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

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

Nani by Yury Kushevsky

Yesterday my girlfriend asked me what “Stradivarius” means; although I’d heard the word, I really didn’t know. In two clicks of a Google search later, I found the following definition on Wikipedia:

A Stradivarius is a stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial. The name “Stradivarius” has also become a superlative applied to designate excellence. To be called “the Stradivari” of any field is to be deemed the finest there is.

What does this have to do with Yury Kushevsky?  Well, I would venture to say that his work will be “the Stradivari” of drawings, if it isn’t already.  Yury is currently a student at the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in the Mytischi district of Moscow, and apparently they’re feeding their students the right food.

Nani is a superb example of Yury’s skill.  Although just a “simple” portrait, it somehow speaks volumes to me.  Is that a tear running down her cheek? Nani looks like a woman who’s had her share of burden in life.

Although Yury unfortunately doesn’t have his own portfolio, you can find quite a bit of his work at ArtNow, a Russian art gallery site, as well as over on NoBullArt.  I for one am interested to see what this great Russian artist produces in the future.

Tags: feminine, melancholy, realistic, sad

Joan by Anna Shipstone

Anna Shipstone hails from the small seaside town of Cromer, Norfolk, UK, where she lives with her pet dog and family.  On her website you can find some of the truly gorgeous sample work of this pencil portraiture artist – in particular I enjoy her children portraits and the one pictured above.  Joan seems to be almost three dimensional and pops out of the page.  While you’re there, also check out her abstract color work – trippy!

Tags: old, realistic, wrinkly

The characters developed by veteran concept artist and character designer Mike May are anything but ordinary – each inhabits a unique world, suggested not so much by the environment they’re rendered in but by the dress, demeanor, and look of the characters themselves.  Mike is a also a superb caricaturist.  There’re a ton of drawings and illustrations on his portfolio site and additional, more recent, work on his blog, so if you need some inspiration, go check it out.

Tags: fantasy, haunted, magical, organic

If you have a fragile self-image, don’t ask Sean Gardner to draw a caricature of you – his no holds barred style might dent that pretty ego of yours.  Seriously, he captures the essence of a person’s face and persona to the tee while injecting his own undeniably hard-hitting style.  Check out his website where you’ll fine a ton of caricatures, tutorials, and tips and tricks of the trade.  You can send him pictures of yourself to be drawn (for a modest $30) and even request to be drawn like a zombie – now how cool is that?

Tags: caricature, gonzo, twisted

Although Illustrator Mathis Rekowski has some wonderfully trippy drawings like the one featured here, he’s got even more illustrations seem to me at once retro and cutting edge. Certainly someone to watch out for. You can purchase the image above at Mathis’ new store, or follow him on his blog

Tags: hallucination, hippy, trippy

Illstrator, designer, artist and self-proclaimed nerd Rocky Davies has some pretty slick drawings. Should be interesting for all the comic heads out there.

Tags: caricature, cartoon, comic, fantastic, supernatural

Self Portrait (No. 12 / B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

Although it would seem that Matt W. Moore is currently better known for his color work – he just had a feature article about him in Computer Arts Magazine in which he discusses his Vectorfunk style – I love this guy’s black and white art.  He explores different shapes and uses clear and crisp lines.  I am particularly impressed with his mandalas (drawing these myself) and how well they are executed for the fact that they are hand-drawn (as opposed to using Illustrator as his the case for many of his color works).

Matt just released B5 (from which these images are taken), a collection of black and white prints available for purchase, to complement Alphafont 3.0, a font type exploration done in color.  This guy kicks ass so check out his website MWM Graphics, his blog, or follow him on Twitter.

No. 19 (B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

No. 20 (B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

No. 23 (B5 Series) by Matt W Moore

Tags: clean, clear, crisp, geometric, illustration, sacred

"Ms. February" Line Art by Brian Ewing

Man am I glad that I checked out Brian Ewing’s Flickr page.  While there are plenty of sick drawings on his website and blog, the real action is on Flickr.  Ewing is an illustrator who pumps out amazing illustrations for band T-Shirts, posters, magazines, skateboards, etc.  For those of you who like the skull and, more broadly, tattoo aesthetic, you’ll get your fill here.

The real treasure trove, beyond the pictures themselves, are the tutorials and how-to’s that Ewing has put together on his Flickr account.  Detailing every step of the way (minus colors) of how he’s arrived at some of his most memorable work, including, for example, the cover of I Want Your Skull #5, you get a really intimate look at the whole end-to-end creative process.  There are lots of little tips that simple invaluable to the new artist – for example, don’t tape down your drawing but move it to preserve the motion of your hand and wrist.  If you want to know how a professional does what he does, you simple must check these out.

Of course you’d also be doing Ewing a favor by buying some of his stuff.  Really, you should.

3 more images below the jump.

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Tags: illustration, sexy, spooky, Tattoo, zombie