FORGE. Issue 1: Discovery

CHRISTOPHER BEITZ

Christopher Beitz Submitted December 2nd 2012

“This photo is of the moonrise from Bald Mountain, which was taken on a trip to the Adirondacks with my family this year. I had climbed up once already with my brother-in-law for the sunrise a few days prior and this time I wanted to get the sunset from the top, so my mom agreed to come with me so I wasn’t alone, because you never should go alone! Especially with black bears and mountain lions around. But anyways, we had made it to the top and I took a few photos and then we started our way back down where we then got lost. By this time it was dark and all we had were flashlights and no cell service and the trail was poorly marked so that made it difficult as well to get our bearings. As we were walking around, often just feet from huge hundred-foot drop-offs, I climbed up to a ledge and saw the moon and it was this great orange color and there was still enough light left to get a few shots. Now at this time we were still lost on top of the mountain and the fact that I was taking photos even still makes me laugh, I was dedicated! So after I was done we started looking for the trail markers again and finally found one where we then started our way back down and then departed back to the cabin, where we then sank in the canoe! It was a pretty eventful night, and this picture survived a short dip into the lake.”

-Christopher Beitz Name

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

Christopher Frank Beitz

Where are you from?

I really enjoy many of the film photographers who first started experimenting with their cameras and getting the most out of them and their negatives. Mostly the likes of people like Ansel Adams, Man Ray, Rene Burri, and Jerry Uelsman just to name a few. I also just recently stumbled across the work of Oleg Dou and found a lot of inspiration in what he does and achieves with the look of his photos. I always try to learn things from what other people have done because the more I see the more I come to understand what can be accomplished with photography and then I can translate that into my own work for the future.

Buffalo, NY

What materials do you like to work with?

What is your current occupation?

I started off shooting mostly digital but now I’m doing a lot more with film. I find that shooting digital is easy at times and the ability to take several hundred photos makes the photos mean less to me. Shooting film is different in that you only have so many frames to fill so you think more about what you are shooting instead of just snapping away. I also like the idea of negatives and the fact that when you take a photo, you can’t make another copy of the negative, that’s the picture and there’s no changing it.

Age 19 What is your current location?

Buffalo, NY

Student Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

In school I’ve taken photography courses that were all introductory and helpful to understanding cameras and how you can manipulate the camera into capturing what you want but mostly I’ve learned on my own just shooting every chance I can get.

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What pieces, projects, or collaborations are you currently working on?

Right now I’m working on a lot of different things. I’ve been writing ideas down and sketching them out on a daily basis for projects, sometimes just sitting down for ten minutes I can get five of them right off the bat! Right now I seem to be having trouble staying focused on just one idea because I always get sidetracked with new ones. Hopefully soon things will fall into place and I can find my focus and have something to show for it.

What music do you listen to while working?

This is actually a really nice question but I don’t listen to any music when working! It’s really strange actually because I enjoy many kinds of music, from post-rock bands like Sigur Ros, classical like Ludovico Einaudi all the way to Lana Del Rey! I used to listen to music a lot when editing or taking photos but for some reason I stopped.

Where do you like to work?

I love to go outside and shoot, I really like the look of natural light and how throughout the course of a day the shadows

Previous Work

Websites: http://cfb-photo.tumblr.com/ http://www.flickr.com/people/60588920@N04/ Contact: Cfbphotography1213@gmail.com

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change and light becomes more harsh or subtle in the event of thick cloud cover. It makes you constantly think about the scene and what you need to change on your camera to get it looking right which is great for learning! Besides shooting outside I recently set up a studio in one of the spare bedrooms in my family’s house. I made some makeshift backdrops and lighting using a few lamps on coat racks which gets the job done and is reasonably cheap–which is always a good thing.

I intend to do a lot more with my studio and learn even more about light, especially getting into things like portraiture and creating different lighting setups to accentuate different aspects of the human form.

What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

This one is tough because I have a horrible memory, but I remember as a kid I always liked to draw and I could do it fairly well (although now I am dreadful at it) but I would look at something and then without looking at the paper I would draw it.

Which is neat and looking back on what I did I sure wish I still had that skill set but I seem to have lost it over time.

MR. FLOREY

Mr. Florey Submitted November 17th 2012

Name

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

Florey Age

Jeez. How many pages do I have? Things with monsters, demons, aliens, magic, superheroes, giant robots. You know, awesome stuff.

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What materials do you like to work with?

What is your current location?

I find it’s always good to start off with a good old pencil and paper. Sketching things out is a must for me. I then jump on the computer and destroy all that good work.

Melbourne, Australia Where are you from?

Melbourne, Australia

What pieces, projects, or collaborations are you currently working on?

What is your current occupation?

I’ve got a few shows coming up that I’ll have pieces in. Some stuff I can’t talk about. Mysterious!

Graphic Designer

What music do you listen to while working?

Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

I mostly do video, actually. Either films I’ve already seen or TV that I’m only half interested in. Audio books or podcasts are great too. I do love my music, I just don’t seem to listen while I’m arting.

