Scott R. Miller Illustration interview
While I spend a lot of
time talking to the people behind the music, I’ve been trying to branch out
recently and there’s a lot more to an album than just the music to me. In fact, if you’ve known me longer than five
minutes you’ve likely even heard me say exactly that. An album obviously includes packaging, and
rock ‘n’ roll, psychedelic music in particular, has always been intrinsically
linked to certain visuals, styles and aesthetics that seem to scream out to you
from the shelves as you’re wandering around the record shop, “I get you. I’m on the same wavelength. Give me a shot, give me a listen”. However much these visuals are tied to the
music or our perception of it, it’s rare to have the opportunity to meet or
talk to the people, who are not only responsible for those visuals, but for
your first real experience with the music as you visually lay eyes on the record
for the first time. Working from behind
a hazy veil of secrecy, illustrative artists and graphic designers have finally
begun to get a small modicum of the respect that they deserve, not only as
artists, but as the ones responsible for conveying the general idea of a band,
their music and their aesthetic instantaneously from a single look, which more
often than not, they’re not even necessarily involved in creating! It’s a difficult and often thankless job, but
it’s one that I’ve been deeply intrigued with my entire life, and the farther
down the rabbit’s hole I head with music, the more these enigmatic figures
behind the pictures have begun to capture my imagination. A while back I chatted with Jose Bernal from
Bionic Cavemen (Interview here) and he happened to suggest that I check out
some stuff from the guy who had designed the cover art to their album Predator,
Scott Miller. After talking to Scott for
a bit, I decided he was going to be my guinea pig for a new type of interview
for all you lucky readers! I’m going to
be lifting the afore mentioned veil a bit and giving you all a peek into the
creation and work processes of some of the world’s most interesting
illustrative artists and graphic designers, and I couldn’t think of a nicer, or
more talented dude, to start with than Scott Miller. I’m going to stick tons of links and images
in here, but make sure to check out his Facebook and tumblr pages for tons of
killer work and, of course, contact information should you ever find yourself
in need of his services. I’ve said it
before, but this time I’ll say it like I really mean it, dig on this our
fearless readers, ‘cause this is truly psychedelic baby!
time talking to the people behind the music, I’ve been trying to branch out
recently and there’s a lot more to an album than just the music to me. In fact, if you’ve known me longer than five
minutes you’ve likely even heard me say exactly that. An album obviously includes packaging, and
rock ‘n’ roll, psychedelic music in particular, has always been intrinsically
linked to certain visuals, styles and aesthetics that seem to scream out to you
from the shelves as you’re wandering around the record shop, “I get you. I’m on the same wavelength. Give me a shot, give me a listen”. However much these visuals are tied to the
music or our perception of it, it’s rare to have the opportunity to meet or
talk to the people, who are not only responsible for those visuals, but for
your first real experience with the music as you visually lay eyes on the record
for the first time. Working from behind
a hazy veil of secrecy, illustrative artists and graphic designers have finally
begun to get a small modicum of the respect that they deserve, not only as
artists, but as the ones responsible for conveying the general idea of a band,
their music and their aesthetic instantaneously from a single look, which more
often than not, they’re not even necessarily involved in creating! It’s a difficult and often thankless job, but
it’s one that I’ve been deeply intrigued with my entire life, and the farther
down the rabbit’s hole I head with music, the more these enigmatic figures
behind the pictures have begun to capture my imagination. A while back I chatted with Jose Bernal from
Bionic Cavemen (Interview here) and he happened to suggest that I check out
some stuff from the guy who had designed the cover art to their album Predator,
Scott Miller. After talking to Scott for
a bit, I decided he was going to be my guinea pig for a new type of interview
for all you lucky readers! I’m going to
be lifting the afore mentioned veil a bit and giving you all a peek into the
creation and work processes of some of the world’s most interesting
illustrative artists and graphic designers, and I couldn’t think of a nicer, or
more talented dude, to start with than Scott Miller. I’m going to stick tons of links and images
in here, but make sure to check out his Facebook and tumblr pages for tons of
killer work and, of course, contact information should you ever find yourself
in need of his services. I’ve said it
before, but this time I’ll say it like I really mean it, dig on this our
fearless readers, ‘cause this is truly psychedelic baby!
Wanna see some art?
https://www.facebook.com/ScottRMillerIllustrationDesign
https://www.facebook.com/ScottRMillerIllustrationDesign
So how old are you and where are you
originally from?
originally from?
I’m thirty one, from
Freeport, Illinois.
Freeport, Illinois.
What was the local music scene like where you
grew up? Did you see a lot of shows and
stuff when you were growing up? Do you
feel like that part of your life, that culture, has played a large role in
shaping your artwork and love for working in the field of musical illustration?
grew up? Did you see a lot of shows and
stuff when you were growing up? Do you
feel like that part of your life, that culture, has played a large role in
shaping your artwork and love for working in the field of musical illustration?
