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Biography:
my name is chris sickels aka red nose studio. i grew up
on a farm in Winchester IN. i graduated from the Art Academy
of Cincinnati 1992-1996. i am trained as a painter. now
i make illustrations for the New York Times, Boston Magazine,
AARP, and several trade magazines that no one has ever heard
of.
Website:
rednosestudio.com
How did you get started in the
illustration field?
When i was still in college i was showing my paintings to
any art director, designer, assistant, secretary that would
give me the time of day. All of them said 'interesting,
but i cant really use it' i would ask them for any criticism
or advice and if they knew of anybody else that might be
interested in seeing my work.
i would go to the big newsstand in downtown Cincinnati and
pour over every magazine i could, to find the ones that
used work with the same kind of attitude that i felt my
work had. when i found ones that i thought fit the type
of work i did i would write down the names of everyone in
the art department and put them on my mailing list.
i got my first job for a magazine in the fall of 1995. (that
was ten years ago...) |
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How did you find
your style? Has it changed since you started?
In school i was fortunate to have a couple instructors help
me understand that a 'style' evolves. at a time when most
of my peers were trying to create a style that would make
their mark, i was trying as many different approaches and
techniques as i could. when i first started going after
illustration work i was doing scratch-board because it reproduced
easy in black and white. then i started do show my paintings.
after about 5 years of illustrating with paintings, i started
to show some of my 3-D work that i had been working on the
side for about 4 years. eventually i was able to create
images truer to my minds eye with the 3-D work and in a
few years art directors started to see the potential in
the 3-D work and it slowly grew from there. i don't think
i ever found my style, i think we are sort of finding each
other after several years of trial and error and many more
years of the same down the road.
What
is your process when working with clients? Can you run us
through a typical job?
it's pretty basic. it usually starts with a call from the
client to me or my rep. we talk about timelines, the brief
rundown of the story/ content and of course the budget which
i happily let my rep negotiate. after that is all settled
there is usually some text, either a rough draft from the
writer or at the least a one line synopsis of what the article
will cover. if its the first time i have worked with the
client i like to talk with them directly on the phone and
go over how they like to work and how i like to work. i
like to talk about how tight they like to hold the reigns.
it usually works out the best when we talk about what we
collectively think is the heart and soul of the story and
then they let me go off and start visually problem solving. |
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What is your creation
process (start with sketches, etc…)?
i usually start with words and combinations of words. i
try to see what visuals come from those words and then build
on that. i try to play as much as i can with the drawings.
i try to narrow it down to 1-3 concepts, the ones i think
are the strongest (otherwise it never fails that the client
will pick your least favorite)
sometimes there are a few revisions that need to be made
to the sketch and then after the sketch is O.K.'d i start
to build the final. this where it starts to get ugly. using
the sketch as a blueprint i start to build the piece. always
knowing where the camera will need to be to get the composition
right. it is very important that i keep the final image
as dead on to the sketch as i can, because most of the time
the art director uses the sketch in their layout so they
can keep moving ahead with the project. after the puppets
and sets are built i set the camera and light it. the lighting
is where it starts to come together. i shoot a few polaroids
to check the composition and color and then shoot the final.
when the film comes back from the lab, i send it to the
client. |
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How do you market/promote
your work?
when i started it was as simple as sending out black and
white postcards every few months. now we send out things
as simple as post cards about every 3 months. the past couple
of years i have done some special promotions with the design
firm Planet 10 and the printer Quality Printing, we enter
several competitions these can get you some great visibility,
but are hard to keep consistent. and we also advertise in
a couple of the sourcebooks.
Do
you have a rep? Why/why not?
yes. after 6 years of going on my own i felt that i had
hit a bit of a wall, where if i was to get to the next level
i was going to have someone dedicated specifically to getting
my work out there beyond my marketing abilities. but i have
to stress that i spoke with several reps, many who didn't
think my style could 'sell' and even more reps who just
didn't seem to be the right fit. i think a rep is a lot
like a spouse, communication is everything and even more-so
they need to believe in the work that you create. |
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What was one of
your favorite assignments?
there was a piece i did about eating disorders for AARP
magazine a couple months ago. its of a woman siting alone
on a branch and she is staring at an apple. the piece has
this simple quality about it that i struggle to achieve
in every piece i do, but this time it worked.
What is the best part about what you
do?
coming up with the concepts. especially those few that just
sing. |
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Do you have side
projects you work on?
too many. especially too many that don't pay. actually,
none of them pay. i am addicted to work. it is very hard
for me to do nothing.
i have a few book concepts that i am always working on.
some animations and a couple TV shows that for some reason
i think will actually fly one day.
How
do you maintain balance in your life between work and play?
i am not very good at this. but i try real hard. i have
a quote on my wall that says "If you routinely work
a 55 or 60 hour week, including travel times, you just wont
cut it as a dad."_Steve Biddulph |
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Do you ever have
creative slumps? What do you do then?
all the time.
cry. and bang my head on the wall. throw tantrums. last
week i got into a brawl with my fax machine, it won.
most importantly i don't give up. i just keep at it. and
eventually it work its self out.
i have another quote on my wall "The best cure for
writer's block is to lower your standards"
What do you do for fun/when you're
not working?
draw
What inspires you right
now?
the laughter of my son.
Thank you very much, Chris! |
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