That’s a tough one. I suppose my training and time spent as a graphic designer has somewhat dictated the way that I do art, but there’s a separation between the two. I don’t necessarily have any ‘Art’ training. So no, but yes?

Where do you like to work?

I have a little office at home. I just close the door, block out all the light and get to it! Wait, does that sound dodgy?

What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

I’ve always drawn. I don’t think I have a memory where I wasn’t drawing something or thinking about drawing something.

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Previous Work

Websites: http://www.mrflorey.com/ http://mrflorey.tumblr.com/ http://society6.com/Florey Contact: mrflorey@gmail.com

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JESSICA DONNELLAN

Jessica Donnellan Submitted November 10th 2012

“Time is a common theme within my work. I bring the old and the new together, creating a different world in my photography, where the past and present meet together. I wanted these images to have a futuristic feel to them, almost as if they were discovering a new moment in time. For this body of work specifically, I focused on the clothing and jewelry to show old fashion trends that are easy to recognize. I focused on bright lighting and colors to create a new and present day feeling to the photographs. Bringing both of these elements into the image allows them to work together, creating a moment where both time periods meet.”

-Jessica Donnellan Name

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

Jessica Donnellan

What is your current location?

I am often inspired by the past. The 1940s and the “old Hollywood glamour” feeling around this time period has always captivated me, which I often try and show within my work.

I just actually bought Tim Walker’s new book “Story Teller.” It is absolutely stunning and so inspiring. You become a part of his images and the stories he creates. This is something I hope to eventually do with my own work.

Long Island, New York

What materials do you like to work with?

Where are you from?

I make it a point to focus on every aspect of each photograph I take. It’s about the process of creating an image, not just the final photograph. I make a lot of the props and outfits I photograph, which makes everything that much more personal to me. I would say that my hot glue gun, needle, and thread are almost as important as my camera. I recently have been shooting more instax images, along with my normal digital work too.

Age 19

Brooklyn, New York What is your current occupation?

I have been doing freelance work mostly. Since I am in school still, I do not have a set job with photography, but I am available for commission and am always looking for new things to do.

Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

I am in my second year of college at the School of Visual Arts. I am studying for my BFA in Photography and have been taking photo classes since 2008. I also interned for the fashion photographer Craig McDean this past summer, where I learned a lot about the industry.

What pieces, projects, or collaborations are you currently working on?

I am currently in the beginning stages of starting a new series with my sister. I am excited to start working on a consistent body of work, along with other side projects. I am mostly experimenting though right now, photographing whatever ideas come into my mind. I have a few online features coming out as well as a feature in PDN magazine which I am very excited about!

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What music do you listen to while working?

Where do you like to work?

This question is so tricky, because it really depends on the shoot. I do not listen to that much music when I actually am shooting, especially if I am on location. I plan out my shoots before I photograph them though, so I am always listening to music when I am doing this research. I tend to listen to music that brings out some sort of emotion in me. Since my taste in music is so large, it could be Lana Del Rey one day and Coldplay the next. I really depends on my mood and what I am feeling.

I like to work outside on location. I love being able to make a space my own, even though it has already existed.

Previous Work

Website: www.jessicadonnellan.com Contact: jdonnellan402@aol.com

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What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

I grew up surrounded by artists so it is sort of impossible to really pin point an exact time when I first started creating.

Everything I produced was a piece of artwork to my family, which made me always interested in every type of medium at a young age. Photography-wise, I was given my first camera when I was eleven. People always said I had a knack for the craft, but it wasn’t until I was twelve when my work was recognized. There was a local photo competition at my library, where I received first place. I beat all the high school kids, which was something I was really proud about. I guess it was from then on that I started taking photography seriously and wanted to start making art specifically within this medium.

KEVIN RUSS

Kevin Russ Submitted December 3rd 2012

“I arrived at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, Washington, just after sunrise. Besides a park ranger, I was the first one to go up the mountain range on this cold snowy morning. Tunnels have a way to draw curiosity and exploration out of me the same way climbing a hill or mountain does. They are a place to discover what’s on the other side. It doesn’t really matter what the discovery is but it’s seeing something new that keeps me coming back.”

-Kevin Russ

Name

What materials do you like to work with?

Kevin Russ

Nature

Age

What pieces, projects, or collaborations are you currently working on?

29 What is your current location?

I’m currently just focused on seeing as much of the globe as I can.

Portland, Oregon

What music do you listen to while working?

Where are you from?

Recently it’s been lots of the RELEVANT Podcast. I enjoy a good laugh when I’m driving around.

Arroyo Grande, California What is your current occupation?

Where do you like to work?

Photographer, part-time iStockphoto image inspector

Around nature and wildlife. When I need to get on the computer, which I’m trying to eliminate, I enjoy the public library.

Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

Self taught in photography. Some on the job training for the inspector position.

