Poster Shizzle…

We are very pleased to have as our first interviewee, the ever popular Mr Tim Doyle. Winner of our first, and now annual Poster of The Year Poll for 2010, Tim is one of the most popular and prolific artists featured on our site.

Working out of Austin Texas and one time director of Mondo’s poster series Tim has been publishing his art since 2001. Now head of Nakatomi Inc he continues to produce great works of contemporary art with a distinct yet always innovative flavour.

Ladies and Nerds, I give you Mr Tim Doyle…..

Tell us a bit about yourself, how old are you, where are you from, where are you based, how long have you been illustrating and what is your preferred medium? Etc…

My name is Tim Paul Doyle, I’m 34 years old.  I was born in Claymont, Delaware, and grew up in Plano, Texas.
I’ve been drawing since I could.  I’ve been working as an artist off and on for the last 10 years now, and only have been at it exclusively full-time since January of 2009.  My preferred medium right now is screen printing, but really it’s just pen and ink drawing and coloring on Photoshop.  That file gets turned into hand-printed silkscreen prints.

How and when did you first become interested in art/illustration ?

My mother used to sit me down and draw with me when I was very young.  Shortly after that I discovered comic books, and it was a chronic condition after that.

Can you remember your first/earliest piece of work? Did it end up on the fridge?

My parents are actually changing houses, so I’m getting a ton of my old drawings back in my hands from storage.  I remember drawing a comic book/ storybook when I was in Kindergarten.  It was about people getting sucked into a computer game and having to fight their way out.  I think it was based on what I remembered from seeing the trailers for TRON on TV.  I didn’t actually see Tron until years later on VHS.

What were your early influences ?

Comic books.  It really depends on how ‘early’ you want to go.  I mean, from childhood- Jim Davis, Gary Larson, Bob Layton’s Iron Man comics, Jim Henson, etc.  Actually, now that I think about it, those were probably my influences all through high school as well.  I’m a weirdo.

Did you attend art school or are you self taught ?

I went to community college in Plano, and took some fine art classes.  But other than the Watercolor classes, I didn’t really dig ‘em.  If anything, the classes gave me more time to do what I wanted to.  I had no desire to go on to a 4 year college for art.  I didn’t want to teach, and I fully believe that’s the only reason to go to a ‘fine art’ program.  There’s tons of great technical stuff you could learn through an advertising program.  I really should have taken those kind of classes.  But I managed to learn quite a bit ‘on the job’.

Do you think artistic talent is something you are born with or can it be taught ?

It’s all taught.  All kids like to draw.  It’s just a matter of sticking to it, or not finding something else more interesting or socially rewarding to do.  If I had received positive feedback from say, playing piano, I might have gone for that instead.  I do not believe in ‘natural talent’ at all.  In things like sports, obviously genetics play a factor, but art only takes work and practice.  It might also require you to be a bit of a social outcast, as it’s a lonely pursuit.  You have to be able to be alone for hours and hours at a time.  I think that’s why I’m such an avid social media whore- I need some interaction..  It’s LIKE talking to people, but you don’t have to leave the studio.

As an artist are you always learning and developing your skill, technique, style etc?

Absolutely.  I really don’t understand how some people just do what appears to be one style their entire career.  There’s so much else to learn and practice and have fun with.  I understand how doing just ONE style can be important for recognition and branding, though.  Branding is also very important for cattle.  These statements might be related.

What was your first illustration job and how did it go ?

I used to work at Asel Art Supply here in Austin, right by the university.  And I made all the sale signs for the easels and whatnot.  It was pretty silly and free-form, as long as it had the price and info on it, you could draw whatever you wanted.  So that’s how we ended up with a bunch of sale signs featuring Optimus Prime and Voltron.  We used these REALLY old Design2 Markers to make the signs, though- and I didn’t know that you could get RIPPED by breathing in the fumes.  So after working on a sign for a few hours, really intense-like, I stood up and almost fainted.  I was baked on Xylene fumes.  That’s probably my earliest illustration ‘job’..  How did it go? I got stoned.  By accident.

What would you do if you couldn’t illustrate ? Have you held any other jobs ?

I’ve been a retail manager off and on since I was 20.  I worked at a Toys R Us, managed a Kay-Bee Toys, a Suncoast Video, and ran a small chain of comic book stores here in Austin as well.  I ran Mondo (Mondotees) from 05-09.  That was very educational, and helped me get where I am today.  (It also helped them get where they are today, though you’ll never hear about it in any interviews.  Thanks, guys.)  All this working for other people taught me one thing- working for other people, especially in management is for the birds.  Seriously- it’s terrible.  Never be in charge of anything you don’t own.  If I couldn’t illustrate, I’d probably concentrate on nurturing new talent and publishing new artist’s prints through Nakatomi.

Talk us through your creative process ?

If it’s an assignment, it’s pretty simple-I watch a movie or listen to a band I’m going to do a print for.  I think about it.  I stop thinking about it.  Take shower or take a nap.  While I’m doing that, something will pop in my head.  I then draw that.

If it’s an art print, it’ll just be that something pops in my head and I draw that.

Where do you draw your influences from ?

Everywhere.  Nothing is made in a vacuum.  Everything is a remix.  I really enjoy the illustrative work of Tomer Hanuka right now.  His color schemes are insane.  Geoff Darrow.  Paul Pope.

Of your own work, do you have a favourite piece ?
I REALLY like my ‘Camino Cats’ print.  It’s just insane and was created in a stream-of-consciousness flow.

