

If you did, please give it a SHARE via Facebook or Twitter, below.

You can view this interview, and many more, HERE.

You can find view more of John's work at:

https://www.instagram.com/johnvampyrart/

If you would like to be a part of my interview series, simply fill out the contact form HERE and I'll get back with you as soon as possible!

----------------------------------

THANKS FOR READING, AND UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Bi-Weekly Interview #16 - Stephen Najarian

Mathew Kaminski 12:05 PM art , conventions 0 Comments

Today we'll be interviewing Stephen Najarian.

Kaminski: My first question is typically the same, but what made you pursue art? And in that vein, what KEEPS you pursuing it?

Najarian: So I was always somewhat into art, since i was little, I was good at it and enjoyed doing it in my spare time though I never considered it something that I actually wanted to do with my life. It was just a fun hobby for me. It wasn't until I was in high school that things started to change. Having been in band/music since I was in the 6th grade I REALLY disliked marching band freshman year of high school, I hated marching in the parades, the football games, and the concerts. So sophomore year I decided to take art class instead "I'm good at art, I enjoy it and I don't have to do any of that extra shit, and I can stay at home thanksgiving morning and not have to wake up early and freeze my but off watching my high school football team get their asses kicked by our rivals". Total win, win. After quitting band and taking art class sophomore year, my teachers immediately told me that I was quite advanced for someone with no formal art training and asked if I had ever considered art school.

That same year the Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring came out in theaters. I was excited to see the movie as soon as I saw the first trailers for it. After coming home from the theater I immediately had to go get the books to read everything, I immediately became hooked. I fell in love with the design of the movies and the art of John Howe and Allen Lee, pouring over the art books. Discovering my love for fantasy and Lord of the Rings, along with taking my first real art classes made me realize this is what I want to do.

As for what makes me want to continue pursuing art is the fact that I am currently living the dream/goal I set out for myself when I was in high school. I looked at people like Donato Giancola and his Lord of the Rings paintings and thought that is the coolest job ever. You get to paint awesome stuff from your favorite books and movies and people buy it. I may not be as financially well off as I would like or hope, but I am living fully off of my art, I get to paint what I want when I want, how can you not love that?

Kaminski: I'm sure I've quoted it many times before, but much like your push via Lord of the Rings, my push was always from Role-Playing games of the eighties and early nineties. It's no secret that Shadowrun has and will always be a HUGE influence on all of my work. That being said, it's interesting to see that we are both on two sides of a coin, it just happens to be a different coin.

The fact that we can use our influences to push us to something greater, much like they used what was previous to them to push on, makes me happy at least. It's that whole thought of 'making something yours' that we were taught all throughout art school. Therefore: it's interesting that you note that your work is yours and yours alone. What's that journey been like? What are some pitfalls you've experienced or notable successes that came easy thus far?

Najarian: Except for a few freelance jobs here and there all of my art are personal paintings. My art journey seemed to be a long and at times a challenging one. I graduated art school in 2008, at that time I thought I was going to follow in Donato's footsteps, being an oil painter working my way up to book covers. I kept working on portfolio pieces trying to improve my skills waiting for the time when I would be good enough to start getting paid work. Hearing stories about other artists who would say things like "you gotta start at the bottom working for the crappy low paying clients and slowly work your way up" sounded incredibly unappealing for me

Why work for shitty low paying clients when I can just work on my own personal portfolio pieces, basically I thought what is the point working for some low paying clients when I can focus on building my skills for clients that have higher budgets that would pay a sustainable wage for artists, and actually enjoy the work I would be producing. I kept on doing that until 2013 when I finally started producing work that I thought was good enough for some of the lower/mid level companies

I got a few paid illustration jobs but nothing that could come close to allowing me to quit my full time job and do art full time. Around this time I was listening to a web show, One Fantastic Week, where two fantasy artists would talk about art/business/and their art journey. One of the hosts, Sam Flegal (if you'd like to read the interview with Sam, look to Interview #3) was making a living selling art at comic conventions, he had been doing it for several years and he was making a living at it. I thought to myself this is something that I should try, I thought my work was similar in overall quality to his, and if he is making a living doing this then why not me?