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

Not sure how much art there was in it, but I grew up on 11 acres of mostly oak trees and built quite a few tree forts. I also made skateboard ramps and videos in my earlier days.

Documentaries on people who have honed their craft or are living their dream. Stuff about people living off the land/grid and choosing to do things differently than most Americans is inspiring as well. Movies with real or fake landscape and wildlife that looks like a fairy tale.

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Previous Work

Websites: http://kevinruss.tumblr.com/ http://society6.com/kevinruss http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattersonminx/ Contact: kevin.russ@gmail.com

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NICK BOYER

Nick Boyer Submitted December 2nd 2012

“A bear cub was drinking at a pond and I was able to be within range to catch it.”

-Nick Boyer Name

What materials do you like to work with?

Nick Boyer

Provo, UT

I’m partial to Canon gear and Adobe software. Mostly, I feel like I’m going “rogue” when I am out by myself climbing fences, going through abandoned places, or getting off the trail in the mountains or in random spots of the city. I just have my camera, some Pibb Extra and batteries and then I get home and go through the pictures that made the cut and try to scrap those down to the best and then see if there is anything I can create out of those images to make something else that mixes influences and bring out something that wasn’t there before.

Where are you from?

What music do you listen to while working?

Salt Lake City, UT What is your current occupation?

I like the electronic background music you might hear on the radio show “This American Life” or some indie stuff like Andrew Bird and then some Kanye West.

Artist/Photographer/Web Developer

Where do you like to work?

Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

On the road or anywhere fun to explore. Wherever it’s easy to pick out a shot and all I have to do is be there. Traveling is only fun that way.

Age 27 What is your current location?

A few classes on the mechanics. Very much self taught overall.

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

Peter Lik, Annie Leibovitz, Andreas Gursky, Andy Warhol, Realism Art, Impressionism Art, Documentary, Cindy Sherman, OneEyeLand, and National Geographic. I really love just going through all kinds of portfolios I find online that are innovative or just really well done.

What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

I remember just messing around for hours in Photoshop, stealing people’s cameras and shooting nonsense with their film, or using a VHS camcorder to shoot weird abstract stuff using food coloring dye, fireworks or melting some toys with hairspray and a lighter.

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Previous Work

Websites: http://nickboyerphoto.com/ http://society6.com/imnickboyer http://www.flickr.com/photos/99135138@N02/ Contact: info@nickboyerphoto.com

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ELIOT RUOCCO-TRENOUTH

Eliot Ruocco-Trenouth Submitted December 5th 2012

“Whenever I’m given free rein to make a piece, I almost always seem to produce something goofy, since I don’t often get a chance to when I’m doing some sort of commission. Here, we see Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin making their discoveries regarding gravity, the general theory of relativity and electricity, respectively. They’re having a super awesome time, too. Basically, these guys said the word ‘discovery’ and this is what my brain farted out. The whole thing was sketched, inked, coloured and rendered entirely in Photoshop using my trusty Wacom tablet. Who says physics can’t be fun?”

-Eliot Ruocco-Trenouth Name Eliot Ruocco-Trenouth

What pieces, projects, or collaborations are you currently working on?

Age

Working on some branding and design for a couple of clients.

And your lovely magazine, of course.

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What music do you listen to while working?

What is your current location?

Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

More often than not, I tend to have the telly on in the background. Or a podcast, or a DVD commentary of some description.

Where are you from?

Where do you like to work?

Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Somewhere with tea-making facilities close by.

What is your current occupation?

What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

Freelance Graphic Artist

The one time my mum let my sister and me do finger painting.

Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

Totally self taught, bar art classes at school and college.

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

Oh, so much stuff. I’m big into animation and illustration, so I’m always finding people and pieces that get my juices flowing.

What materials do you like to work with?

Biros are underrated.

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Previous Work

Websites: http://mushonastick.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mushonastick Contact: mushonastick@gmail.com

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ELEANOR BENNETT

Eleanor Bennett Submitted December 9th 2012

“Taken in Stockport, Cheshire. I am inspired constantly by history and architecture.

I enjoyed how the image turned out in black and white. I like to create added depth by increasing the contrast and shadow. The urban environment is the place I am most fond of when It comes to creating images.”

-Eleanor Bennett Name

What materials do you like to work with?

Eleanor Leonne Bennett

My main medium is photography.

Age

What pieces, projects, or collaborations are you currently working on?

16 What is your current location?

Manchester, England Where are you from?

Manchester, England What is your current occupation?

Artist and Student Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

I am self taught.

Front cover art in the main but I also doing a lot of illustration.

What music do you listen to while working?

Classic rock, Rap, Indie music and pretty much anything.

Where do you like to work?

Completely alone and under my own influences.

What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

Being around 7 and mixing the colours in the plasticine. I used to really want to be a stop motion animator. I love animation and the dedication a stop motion film takes. There are many fabulous examples of that creativity online and it is well worth a good look.

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

I am heavily inspired by music, urban living and contemporary art.

