Luke Howard (US)

Luke Howard (US)

Previously known as "Snowcat Press", Luke is now using his real name for his art. When you know that some people are considering Mozart a "genius"just because he wrote some music at the age of 5, just take a look at Luke's drawing at the age of 8 and you will see what a true genius is ! More seriously, I really like his work and find his drawing really amazing. To tell you the truth, the best pictures can be seen on his new website: lukehoward.net so... you know what to do ;)"Having fans that aren't your friends is just a crazy humbling awesome thing" Luke says, so please consider I am not a friend, Luke, and believe me I am a big fan !

Hello, of course as with every Crewk interview, first question: what are you listening to right now?
I only listen to My Chemical Romance.

Can you tell us more about yourself, who are you, where are you from, what do you do?
Grew up out in the country building tree houses and riding four wheelers. Now I live in Nashville TN and I draw pictures, build websites, and drink coffee all day.

When did you start drawing?
I mean I think all kids grow up drawling, but at some point I guess people just grow out of it. I think i seriously started to draw when I was about 13 and got super into anime ( i know i'm a nerd but i've come to terms with it). But here is a drawling from the archives, I think i was 8 at the time, pretty bad ass.

Did you follow any course or did you improve by drawing in the margins of your schoolbooks?
In highschool I definitely spent way more time drawling then actually doing school work, but I did end up going to art school when I was 20.

Today are you living from your art, or do you do something else for a living ?
I would say yes, I do some freelance web development as well as my illustration work. Both of which are creative jobs.

Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?
Nope, we don't really have any great zines (that i know of) here in Nashville, I've always kinda wanted to start one though. I'm gona do that.


Where does your influence come from? Are there any artists/ designers you particularly like, what are your influences?
Oh man, I tried to list out most of the artists that have influenced me/ that I love for an interview a couple months ago and the list was way too long, and I cant imagine anybody is interested in that (but just email me if you are). I'll give you some of the most formidable ones though: McBess, Tara McPherson, Jamie Hewlett, James Jean, Takashi Murakami, I could go on and on. I read a lot of comic books and love cartoons (I know, i'm a nerd, get over it) which are both visually stimulating and inspiring to me. I read a good bit of fiction as well which keeps my imagination sharp.

What are the principal steps in your work?
1) Sit and stare at my sketchbook. 
2) Drink a pot of coffee 
3) Take a smoke break.
4) Waste a bunch of time on the internet.
5) Finally start drawling some thumbnails.
6) pick the best one and start a larger drawling.
7) Scan it and make the final line work if necessary (usually in illustrator).
8) Take it to photoshop for colors, type, etc.
9) Wait for the money to start rolling in.


Do you do everything by hand or on the computer?
Pretty good mix, but everything goes through the computer at some point, its 2012.


How long does it take you to do a poster?
I am the slowest artist I have ever met, so from sketching to a finished screen-printed poster would probably take me 3 days, and thats only if I'm not juggling anything else at the time, which never happens.


You have a very distinctive style, do you only do what you feel like? Tomorrow if somebody asks you for an oil painting with horses running out of the water and a sunset backdrop, would that be a problem or are you up for it?
I don't paint and I have an aversion to bad (or even ironic) art, so definitely no. I feel like when an artist does have a distinct style, it's very easy to get caught in a rut and just do the same thing over and over again which stops being rewarding after a while. I've been in that place before so I try to challenge myself on a regular basis by drawling things I normally wouldn't, which I think is important.


What bands have you worked for?


What bands would you love to work with?
Gona have to say My Chemical Romance


Do you choose the artists yourself?
More often then not a band or promoter gets in touch with me. But I certainly have no qualms with reaching out to bands/ show promotors and selling myself. You can't make it as a creative without a little bit of shameless self promotion.


What is the most difficult part of designing a poster?
Definitely the brainstorming process. A muse is a hard thing to control and deadlines don't help. Super picky clients also make things tricky sometimes. Hell is picky clients.


Do you think you are part of a "Graphic Scene", if so who else?
Honestly I've never really thought about/ worried about that. I would definitely say that my artwork fits into some niche genre but would never be as presumptuous as to box somebody else into that with me.


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?
The best place to keep up is my website lukehoward.net I'm honestly pretty good at updating it (unlike many artists) you will always be able to see my latest work and keep in touch with me there, as well as find links to the rest of my internet empire.


The best praise you have received lately?
My mom seems to think I'm famous just because I make a living off of being creative, so her compliments are always fun (even though I'm pretty sure she doesn't really like my art haha). But honestly anytime someone reaches out to me via email or whatever just to tell me how much they like my work I get stoked. Having fans that aren't your friends is just a crazy humbling awesome thing, and I appreciate every single one of them.


What can we wish you for the future?
Continued imagination, passion, romance, money, and that my mechanic would call me back about my motorcycle.

Aucun commentaire: