Marian Bodenstein (DE)

Marian Bodenstein (DE)

First time ever an artist give me other pic than its own posters to illustrate his interview, the weirdest is that I have no clue of who is Bob Ross, well he might be a german legend maybe.... If anyone can hemp me, feel free to drop a line !

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

Hello!
Right now i am listening to White Fence ,Nerve City, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees a lot. But some of my all time favourites are Mudhoney , Man or Astroman, the Mae Shi, MC5, the Sonics and Jazzman Stuff.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?

I am 24 years old , playing in the band  "Zhod"(what means centralheating unit of death), and studying visual communications

When did you start drawing?

Like everybody as a kid, stuff like pirateships and knights killing each other.

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

In my schoolbooks i did a lot of comics and graffitti, later i also went to some kind of designschool and now i am studying stuff like that.

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

No i don´t make a living out of my art, i am still studying and doing little jobs. I am also working in a bar and a comic shop( 2nd best job in the world after Poster designing) .

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

I do illustrations for one of the best magazines around – it´s called  Rokko´s Adventures from Vienna, you can check it out here:
http://www.rokkosadventures.at/index2.html
unfortunately it is in german.

There is also a little feature of my stuff in the Klebstoff Mag #3 which is made entirely out of stickers.
check it out:
http://www.stickermag.com/magazine/klebstoff-3/klebstoff-3klebstoff_3/

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

To drop some names:
Charles Burns,ghoul a go go, Daniel Clowes, Aesthetic Apparatus,
Mr. Ed Fotheringham,
Art Chantry, Seripop, Ryan Duggan
To drop some games:

Monkey Island and all of the old fashioned Adventure games


Big Time influence is music, the connection between art and music. the whole process preparing a poster, advertise the show, dance and sweat at the show, getting drunk and having a hangover the next morning

What are the principal steps in your work ?

If i do a gigposter, i listen to the band, watch some livevideos of their gigs and try to figure out some characteristics. then i try to translate this into graphic attributes. i start thinking and later scribbling, i play around with handdrawn type, do some illustration, browse my huge trashpaper-fundus and so on.
if it works out fine i move to the next step, if not i do something else.
the next step is to scan the handdrawn or collage material and go on adjusting it on the computer. if i do a silkscreen-version of the poster, what i most of the time do - i separate the colours of the piece and print the pre - press repro or the film, mostly on cheap transparent paper. Now i can expose the screens for the print, one screen for each colour and finally print that shit. 

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

Most of my process is handjob, but i also use computers even if i hate them.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

Between some hours and some weeks.
Average 4days (if i ain´t gotta do something else)

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 ?

If that somebody is him

i am on it!

For which band have you already worked for?

Sons of Cyrus
Thee Oh Sees
Messer Chups
Cotton Ponies
The Feeling of Love
Melvins
Hush Hush
Zu
Batalj
Kayo Dot
Secret Chiefs 3
Dean Dirg
...

For which band would you love to work?

MUDHONEY!!!
MAN OR ASTROMAN!!!
BUNKER HILL!!!

Do you choose the artists yourself?

Most of the time i work for "Eine Welt aus Hack", which is a verrrry nice booking Agency from Germany and they ask me to do posters for their concerts or i ask them.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

Time and Money

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

Yeah i think there is a growing poster scene,  and also a fresh graphic boom.
Who else? Check out Damien Tran!

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?

Here we go:

my blog :  www.fuzzzgun.blogspot.com

my gigposters page:
http://www.gigposters.com/designer/141320_Marian_Bodenstein.html

zhod:
http://zentralheizungofdeath.blogspot.com/


The best praise you received lately?

i am always happy about comments on gigposters.com, and the fact that you are interviewing me is great! Also a nice praise are posters ripped and stolen from public spaces, i like the intervention part about it.

What can we wish you for the future?

that i can make a living out of this mess!
and that MUDHONEY are asking me to some artwork for them!!
and that i can join a Man or Astroman live show!
and that i can go on a BRUISE CRUISE!

Thanks for answering my questions and see you soon on the website !!

hell yes - thank you too!

Senor Burns (THE RED CAN COMPANY) (DE)

Senor Burns (THE RED CAN COMPANY) (DE)

I told you recently that, according to my studies, germany was probably the second most important poster scene after the US. It seems that I was not wrong as I can today introduce you to Senor Burns poster art. Caramba !!!

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

- First of all the traffic from outside the street but then out of  my stereo it could be something like 13&GOD, The Evening Hymns, Dos Hermanos, Superchunk, Bavarian Folk...

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?

- My name is Bernd Hofmann and my screenprint-alias is " Señor Burns". I live & work in Munich, Germany since I am nine years old but originally I was born a bit more in the north bavarian in Würzburg. After I worked as a carpentry I went to the Academy of fine Arts and got totally into silkscreen printing in 2001 and left there since.

When did you start drawing?

- Like many of us I loved drawing & painting since I was a kid but it took me until I was 26 and starting studying to get more & more kinda professional with it.

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

- Out of doing what I did because I was interested in throughout the last ten, twelve years the circumstances went well and as like a tree one thing grew out of another, step by step. I started doing record covers and posters for shows I set up myself together with some friends and was then asked to do it for other bands, labels and venues.

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

- Beside doing posters and free art prints and trying to get them sold I also do contract jobs for others. Out of running my own label (Red Can Records) I started producing own packaging beside the printing on cardboards and by now it ended by being a small studio where I also do workshops with interested customers and friends.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

- Unfortunately not, yet. Feel free to give me a call!

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

- Of course there are some Artists I've been influenced of, either out of the Pop-Art than also the Gigposter-scene. I hardly try not to copy any of them, which sometimes is not so easy if you look at all the great works of those colleagues. I do respect all the works, though I have my personal favourites.

What are the principal steps in your work ?

- Trying to get the illustration linked to the band - either the band's name, a title of a record or song or my interpretation of what it means to me.

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

- I try to do most part of my work by hand, though I work with the computer using it as an additional and helpful tool. But the really interesting thing on screenprinting for me is that there are so many various ways to prepare the layers - sketching, lettering, using stamps, tapes...

How long does it take you to do a poster?

- Generally about two days for illustrating and preparing layers and the one day for the screens and for printing the posters.

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 ?

- If someone I work with has a clear imagine of what he or she would like to have illustrated I try to work with that. But learning out of the past the better results end out of letting me do what I'd like to with mostly no borders...

For which band have you already worked for?
 

- The Notwist, Dos Hermanos, 13& Click Click Decker, Bratze, Menomena, Lali Puna, Gorilla Biscuits, Valina, Kitty Empire, Sometree, Timber Timbre...

For which band would you love to work?

- Tom Waits would be great and also Radiohead. Heroes of my past like Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers or Superchunk as well.

Do you choose the artists yourself?

- Out of five posters I do I maybe choose three by myself and the other two are contracts I get from bands or venues.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

- The first idea. And then imagine how the coloured layers will combine.

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

- I'm not sure if the "scene" would count me in seriously... but speaking for Germany: the amount of constantly practising poster artists is easy to overview. And since I do meet some of the other artists and having shows together and publishing the "SQUEEGEE"-book (http://issuu.com/senorburns/docs/squeegee) or "Das Räkel" (http://design.mitchum.de/das_raekel.html) as result of working together, I think I'm at least part of the german "poster-scene".

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?

- These links http://red-can.com/senorburns/ and http://senorburns.wordpress.com/ show most of my works and current shows. In personal I'm easy to meet at Flatstock Europe, at Coloured Gigs in Dresden or at the Feierwerk Farbenladen in Munich in May 2012. Or, if in Munich, on each Monday I have my studio opened from 12am to 6pm for buying records and posters.

The best praise you received lately?

- That in 2011 more people liked and bought my posters than the years before.

What can we wish you for the future?
 

- "Make some nice work, get people happy while watching them and sell more then in 2011!"


Thanks again for inviting me!

