Neal Williams (EpicProblems) : Dinosaur Jr

Neal Williams (EpicProblems) : Dinosaur Jr

Well when I thought about launching this new set of interviews focused on a single poster, I did not expect such an enthousiasm from the artists I have contacted. And I was far from imagining how involved in this project some of them will be. Neal Williams, from EpicProblems, is the perfect example for that ! Just take a look at the whole documentation he sent me for the making of his Dinosaur Jr poster !!! He was not at all obliged to be so generous, especially as I mixed his answers (to the previous interview) with another guy ones (see first question of this one and...first answer ;) ). 

A really really great thanx to him for all the time he took collecting documentation, explaining the process in full details and answering the questions !  (Hope this is not too difficult to read, I really wanted to online the whole process pictures, let me know if it comes out clearly)

 

Hi ! Last time we "met" for the blog, you told me you would like to do something for Cibo Matto, is still this a dream ?
 
I think you may have dreamt that this was my dream. (indeed)      

Well, for the moment, we are here to talk about your Dinosaur Jr poster, first of all some "technical" points :) Where and when did this show took place ?
 
This show was on October 2, 2012 at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, GA.      

  1.Posters usually begin with an initial concept thumbnail. I only made about 3 thumbnails for this poster and ultimately went with this weird elephant-snout-like creature busting out of a dilapidated old barn.

<- 2. I then make a more detailed sketch and then ink over that on a light table using technical pens and occasionally brushes. 

3. These are all the hand-drawn elements of the poster laid out and ready to smash together in photoshop. Actually inks from a previous poster snuck in that pic as well, disregard that...

Did the band contacted you directly or was it a promoter or anyone else ?

I was contacted by Dinosaur Jr.'s manager about a month before the show took place.

 <- 4. After doing some color mock-ups in photoshop, I print out some films through an epson printer and burn them onto a screen using 2 500-watt halogen work lights. It's not the ideal situation but it's cheap and it works. The screens have been coated with emulsion and allowed to dry before this.

    

 5. After exposing, any dark area on the film washes out, allowing ink to pass through when I print the posters.

6. After washout, the sun helps harden the emulsion and dry the screen.


Did you have guidelines for this one or were you entirely free ?

Entirely free.

 

7. Then it's time to pick and mix colors. When I'm lucky I'll find a color from a previous project that works perfectly. That's pretty rare.

8. Going for a brownish-orange for the first color.
 

Where does this hurricane like idea come from ?

 I was looking at pictures of elephants, so I based the creature on an elephant snout.      

9. Pulling the squeegee across the screen to print the first color.

10. First color racked in my diy rack.

                                                                                                                          11. Shot of first color.




Is it related to some specific Dinosaur Jr song or lyrics ?

No, but this thing is breaking out of the barn like a J. Mascis guitar solo. I wanted the poster to be kind of loud and in yo face. Seriously, Dinosaur Jr shows are fairly loud. Once I saw J. Mascis and the Fog when Mike Watt was playing bass and that was the loudest show I've seen in my life. You could hardly differentiate the songs it was so loud.      

12.Touching up the second screen. I had a few tiny problem areas so I'm filling them back in with emulsion.

 13. Registering the second color, making sure it lines up perfectly with the first.

14. Second color down, in near-perfect registration.


How many prints of it did you make (or made make) ?

It's an edition of 65.      

15. This is my makeshift counter-balance. Basically it means I no longer have to prop the screen up with my head when changing paper.

  


16.Pulling the third color which is transparent and makes the color of the barn as well as shadows on the creature.

17. Detail shot of third color. ->


Did you receive feedback from the band ?

No, but the people running the merch booth liked it. I don't really go out of my way to meet bands or musicians I work for. I tend to remain as "behind the scenes" as possible.     

18. Taping off the fourth color. Lots of packing tape goes down on the screen to make sure ink isn't coming through in places I don't want it, especially the edges.

19. Detail of fourth screen.

20. Fourth color down.

 21. Detail of fourth color.

 From their fans ?   

Dug it.                     

     
From your fans ?

Into it. 

     
Have you worked again with Dinosaur Jr since this one ?
 

Not yet.

 22. Greyhounds checking up on my progress. They're happy to see I'm finished and can now take them out to pee.

 23. All the posters finished in the rack.

 24. Time to clean ink off the screen.

25. Ink goes back in the tub. I try to do this in the messiest way I can.

 26.The ink gets washed off and then the emulsion gets washed out with the help of a chemical so the screen can be used again. This is called reclaiming.