There were a handful of
local bands and different incarnations of an all ages venue, it’s a relatively
small town in the northwest corner of the state. It wasn’t like a creative hotbed or anything,
but I went to local punk type shows sometimes.
My big interests in those days were skateboarding, trying to score beer,
and finding a safe place to drink that beer.
Art and music were on the radar, but were secondary to those
things. It was an important time for
shaping some of my interests in different subcultures. Skateboard culture of that time had more
influence on me than anything homegrown in rural Illinois. A lot of time was spent obsessing over
graphics in skate catalogs, watching skate videos, and reading magazines like
Thrasher and Big Brother.
local bands and different incarnations of an all ages venue, it’s a relatively
small town in the northwest corner of the state. It wasn’t like a creative hotbed or anything,
but I went to local punk type shows sometimes.
My big interests in those days were skateboarding, trying to score beer,
and finding a safe place to drink that beer.
Art and music were on the radar, but were secondary to those
things. It was an important time for
shaping some of my interests in different subcultures. Skateboard culture of that time had more
influence on me than anything homegrown in rural Illinois. A lot of time was spent obsessing over
graphics in skate catalogs, watching skate videos, and reading magazines like
Thrasher and Big Brother.
What was your home like when you were growing
up? Were your parents really into art or
music or anything like that?
up? Were your parents really into art or
music or anything like that?
I was pretty much raised
on Taco Bell and Belushi movies. My
parents were not artsy and weren’t all that into music. One of my earliest memories along those lines
is of my dad having an 8-track copy of Billy Joel’s The Stranger. I was deeply haunted by the cover image. It had nothing to do with the music on that
tape, because I had no way of playing it, just the image itself was so
mysterious and disturbing to me as a kid.
on Taco Bell and Belushi movies. My
parents were not artsy and weren’t all that into music. One of my earliest memories along those lines
is of my dad having an 8-track copy of Billy Joel’s The Stranger. I was deeply haunted by the cover image. It had nothing to do with the music on that
tape, because I had no way of playing it, just the image itself was so
mysterious and disturbing to me as a kid.
How did you originally get into illustration
and stuff?
and stuff?
I drew a lot as a
kid. I liked comic book art, and
cartoons. I’ve always gravitated toward
illustrative things.
kid. I liked comic book art, and
cartoons. I’ve always gravitated toward
illustrative things.
Are you self taught or did you attend any
kind of school for the arts?
kind of school for the arts?
I went to school for
graphic design. I’m pretty much
self-taught as far as illustration goes, but I do have a solid foundation in
design that has been helping me along the way.
I’m still always learning and trying to figure new things out.
graphic design. I’m pretty much
self-taught as far as illustration goes, but I do have a solid foundation in
design that has been helping me along the way.
I’m still always learning and trying to figure new things out.
When did you decide that you wanted to start
actually doing graphic design and illustration as a profession? What brought that decision about for
you? What was your first work and when
would that have been?
actually doing graphic design and illustration as a profession? What brought that decision about for
you? What was your first work and when
would that have been?
After high school I was
still in my hometown with no plans. I
was taking some general courses at a community college and working third shift
in a factory. I had the urge to get the
hell out of town. I took a gamble on
this art school in the suburbs. The
crushing debt from art school is what made me want to do graphic design
professionally. My first (semi)
professional illustration work was a handful of vector illustrations for an
adult gift booklet called White Trash Sex Coupons. That was in 2005, while I was an intern at a
small publishing house.
still in my hometown with no plans. I
was taking some general courses at a community college and working third shift
in a factory. I had the urge to get the
hell out of town. I took a gamble on
this art school in the suburbs. The
crushing debt from art school is what made me want to do graphic design
professionally. My first (semi)
professional illustration work was a handful of vector illustrations for an
adult gift booklet called White Trash Sex Coupons. That was in 2005, while I was an intern at a
small publishing house.
Was there any one event, or experience, or
piece of art that you had or saw where you thought, “Yeah, I can do that. In fact, I’m going to do that”?
piece of art that you had or saw where you thought, “Yeah, I can do that. In fact, I’m going to do that”?
Not really. My experience was more general. I was interested in art on album covers,
skateboards, and posters. I made a
connection that there were probably people creating this art and that I wanted
to attempt to be one of them. I’m still
attempting to be one of them. Some
artists that grabbed my attention early were Ray Pettibon, Winston Smith, and
Pushead. I’m not going to pretend like I
was cool enough to know who these guys were by name when I was a teenager, but
their work definitely left a lasting impression on me.
skateboards, and posters. I made a
connection that there were probably people creating this art and that I wanted
to attempt to be one of them. I’m still
attempting to be one of them. Some
artists that grabbed my attention early were Ray Pettibon, Winston Smith, and
Pushead. I’m not going to pretend like I
was cool enough to know who these guys were by name when I was a teenager, but
their work definitely left a lasting impression on me.
