Interview by Rachel Gottesman

Welcome to your interview, new and improved with help from the blogs!

Hi and thanks! I'm excited to see how this new method works out!

IhnatiucLuigi asked: When did you start drawing? Also, when & how did you find your style?

I started drawing at a very young age, I would guess around the 1st grade. Both my parents are artists/designers so I was exposed to art early on in my life. I remember drawing (okay, sometimes tracing) Pokemon battling each other, and random characters that I saw in video game guidebooks. My parents encouraged me to keep drawing and certainly didn't think it was a waste of time.



As for my style, I honestly think I'm still in the process of finding it. I really want to explore different processes/techniques/subject matter before I stay with a certain style. As of right now, I just get an idea and draw it the best way I can. I'm pretty much self-taught, so I have limited knowledge of this kind of stuff.

littlem asked: Have you kept any special artwork from your childhood and what is your favorite piece Pre-age 10?

My parents have kept files and files of the stuff I've drawn and I'm so glad, because they're so hilarious to look at. I shall share with you some of my most brilliant work! Huzzah!


I think I was trying to create some of my own Pokemon?


I wonder what they're all looking at.


This could possibly be my first experience with digital art ! I love how I'm not even in the picture.

I wouldn't say I have a favorite piece, I just love looking through all of them and wondering what the heck I was thinking.

rhythmdev9 asked: When you design for Threadless do you think differently than when you design for something else?

As of right now I'm a busy senior in high school, so I haven't really designed much for anything other than Threadless. Although this year I did design our school's spirit shirt, and just a few days ago I finished my first logo/business card/postcard design job! Yay!



However, I will say that when designing for Threadless, it's important to design for an audience. You have to make something that people can relate to, because even if they don't necessarily like the artwork they could love the concept and want to buy it. For a good part of my time on Threadless I tried to challenge this and just create random characters with no real purpose, other than to look really cool, because those are the types of shirts I like to buy. But when I finally decided to sit down and really think of a fun, interesting, or clever concept I got my first print. And now here we are! Think of some conceptual stuff kids, okay?

ISABOA asked: How has working in t shirt art changed how you look at tshirts in everyday life?

Before I discovered Threadless I wore really boring shirts. Quicksilver, Billabong, the stuff that almost everyone wears. And it was usually just their logo and name on the shirt. And to me it was kind of pointless. It was like I was a walking advertisement for that company. And they were advertising to buy more shirts to... advertise more? It's like an endless cycle.



So anyways, Threadless has broken that cycle by providing awesome shirts that are interesting and can start a conversation and look cool too!

You're one of our first Threadless 101 winners. How was the Threadless classroom experience for you and for your fellow students?

It was really fun to see what my classmates could come up with. Some designs were pretty good and some were... not! I'll admit I was at a complete advantage because I had known about Threadless and had been submitting designs for around a year. My teacher actually gave us some more guidelines; we were only allowed to design something ironic, a pun, etc. So I lazily used a Threadless design I had already made, called "Steakout". Oops! :D

My teacher really loved doing Threadless 101 and actually made it our semester final project. She's also doing it again time this year. Hopefully it can be a lasting thing at my school!

Noh_Body asked: Before going "public" with a design who do you get critiques from or opinions, or do you do this at all regularly?

If I feel that a design has potential and it's something that I want to put a lot of time and effort into, then I will make a WIP (work-in-progress) blog. There I can get people's opinions and suggestions. I feel that the Threadless bloggers and designers really know what they're talking about and don't have any problem being honest. People have also said that they've liked seeing the process of the design from start to finish, so I sometimes make a blog to show people the process.



JBantha asked: What gets you really excited, and what gets you really afraid? And, if you do, how you use those sensation on your work?

I'm terrified of sharks! And I get really excited when I see cool color combinations in artwork. One of the two greatly influences my work.

reags asked: Aside from art and design, what other hobbies do you have?

I really love being outdoors, I'm a boy scout, so I get to go backpacking and camping a lot. Two summers ago I went on a 60+ mile backpacking trip in Philmont, New Mexico which was a really awesome experience. I've gone whitewater rafting, hiking in Death Valley, canoeing on the Colorado River, and I can't keep track of how many times I've been to Yosemite. I really want to visit more national parks around the U.S. and camp in a bunch of new and different places!

Thanks for chatting, and thanks to our bloggers for asking the tough questions!


Interview by Rachel Gottesman

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