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Previous Work

Websites: http://www.eleanorleonnebennett.com/ Contact: eleanor.ellieonline@gmail.com

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RYAN HUMPHREY

Ryan Humphrey Submitted December 3rd 2012

“The piece of work I have submitted is based on a piece of text from Brave New World. The piece of text goes as follows: “Their black hair was braided with fox fur and red flannel. Cloaks of turkey feathers fluttered from their shoulders; huge feathers diadems exploded gaudily.”

-Ryan Humphrey Name

What materials do you like to work with?

Ryan Humphrey

I work with mechanical pencils in Moleskine Sketchbooks.

Maybe a bit of watercolour as well.

Age 24 What is your current location?

London, United Kingdom Where are you from?

A small town called Feltham in England.

What is your current occupation?

Freelance Illustrator and wannabe teacher Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art and a Masters of Art in Illustration.

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

Vincent Van Gogh, Lucian Freud, Jenny Saville, Phil Hale and Neo Rauch inspire me. So does the film Blade Runner.

What pieces, projects, or collaborations are you currently working on?

Currently working on a competition to illustrate certain text from Brave New World, also doing a small book based from scenes from some of my favourite films (currently working on Leon, then Drive), also a small short story based on a manatee.

Collaboration projects with Maisie Cousins, as well as other artists from around the globe.

What music do you listen to while working?

Mostly electronic music, from Lazerhawk to Meat Beat Manifesto to Crystal Castles to The Knife.

Where do you like to work?

On my bedroom floor with books all around me.

What is one of your earliest memories of making art?

Drawing a builder that lost his arm from falling off a shed. I was around 6.

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Previous Work

Websites: http://ryanhumphrey.co.uk/ http://withapencilinhand.tumblr.com/ http://society6.com/ryanhumphrey Contact: ryanhump3@gmail.com

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ALBERT BLANCHET

Albert Blanchet Submitted November 29th 2012

“A discovery often only reveals itself after a long and spiraling search.”

-Albert Blanchet Name

What materials do you like to work with?

Albert Blanchet

Work mostly with pen and ink, but also the pen tool in Illustrator.

Age 28

What music do you listen to while working?

What is your current location?

I’ll listen to anything from the Pixies to Nina Simone to podcasts while I work.

Long Beach, CA

Where do you like to work?

Where are you from?

Prefer to work in my apartment— head down, pen up.

Long Beach, CA What is your current occupation?

Art Director Do you have any training or formal education in the field of art you work in, or are you self taught?

Studied Fine Art for two years in college, and then a few more for a degree in Visual Communications.

What people, books, films, (etc…) inspire you the most?

I’m inspired by Bob Peak, Rene Gruau, Jon Contino, Jessica Hische, Mark Weaver, Dieter Rams, Charles/Ray Eames, and Wes Anderson movies.

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Previous Work

Websites: http://www.albertblanchet.com/ http://dribbble.com/mynameisalbert http://society6.com/mynameisalbert Contact: albertwearsglasses@gmail.com

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THOMAS HERPICH

THOMAS HERPICH

by MATTHEW JAMES-WILSON

One of the most successful and celebrated television shows of the past five years started out as a Frederator Studios

short created by Pendleton Ward. Although Ward is relatively young for the level of success he has received, he has taken several well-thought-out steps to get to where he is today. After graduating CalArts, (the university in Valencia, California founded by Walt Disney which specializes in animation and illustration) Ward became good friends with Eric Homan, who set him up with his first job at Frederator Studios. Ward worked for a number of years at Frederator Studios, where he made the two shorts Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors before getting a job writing and storyboarding for Cartoon Network’s show The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flap Jack in 2008. While working on Flap Jack, Ward’s short Adventure Time became a success through the internet and through being aired several times on Nickelodeon. Ward then began pitching the short to Cartoon Network to be turned into a full length television show. It wasn’t until 2010 that it was finally picked up and he was given the opportunity to write and produce Adventure Time as an entire series.

Although this career path and others like it have been taken by Ward and contemeraries such as Thurop Van Orman,

creator of Flap Jack, and J.G. Quintel, creator of Regular Show, the same can not be said for Tom Herpich, one of Adventure Time’s writers, story boarders and character designers. Herpich has taken a much more spontaneous and less calculated route to his position today. However, he is now at one of the most comfortable places in his career. Since graduating from college Herpich has been writing and illustrating his own comics, including 2003’s Cusp and 2004’s Gongwanadon, and he recently published a collection of stories in his newest graphic novel, White Clay. On top of his own personal endeavors, Thomas has seen success through his full time job, working on Adventure Time. His talents for writing, story-boarding, and character design on the show were fully realized when the first episode he wrote completely on his own, Thank You, aired on November 23, 2011 and was later added the the list of short films to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival.

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Where are you from? Where do you live currently?

I was born in Torrington, a little factory town in northwest Connecticut, and lived there till I went to art school in New York City. A few years after I graduated I moved down to North Carolina for about 3 years, then back up to NYC for another year, then out to Burbank, California to take this gig on Adventure Time, where I’m still living.