Around that same time I got laid off from my job so I took advantage of my unemployment and my free time and started producing more work and attending conventions. It was slow going at first with little to no profit at the beginning but as I produced more work and got more comfortable with shows and selling I started to make money.

I have been doing cons for three years now and I am earning a decent living painting the things I like to paint and selling it directly to fans at conventions and online.

If someone is going to pay you less than $200 for a painted illustration, don't bother. Paint something on your own, you will enjoy it far more, and it will do far more for your career than rushing to paint ten crummy illustrations as opposed to painting one kick ass one.

As for pitfalls that I think people should watch out for, mainly the idea that there are only two options for artists, freelance or studio jobs. That's totally not true, there are so many different ways and avenues for artists to make a living, do not pigeon hole yourself into just those two. Another thing I think artists should watch out for is some of these predatory low paying jobs/clients. If someone is going to pay you less than $200 for a painted illustration, don't bother. Paint something on your own, you will enjoy it far more, and it will do far more for your career than rushing to paint ten crummy illustrations as opposed to painting one kick ass one. No one will hire you for your mediocre freelance work that you had no time to work on. Spending the time to work on one killer painting will take you so much further.

Kaminski: The advice above is something that I'm still trying to learn myself.

It seems like you've dove deep into the dark fantasy realm. Is this a topic that you find yourself fully invested in? Also, what about the genre excites you as compared to other genres out there?

Najarian: I don't know if I would call my work dark fantasy, some of my work does have those elements. I usually call myself a high fantasy artist. Dragons, knights in armor, castles, sweeping landscapes. These are all the things that have interested me in art and fantasy since I was little playing Magic: the Gathering in 1996. I paint the things that I have always responded to in fantasy and have very rarely had interest in painting anything else. I cannot see myself getting tired of dragons, castles, and snowy mountains any time soon.

Kaminski: Switching gears: Since you make your money typically with work that is yours, alone, do you have any advice for people that want to try this avenue too? What are some strategies to get their name out there and/or make active sales via website or conventions? Basically what NETS you sales?

(Article by Stephen about How to Break Into a Convention)

Najarian: I would say just paint and draw the things that you love to paint, your love for it will show through and fans and collectors will take notice. I have always gotten a better response to my personal work than client work, and I have heard the same from my artists friends. People can tell when you are emotionally invested in something. Do what you love and people will follow.

As for promoting yourself online, that isn't one of my strong suits. But what has worked is being active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, tumbler etc. Another great place is posting on reddit, I know it can be scary with all of the different sub reddit rules and some of the less than polite members in said communities, but reddit as a whole can be a great place for you to find new fans and collectors.

The best thing to do though, is to get out there in person meeting people and talking about your work. Going to conventions and exhibiting has been by far the best way I have reached new fans and collectors. My social media presence is relatively small, but my presence at conventions has been steadily growing and is my main source of income.

Kaminski: Which brings us exactly to our next point of business: some conventions, such as Dragon Con, have entry 'exams'. What's your advice to break-in? In that vein, what are your favorite shows to do? What do you find so interesting about them?

I would say try to submit your best work, hope for the best but don't be surprised or really that disappointed if you don't make it. Not making it into one show, no matter how good it is isn't going to ruin your sales for the year or ruin your career.

Najarian: Unfortunately I have no Idea what the secret is to break through the jury process for some of those shows. If I did have any secret tips I would be exhibiting at GenCon, DragonCon and NYCC this year (I didn't pass the jury in all three). It is a total crap shoot, last year I got into those three shows while failing to get into Emerald City Comic Con, this year it was the reverse, I got into ECCC and not into the others. I would say try to submit your best work, hope for the best but don't be surprised or really that disappointed if you don't make it. Not making it into one show, no matter how good it is isn't going to ruin your sales for the year or ruin your career.

I would say try to submit your best work, hope for the best but don't be surprised or really that disappointed if you don't make it. Not making it into one show, no matter how good it is isn't going to ruin your sales for the year or ruin your career.