Röntgen (X-Ray Vision) (Germany)

Röntgen (X-Ray Vision) (Germany)

Merry X-Mas to all the german readers and artists I discovered this year, I hope to meet many others in 2012 but, for now, please meet the talented mysterious X-Ray Vision guy ! …

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

We would listen to some rock and roll, old punk rock, sixties soul, garage rock, stuff like that. Probably i would put on something by the beatles at some point, i like them a lot.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?

I'm 32 years of age and from hagen, germany. I work as a freelance graphic designer and i play in a band called „the separates“. That's how i got into this whole gigposters thing, printing posters for my own band.

When did you start drawing?

I don't think i ever really started drawing, i don't draw that much and i'm not really good at it. I scribble a lot while generating design ideas and layouts but unfortunately i'm not one of the guys that come up with killer illustrations just like that every time they take a short ride on the subway. I mean, i do draw if the job requires it but there are lots of people out there being much better and quicker than me when it comes to drawing.

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

I know both sides, the good old „get it going“ approach from taking part in punk rock, aswell as the benefits of expanded academic studies. That's a good combination, at least it was for me.

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

i do my best to make a living from graphic design.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

No.

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

I guess i was early influenced by rock and rock in general. I always dug the work of alan aldridge, art chantry, rick griffin, jamie reid (to name just a few) without even considering it being design. For me it was just the visual side of the music i grew up with. When i studied graphic design i dipped deep into design theory and that again was a major influence for me. I highly value otl aicher's thoughts on design for example.

What are the principal steps in your work?

For a rock poster? listen to the band's music, sketch my ideas, choose the one that fits the best, finish the artwork, realize that it's not half as good as i thought it was and start all over again. Then somewhere down the road i screenprint the poster and: ta-da!

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

I use whatever tool i need to get the result i'm looking for. in most cases it's a mix of analog and digital technics that works fittingly.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

You can't tell that, it varies from poster to poster.

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'm the wrong guy for a horse-water-sunset-painting for so many reasons ...

For which band have you already worked for?

Some of my more recent posters were for the new bomb turks, keelhaul and monster magnet.

For which band would you love to work?

Actually i already made the poster for „the band that i'd love to work for“. That was roky erickson. Roky's music really means a lot to me, so it can't get any better. but if i would have a free choice i would say iggy, of course! And billy bragg.

Do you choose the artists yourself?

Sometimes bands or promoters ask me if i can do a poster but mostly it's me who's after it.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster?

Not to lose money.

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

i am a member of gigposters.com but i'm not that much an internet guy and so i don't really add something to that community. It's a great website, you can find lots of stuff and assistance there.

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?

Well, i was willing to put up a website for my rock posters for a long time but to be honest, i don't think i will ever come up with it. So all you can find on amazingxrayvision.com is a link to my profile on gigposters.com and an email-adress. By the way, feel free to shoot me a message! You can see my posters on http://gigposters.com/designerposters/42055/1_R%C3%B6ntgen.html and if you want to buy one please get in touch with me or visit http://www.luisposter.de/

The best praise you received lately?

I made a small print for my son's first birthday last year and the little guy was so crazy about it, he took it with him everywhere he went for quite a while. That was without any question the best response to my work i ever received.

What can we wish you for the future?

Physical and mental health.

Thanks for answering my questions and see you soon on the website !!

thank you, brother!

Lulu Artwork (Germany)

Lulu Artwork (Germany)

With Ican Harem I thought I had my wilder interview ever. but it was before I met Frau Lulu. With Rob Fitzpatrick I thought I had the genuine psyche art child, but this was before I met Lulu. With all the interviews done till now, I knew Rock Posters guys were sometime weird, but this was ... well, you see what I mean :) For those who complains, sometimes, that there are not enough women on the blog, this is what I call a serious update ! ;)

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

Ahhhh! Well, i would ask you if you know „The Dragons – ‚BFI’“ and if not, i would play it and if yes, i’d play it, too.

He,he.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?

This is difficult. Who am i – i ask myself sometimes... But let’s give it a try...

I am a poor artist that tries to infiltrate the grey world with some psychedelic acid colours and music! FUCK THE SYSTEM!

I am from another planet... That’s what it feels like, sometimes, when i see the crowds...

