Damien Weighill - Interview

INTERVIEW ONE:

Interview with Damien Weighill about his multiple-faced blog & some more -

Q1: How did you get into illustrations in the beginning? Are you now a full-time illustrator?
A:
I studied graphic design at uni which involved a fair bit of illustration. From the work I exhibited at our degree show I was lucky enough to pick up my first commission and got approached by an agent. After that I worked as graphic designer for 3 years working on illustration projects on the side. So far I've been making my living solely as an illustrator for just over a year.

Q2: Are there any particular influences throughout your artistic career, e.g. other artists, certain types of music, certain social phenomenon etc.?
A:
I'm inspired by so much it would be impossible to single any one artist out but I guess the most consistent influence would be the people I spend most of my time with. I'm lucky enough to have a group of friends all pursuing various creative paths. There's no way I could sit back and see what they create without attempting to keep up.

Q3: Your 'yourfaceblog' started in Jan 2007 and I guess it's been doing quite well from all the people sending photos and various comments received. How the process work? How do you develop the character of each 'face' based on just a single photo people sending in? Do you ask them what they would like to 'look like' in your illustration?
A:
Some people tell me a little about themselves and others send a blank email with photo attached but I usually just draw the first thing that comes into my head that amuses me. That could be inspired by something they wrote or maybe some little thing in the background of the photo but I don't really do requests. I think if I was just drawing from people's requests then I would have got bored of this project before it even got into double figures. There would also be a lot more portraits involving cats on the blog (and a lot less portraits with abundant facial hair). I get a frightening amount of emails from people telling me they like cats.

Q4: Of your commercial commissions, which one(s) do you enjoy the most in terms of overall experience, or final outcome?
A:
There are a lot of commercial projects I've enjoyed working on but two recent projects come to mind first.
A book I worked on for Conqueror paper - Coming up with ideas is the part of illustration that really interests me so this job was perfect. I was given a number of broad themes like Nature or Transport and then was given room to fill the book with hundreds of ideas.

Then there's the Giggle Party music video. Almost all of the time I'm working on projects on my own so it was really great to have someone else to throw in ideas into the ring that I would never have come up with and to take things in new directions (co-director and animator Stephen Wake). The music throws up some pretty crazy scenarios so it was a lot of fun getting together to try and match that in the visuals.
Q5: A more technical question - how much time (proportionately) in general you spend between hand-drawing and computer-illustration on your works?
A:
90% Hand-drawing. 10% Computer. I keep my work in my head and sketchbook as much as possible. I mainly like to colour illustrations digitally because of the flexibility it allows and the fact it means I can spend less time colouring and more time focusing on the ideas.
Q6: Any future plans? What's next?
A:
I've got superhuman powers when it comes to making plans, plotting and scheming so I'll stick to the most immediate ones. Next is salad - Most likely involving mozzarella and pine nuts. Then I've got a bit of an obsession with ideas for birthday/greeting cards. I just printed a couple (http://damienweighill.com/2009/09/thinking-of-you/) and intend to print more as soon as I can. Oh, and portraits of course. Lots more portraits.

Interview taken from:
http://londonart.posterous.com/?tag=damienweighill

INTERVIEW TWO:

art on atcn: damien weighill

Damien Weighill is the artist, illustrator and man responsible for turning me into a snake wielding, voodoo heart wearing, bone through the nose, Witch Doctor. Pretty fetching image as you can see. I caught up with Damien for a little chit chat.

Hi Damien, London is trying to snow, I don’t like it, how are you?

It seems London succeeded in snowing. I’m sat doubled over my sketchbook, in my fingerless gloves trying to warm myself with the glow from the monitor, like a scene they left out of Scrooge.

‘Your Face’ is such a great idea for a blog and i’m very happy to have, a version of, my own mug showing. I’ve happily perved through the entire back catalogue of faces. Professional procrastination at its very best. ‘Patric (face 158)‘ (click) made me giggle, ‘Jesus Hide and Seek’ (click) is also AMAZING. For those that don’t know, tell us a little about the blog, what you do, and how it came about.

It all began with the idea that I would improve my somewhat lacking portrait drawing skills by asking people to send me their photo with the promise that I would draw them and post the results online. I expected to have to force my friends to send me photos and then that would be that. It turns out that quite few people not only visit obscure blogs but are also more than happy to send photographs of themselves to a stranger on the other side of the internet.

So far my portrait drawing has shown no signs of improvement but I do have a bulging inbox to work on and my confidence in creating inaccurate and possibly offensive renditions of people’s features is sky high.

What is your favourite piece of art that you’ve ever done?

My favourite is always the one I’m going to think of next. When they’re still in my head they’re a whole lot funnier and better looking than when I get them down on paper.

If I have to pick something that already exists then I’ll go for Live Fast, Dye Young. I really like ideas that just appear in my head from nowhere fully-formed and that I almost feel like have no ownership over whatsoever – this is one of them.

How did you find art at school? I hated the fact they made me draw fruit arrangements and dead fish, when I really wanted to draw monsters and triangles.

Art at school was all about painting with awful brushes with bristles that were apparently made from toughened diamond filaments. I always knew where I stood with a pencil but those brushes were the reason I never really got into painting.


You’ve clearly got a vivid imagination. That must make you a really good liar. If not, you’re wasting a talent. What’s the best lie you’ve ever told?

I’m an awful liar. I’m not good in those kind of pressure situations. Try telling your Maths teacher that a dog ran off with your homework and that’s fine but use the same tactics when you forget your PE kit and that guy’s really going to expect to see some photo evidence of an alsatian parading around in short shorts. That’s when my confidence would desert me and I would panic and admit the truth.


Haha, i’m a really good liar … honest… but that’s another story. Here at ATCN we’re a little obsessed with the cult classic that is ‘Come Dine With Me’, if you were on that show, what would you cook?

If Jimmy Osmond was coming round for tea I’d probably bake a sponge cake version of the Grease posters that are all over the tube right now, including a pink icing jacket and creepy white marshmallow smile.


Tell me anything about upcoming work, exhibitions, places to buy your stuff. I for one, really want to know.

I’ve just finished screen printing a limited edition of Live Fast, Dye Young so they should be available from Soma Gallery in Bristol and Red Door Gallery in Edinburgh as soon as the Royal Mail do their bit. I’ve got an exciting book project that I’ve been working on with the splendid fellows at Blast that I wish I could show you and I may even finally finish my first music video this month for a fine new band called Giggle Party.

We’ve had a conversation about Ian Stevenson before, who has also been featured on ATCN. Who in the art world has been impressing you recently?

I recently discovered Graham Roumieu’s work and I’m totally blown away by his ideas and how prolific he is. I also just realised he has a series of books about bigfoot which is an obsession I wholeheartedly agree with.

Last but not least, how did you know I like snakes? The bone through the nose is my favourite bit. Without knowing, you truly captured my inner Witch Doctor.

I wish I knew why I draw these things. I’ll ask a therapist and get back to you.

Thanks Damien, therapy sounds good.

Interview taken from:
http://blog.atribecallednext.com/2009/02/art-on-atcn-damien-weighill/