Interview with the winner of Derby 12
Jack31081 finally gets a definite, no-controversy, number-one place win. He very likely would have won with "GI Metro" in derby 4 but for some voting shennanigans before Woot came up with their fog-of-war solution. Thankfully, he still got "GI Metro" printed by Woot soon after that and now "Close encounters of the 2-D kind" as well. Both are still for sale.
I just wanted to also take a moment to thank Jack31081 and all the previous interviewees for really putting an effort into answering questions with humor and wisdom. They're making my job fun and easy.
Woot Stats? (first derby / years on woot / # bags of crap)
#2 / 0.22177 / 1. One bag, three craps...in every sense of the word.
What are you tools of choice?
I sketch around on a
pad occasionally, but for legitimate design work, I'm still relegated entirely to the world of virtual pens and brushes. I've been using
Photoshop since version 4.0, so it's been my application of choice for a decade, although I'm finally getting the hang of
Illustrator.
What is your typical process for going about a design?
For themed designs, like the woot derbies, I'll typically jot down any words, design styles or ideas that come to mind, and then narrow the list, perhaps combining or rearranging some ideas. For instance, the design for Close Encounters wound up being a compilation of "moon silouhette", "constellation" and "space invaders". Once I have a picture in my head, I might scratch something out on paper or just dive right into Photoshop and Illustrator. I'll use the pencil tool to do a crude freehand version of each part of the overall design, and then "trace" over it using the pen tool, adjusting anchor points and curves to get the final shape I'm after. Once I've got all the "parts", I'll assemble them in various ways until I come to a final design I like.
What design or art experience do you have outside the derby?
I've no real education, art-wise, but I started in web design doing layouts while in high school, then moved on to print design, doing logos, business cards, letterheads, posters, brochures and the like. I also do the occasional t-shirt for friends, and even snagged a gig designing the official jersey for a cycling team.
Would you like to do art/design full-time? If so, what is your dream job?
Well, all my design work outside web design has been freelance, so I've never had much experience doing it full time; I'd certainly be willing to try. I've always considered myself an "idea man", so something in conceptual design would be right up my alley. Wait, what does "conceptual design" even mean?
Any plans to sell your designs outside woot?
I've got a GoodStorm shop up
here, and I'll be adding all my also-rans within a day or two of their rights being returned to me. Next on the list is "Speed Limit C", an entry that was unfortunately but justifiably rejected while in the fog.
What advice do you have for new derby artists?
Work within your limits. Not everyone is a whiz with a pad and pencil. Not everyone knows the ins and outs of Illustrator's filter set. We've seen some great shirts on woot that have been nothing more than simple shapes and text. If you can draw, don't feel the need to tweak everything in Illustrator; let your style show. If you can't draw, use Illustrator to full effect; the pen tool is basically black magic once you get the hang of it. When deciding on what to design, choose the idea you know you can execute well. It'll get you votes. And if you must remember one thing, it's that woot is designed for people on their computers at midnight. Deep down inside, there's a geek within all of us.