Can you walk us through a typical creation
process for a piece? Do you have any
tricks for conjuring ideas from you head or anything? How long does it usually take you do to an
average color piece?
process for a piece? Do you have any
tricks for conjuring ideas from you head or anything? How long does it usually take you do to an
average color piece?
If it’s for a band or
client, I’ll work with them in the conceptual stages to flesh out imagery. From there, I do image research, collecting
images for reference. I do thumbnails in
pencil to work out a composition. Once I
have a solid idea for the placement of elements, I do a refined sketch to show
the band/client. After the image has
their approval, I move on to inking the refined sketch. For color pieces, I scan the ink drawing and
color it digitally. An average color
piece takes around a month.
client, I’ll work with them in the conceptual stages to flesh out imagery. From there, I do image research, collecting
images for reference. I do thumbnails in
pencil to work out a composition. Once I
have a solid idea for the placement of elements, I do a refined sketch to show
the band/client. After the image has
their approval, I move on to inking the refined sketch. For color pieces, I scan the ink drawing and
color it digitally. An average color
piece takes around a month.
Do you do a lot of preliminary sketching, or
is it more of a situation where you get an idea in your head and try to get
that down on paper in as much detail as you can before it disappears?
is it more of a situation where you get an idea in your head and try to get
that down on paper in as much detail as you can before it disappears?
I never start a project
without doing thumbnails and sketches.
Nailing down the idea and composition is important to how I work.
without doing thumbnails and sketches.
Nailing down the idea and composition is important to how I work.
What mediums do you prefer do your art? Are you a pencil, pen and ink kind of person
or do you utilize a bunch of different techniques when it comes to
drawing/painting?
or do you utilize a bunch of different techniques when it comes to
drawing/painting?
I sketch with pencils and
ink with Micron or Copic pens. So far,
every color piece I’ve done has been colored digitally in Photoshop or Adobe
Illustrator.
ink with Micron or Copic pens. So far,
every color piece I’ve done has been colored digitally in Photoshop or Adobe
Illustrator.
I hear the term Lowbrow Art attached to a lot
of the graphic and illustrative artwork that’s closely associated with “rock
art” and the whole poster artist scene, and I see where they’re coming from but
I don’t necessarily agree with the connotations that the term Lowbrow Art
summons to the mind. How do you feel
about the term and how would you label or define what you do?
of the graphic and illustrative artwork that’s closely associated with “rock
art” and the whole poster artist scene, and I see where they’re coming from but
I don’t necessarily agree with the connotations that the term Lowbrow Art
summons to the mind. How do you feel
about the term and how would you label or define what you do?
I don’t mind the
term. For me, it brings to mind a lot of
people whose work I enjoy and am inspired by.
I don’t consider myself a fine artist by any means. I’m an illustrator/designer, and I’m just
attempting to create visually interesting images.
term. For me, it brings to mind a lot of
people whose work I enjoy and am inspired by.
I don’t consider myself a fine artist by any means. I’m an illustrator/designer, and I’m just
attempting to create visually interesting images.
What are some of your favorite pieces that
you’ve gotten to work on so far? I
personally loved your cover for the Bionic Cavemen Predator LP (Interview here)
that you did a while back, which is actually how I got introduced to you via
Jose.
you’ve gotten to work on so far? I
personally loved your cover for the Bionic Cavemen Predator LP (Interview here)
that you did a while back, which is actually how I got introduced to you via
Jose.
Thank you. Jose and Andy from Bionic Cavemen are great
guys and have been really good to me.
That was the first project in this stretch of art I’ve been doing, about
two years ago. Before that, I had kind
of given up on doing illustration. I’d
done very little drawing for around four or five years. Andy was convinced I drew all the time and
could do album art, but he’d never seen anything I’d done! He was so blindly confident in me I started
thinking, “Maybe I can do this”. That is
one of my favorite projects, mostly because of the experience of it all, the
learning part of it. It got me
moving. It was also a thrill that this
was the first album cover I did and it was pressed on vinyl thanks to
Jose. The other big project to me
personally, was a design I did for my good friend Mike McPadden, who’s a
writer. He asked me to sort of rebrand
his website, so I did this personalized illustrated web banner for him. A variation of this ended up getting printed
in the Intro/About the Author page of his incredible book, Heavy Metal
Movies. That was a crazy experience. I got to trade a few emails with Ian Christe,
who runs Bazillion Points and is the author of an essential heavy metal history
book, Sound of the Beast. That all
probably makes me sound like a big name-dropping fan-boy, but I don’t
care. That shit was a big deal for
me. The whole experience was
awesome! Mike has been a huge influence
on me and was really an important figure in getting me to pursue the type of
art I’m doing.
guys and have been really good to me.