 27. Then the screens are left out to dry and my dogs get some much-needed attention.

30. The Poster !!!!

Epic Problems (Neal Williams) (US)

 Epic Problems (Neal Williams) (US)

Mission of Burma tour poster by Epic Problems is probably one of my fav, so far this year and thanx to this one, I discovered Neal's work and really enjoyed his style and, more specificaly the way he uses blue colors. Do not ask me why, this is the kind of things you can not explain but just feel and, to my opinion, I feel like Neal will soon be able to move his "printing operation out of a carpeted bedroom" as the poster world will discover his talents.

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

It could be anything really. Currently enjoying Death Grips, Zs, Jacaszek, Codeine, Deafheaven, White Hills, Locrian and Sharon Van Etten.

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

I'm from Atlanta, GA. I've had music-related jobs for most of my life. It started with working in record stores, then I started my own internet-based record store and then I got into freelance music composing for everything from short animated films to web commercials and book trailers. As a musician, composing music for other people began to suck the creative life out of me and I never really enjoyed it that much, though I still do the occasional gig.

    When did you start drawing?

I doodled when I was kid but I didn't start really trying to learn to draw until the beginning of last year. I tend to get obsessed with things, and drawing is no different. I spend a lot of time looking at artists' work and trying to figure out why and how they did what they did. 

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

I've been improving just by study and practice, though printing takes up so much of my time now that it can be hard to find the time to sketch unfortunately. Still, the library is my friend and I love it when artists post process videos online so I can see what they're doing; whether it's tracing on a light table or doing pre-press for a printing job.

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

Right now I still sell records online and I'm getting more and more poster/design work which is great. I can say that for this month I could have made a living off design jobs alone, which is very exciting for me.

    Are you collaborating with magazines/fanzines, regularly?

No, not right now. I'm open to anything though.

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

I studied film production in college so much of my influence comes from that. I wouldn't say that my work is all that abstract, but having avant-garde filmmakers like Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon for professors was an eye-opening experience. As far as illustration goes I really enjoy looking at intense detail, so I've spent quite a bit of time with the works of Franklin Booth, Albrecht Durer and contemporaries like Vania Zouravliov and comic artist Rafael Grampa. Some of my favorite artists making posters today include Justin Kamerer, David D'andrea, Aaron Horkey, Landland, Drew Millward and Jeff Proctor as well as more photographic/collage-based artists like Crosshair, Witch Ghetto, Sonnenzimmer and Casey Deming.

    What are the principal steps in your work ?

Once I've sketched out an idea I'm okay with, I'll ink it with technical pens and sometimes brushes on a light table. Then I'll scan everything into photoshop for coloring and playing with the layout. I print out and tile the films (or print them on bond paper at Kinko's and oil them up), burn some screens and then start laying down some ink usually while cursing loudly.

    Do you do everything by hand or on computer?

The illustration is all by hand, type might be hand-lettered or computer and the coloring is always done on the computer, at least for now.

    How long does it take you to do a poster?

If you include printing I'd say it takes about 3-4 days on average to do a 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 ?

If someone's going to pay me well I'll do it but that's going to be one messed up oil painting. I don't have much experience with oil painting yet, though I'd love to give it a go sometime.

    For which band have you already worked for?

 Mission of Burma, Wye Oak, Opeth, Trampled By Turtles and a few others.

    For which band would you love to work?

I'd love to get a little darker with my work so I would say Sun O))), Neurosis, Electric Wizard, Melvins, etc. And also Robyn.

    Do you choose the artists yourself?

Yes, for the most part. I'm still in the process of getting my name out there so I've reached out to people I think it would be cool to work with.

    What is the most difficult part in designing a poster ?

None of it comes easy for me, but in time I think I'll get better and more confident at every step of the process. Inking is fairly difficult because my hand isn't quite as steady as I'd like it to be and I'm still figuring out things like perspective and spacial relationships. I'm really looking forward to the day when all of this becomes more natural. Printing involves constant troubleshooting as well. My wrists can get pretty sore after printing 300 posters with a dull squeegee.

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

I hang out on gigposters.com quite a bit and it's great to be able to chat and get feedback and advice from people I look up to. Other than that I don't feel like part of a scene yet because I do all this stuff in isolation and most of the time either ship out the posters or hang out in the corner of a dark venue. I think I'll feel a bit more connected to the scene once I'm at the point where I can be involved in group shows and festivals. As long as I keep at it and keep improving I believe I'll get 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?

epicproblems.com

    The best praise you received lately?

A band I've loved and admired for a very long time asked me personally to do their album artwork. The label intervened and decided to do it in-house because of time constraints but still, just to be asked was a huge compliment.

    What can we wish you for the future?

I'd love to work for some of those bands you see that really value concert posters and choose artists very carefully when they book a tour. I'd also like to move my printing operation out of a carpeted bedroom.

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

    Thank you, I'm honored to be included with all the amazing artists you've interviewed.