Angryblue (Justin Kamerer) (US)

Angryblue (Justin Kamerer) (US)

"Gustave Dore meets Pushead", this is exactly what I tought the first time I saw Angryblue"s work and, since then,my fascination for his work has always been growing. I interviewed Justin some times ago but, for some reasons, it tooks some time to get pictures for the interview from him. Finally I recently received a file with around 100 different pictures and you'll guess it easily, the choice has been quite difficult to make. So the best advice I can give you is to visit his site, no doubt you will spend hours surfing on it !

Hello, of course as every Crewk interview, first question: what are we listening to when we come to visit you?

I just finished up Mobb Deep's "Hell on Earth" and "The Fragile" by NIN just came on.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?
When did you start drawing?

My name is Justin Kamerer. I'm almost 2 feet tall from Louisville, KY and I draw stuff. I'm pretty sure I've always drawn. Like most art nerds I know, I got into comic books and any other excessively interesting visual thing I culd when I was younger. So I naturally became a big fan of horror movies & cartoons. I blame both of them on my style.

Did you follow any course or did you improve by drawing in the margins of your schoolbooks?

I paid attention in school AND drew as much as I could. Luckily, I went to a magnet highschool focused on 'the arts' so I had a little time each day devoted to learning a little bit about the things I now love.

Today are you living from your art, or do you do something else for a living ?

I juggle my finances by doing the art thing (of course) and in the afternoons, I'm a fancy hooker. The heels make me a little taller.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

Other than the awesome release that Bacteria Zine put together recently, no.

Where does your influence come from? Is there any artists/graphists you particularly like, what are your influences?

Everywhere. Movies, books, music, etc. I keep a lot of knick-knacks around the house like art toys, skulls, flowers, insects & misc medical equipment. If I mix that in with my stupid sense of humor, there's a lot of fun to be had. That keeps me in a state of almost nonstop brainstorming.

What are the principal steps in your work ?

Each project is a little different, but most of the time, I start by making something ugly on paper with ink and then bring it into Photoshop to do the design part before I go to Crackhead Press and ruin a bunch of nice unassuming clean paper with whatever I ended up making.

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

While I could do it all by hand, I love my computer as a medium to assist me with design/color mockups, typography, etc. I love my precious digital friends.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

That varies with each one too. Sometimes, it might take 3 hours and others it might take 3-6 days before I get to the point where I can take it to the shop and start printing. It just depends on what I'm doing.

Posters are a lot of fun because generally, I try to take on some type of new element with each one whether it's the design approach or what i do during the printing process.

You have a very distinctive style, are you doing only what you feel like or if tomorrow somebody asks you an oil painting with horses running out of water with a sunset backdrop, is it a problem or are you up for it ?

I feel like I jump around with a few types of visual styles, but have a specific vein of mood I work within that generally balances being smart-assed and spooky. I love an opportunity to problem-solve visually, but if it's not something i'm interested in, I just won't do it.

A few years back when I was a music merchandising machine, I asked one of my clients to give me a shot at any weird obscure thing she would never ever think to use me for. With that train of thought, I did some designs for Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, P!NK, Rolling Stones, Ashley Simpson, Genesis and Paul McCartney. They were all fun in their own way. The problem-solving designer in me LOVES stuff like that where I have to think, "Ok. Who is the specifically supposed to reach and how do I make this successful for them? Who is the target audience?"

Growing up loving punk and hardcore music, I never thought I'd be thinking about demographics and target-audiences, but to essentially be a resource for people to tap into, that style of thinking is essential to a working artist.

For which band have you already worked for?

Oh a bunch. That would be a boring list. Some good. Some terrible.

For which band would you love to work?

I'd love to do some things for more rap and hip-hop artists. Beyond my Lil' Wayne poster, I haven't really had the opportunity to do anything for that genre ...which is disappointing since it's about 50% of what I listen to. I'd love to do work for all of those 90's bands I was a nerdy fan of in highschool.

Do you choose the artists yourself?

When I was doing the merchandising stuff day in and out: No. I just did whatever came up. With posters: most definitely. Posters are almost a tribute to the band and have a very different approach and joy to them than doing a shirt design. Because it's a collectible and isn't merchandise in the same way, there isn't the same need to tie a specific album/tour theme. I just get to do whatever I feel is most appropriate in MY mind and release it into the wild without having to get management's approval. There's a trust level there where they know I'm going to at least attempt to not give them something too awful.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

Just bringing something fresh to the table. Then I usually figure out how to make printing as difficult as i can by trying to do something new. I love the printing process, but there's always some weird random variable/hassle that pops up and you have to figure out how to deal with it on the fly.

Do you think you are part of a "Graphic Scene", if so who else ?

Beyond the grand scope of being lucky enough to associate myself with the gigposter/illustration community, I don't think so. But now i feel left out and want some sort of badge or ...a vest of badges showing things I've accomplished like ...cleaning the litterbox or drawing a skull. Damnit. Now I have to draw up a bunch of badges. Thanks a lot!

If I had to pick one, it would probably just be the small community Jeral and I have created at Crackhead Press with a few friends that print there or are kind enough to let us mentally abuse them while they try to help us ruin paper.

A bit of self-promotion, take advantage of it, it's free, where can we see your work , on the web or in real life?

www.angryblue.com
facebook.com/angryblue

I also regularly traumatize the feed of anyone who friends me on Facebook or Tumblr with any new work I add. I put up a lot of work-in-progress stuff on Facebook so people can see projects start with a pencil drawing and see where they end up.

Ultra-Pop in Louisville, KY has sort of a consistent "revolving gallery" of most of my recent work. They also carry a bunch of great books/art prints/toys by other artists - some of them also locally based. 

The best praise you received lately?

People being kind enough to buy my prints or request that I work on a project with them is the highest praise I can get other than when someone gets a tattoo of my work.

What can we wish you for the future?

Health/Inspiration/more ridiculous ideas.