Drawn in Black

Untitled (Zombie Head) by Scott Move

Jim Phillips on acid – that’s kind of what the art of Scott Move reminds me of, and why I was so excited when he got in touch with me.  The interwoven imagery looks almost like the T-2000 burning in the molten steel at the end of Terminator 2;  the clear black lines have a visceral and uncompromising feel to them.  Can’t wait to see more of these kind of drawings.

Scott graciously agreed to fill out the Drawn in Black Artist Interview, so here’s what he had to say:

DiB: Where did you grow up? and where do you live now?

Scott: Essex in the south east of the U.K.

How old are you?

Never ask an artist his age! I’m 33.

What is your educational background? What, if anything, did you study?

I studied art at school and college until I realised it was a bit of a huge waste of time for me. I learned all the basics from my mum and the rest was all guess work and a series of mistakes.  I don’t want to draw apples thanks.

How do you make a living?

Unfortunately I have to work a full day every day in construction. Theres no way I can make enough money from artwork to pay my rent and increasing phone bills. I dislike the work i do immensely, but can’t survive without it. Hopefully I can one day start to make a living creatively but until then, its a double life for me….

What does “art” mean to you?

I really have no idea. Some kind of expression of feeling or emotion. Whats the correct answer to that?

Trauma by Scott Move

How long have you been making art, and what role does that play in your life?

I’ve been making art for years, with the encouragement form my mum to do something creative every day, no matter what. I still try and do that. It plays a huge part in my life now as I spend nearly all my spare time drawing stuff (and then re-drawing it) – either for myself or for some kind of commision. I tend to feel like I’m wasting my time if I’m not drawing, I get a bit irritable.

What role does drawing play in your work?  Is it a means to an end, or an end in and of itself?

Well, as far as my artwork, its all I really do, so its the begining and the end. I dont have the patience or the skills to use computer programmes so its all hand drawn or nothing at all. Very time consuming but i like it that way.

Are there any people that influenced you that stand out? What current artists do you follow?

There are hundreds of artists that are influential, far too many to mention. I think anyone who does what they do from the heart is pretty much doing it for the right reasons. Theres some truly incredible artwork out there from all eras, its all an influence at some point. Nothing is original.

***

Thanks to Scott for taking the time to answer these questions and sharing his artwork.  You can find Scott online at his blog I SAW NOTHING, on MySpace, Twitter, or Fecal Face.

Everything is Under Control by Scott Move

Untitled (Filled With Hate Flyer) by Scott Move

Yoink by Scott Move

Tags: cartoon, horror, trippy, visceral

Construction by Ange Dudman

Recently I had the good fortune of being contacted by New Zealand artist Ange Dudman, who shared with me a number of her charcoal drawings that I’m delighted to share with you now.  Ange, 31, finished her Bachelor’s in Visual Art & Design at EIT Hawke’s Bay (see it on a map) after leaving life in the corporate world at Cadbury Confectionary in Auckland.  She now lives in rural New Zealand, may take up art teaching and is considering pursuing her Master’s.

My first impressions of these drawings was that they possessed some of the same qualities as old childhood memories: distant but laden with emotion.  Things aren’t exactly in focus, but rather a bit faded and blurry, but the mood and feeling is very much present.  As is the case with the human psyche in general, what these drawings convey and communicate is complex and multi-dimensional.  I’m reminded of those early memories that will sometimes bubble up into consciousness for no apparent reason, random snapshots in time that have meaning not in content but in feeling.

In the artist’s own words:

… to me they also speak of fading memories, of loss and very much of silence. There is also for me a sense of disconnection from the works as some of the images used are from my own past and I often wonder if I remember the actual event or if my only memory of it is encased in the photograph, and all the details leading up to and after are lost or irrelevant.

People have often commented to me on recognizing their memories in the works, such as in Outside, the resounding opinion is dull, rainy saturday or sunday afternoon, hours to wait until dinner and sleep…

Outside by Ange Dudman

I guess the works may have intrinsic power as they feature images of children or childhood, but not in the standard cute or pretty format, nor with any intention or imagery set to disturb or shock. My intention for the viewer is that the works are quiet but not restful, they are familiar but distant and they provoke far more questions than they can answer. I think they achieve this. There is a notion here in New Zealand, of a cultural mood called the “New Zealand Gothic” (not to be confused with the Goth trend or fashion). This is based on early european immigration into a hard land, the dark, the cold, formal and the unspoken (think the movie The Piano etc.) the undercurrent of violence and hardship. I guess these artworks fit here also in dealing with children but not the childlike.

I think that’s a perfect way to describe these drawings: “quiet but not restful, they are familiar but distant and they provoke far more questions than they can answer.”  I think they achieve this as well.

If you are interested to learn more about “New Zealand Gothic” (something I hadn’t previously heard of), check out this article on Art & Australia on the topic.