What first got you interested in writing and illustration?

It’s one of those things that you’re just doing from before you can remember; from before there’s any reason. My twin brother and I, when we were kids, would illustrate these huge epic stories in this proto-comics form, just one wordless tableau per page, spanning hundreds of pages of lined notebooks.

I got really into comic books in high school. Mostly Fantagraphics and Vertigo stuff. I never really thought about it as a career or anything like that. Actually I didn’t really think about anything as a career, I was pretty much just going with the flow at that point.

I somehow just took it for granted that I would go to art school, and even right up to graduating from SVA I’d never thought much about a career. Probably less and less as I went along. I just wanted to draw comics and especially draw models. That was my strategy by the end: get in as much figure drawing as possible, which I loved, and had the added benefit of being like hardcore bodybuilding for drawing chops, and then hope for the best once I got out.

Do you have any formal training in writing or illustration?

Not specifically. For my first two years of art school I majored in animation, and for the last two I majored in cartooning.

Neither of which, though they were often interesting, was especially rigorous. Art school was a get-out-of-it-what-you-putin sort of deal, and I didn’t put all that much in, with the huge huge exception of figure drawing, which was all I wanted to do for the last couple years there.

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In what ways has living in New York, North Carolina, and California effected your work?

I think this is mostly unanswerable… too hard to sort the controls from the variables. And probably the things that happened in these places were more important than the places themselves. New York was school and learning and breakthroughs and excitement and possibility, and then also graduating from school, which was confusion and stasis, a removal of my main artistic motivation engine, which was deadlines, and trying to figure out what to do next and why. North Carolina was a sort of experiment in communal living, where I mostly neglected my artistic ambitions, and California has been a full-scale embrace of those ambitions, a total 180, where drawing and writing are my entire job, and my job is pretty nearly my entire life.

What things do think you were able to take away from your time at SVA, and what do you wish you could have learned during your time there?

I put my first comic book, Cusp, together mostly from SVA assignments from my last couple years there, and I’m grateful for that; that was a nice way to wind up with a book, almost by surprise. Other than that, my really intensive passionate figure drawing studies, under the tutelage of James McMullan, had the most positive, most lasting impact on me. Like I mentioned, SVA was pretty loose, and you got out of it what you put into it, so sometimes I’ll gripe about not having been compelled to learn stuff that I wasn’t too interested in (I didn’t have much contact with any media besides pens and pencils my whole time there), but in a way that probably lessened the shock of finally being completely responsible for my own artistic growth once I graduated.

“North Carolina was a sort of experiment in communal living, where I mostly neglected my artistic ambitions, and California has been a full-scale embrace of those ambitions, a total 180, where drawing and writing are my entire job, and my job is pretty nearly my entire life.”

What circumstances led to your position writing and storyboarding for Adventure Time?

After a few random post-college art-type jobs, I started to focus on freelance illustration as the best way I could think of to make money. I dabbled for a few years, eventually landing a regular gig for King magazine where I made one spot illo and one rebus puzzle each month, for I think 300 bucks each. I was living in North Carolina, and my rent was 250 dollars a month, so this felt at first like I had solved the life equation. I put in about 6 hours of work a month, lived with a bunch of my friends, was actually saving money, and spent most of my time gardening, canoeing, reading, etc. etc. But after a year or so of that all my pent-up ambition sort of exploded and I moved back up to NYC, which I was sure I’d never do, and tried to get really serious about an illustration career.

I had my buddy Tomer Hanuka, illustrator extraordinaire, coaching me (and passing off unwanted jobs to me) and I got a lot of pretty high profile, high paying stuff; but the ball never quite got rolling; it was always scattershot and I never got close to being able to quit my part time job (painting murals in children’s bedrooms)… It was during this time that I started getting job offers from Adventure Time. It seemed out of the question at first, moving across the country to take some job I hadn’t

been looking for, and didn’t know what it was, so I kept saying no. But then in the span of about a month the economy imploded and I got in a fight with my mural-painting boss and quit, and suddenly had nothing at all keeping me in NY. I took the Adventure Time gig, and two weeks later moved out here and have been here ever since–about 4 years now. After the first year doing design work, Pen Ward, the show’s creator, thought I’d make a better storyboarder than designer, so I switched over and he was absolutely right.

How would you describe the writing process at the Adventure Time office?

It’s very granular. You start with a two page outline which gets broken up into three acts, then down to maybe 4 beats per act, then each beat gets broken down into maybe 5-10 thumbnail pages. You end up kind of just chipping away at it for a week, then before you know it it’s done. Sometimes there’s a lot of rewriting/revisions that happen after that first draft, but usually not. Although, for me anyway, I’ve been revising it constantly throughout the first draft. I do a LOT of rewriting and sharpening before the first pitch. Pass upon pass.

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“Trying to make the best thing you can make means really having to understand what pleases you and what doesn’t. You can learn a lot about yourself that way.”