That was the first project in this stretch of art I’ve been doing, about
two years ago. Before that, I had kind
of given up on doing illustration. I’d
done very little drawing for around four or five years. Andy was convinced I drew all the time and
could do album art, but he’d never seen anything I’d done! He was so blindly confident in me I started
thinking, “Maybe I can do this”. That is
one of my favorite projects, mostly because of the experience of it all, the
learning part of it. It got me
moving. It was also a thrill that this
was the first album cover I did and it was pressed on vinyl thanks to
Jose. The other big project to me
personally, was a design I did for my good friend Mike McPadden, who’s a
writer. He asked me to sort of rebrand
his website, so I did this personalized illustrated web banner for him. A variation of this ended up getting printed
in the Intro/About the Author page of his incredible book, Heavy Metal
Movies. That was a crazy experience. I got to trade a few emails with Ian Christe,
who runs Bazillion Points and is the author of an essential heavy metal history
book, Sound of the Beast. That all
probably makes me sound like a big name-dropping fan-boy, but I don’t
care. That shit was a big deal for
me. The whole experience was
awesome! Mike has been a huge influence
on me and was really an important figure in getting me to pursue the type of
art I’m doing.
I know you recently did the cover for
Exorcist’s Animism album as well as the cover for Mike McBeardo McPadden’s
Trauma Zine #1 Valentine’s Day issue a while back as well, do you have anything
that you’re working on at this point you can tell us about?
Exorcist’s Animism album as well as the cover for Mike McBeardo McPadden’s
Trauma Zine #1 Valentine’s Day issue a while back as well, do you have anything
that you’re working on at this point you can tell us about?
I’m working on some art
for Trauma Zine #2 and juggling a handful of other projects at the moment. I’ll be starting in on the art for the second
Bionic Cavemen album cover pretty soon.
for Trauma Zine #2 and juggling a handful of other projects at the moment. I’ll be starting in on the art for the second
Bionic Cavemen album cover pretty soon.
Are there any major plans or goals that
you’re looking to accomplish in the rest of 2014 or in 2015?
you’re looking to accomplish in the rest of 2014 or in 2015?
I’d like to learn how to
screen print and do more show poster art, more album art. I’d also like to explore some more traditional
mediums for coloring.
screen print and do more show poster art, more album art. I’d also like to explore some more traditional
mediums for coloring.
Other than picking up the Bionic Cavemen,
Rival Knives, and Exorcist albums is there any way for interested readers to
score your art? I was looking at some of
the amazing pieces that you have up on your Facebook and tumblr pages and
didn’t know if you had prints or shirts of anything available or anything?
Rival Knives, and Exorcist albums is there any way for interested readers to
score your art? I was looking at some of
the amazing pieces that you have up on your Facebook and tumblr pages and
didn’t know if you had prints or shirts of anything available or anything?
That’s why I want to
learn to screen print. I’d like to get
into selling prints and posters, maybe shirts; just not there yet. If anyone is interested in the original art
or high quality framed digital prints of any of my work, by all means feel free
to get a hold of me directly on my Facebook page!
learn to screen print. I’d like to get
into selling prints and posters, maybe shirts; just not there yet. If anyone is interested in the original art
or high quality framed digital prints of any of my work, by all means feel free
to get a hold of me directly on my Facebook page!
Obviously you do freelance and commission
work, where’s the best place for interested parties to get in touch with you
about that kind of thing, or is there some place for them to read up on how to
do that?
work, where’s the best place for interested parties to get in touch with you
about that kind of thing, or is there some place for them to read up on how to
do that?
Anyone interested in
commission work can certainly reach me directly at my Facebook art page or send
me an email at srmillustration@gmail.com.
commission work can certainly reach me directly at my Facebook art page or send
me an email at srmillustration@gmail.com.
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to
me. It was cool as hell getting a
glimpse at how you create your art and your background. Hopefully you had a
little fun yourself and I’ll be hearing your name a lot in the near future. In
the meantime though, I’d like to open the floor up to you at this point. Is
there anything that I might have missed or that you’d just like to take this
opportunity to talk to me or the readers about Scott?
me. It was cool as hell getting a
glimpse at how you create your art and your background. Hopefully you had a
little fun yourself and I’ll be hearing your name a lot in the near future. In
the meantime though, I’d like to open the floor up to you at this point. Is
there anything that I might have missed or that you’d just like to take this
opportunity to talk to me or the readers about Scott?
Thanks for asking me to
do this. I don’t have too much more to
say, other than I love to create and I love to work. If anyone who reads this is interested in
working with me, definitely get in touch.
Thanks again.
do this. I don’t have too much more to
say, other than I love to create and I love to work. If anyone who reads this is interested in
working with me, definitely get in touch.
Thanks again.
Interview made by Roman Rathert/2014
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2014