These shows are getting harder and harder to get into, more and more talented artists are applying and there just isn't enough room for everyone. I think someones best bet is to focus more on smaller conventions that are growing in popularity, shows like C2E2 and AwesomeCon, MegaCon. Shows that are big but maybe not as big or as difficult to get into as GenCon and DragonCon. there are plenty of shows out there that are great to exhibit at that don't have the challenges as some of the bigger more expensive shows.

Kaminski: These are all shows that I eventually would like to break into myself - particularly C2E2. In time... in time.

Do you have any projects that you've been working on collectively that you can share? Such as a series or theme? Do you have any projects that you're particularly proud of? And if so, what makes them so appealing to you?

Najarian: So far most of my personal illustration work has been, "What do I feel like painting next?" Jumping back and forth between figurative work, castles and landscapes, and dragons. There isn't too much cohesion between everything in terms of an overarching story, however, I have recently been working on a series of elemental dragons. The first one started as a piece for fun on my twitch stream, and it very quickly has turned into my most popular print. I then decided to do a companion painting to it that has also been quite popular. Those two images have now turned into the beginning of a full on series of elemental dragons. I now have three in the set with plans to do several more.

I have also recently been thinking about my favorite books, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, illustrating scenes and places from both. Basically the plan currently is to jump around from dragons to castles

As for pieces that I am particularly proud of, there are a few pieces over the years that I am really happy with how they turned out, like what they did for my career, whether they were a level up moment in terms of skill level or my first paid job or first book cover. I would probably say that my "winter fortress" painting was a piece that I really started to figure things out in terms of how to paint and hitting the level of finish I am looking for in my work. That is also a piece that several of my art heroes have purchased prints of when I exhibited at IlluxCon. To have Mark Poole like your work enough to purchase a print is like a dream come true.

My final hour painting was also a piece that has done a lot for my career, it was my first big seller print, got me some good traction online and turned into a giant oil painting commission. That piece was the largest profit I'd made off of a single image.

Kaminski: I would be nerding out the whole time if any of my art heroes showed up to my table, and then actually buy a print?! Ashley would have to pick me up off the floor!

Since you've talked a bit about your series and what you like to paint, then let's get into the nitty-gritty: What's your process typically like? Do you have any particular strategies you use to flesh out a piece from beginning to end or do you just dive right in and let the paint flow?

Najarian: Usually I have an idea gestating in my head. I like to spend a few days at least (sometimes ideas stay in there for weeks or months) thinking about the piece, what I want, angles, composition, I like to have a vision in mind before I start. Once I have what I think is a solid idea I start sketching it out on the computer and the idea/design gets further revised and changed until I find an ideal flow to the piece. Usually somewhere in this process I also start compiling reference images to either help with the design and sketching process or to help me with the rendering for the final painting. Once I have my drawing and reference images compiled I dive in with the under painting.

(early WIP shot of the lightning dragon from above)

Usually I begin painting underneath my drawing layers, at this point I am just focusing on getting base layers of color and value. I usually try to stay pretty muted at the beginning, as I build up the piece and the rendering I will start pushing and adjusting color as I go. Once I feel comfortable I have everything I need I start painting on top of the drawing layers and slowly build up the rendering. I usually jump around a lot when I work, I will usually start with the background and build that up a bit, then switch to the foreground and work on that. If I focus on one area too long I start to get a little bored, I like to jump around the image keeping my eyes fresh to notice things that are bugging me that I want to improve, I especially do this towards the end, towards the end of the painting what always started as clean organized layers turns into a gigantic mess as I jump between foreground, middleground, and background layers.

Kaminski: A lot of people, especially fledgling artists, don't realize how long an idea can take to formulate. The comic project that Ashley and I have been working on actually started when I was back in elementary school and has been a slow burn since then. All of the robot drawings and gestures and studies and things are all the build-up for what will most-likely become an actual explosion of insanity for a game or book or comic or whatever it happens to want to become! Not only that, but doing sketches, thumbs, etc. are all a part of the process. Because of this, it also appears that our end-goal process remains pretty close to each other, with things looking like a mess for a hot minute before the final, ultimate clean-up stage.

