Recently I was approached by someone who wanted to intern with me and my store, the Frown Crown. I didn’t have the time at the moment due to workload and my upcoming wedding, but I did offer them to ask any questions they wanted and I’d reply.
They sent me some questions over which I’ve decided to post here. Some of these I get a lot. Hopefully these will help someone trying to break into the world of illustration or whatever you call what I do for a living.
How did you contact and begin working with Epitaph records?
How I started working with Epitaph is kind of a weird story. I was working one day and got an email with a few images with it. The images were all poorly reproduced copies of some shirt designs I had done prior. It turns out another illustrator was stealing my designs and trying to pass them off as their own. I explained that “yes – they were copies and if they ever wanted to work with an original artist to contact me”. They did within a week. I was eating at Chipotle when they first called me to do some work.
What type of tablet do you use, and do you think one is better or worse than another ?
I used a Wacom Intuos for years and years. This past Christmas I finally broke down and bought myself an Cintique. I love my Cintique but obviously it’s a lot bigger and more cumbersome than my Intuos. I went to Italy a few months ago and took my intuous w/ me. I like it’s portability.
How long does a project take?
Each project varies wildly in length. I’ve done an illustrated shirt design in two hours. On the other hand, I created a huge graphic for a wall mural in Queensland Austrailia that took me about thirty hours. It really just comes down to how much is going on in the illustration.
Why do you use Manga Studio instead of Photoshop or Illustrator? Would you recommend it?
I use Manga Studio to do my digital inking. I just like the responsiveness of it. It feels the most like naturally drawing on paper to me.
Obviously Manga Studio isn’t the end all be all answer to every job I do. Sometimes I’ll run through three or four projects in a row and never touch it.
I also just this year discovered a program called sketchbook which naturally, is fantastic for doing rough sketches on the computer. The best way I can explain the program is “pretend the piece of paper you’re sketching on has layers like photoshop”. Its terrific and have cut down my prep time considerably.
How many projects do you take in a months time?
I’d say around sixteen different projects a month. When I have a spare moment I try to sneak in some work on my own personal stuff too.
What would you say is your favorite illustration you have done?
It’s a split between two different pieces. The first is called Monster Party – which is a huge piece of a house w/ a ton of movie monsters inside of it having a party. The second is called Wasteland. It’s a big scene of a nuclear meltdown w/ mutants and monsters walking around. I had a blast making both of these.
What social media, or marking do you or did you use to get to your level?
I’ve been doing this for awhile now. I started when myspace was big. Since then I’ve moved on to twitter, instagram, facebook, and just recently got a Deviant art for the hell of it.
That being said, I think facebook is the worst place to market yourself. Unless you’re targeting friends directly, using your facebook wall to promote yourself should only be done in moderation.
How do I get more business with more well know clients?
Honestly, they have all emailed me first. It’s because I have been working in the industry for quite awhile now. When I started out, I emailed every single person I could think of. It was only through working with who I could and making contacts was I able to branch out.
What does your logo mean, or how did it come about?
I pulled my logo out of my ass years and years ago. I was seeing this girl who had access to her apartment’s rooftop. We went up there to throw spare change at people below and to spray paint the rooftop. My logo today was the first thing I did that night w/ no fore-thought. I liked it and kept it ever since. I even named my Clothing Boutique after it.
How many projects do you take in a months time?
I’d say around sixteen different projects a month. When I have a spare moment I try to sneak in some work on my own personal stuff too.
What was your “big break”?
What made me think I could be an illustrator full time was I got an email saying one of my shirt designs was going to be sold in retail malls across the US. That was about six years ago. It’s happened several times since then, but I’ll never forget how happy I was the first time it happened.
Here’s a pic of the tee design. It was a couple of vikings for the band The Devil Wears Prada.
How do you go about your business? Payment/tax/flakers.
If it’s not someone I’ve been working with forever, I demand half the cost up front before I begin any work with the other half due after I complete the project.
I don’t do my taxes. I hire someone to take care of that for me. That being said – if you’re a freelancer – NEVER go to an HR Block or anything of that sort. Hire a professional. They will cost a bit more (maybe) but you will SAVE so much money. I had this wake up call two years ago when the person I hired saved me $6k over what HR Block said I owed.
As for flakers – I don’t work with them.
How much do you charge for /logo/T-shirt/flyer/CD cover/Layout?
This is hard to sum up and answer like this. Each project varies.
Does your pricing change pending on client, as in huge label band, compared to tiny band?
I really try to let it not effect my prices, but I obviously go easier on up and comers. I know what it’s like to run a small business so I try and help out when I can.
How do you handle complaints with /time/budget/art from a client?
Drinking
That’s all the questions. Have a question that I didn’t answer here? Email me and I’ll do my best to answer you. Or feel free to follow and ask me on my twitter. @MattGondek