What I do: artworking, mostly for my own band „electric moon“. I make music. I hate the society...

When did you start drawing?

I was already drawing a lot when I was a little child! As soon as i was able to hold a pen, i started drawing. My whole life long until now.

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

No. When I was 19 or so, i wanted to join the arts-highschool in Kassel. I came there and they asked me questions I could not believe. This was really fucked up. So I answered funny things and they kicked me out of the room... Assholes.

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

Ha, ha. I try to live from that. But it is not really possible. But as I have no car and not many costs, it works. I did some really strange jobs in the past but I quitted with that. I am not able to work in some firm...

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

Yeah! There is the Greek Psych-Zine „Timemazine“ – I did the cover for the last issue and the next one, or the US Psych-Zine „Psych Trail Mix“ – I also painted the cover for the current issue...

All underground stuff...

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

LOVE, MUSIC, DRUGS! Ha... My genes! My dad was painting a lot when he was younger, his mother was drawing and his father for the „Berliner Ensemble“ in the 50’s/60’s. I really like their style.

My dad was a big influence, I think. Even if his style is quite different (he worked with charcoal).

What are the principal steps in your work ?

1st: getting high.

2nd: find the right mood and music.

3rd: remembering my idea.

4th: getting higher.

Then start.

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

I paint everything by hand. The only thing i need the computer for is, to colour the posters or covers and to set the fonts and the final layout. But i do not use freehand or other vector stuff, I do not „paint“ with the computer.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

1-2 days... When i start, I cannot quit until it’s finished. Mostly. I am obsessed then.

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 think I would start laughing. I try to imagine this strange oil painting. Yeah, i would paint it. But a bit different as one would expect, harr, harr!

To be true: No. It is a big problem.

For which band have you already worked for?

My own band(s): Electric Moon, Zone Six.

Then: Sula Bassana, Spectrum, The Pancakes, The Locked Ward, Heavy Water Experiments, Dead Peach, Pater Nembrot, Salvinorin A...

For which band would you love to work?

Vibravoid! ; )

I would love to travel back to the sixties and start some artwork there! Maybe for The Pretty Thing... sigh... That’s the moment when I remember what a fucked-up time we live in.

Do you choose the artists yourself?

Well, I let the artist choose me himself, hehe, but if I HATE their music, I cannot really come up with something cool.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

The concept of the colours....

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

No. But I like Johan Jaccob’s stuff (the man from Glowsun who did the cover for our electric moon / glowsun split LP) – THIS is REALLY professional...

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?

Oh cool, thanks. Fuck, I need a real homepage. I have an old not-updated-myspace-account:

http://www.myspace.com/luludesign

you can find my Artwork Page on facebook, too (just type „Lulu Artwork“ to find there...)

You can also see my work on LP/CD Covers, for example ELECTRIC MOON

http://www.electricmoon.de/

And some of it on

http://www.sulatron.com/

(THE psychedelic record-store and label online. Home of psychedelic music!)

And, because the Underground-people have to stick together, some advice: http://www.vibravoid.com/ if you like psychedelic acid rock...

The best praise you received lately?

Yours today! REALLY!

What can we wish you for the future?

That I won’t get NO thrombosis in my legs...

Thanks for answering my questions and see you soon on the website !!

Thanks for your interest!

Can i shift something here in addition? - FOLKS! WAKE UP! REALIZE! SPREAD THE WORD FOR THE REAL MUSIC, THE PSYCHEDELIC! STOP THE ROBOT-LIFE! JOIN THE UNDERGROUND! SAY „FUCK YOU“ TO YOUR BOSS IF HE DOESN’T ALLOW YOU HOLIDAYS!

Thank you!

Chris Peters (Germany)

Chris Peters (Germany)

Sooner or later, I will have to make a post about history of rock posters and along with Alfons Mucha of course, I will also have to speak about the 20s german advertizing posters, as germany was really creative at that moment. Was ? well, Germany is still creative today and Chris Peters' work is, along with Lars P.Krause and Fritte, the best proof.