Speaking of clean-up...What goals do you have set for yourself in the immediate? And the long term?

Najarian: Goals currently are to keep making new work and selling at shows. I am earning a living though it is not as much as I would like. So increasing sales and getting better at conventions, improving my booth setup, and offering new products is my immediate focus. I also want to try and find some more time to work on some traditional paintings, I haven't worked on any traditional work for the past five months or so and I would like to have some originals to show off at some upcoming conventions. Besides that, find time to work on some drawings for a sketchbook that I have been telling myself I have wanted to kickstart for the past two years. I need to get off my ass and start actually working on that.

Kaminski: And, finally, what's the best piece of advice you've received OR what's the best piece of advice you can give to established or upcoming artists?

The art heroes we all look up to were not blessed with some God given ability, they just worked really hard at it and so can anyone else if you are committed and put your mind to it.

Najarian: the advice that I have always really appreciated is hearing from others is their trials and struggles they went through to get to where they are. Knowing that this art thing isn't easy, even for some of the top artists in the industry was super important to me. You aren't going to wake up one day and be a master painter. Embrace the journey you are on, don't get discouraged that it is taking longer than you want. If you put your head down, don't give up and keep working you will get there eventually. The art heroes we all look up to were not blessed with some God given ability, they just worked really hard at it and so can anyone else if you are committed and put your mind to it.

The other big thing I have learned was to slow down when painting, get good reference. If you are struggling with a certain area, don't just say "oh well" and power through it, take a step back, find some better reference, repaint it if you have to. It sucks scrapping something or starting over when you have spent so long on painting, but if it will make the end result that much better it is totally worth it. There is no race to see how fast you can churn out paintings, quality over quantity always comes first when it comes to art.

Kaminski: Great advice, Stephen! Thanks for all of your insights!

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Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed this interview with Stephen Najarian.

If you did, please give it a SHARE via Facebook or Twitter, below.

You can view this interview, and many more, HERE.

You can find view more of Stephen's work at:

http://www.najarianart.com/

If you would like to be a part of my interview series, simply fill out the contact form HERE and I'll get back with you as soon as possible!

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THANKS FOR READING, AND UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

(Delayed) Bi-Weekly Interview #4 - "K.F." Golden

Mathew Kaminski 10:56 AM advice , artists 0 Comments

AS AN ARTIST, IT SEEMS LIKE THE LANDSCAPE IS EVER-CHANGING FROM SIMPLY THE TOOLS TO THE AESTHETIC. I INTEND TO BE AN ARTIST THAT NEVER WANTS TO STOP LEARNING AND AS SUCH, I FIND MORE AND MORE INTERESTING ARTISTS EVERYDAY. EACH ARTIST HAS A UNIQUE INSIGHT AND POINT OF VIEW, NO MATTER THE EXPERIENCE LEVEL. NEW VIEWS HELP OPEN MY MIND AND TEACH ME THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO UTILIZE MY SKILLS AND I HOPE THAT SHARING OUR STORIES WILL HELP OTHERS IN THE SAME WAY. I BELIEVE THERE ARE MANY PATHS ON AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY, AND EACH INTERVIEW WILL HELP TO SHOW THE STORIES OF THE ARTISTS THAT TREAD THEM.

TODAY WE'LL be interviewing "K.F." Golden.

Kaminski: Firstly, Introduce yourself. What kinds of work do you do? Where have you shown your work?

Golden: I'm K.F. Golden, and I'm an illustrator based out of Memphis, Tennessee. I'm primarily known for picking up stray animals and drawing things, and I make money by doing the latter. I've done cartooning and story boarding that's been showcased mostly at conventions and galleries around the mid south, packaging design that's been used internationally, and right now I'm crossing the country in a bright yellow Kia visiting as many different art shows as possible with my BFF, Alexis Stetson.

Kaminski: Since conventions seem to be very important to you, what made you get a start in them and not dive head-first into a specific industry? In that same vein, what keeps you coming back for more?

