Hot new illustrator shares what he’s learning about the art of self promotion (Featuring Steve Rack)
Do you want your artwork published in international magazines and hung in galleries across Europe? (without having to quit your day job) Read on to discover how Steve Rack is successfully creating a buzz around his work and find out how you can do the same…
Self portrait by Steve Rack
But first a visual music review. Steve Rack vs “Jam with Robina”
As big fans of Steve’s work we invited him to listen to the awesome new album from the talented musicians “Jam with Robina” and visually interpret it in his own unique and colourful style.
Illustration inspired by Jam with Robina’s song ‘Pink Room’
Steve - I wanted to create something simple and striking. The image represents a round window looking into the pink room at all of the ‘rumpin peaches’.
Illustration inspired by Jam and Robina’s song ‘ELC’
Steve - ‘ELC’ is beautifully tragic. It’s emotional and it melts sadness. It’s dramatic and really pulls at the heart. The first thing that I drew was a melting heart with tears falling from it’s wide eyes. For me, this best communicates the song’s message in a very literal way.
Buy Steve’s designs in the SUBvert Tee-store…
Mark and Romano from Jam with Robina discuss the songs Steve chose…
“Pink room”
This song came about from a holiday to Sardinia. One afternoon we were taking a break from the scorching heat and I started playing some tunes on the guitar. Romano just started humming melodies over the top. I grabbed my camera and recorded the rough ideas whilst we were sitting on the bench. We were buzzing at this point so we headed to a nearby bar, grabbed a coffee and wrote the lyrics there and then. The song is simply about good times!
“E.L.C.”
Just before performing “E.L.C” I always explain that the song is about heartbreak and it that goes out to anyone who’s had some form of heartbreak in their lives. The song is a very personal one to me and I won’t reveal what “E.L.C” stands for.
That aside I can tell you about its origins. I hadn’t been played guitar for a long time, maybe 6 years at the most. I was about 21 when I started. I was going through a hard time and I’d been experimenting with a particular chord sequence for a while. The emotions of the song are all real and I felt it really fitted with the guitar sequence. I wrote the song for myself and at the time for no one else.
Mark heard the song and asked how I’d feel about putting it on the album and I thought it would be a good idea and possibly a way of dealing with some of the issues I was having. It’s still hard performing the song in public but every time I do I feel stronger for doing it.
We then put the spotlight back on Steve Rack to find out how he’s managed to create such a buzz about his work…
How did you initially draw attention to your illustrations?
At the beginning of this year, I started a MySpace blog where I post a new character drawing every single day until December 31st 2008. I thought that it would be a fun thing to do. So this means that pretty much every day I am drawing something new. The more I draw, the more ideas pop into my head.
Where else has your work been featured?
This year my work has featured (and will feature) at the following places:
Underworld Magazine, frequency Magazine, Mimobots Blog, Sweet-Station, Candy or Medicine, The Custard Factory, Vibes Shop (Montpellier, France), Babahogs, The Travelling Sketchbook, PiggyBank.es, UBiK Records
My work will also feature soon at in an exhibition at Brick Lane Gallery in London.
Wow that’s a pretty impressive list, what advice would you give other creative people?
First of all, you have got to really enjoy your own artwork. Networking is key. When I seriously started my career in art I invested a lot of time in promoting my artwork on the Internet. You have got to get your work ‘out there’. I also think that it is good to present something unique and captivating. Another piece of advice would be to research the artists that you most admire. Find out how they became successful. Get involved in your local arts community. If you haven’t got a local arts community, start one up! Stay inspired as much as you can, and do not be afraid to challenge yourself!
Tell me about the personal challenges that you’ve overcome?
I tend to use a lot of bright colours, because I’m colour-blind, my colour palate can be a little random at times. This is something I used to struggle with, but now I just go with the flow.
Have you ever had to compromise when producing work for someone else?
I discovered that if I seriously wanted to have a career in art, that I would have to get used to compromising. I think that it is very important to create something that is true to yourself as well creating something that meets the client’s expectations.
Recently, I created a flier for a nightclub production company. I thought it was perfect. But they didn’t like the order of the bands on the flyer, so I had to draw the picture all over again!. It took four attempts before I got it right. I now know that when I am creating work that includes some form of text that I seriously consider the placement of the text and always make sure that the spelling is correct!
Angel - What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in connection to your creative practice?
Steve - Plan things! I know it is all good diving straight in, but sometimes by doing so you end creating more work for yourself in the long run.
Do you do art full time or do you have another income supplementing it?
I have another income until such a time that I can rely solely on my artwork. Balancing both can be a little tiring, but I decided I would make a 100% commitment to my dream so I make time!
Check out more Steve’s fantastic work myspace.com/365characters and www.steverack.com
