Interview with the 1st place winner of Derby 83
Nramen is another new guy who's been here for just a few derbies and already has his first print. Here's more about him.
Shirt.Woot Stats? (first derby / shirts bought / shirts printed)
79 (Myths and legends) / 4 / 1. Derby 79 was my first official submittal. I started preparing for the derby with Derby 77, Alternate History. I've bought four shirts, including my shirt today. The other three are "Circuit-latory System," "Me-Too Birds Flee a Pander Tree," and "It was a dark and stormy night...".
What are your tools of choice?
I use Adobe
Illustrator for the final product and Adobe
Photoshop to create the 580 and 240 detail pictures. I like to sketch my ideas beforehand but I switch between using old-fashioned pencil and paper, and a convertible tablet PC (using blank pages on Microsoft OneNote to sketch).
What is your typical process for going about a design?
The first step in the process is brainstorming; that's my strong(er) side. I'll throw around 4-5 ideas. Next I sketch some of the basic objects for the design (like the T-Rex in SMR). I scan or take a screenshot of my sketch and use it as a guide for Illustrator. After a few hours of tweaking I make the detailed images.
What design or art experience do you have outside the derby?
I have absolutely no art experience. My last art class was when I was 9. I made a few Star Wars battledroid sketches when I was 16. I'm 20 currently. (My mom is artistic so i guess that's where I get any of my talent.)
Which artists or designers inspire you?
I'm not huge into art but I like M.C Escher like any other Wooter it seems. I like more realistic art in general so any artist that keeps it on ground level is cool by me.
Would you like to do art/design full-time? If so, what is your dream job?
An art job would be exciting but I would have some serious mountains to climb to make it realistic. I would most likely pass on a job opportunity. (I'm a Computer Engineering major -- I think more in terms of building a design than creating).
Any plans to ever sell your designs using a print-to-order shop like SpreadShirt or CafePress?
I've thought about the idea but only if the demand is extreme. There are better shirts than what I have to offer.
What advice do you have for new derby artists?
Practice makes perfect. Keep thinking of ideas and try to illustrate them in your own way. Also stay realistic...becoming good at shirt design is the same as any goal you set in life. It takes time and the more you try the stronger you will grow.