Golden: I got into the convention atmosphere super early. My parents let me go to my first con when I was around twelve, and I was fortunate enough to have older friends who would drag me along on road trips to cons during the summer when I was in middle and high school. I honestly just love the scene! And right now, I have my best friend and we have a car and the finances to do it, so it made sense for us to say, "Hey, this is the part where we're young and cool and we hit the road." I really dig getting to travel and meet other creators in different fields. That, and it's been surprisingly lucrative for us. One-off commissions are my favorite things to do, and we sell a lot of those at cons. Basically, it's good money, I get to sight see, and I get to do my favorite parts of my job without worrying about too much corporate oversight.

Kaminski: I bet the versatility of not having a day-to-day job is both relieving and terrifying at the same time. Add to that, I have what I coin, 'con-ADD', so I have a really hard time buckling myself to the chair to do live commissions.

Did your style develop naturally from having to work through convention commissions like this? Or was this style something you naturally did? In that vein, is style even something that you consider when attacking a piece?

Golden: Oh heck yeah. I'm super lucky that I can do cons as a main source of income right now. (It's definitely a temporary situation since my healthcare stuff is kinda tenuous at best. But that's a bridge I'll cross soon enough. Gotta get a job with actual benefits, which means workin' for the man.) Oh my gosh, how do you not consider style. That said, my style is definitely one that I've tailored for doing on-the-spot commissions and quicker pieces. I don't mind sitting down and working, but I've always liked simplifying my lines, and my preference for watercolor has everything to do with it being a quick and easy way to get colors down. When I have an idea in my head, I like being able to execute it right then. I definitely like to work efficiently and simply, so I often draw in straight pen and ink and then lay down flats right on top of it.

Kaminski: What led to your decision to pursue art in the first place?

Golden: This sounds extra lame, but it was a completely natural decision for me. I was always that kid in school that was drawing next to their notes, and I pretty much spent all of my time outside of class doodling with friends, too. I'm just used to being that geeky kid who makes stuff. I was actually removed from the art program in high school for making the wrong stuff. But I had an awesome teacher who basically let me stay in her classroom during lunch periods and such, and she ended up being the one to recommend me into art school.

Kaminski: Very cool! I wish that I had been more invested in my high-school career...

Golden: I was super lucky and I had a lot of nerdy friends that I drew stuff with. Somewhere in her possession, Alexis has a hundred-some-odd page comic that we wrote and drew together with two friends in high school. It's like a Shakespearean tragedy.

Kaminski: Oh, you're going to have to redo that and get it worked up for a one-off comic sometime.

Golden: We've joked about it, but it's some spectacular 15-year-old type writing. It's atrocious.

Kaminski: All the better!

Golden: Nooooopppppe. Plus, we'd have to draw in our friends' old characters, haha.

(left) Concept art for Golden's Ren'Py work.

Kaminski: Outside of commissioned work, is there any project in particular you'd like to talk about - such as a large project that you're working on or a group of pieces that all interrelate?

Golden: I recently made kind of a weird decision surrounding one of my long term projects that's helped tremendously. I had been working on a comic for a while that I kept hitting dead ends on. I guess I wanted to do a comic since it seems like every artist I know these days is passively working on one, you know?

Anyway, I retooled mine into a visual novel and I'm enjoying working on it about ten times more now. It's a story I've wanted to tell for a while but just couldn't quite get out in a way that I quite liked, called It All Just Blew Up. It's sort of an epistolary novel-style story told in text messages and chat logs, and it invokes a lot of modern day fantasy and sci-fiction tropes as it goes along. I'm having a ton of fun learning how to program it and designing things for the Ren'py engine right now. I'm a not-so-closeted VN geek, but point-and-click games can be very pulpy and they tend to have a sort of cult following. I realized that I'd really like to make one that has more than just a dating sim or a choose your own adventure-style format. So that's what's taking up my time these days.