Who, that you’ve worked with, has had the biggest impact on your work?

I’m constantly, hugely impressed with all the storyboarders I work with, and there are aspects about all of their work that I’ve tried to emulate, but the two that have kept me on my toes the most I think have been Jesse Moynihan and Rebecca Sugar.

Jesse just breathes comedy, and his characters always have really natural, history-imbued interactions. Rebecca’s stories are always really thought through, with a pleasing clockwork sort of structure, and she’s great at dramatic staging. Looking at her stuff really spurred me early on to start making my cinematography more interesting. Watching either of them pitch always makes me feel like I’ve gotta work harder.

What projects or collaborations are you working on at the moment?

Other than Adventure Time, pretty much nothing at present.

In July I think, I finished up a comic book, White Clay, that I’d been working on for years on and off, and I haven’t been in any hurry to start another one. Storyboarding keeps me pretty well occupied.

Are there any projects you would like to embark on, but just don’t have the funding for?

Nah. I like writing and drawing, and they’re both gonna always be pretty much free.

What are some of the things you feel you struggle with, having chosen to work in the art industry?

I’m sure this sounds very “grass is always greener”, but there’s definitely a danger in making something you love, something that’s a big part of your identity, into your profession. It can really muck up your boundaries. I don’t know... it’s difficult to talk about productively, so… sorry for the short answer.

Who are some writers that inspire you?

If you mean inspire as in affect my artwork, I’d say David Foster Wallace has had a pretty lasting impact on my way of thinking. In a more general way I find J.G. Ballard, J.M. Coetzee, Cormac McCarthy, Knut Hamsun, Wallace Shawn, and Michel Houellebecq pretty inspiring. As for direct influences on my writing for Adventure Time… I think The Simpsons is so towering and massive a touchstone that it would be misleading to even list any others. The Simpsons and my fellow storyboarders. That’s pretty much it.

What was the process of making the episode “Thank You” like?

In most ways it was like any other episode. The three big differences were that it was the first and only episode I boarded by myself, that it was hardly about Finn and Jake at all, and that it had almost no dialogue. I thought the plot itself was sorta saccharine and cliche, so I killed myself trying to make every

joke and every shot inventive and interesting. I definitely worked mighty hard on that one. Also I think that was the first of what became sort of an unpleasant trend for me, of thinking I’d bungled the storyboard and that it was a total flop, and then pitching it and having everyone say it’s one of my best.

Trying to make the best thing you can make means really having to understand what pleases you and what doesn’t. You can learn a lot about yourself that way.

What’s your reaction been to the success of the episode?

I like that people like it, for sure, but by the time these episodes hit the air I’m usually pretty well burnt out on them.

This one in particular I slaved over in all sorts of above-andbeyond ways, and it just ended up, like, if you drink a bunch of Southern Comfort and throw up, and then you never want to drink it again for the rest of your life— it’s sorta like that. I’m really proud of it, but I don’t wanna think about it anymore.

What is the most memorable reaction anyone has had to your art?

It’s not exactly a reaction to my art, but a couple times I’ve met people who were very nervous to meet me, and that is a pretty memorable situation.

What do you see yourself doing in the future?

Hard to say. I don’t look too far ahead usually. But I don’t have any plans to leave Adventure Time anytime soon, so I’ll probably be doing this for a while.

What do you hope to accomplish with your art?

Nothing in particular. To keep learning and improving. It’s exciting to follow the muse. Trying to make the best thing you can make means really having to understand what pleases you and what doesn’t. You can learn a lot about yourself that way.

What advice could you give to some who’s interested in doing work in the same field you work in?

As you can see from my description above, I pretty much just stumbled into this, so I don’t have a lot of nitty gritty practical advice to give about breaking into the field. Mostly I would say to concentrate on doing what you love and let the rest follow.

Stay flexible. I didn’t even know this field of work existed, but I gave it a shot and found that I was way better suited for it than for the career (illustration) that I’d been aiming at for years.

If you could experience any book, film, piece of art or piece of music for the first time again, what would it be?

I’m gonna reframe that a little and say that reading Infinite Jest in college and reading the entirety of Cerebus just a couple years ago, were two of the most powerful, profound, rightplace-right-time artistic experiences of my life, and I hope there’s at least a few more like that yet to come.

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JANE MAI

by MATTHEW JAMES-WILSON

Few other modern comics can match the sense of humor, innocence, vulgarity, and overall brilliance of Jane Mai’s grow-

ing body of work. Mai’s hand made, yet unrefined production techniques paired with her unusual method of story telling create a unique aesthetic that’s all her own. Although it was only in November of last year that she published her first novel, Sunday In The Park With Boys, Mai’s been crafting her own original comics and illustrations for years. Along with writing and illustrating, Mai produces her own tee shirts, notebook stickers, cards, buttons, and prints which can all be found on both her online store and society6.

At the moment, Mai has several hopes and desires for the future. She has recently been busy working away at her sec-

ond novel, but continues to warm the hearts of many by answering fans’ questions on her frequently-updated blog and though her existing work.