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

we´d probably start off with some led zep and when you´re heads start humming we´ll move over to bang, dust or warhorse. we could also have a tea with nikhil banerjee, paul butterfield or listen to some rather weird stuff like early 60s bollywood music;-). in the end depending on you, because i can obviously listen to whatever i want when i am alone.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?

i am a male human being, age 31 and for about four years i live in berlin. since i am bits more of a country boy i had some difficulties to adjust to big city life, but then slowly started to enjoy and see the advantages in it. besides doing a day job and all the regular stuff, i play various instruments and sing in a band called samsara blues experiment and yes occasionally i draw posters, artworks, logos and so on.

When did you start drawing?

As a little boy i was starting to draw houses, cars or flowers on chalkboards and sideways, i proceeded with
drawing metalband logos and skulls in my elementary classes, in my adolescent years i was doing graffity and mostly lettering. i made quite a big pause from the ages of 21 - 27, when i did only a few sketches and simple flyers, and then seriously started to do gigposters and stuff like four years ago.

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

rather the latter.

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

i tried to earn money with it. actually i even earned some money, but it was never enough for a living so i am in a regular job, doing designs for a solar energy company. and there´s no coincidence with sunartworks. i am happy to do something useful and not having to sell crap or even worse - myself.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

i used to do some stuff for a magazine called bad acid and some other psychedelic music zines, but not on a
regular basis. most of them guys would find it rather boring to get artworks from only one person.

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

i dig art nouveau, the psychedelic 60s, the looks of stoner and hard rock and early metal generally speaking. frank kozik had quite a big influence and some skateboard graphics. these days i am probably more influenced by subconcious affairs. i like a lot of things, beautiful things and artworks done by people who have better drawing skills than i have ;-). i am always stunned by ken taylor´s works for instance and also most pieces of malleus and arik roper are really great.

What are the principal steps in your work ?

making a sketch, checking with the people who are involved (sometimes i have to do another sketch), then drawing the final outlines, scanning and adding colors in photoshop. lettering depends, sometimes by hand, sometimes computer, sometimes both.

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

i try to use less computers. i like to feel things.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

from at least 2 hours up to 2 days or more (with some breaks or interruptions in case i got stuck).

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 ?

thank you. i´d love to draw like j.w. waterhouse (or at least like bob ross ;-)...), but i am much too impatient and maybe incomprehensible to oil painting. i am trying to improve technics, but i guess on some level i will remain a bit naive as an artist and know what? that´s totally okay for me. people should know from a good
look at my portfolio that i won´t do oil paintings. i just can´t.

For which band have you already worked for?

i worked for some promoters that brought several big names in the stoner, psychedelic, heavy rock scene on my posters. i won´t do much namedropping, though i am happy to have these in my portfolio. these days i mostly work for my own band, due to several personal issues and a general lack of time in the last months.

For which band would you love to work?

for the one that asks for sunartworks, not an oilpainting ;-). it´s always better, when i can identify myself at least a bit with their music.

Do you choose the artists yourself?

yes, since i am not dependent on it.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

when it turns out that the band has a totally different opinion about the artistic directions than i have. it didn´t happen too often to me, but when it happened it was quite frustrating or sometimes even worse, when bands ask things that totally didn´t fit to my personality or style like people asking "hey can you draw us a 3d-robot?" - nope sorry, i won´t. all the rest is being creative and part of my identity.

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

i am not sure. i know some people who do graphics, some also do posters, but i am not sure to call this a scene. in the last two years one could easily point out a similarity in posters that you´d see in and around berlin. lots of works that look like from the late 60s/70s, but you could also blame this to some sort of fashion. when i started there was only kyrik drewinski here in berlin, whose works have this massive influence of 60s poster art.

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?

i have a website at http://www.sunartworks.com/. i´ll have to put some imaginery there. i bet you´ll find a lot of stuff through google and for sure at gigposters.com - also a lot of old crap.

The best praise you received lately?

lately i´ve been much busy with my music and other issues, so i didn´t really get a lot of praise for my posters. i also do not work much frequently these days. over the years i got some very good comments and inputs by several "important" people in the scene that wrote to me and in 2009 i took part in a bigger exhibion in the usa among many well respected people, which was awesome. i´d love to do more posters again.

