The Upper Hand Art 2014 Iii Points Bands Brian Butler

Brian Butler is an creative person and illustrator currently living in Miami, FL. He got his start while he was a pupil at the Massachusetts College of Fine art and Design where he was known for designing concert flyers. In the seven years since he graduated, he has accumulated an extensive client list (Vans, Antipodal, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Wu Tang Clan, Alive Nation, etc) and worked on a variety of projects (everything from creating murals and illustrations to customizing shoes and designing t-shirts). We are happy to feature him in our latest 10 Questions interview.

one. Tell us about your primeval introductions to art and any creative people or mentors who inspired you when you were growing up.

I loved cartoons, comics, skateboard graphics, and CD artwork. I still do. At some indicate, punk rock and graffiti got thrown into the mix, and I started to figure out who was backside the art. There was an issue of Punk Planet with Shepard Fairey, Jacob Bannon, and some gig affiche folks. I think that pretty plainly set the groundwork for what to aspire for. David Choe and Jhonen Vasquez were too folks I wanted to emulate.

ii. Many aspiring artists don't take the funds available for all the programs, equipment and supplies they may desire. Did you have to deal with this early on in your career?

I was super fortunate to take adept friends and family supporting my doodle habit. In high school nosotros had a silk screen and photocopy middle, then I had early on access to all the ingredients I needed to explore that scrappy DIY stuff.

I had a pretty proficient understanding of my interests upon entering art school at Mass Art, and used that time to explore every bit many areas equally possible. Held fine art shows and concerts with friends, fabricated album art and customized skateboards for friends. No one had money, everything was only washed for the experience, and to help each other.

3. You lot've worked with clients such as MTV.com, The New Yorker, Jay Z, and Dropkick Murphys, to name a few. Depict your evolution into a commercial artist.

That stuff was also during art schoolhouse. MTV.com and The New Yorker jobs were from entering contests. It didn't experience exploitive to submit to contests dorsum and then; I sorta considered them similar an internship (Though my formal internship was constructing monsters and small buildings for Kaiju Large Battel). And doing piece of work for the Murphys and Jay-Z was a product of people knowing each other throughout the small Boston band merch scene. My first ever mural was for the Dropkick Murphys right between Fenway Park and the Mass Pike. I had no idea what I was doing and it came out super wonky haha. I learned a lot though, and Shepard Fairey eventually posted some Obey posters over a chunk of it, which felt similar some sort of weird achievement. Like, "does this count every bit a collaboration?" Haha.

I graduated Mass Art in 2008, and accept been getting professional person [work] ever since.

4. What struggles accept you faced as a cocky-employed creative person?

Nothing unexpected. Until sorta recently, I always had a 2d job outside of freelance art. I'm at a point now where the volume and compensation is plenty to go along me busy and happy. I attribute that mostly to being open up minded to different types of work.

5. Later you made the move from Boston to Miami, did you meet a modify in your work and the jobs you lot were hired for?

My first experience in Miami was Art Basel in 2007. I saw all my art heros that weekend and three killer concerts dorsum-to-dorsum–Iggy and the Stooges, MSTRKRFT, and Japanther. So, culturally, it was on-bespeak, and weather-wise, it's perfect.

When I arrived to stay, in 2010, I quickly realized that my Art Basel experience was but a visiting circus, and that the stride of the city was actually a lot calmer. I continued to do jobs remotely (which I had besides been doing in Boston), and spent a lot of time doing little projects and art shows to get on the radar of the people crushing it locally. I dear collaborating with people and I needed local allies.

vi. If you had to describe your work to someone who had never seen it before, what would yous say is the overall theme and fashion across all of your projects?

I love to draw. I always have a pen and a sketchbook. Sometimes my linear doodles evolve into gig posters, shorts, or murals. Sometimes they remain doodles in a sketchbook, and just become shared on social media channels, similar in the case of the Evidence Drawn artwork.

Outside of the line quality of my work, information technology's difficult to define a common thread. I always endeavor to accept the context of the project into consideration, and then I'll oftentimes suit my ideas to really fit the needs of the job. For instance, I recently painted a giant mural on Miami Beach. The beach is known for it'southward tourists, Art Deco facades, and pastel colors. So to compliment the neighborhood, I skipped my usual line-work and painted a bunch of pastel colored icons that stand for the stuff tourists would like. I'm downwardly to flex my look to make the project fit. It keeps things interesting on my end too.

7. You work on a multifariousness of things–from posters and murals to live drawing and fine art direction. Which kind of committee is your favorite?

I beloved all that stuff! I like having a studio mentality. I tin nerd-out on Pantone colors and printing methods, simply equally hard as I can become stoked on cartoon a movie in a mosh pit. Everything has its own perks and challenges.

I love to travel, and a major perk to painting murals and the Testify Fatigued stuff is that I accept to be in that location to exercise it. So those jobs afford a lot of travel.

8. Art and media are constantly irresolute these days every bit technology evolves. What lessons have you learned that you would pass on to young artists?

Keep a portfolio, and share your work. Information technology's such good motivation to have a identify yous know your work is going to terminate up. Even if y'all're unsure of the quality, put it upwards, and strive to brand something better. When you've fabricated something meliorate, bandy out the old junk with the good stuff.  It's about being self motivated. When eager people see that y'all're eager also, great collaborations happen.

9. What is the all-time piece of advice you've gotten in terms of following your passion and moving alee creatively?

The obvious ane is the golden dominion: Treat others how yous would like to be treated. It'southward truthful in life and in business concern. I recently saw this amazing video of Nardwuar giving a TED talk.  His whole thing was like, "Just inquire".  No i knows you are interested in doing something until you really put information technology out at that place. And people are then accessible now; it'southward never been easier to connect.

x. What are your plans for the year? (any upcoming projects?)

I want to begin producing Show Drawn prints, and update showdrawn.com to accommodate that. More than big festivals–Bonnaroo, Projection Pabst, Pickathon, and III Points are on the to-putter list. Peradventure a few more and a bunch of shows if possible.

I also really want to build a big ready affair. I don't know if the fix serves as a setting for impromptu theater, or a photoshoot, or concert or something, but I want to design and fabricate a big space.

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Stay upward-to-appointment with Brian's work by checking out his website here and following him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Dribbble, and Flickr.

All art © Brian Butler

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Source: https://www.howweare.net/post/120777106727/10questionsbrianbutler