Where are you from? Where do you live currently? i was born and raised in nyc. i live in a boring part of brooklyn. there are a ton of stray cats and they live in my backyard.

Do you have any formal training in the field of art you work in? kind of! i have a degree in illustration somewhere What are the steps in making one of your comics? i like to put on lip gloss before i start How do you approach writing and coming up with stories for your comics, and what do you hope to accomplish with each one? i hope people enjoy them, really, or be entertained. i’d like for people to look at my work and at least be entertained for a little bit. i kind of cheat with the stories, they’re basically what happens to me in real life. i just make situations dumber and more interesting.

What was the process of writing, illustrating, and publishing Sunday In The Park With Boys like? finishing it was tough! it gets tiring working at home so i had to force myself to go to a library every day for a change of location and get back into “work” mode. originally it wasn’t going to be such a dark story but i think that worked out for the better. publishing it was fun, annie koyama is a great person to work with. it was definitely a learning experience.

What is the most memorable reaction anyone has had to your art? i like to hear that i’m funny or whatever. but it’s nice to hear that people relate to the more serious comics.

Are there any projects you would like to embark on, but just don’t have the funding for? to publish my own pop up book! i would really like to have fabrics printed and to make clothing, but printed textiles are super expensive. to just throw big drunken depraved parties with dress themes. to breed my own kind of cat that has a extra squished face In what ways has living in New York effected your work? new york definitely has a great mix of cultures and art shows and illustrators. i’m not good at meeting people but new york city is great for meeting people.

What music do you like to listen to while you work? i used to listen to wardruna or judas priest heavily while i drew, now it’s usually one direction. i have a fondness for justin bieber.

What other graphic novels, or writers and illustrators do you draw the most inspiration from? i like the simplicity and carefree humor of yotsuba& a lot. but i think i channel (or rip off) david heatley the most.

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“i’d like for people to look at my work and at least be entertained for a little bit.”

How would you describe a day in the life of Jane Mai? snacking and mailing things. i kiss my dog and write letters to people that buy my junk (thanks!)

What projects are you currently working on? i’m trying to finish up some comics i started and never followed upon, and an animal crossing doujinshi. hopefully more printed book-book type comics people can actually get their hands on rather than have to look at on my site or tumblr. i should finish my novel.

How would you describe the sense of humor and illustration style of your comics? probably either toilet humor or ultra depressive. chickenscratch Often your work is characterized as being very lo-fi or unrefined. Does this come out of the technique you use to make your comics, or was it a conscious choice to create this aesthetic from the start? it wasn’t really a conscious choice, it’s just how things naturally came out. i guess it’s just easier and quicker to do the general journal comics on my tumblr like that. it’s fast and no frills and done with whatever pen i have nearby. though it is nice to be more refined every once in a while.

How did you get started with making illustrations and comics? when i was a lot younger, maybe 4-5, i collected this comic strip from a chinese newspaper. i cut them out and taped them into this note book i kept. i just remembered that haha. they were gag comics about this little balding chinese man or something. i liked to draw but i didn’t start drawing comics until i was in high school and those were very bad, and they continued to be bad until i was in college and now i’m out of college and they aren’t so bad.

About how long does it take you to make each illustration and comic? hmmm it really depends on what it is. a crappy journal comic probably takes about half hour to an hour, illustrations might take days. i take a lot of breaks and get very distracted. i think i spend a lot more time than i have to on projects because i’m not very organized or good at time management. but i think i’m getting better at streamlining the process or whatever How do you approach writing and coming up with stories for your comics, and what do you hope to accomplish with each one? i hope people enjoy them, really. or be entertained. i’d like for people to look at my work and at least be entertained for a little bit. i kind of cheat with the stories, they’re basically what happens to me in real life. i just make situations dumber and more interesting.

What do you find most gratifying or most validating about what you do? i get emails from people struggling with depression or just general shit and they tell me they’re glad they’ve seen my work and know they aren’t alone.

Could you tell us more about the novel you would like to finish? it’s a hard boiled detective novel! it’s vulgar.

Will we see future installments, or the thrilling conclusion of Jane Mai And Evelyn Save Hip Hop? oh yeah, i’ve been meaning to add to that.

If you could experience any book, film, piece of art or piece of music for the first time again, what would it be? when i first saw eraserhead it was on dvd by myself for kicks. recently i saw a screening of it in an actual theater and it was great! i wish i saw it in theaters that first time.

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KEVIN RUSS

by MATTHEW JAMES-WILSON

One of the most beautiful ways to view nature on the west coast is through the photography of Kevin Russ. Russ’

dedication for his craft is truly unparalleled by many of his contemporaries. This same dedication drives him to travel around the country with what little money he has and even live out of his car to capture some of the most beautiful landscapes of Oregon, California and their neighboring states. Although he’s been taking photographs since 2003, the format of photography he’s best known for is one that has only existed for the last six years. Russ, much like many young photographers today, primarily shoots on his iPhone. Through the use of the photographing app VSCO Cam (a camera app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that emulates shooting on film) and the photo editing app Afterglow, Russ is able to achieve high quality and precise images.