Have you ever butchered a piece of work and had to start again ? If so what went wrong ?

Hmm- sometimes I’ll draw a portrait or a figure and ink it and then say- what the fuck was I thinking?  That hasn’t happened in a while though.  My first pass at the main figure in my Phantom of the Paradise print was terrible, and completely redrew it.

Which other artists do you admire, and do you collect others work ?

I really don’t collect prints at all.  I’m much more into the creation of them.  One of the best bits of advice I’ve ever received was that in order to become a successful artist, you have to become more enamored with the creation of things than the accumulation of them.  I find that to be very true. I do have a lot of art on my walls, though- a lot of the art prints of Daniel Danger are just stunning.  I have 3 in my studio now.  There’s lots of artists I admire, though.  The guys at the top of this biz are there for a reason.  Jay Ryan can draw circles around anyone out there- the guy is a god.  Other people might have more ‘technical skill’ but that only gets you so far- the heart in Jay’s work is much, much more important.  But, as much as I love his stuff, I don’t think I have more than one or two of his prints.

What are you currently working on ? Do you have any new projects you are looking forward to ?

I’m always working.  I’ve got a big thing coming up early next year that I can’t talk about.  I just finished an album cover for a friend’s band.  I’m cranking out prints for the Austin Books and Comics summer film series right now.

Do you read praise/criticism of your work and if so how does it make you feel ?
I have google alerts set to tell me when new press or whatever shows up about me, Nakatomi and other stuff I’m involved with.  I always read it.  It doesn’t affect me much anymore, but it did get me in the early days.  I remember when I released the 2nd edition of my Change Into a Truck print, a bunch of people freaked the fuck out.  I remember them saying that my ‘career is over’ and I’d betrayed some unwritten code.  All I have to say to that is here I am, 2 years plus later and I’m doing better than ever.  AND- we’re getting ready for our 5th edition of that print.  I know some artists refuse to read that stuff, and I understand that it can be disheartening.  But I love it.  I actually really like it when something I do gets a strong negative reaction.  My “Vietnam War Movie Memorial” got a lot of negative comments.  Which was great- it was supposed to.  If you’re universally liked, than that only means you don’t stand for anything.  To not take a side in something is to be boring and uninvolved. I like a raucous critical environment.

How does it feel when you finish a piece of work? What are your immediate thoughts and do they change towards the piece over time?

There’s usually a week or two from when an image is drawn and finished, and when the printing is done.  I know it’s a good one if my guys bring the finished print to me and I’m surprised.  I really like my Reservoir Dogs print, and I think that was the best received out of that QvC set I did.  Sometimes I’ll do something and be embarrassed by it, and then the fans will eat it up, like Change into a Truck.  So I’ve come to not trust my own instincts on if something is good or not.  If I enjoyed making it, that’s all that matters.  And I always enjoy creating art.  But I rarely spend time looking at my stuff once it’s done.  I have my Squid and Crab prints hanging up in my studio, more as a reminder to be THAT GOOD all the time, as I consider them to be some of my most technically proficient prints.

Is a piece of work ever finished ?

Yes.  You can always see things that need to be touched up later, but that path leads to madness.

Can you describe your typical work day ?

Wake up at Noon-1pm, take care of emails and stuff, check in w/ the guys printing in my shop or packing orders, play with my kid, talk to my wife.  Run errands.  I MIGHT get some work done before 6pm, but not usually.  Once dinner starts it’s a 3 hour block of just family time- dinner, bath for baby, bedtime, watch a bit of TV with Angie.  I start my drawing or so around 9, and can run until 4-6 am.  Repeat.  And never do I play video games.  Don’t really miss it, strangely.

How do you unwind, hobbies, travel etc ?

The drawing is my relaxation.  It’s like meditating.  I listen to a lot of podcasts, This American Life, Skeptics Guide to the Universe, iFanboy.  I read a lot of comic books, and books in general.  I don’t travel too much, but that’s starting to change as Rocco gets older.

What are your favourite movies ?

David Lynch films.  The dream-logic and imagery of them are so evocative.  Love ‘em.  I rarely watch movies just for fun anymore- they’re usually all work related screenings.  But that’s not a complaint.

Whats the best thing about your job?

No bosses.  Working for myself and spending all day with my family.  The guys who work for me are also friends.  A feeling of accomplishment.  I got none of that working for other people.  All accomplishments you make at a job are really your boss’ accomplishment, or that of the owner of the company.   You are a replaceable cog in a machine, and no matter what- you will be replaced.  That doesn’t happen at Nakatomi.
Whats the worst thing about your job?

There is fear- you never know when you’ll go out of fashion or people won’t like your artwork anymore.  My whole family and my two employees count on my ability to sell prints to eat.  I also have a responsibility to get the artists who do prints for my site as much money as possible for their work.  There’s a couple friends who also supplement their income substantially with the income they get from their involvement with Nakatomi.  It’s a lot of responsibility.  But it’s been working great for 2 1/2 years so far.
Do you think the current trend in movie art is a fad or will it stand the test of time ?

No clue.  It will wax and wane, for sure.  But if I know people, people like buying pictures of people.  That’s just something innate in us.  Portraits really suck people in emotionally.  Of course, I rarely do portraits.  Yikes.

Thank you very much for your time and keep up the good work. Is there anything else you would like to add ?

For crying out loud, get your kids vaccinated, you luddites!