Kaminski: Deciding to dive into something fully can be both relieving and incredibly stressful at the same time. My fiancee, Ashley, and I have only really begun to fully-flesh out the work that began back at MCA with Honor: Decoded. It's become a much different project than it was then, so it's awesome to hear that fellow artists go on journeys to get inspiration and projects that they feel worth their time. Do you have any personal tips that help you stay on target with your personal projects or perhaps things that help to motivate you while you work?

Golden: I try to set aside some time every day to make sure that I'm doing something creative for myself. It's definitely easiest for me to work if I have something else engaging going on. I'm a big geek for tabletop and forum role-play to kind of get my gears turning. I love making things and writing stories with other people - I mean, that's how I ended up here in the first place - so doing stuff like that that gets me back to my roots is really good for my ethic. It reminds me why I want to make cool things in the first place. That, and following other people who are working hard on awesome projects. It makes me jealous that they have something good to show. So then I remember to get to work so I have things to post, too. Totally petty, that one.

"DON'T BE AFRAID TO ERASE THINGS AND TAKE THINGS APART. EVEN IF YOU THINK THAT YOUR PIECE IS GOOD THE WAY IT IS. EXPERIMENT."

Kaminski: Trust me, I agree with you fully. I don't think I would work as hard myself if I didn't scour things like Spectrum daily. I'm a huge art book nerd myself.

What are some of your favorite themes or tropes to paint and why?

Golden: My sense of humor is super straightforward and blunt, and I'm pretty sure that carries through to my artwork and the style that I like to write in. One of the more popular series that I did in college was my "Gross Gyls," which were basically just my main female character in really casual poses. Standing around in her underwear, scratching her sides, that kind of thing. I guess I like to draw things that are very dry and not over the top, and present my characters in situations that are relatable and distinctly un-glamorous. I like fantasy elements, but when I incorporate them, I like to base them in that same sense of boring modernity. I like characters that are making potions in a blender and using necromancy on roadkill. Mundane situations with some element of silliness are my jam.

Kaminski: It shows in your work - the silliness that is.

When you hit lull points in your work, what are some artists or things you find inspiring? What gets you back to work after you get worn down?

Golden: It might sound weird, but as much as I love visual media, my favorite way to deal with lull points is to get out of my own head space for a bit and just read a book or listen to music. It's hard not to take inspiration from different mediums when I work anyway, so sometimes I just need to sit back with my headphones and listen to some punk rock and kick start my creative groove again. As for artists I like, Yoshihiro Togashi is my go-to (I love Hunter X Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho. He's got a really identifiable style to his manga work and I like his inks and watercolors a lot). His work is really what got me into the field in the first place.

E.K. Weaver (The Less Than Epic Adventures Of T.J. and Amal) is another favorite.

And lately I've been really into Night In the Woods and the Shadowrun series by Harebrained Schemes.

I mean, I could go all art history student on you and say that I really like Leyendecker, 'cuz I do, but usually my most direct influences are very pop-y and pulp-y, and whatever I'm playing with right now.

"KIDS ASK ME HOW I USE IT ALL THE TIME WHEN I'M AT SHOWS, AND THE ANSWER IS "RECKLESSLY," UNTIL YOU MORE OR LESS FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING. LIKE PUNK ROCK. OR SCIENCE."

Kaminski: I don't think it's weird at all that you get your inspiration from non-visual media. A ton of artists like Wylie Beckert actually start with writing before they even begin to touch sketching, so it only makes sense that you would want to change it up that way. I mean, hell, I get really inspired when Ashley reads to me while I write. In some ways I almost think that getting away from art is a way to make visual breakthroughs more than anything. A lot of times right after or right before I really grind on a project, I'll take a few days and just lounge and play video games or watch movies just as a break away from all of the art, and then come back to it with ten times the tenacity that I would have if I just grind straight through. Sometimes it's pretty important to push the reset button on your brain pan for a minute.

Switching gears, what kinds of goals do you have set for yourself in the immediate, and the long term?