Thanks to Ange for sharing her work with me; unfortunately I cannot link to a website, but hopefully we will see more of her work in the future.  In the meantime, tell us what you think in the comments section.

Curtsy by Ange Dudman

How You Said It Would Be by Ange Dudman

Courtesy on Stairs by Ange Dudman

Us and Them by Ange Dudman

Tags: distant, faded, familiar, gothic, quiet

Back in Black T-Shirt by Godmachine

Aziz a.k.a. Godmachine is an illustrator based out of Wales, UK, with some seriously nasty skills. Growing up and working as an electrician and bricklayer as a young lad, it was skateboard graphics through which he rekindled his connection to art.  Influenced by artists such as Horsebites, Gieger, Aubrey Beardlsy, Klimt, and Richard James, it is probably fair to say that he does a bit of influencing himself these days.  As a freelance artist Godmachine’s art graces skateboards and band merchandise such as t-shirts, album covers and posters. Even though he considers himself old-school, he does most of his sketching straight on the computer these days.

I think t-shirt illustrations such as the one show above are a great example his work and what I personally like: gory, detailed illustrations.  His work in general is quite dark, and this is the essence of his appeal I think – at least for a certain type of audience.

If you haven’t done so already, check out Godmachine’s website or blog and put some food on his table by buying his stuff from his store.  There are also a number of interview with Godmachine if you want a deeper look at who he is:

Interview with Godmachine on Abduzeedo

Interview with Godmachine on We are the Zombie Nation

Interview with Godmachine on Creep Machine

Interview with Godmachine by Rockett

Sonisphere Poster by Godmachine

Untitled Sketch by Godmachine

Untitled Sketch by Godmachine

Untitled Sketch by Godmachine

Axodendriticore by Paul Stanek

Fillmore by Paul Stanek

As part of this local talent spotlight series, animator Paul Stanek got in touch with me and shared with me some of his amazing work.  Although primarily an animator, Paul also composes large black and white drawings as shown above.  Large-scale trippy drawings are always a personal favorite of mine, and the two above are no exception.

Paul came to Philadelphia after growing up in New York and living in Los Angeles for six years, where he attended the California Institue of the Arts and worked on his Master’s in Experimental Animation.  During that time Paul and a friend of his decided to make cell animations using t-shirts, and the U-Shirt Project was born:

Paul: “We really liked the idea of shooting each frame (shirt) on different people so when the animation was played back it would unify all these people in to one entity, with the animation in the middle being the glue.  The projects and the accompanying U-shirt Party were a smash hit, and we ended up being approached by Viacom to use a similar concept to make a few 30 second spots for Black History Month to be used on their t.v. channels (nickelodeon, vh-1, etc.).”

You can see some of the video clips and additional information on the U-Shirt website.

Thankfully Paul also shared with me a couple time-lapse videos in which he paints directly on a pair of beautiful nude ladies, as seen below.  Take a look for yourself here and here.

Untitled (Painting on Nude Female) by Paul Stanek

Ever the Renaissance Man, you can also find Paul creating music under the Johnny Longmind pseudonym, and he’s recently been signed with a small London label by the name of End Daze Recordings.  You can find some of his music (which is actually pretty damn good) on his MySpace page.

Tags: fluid, hallucination, trippy

Few artists are as appealing to me as Mike Giant.  His clear, crips black and white drawings and illustrations coupled with his unmistakable tattoo-art influenced visual vocabulary make him one of my all-time favorite artists.  As a matter of fact, one of his Rebel 8 T-Shirts is in the mail now for me.

How many people do you know that have a sharpie named after them?

Tags: feminine, punk, sexy, Tattoo

Finding illustrations like those of Matthew Woodson is why I (admittedly intermittenly) do this website.  His work seems fresh and relevant – small moments of beauty in a dreary world.  Definitely bookmark this one, and check out his blog if you get a chance.

Tags: feminine, sexy, skinny, Tattoo

The world of Justin Cherry is alien, vivid, and wonderful to inhabit.  Especially if you’re into character design, check this guy out or read his blog.

Tags: feminine, loose, sexy

Jason Chan comic drawings are absurdly nice – crisp, clean, and dynamic. Also check out his blog, especially if you’re into character design.

Tags: comic, cooking, wormview

One of the things I really like about Zach Johnsen’s website are the sketch collages that scroll down a mile long. Of course, what’s amazing here are the amazing illustrations themselves.

Tags: creepy, fantasy, magical, tribal, weird

Comic artist and character designer Sarah Mensinga has a wonderfully clean comic style that’s very pleasing to the eye – there don’t seem to be any more details then necessary. Her characters are very fluid and dynamic, beside just being plain fun. You can also check out her blog.

Tags: cartoon, comic, distraught, dynamic