What can we wish you for the future?

balance and wisdom.

Thanks for answering my questions and see you soon on the website !!

right on, thanks for your interest and best wishes!

Jochen Moenig aka Fritte (Germany) (US Version)

Jochen Moenig aka Fritte (Germany) (French Version - en cours)

Internet is unbelievable: 10 minutes after receiving Lars Krause contribution, Fritte answered me. Does the german empire decided to invade the blog ? That's the question! But be sure it is always a pleasure for me to welcome artists from all over Europe as they really have less exposure on the net than their american fellows. CrewK's blog is here to give them an opportunity to access a larger audience so, for the second time today: Wilkommen Deutchland !!!!

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

A crude mixture of Classic Powerpop, ‘79 Mod-Revival and Northern Soul.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?

My name is Jochen Moenig aka Fritte. I live and work as a freelance illustrator in Duesseldorf/Germany. 
Most of the time i draw storyboards, comps and animatic illustrations for big advertising agencies. Since the early-eighties i produce illustrations for posters/flyers, album art, magazines, stickers, apparel and logotypes. I’m a member of the API (American Poster Institute) and design/produce hand-printed, limited edition silkscreen posters and prints.

When did you start drawing?

As a kid.

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

I‘m a graduate communications designer.

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

I live as a freelance Illustrator for nearly 20 years now. Seems i made some right decisions.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

Rarely. I worked a lot for german zines like OX and Plastic Bomb.

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

Too many. To improve as an artist means lifelong learning. Discover new trends, experiment with illustration techniques and analyse (copy) other artists‘ work.

Some Names (no particular order):

Comic:

Hugo Pratt, Jean Giraud/Moebius, Sergio Toppi, Jack Davis, Serge Clerc, Bruce Timm, Alex Toth, Alex Nino, ...

Illustration:

J.C. Leyendecker, Jim Flora, Ralph Steadman, Heinz Edelmann, Bernie Fuchs, Bob Peak, Lionel Feininger, Celestino Piatti, ...

Poster:

Ludwig Hohlwein, A.M. Cassandre, Hans Hillmann, Jan Lenica, Gigposters.com

What are the principal steps in your work ?

Listen to the music, try to find an image that fits somehow. scribble the layout. execute the design.

Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

My storyboard workflow is 100% digital (Cintq + Photoshop).

So to compensate for sitting all day in front of the monitor - pushing pixels around, i do a lot of scribbling and blockprinting. Old School.

How long does it take you to do a poster?

50 Minutes up to 5 days.

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 ?

Working as a storyboard illustrator means you have to deal with a lot of art direction.

Concerning my poster designs i try to avoid this.

For which band have you already worked for?

(Beside the album covers) i did poster for (amongst others) OOTSA, EA80, Dirtbombs, Panteon Rococo, Unida, Radio Birdman...

For which band would you love to work?

Every Band who plays great music and has a good attitude.

Do you choose the artists yourself?

Normally the bands ask me to do as design for a poster, album cover or t-shirt.

What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

To come up with an image/concept that reflects the music/style of a band.

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

I met a lot of very cool and talented people through the gigposters.com website and exhibitions like flatstock, eyepop ...

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?

Posters and music related graphics: http://www.skrash.com/

Gigposters: http://www.gigposters.com/designers.php?designer=4417

Storyboards: http://www.moenig-illustration.de/

The best praise you received lately?


An old friend copied one of my poster designs with a „Brennpeter“ (google that) - it can‘t get any better....

What can we wish you for the future?

Health and a lot of interesting jobs

Last question:  Do you know anything about french rock posters scene ?

Not really. Some names: Mathilde/Tanxxx and Henri-Pierre, Black Cat Bones and the „rock-poster-art.com“ website.

And of course the french rockposter artists who live and work in germany: Christian Gfeller (Bongout/Berlin), Damien Tran (Berlin), Kevin Puech (AntiPesto, Wuppertal) :-)

Thanks for answering my questions and see you soon on the website !!