Golden: In the short term, I'm excited to keep upping my convention game by making more things for our table. I'm working collaboratively with Alexis Stetson (Castalexis) to do a table at a different con or art show every month this year. We're booked through the year and still adding more shows. I feel like we're really learning as we go and it's been a super rewarding experience for us. We've been busy every weekend in March, and I'm making more art than I can remember to post. It's a good feeling! I keep seeing my portfolio and my experience grow with every show. We get to travel too, which is a fun bonus. I love road trips. Long term, I'm stoked to work on my personal project, but I'd like to take on more collaborative projects with other artists and creative types. I might even consider settling down for a nice, solid illustration job, but who knows? I'm really hoping that our road tripping continues to pan out and I get to travel further and sell art in even cooler places. That's the dream, right?

Kaminski: Yeah, the dream is definitely to expand outward with our art! And I think you're well on your way.
My final question for you is, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received or what's the best advice you can give to fellow artists?

Golden: Don't be afraid to erase things and take things apart. Even if you think that your piece is good the way it is. Experiment. Draw a good thing and then paint over it. For me, it's important to keep making things and trying out new approaches. If I'm not sure if I'm about to ruin a painting or not, I try to go ahead and commit myself to the risk of something new. Sure, I ruin a piece every now and then, but most of the time, that's just the price of learning and adapting my own process. Watercolor is a bit unforgiving as a medium anyway. Kids ask me how I use it all the time when I'm at shows, and the answer is "recklessly," until you more or less figure out what you're doing. Like punk rock. Or science.

Kaminski: That's an incredible answer. Thanks so much for a great interview madam!

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"K.F." Golden.

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Thursday, April 7, 2016

First Panel, First Books

Mathew Kaminski 8:16 PM conventions , cyberpunk 0 Comments

Let me start off this post with a double post of inspirational soundtracks.

Perturbator in general has been keeping me pumped for the past couple of weeks in terms of the inspiration and drive for my personal projects. That being said... Honor: Decoded is back in session, but more on this later...

Alright, now that the music that's been stuck in my head can now get stuck in your head, let me begin the real purpose of this post. It's mainly to talk about things that happened both before, during, and after MidSouth Con.

Quite a bit has been transpiring since before the convention even began, what with the start and release of two pieces of work that I've been contributing to: Lunch Doodles and a short story by my fiancee, Ashley Webb, entitled the Tawny Woman.

Lunch Doodles is a collection of drawings and paintings that I've done during my lunch break at work. Each one is voted on from about 5AM to about 12PM and the one with the most votes, or whoever got their vote in first, is the one that I draw. If you'd like to be a part of it, check on my Facebook page during the weekdays to vote! I typically post these as early as I can on weekdays so that I can get as many votes as possible. My plans with these are to eventually make a volume every other convention, and then maybe one day turn into a submission based annual or quarterly that other artists can contribute to.

If you'd actually like to be involved, email me or contact me on Facebook and I would love to get you involved.

The second thing that I was going on about earlier is that I actually got one of Ashley's stories bound up in a little book! It was written by her, but I helped to design the layout and painted the cover. It was partially a surprise for her, but she seemed to enjoy it. The awesome part about it is that it's a horror short story! You'll have to either ask her about it, or find us at a convention so that you can inquire about some of her writing. She typically writes horror or dark fiction. In time we'll do even more of these so that she can fill up a table herself with nothing but her writing and tapestries!

If you're an aspiring writer or a writing enthusiast, check on her tumblr page to follow along with her daily prompts or read some of her entries on the topic that she posts for the day!

Fast forward to the day of the conventions...

First, let me say that I had a blast at MidSouth Con and I actually recommend it to anyone that is in the Memphis area. It was filled to the brim with stuff to do and people to meet.

Our table... filled with art and a super excited Fictional Tortoise!

This was an example of one of the days that are table was set up. It was overflowing with art and tapestries. Again, can't speak enough for the con itself. It was filled up.

A few of the pieces that I worked on during the con.

I had never actually been on a panel before, so that was a much different experience than what I was expecting... and couple that with the fact that it had been my first run at it, and why not dive into the deep end with six.

Here's the panel layout that I was on...

Getting Started In The Comics Industry

Our panelists will discuss how they go started & will give tips on how you can get into the Comics industry.