What do you typically shoot on when you take your photography?

My main camera is the iPhone. I also shoot on a Canon 1Ds Mark III and 5D Mark II occasionally.

Many artists and photographers have found selling their work on Society6 incredibly encouraging and lucrative.

How has the opportunity of selling your work on Society6 affected your photography?

I was getting print requests weekly from Instagramers, so I decided to throw a few up. It’s been fun to sell physical copies of my work for a change. From 2005-2011 I had only sold digital copies of my photography.

Has living in Portland impacted your work at all?

It has. It’s mostly been the people and the nature that has impacted my work. When I shot portraits from 2006-2008, the young people there seemed to connect with what I was doing and I was booked solid for about 3 years. I met and photographed over 1000 unique people during that time.

Having mountains on one side, the coast on the other and the Columbia River flowing through it all, it can make exploring the area a way of life.

What is the most memorable reaction you have ever received for your art?

What do you see yourself doing in the future?

I will always be taking pictures. As far as a profession, I have no idea. Photography is paying the bills now, but I started it as a hobby and I’ll always be doing it, money or not.

What do you hope to accomplish when you make art?

I hope to create something I’m proud of whenever I shoot.

How did you come to the decision to live out of your car and shoot across the country?

The car living situation is fairly new. I decided to go full-time with it at the end of August for a few different reasons. In 2010 I was burnt out shooting people and took myself off the internet for a time to slow everything down. I then found myself with a ton of time since I wasn’t shooting and meeting with people everyday. In 2011 I decided to explore the Oregon coast and would drive there and back a couple times a week seeing what I could. Since a lot of time and gas could be saved by staying out on the coast, that’s what I started doing. That led to exploring more coast up in Washington and the San Juan Islands. It kind of became an obsession to see more and I was going out 2 weeks at a time, then coming back to Portland for 2 weeks. After doing that 2 weeks out, 2 weeks at home thing, for about 8 months, I took it a step further and went on a 10 week Colorado trip from the end of August to the beginning of November. It just became easier to live on the road and a way of life.

In 2010 I was asked to photograph a grandfather’s last Christmas. Multiple generations of his family gathered and I felt blessed to capture the moments.

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Are there any specific apps or methods you use when taking photography on your iPhone?

What deceased or contemporary photographers are you fond of or inspired by?

I use the native camera app and process with VSCOcam and Afterglow apps. I don’t have any special methods or anything.

I’m inspired by anyone doing their own thing. Canadian artist, Joseph Jean Rolland Dubé (JJRD) has been an aspiring individual to me.

With the iPhone (or other smart phones) many people who have had no previous experience with photography have the opportunity to use a relatively professional-grade camera. Many people have very mixed opinions on how this has impacted photography and how people see it.

How do you think this has affected modern photography?

It’s been affected in a major way and I think it’s good. An art form being made available to masses can only inspire.

Have you always wanted to be a photographer?

I never thought about photography till I was 20 and got my first camera in 2003 and I never thought about it being a career until I started making money from it in 2005. I didn’t plan on any of this, it just happened.

What launched your photography career? iStockphoto. It gave me a place to sell my photography when I was beginning and has always been my main source of income, giving me freedom to shoot what I please.

56 FORGE • SEPTEMBER 2013

THANK YOU: ROSEANN MCCONNELL LARRY ENDERS TOM SLOTHOWER AND MARY LAVIN RICHARD AND CHRISTINE CHRISTOPHER PAT ENDERS DUNCAN WILSON AMY ENDERS SONIA AND DAVID JAMES-WILSON VERONICA, RAQUEL, AND SHENTELL TORRES MARILYN CATHERINE TIMOTHY ENDERS AND MARY MCCONNELL THOMAS ENDERS JOE SIEFERS SYMON JAMES-WILSON NOAH SLOTHOWER INGRID REUSCHEL ARLENE JAMES THOMAS HERPICH KEVIN RUSS JANE MAI DAN METH CALDWELL TANNER BETH EVANS LEAH FLORES NOAH LENNOX DAVID DIXON JEN MANN JOSH LOGAN VICTO NGAI...

DAVID KARP MATTHIEU BESSUDO AARON ROSE CHAZWICK BUNDICK TIM HEIDECKER ERIC WAREHEIM DAVID LYNCH WOLF HALEY CLAIRE BOUCHER BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY ALLISON SCHULNIK EDGAR WRIGHT DIANE ARBUS THUROP VAN ORMAN KYLE MOONEY SPIKE JONZE KEITH HARING HAYAO MIYAZAKI HUNTER S. THOMPSON BOB ROSS JAMES MURPHEY ANDY WARHOL PENDLETON WARD MARGARET KILLGALLEN MAURICE SENDAK ALLEN GINSBERG TOM FULP WES ANDERSON