Interview with Artist Brian Kolm

Interview with artist Brian Kolm, who in the spirit of full disclosure, is also my brother.
Welcome Brian!
exaggerate i promise of sibling rivalry today
so
what's up?
Today i was hoping you would talk a little bit about
how you created the header logos
for Biology in Science Fiction
about the creative process and maybe some of the technical details
uh... the creative process
well we had talked about it obviously and I think what we were talking back
during the holiday even, it's about a year ago - it's getting close to a year
and
you know of course when i work with any client it's finding out what the client
needs and really trying to
make sure that's clear
to all of us. We have been...
we have to have it pretty clear otherwise
it doesn't work
Maybe you could show us a picture
of what the final
choice for the logo was
i'd be happy to ... one second here
and ....
this is taking one second due to a little technical glitch here
it's a
but we'll just keep talking
so maybe you could talk a little bit
about how you created the image. did you start with a hand drawing that you scanned in?
or did you do it all on your computer?
Basically I do different combinations for different
projects this one was pretty much on the computer
... i started
basically
basically we
part of the thing that really help was that we knew exactly
pretty much what you wanted
right
let me... give me a second to open up an the image to show everyone
you know it and that's one thing as an artist I love about working with the client
uh... hopefully showing there
as that
uh...
people who know what they want
makes it easier for me because
otherwise i might create something something they won't know what i wanted a
towel instead that it be like waa
but for the release a distorted
so here's the logo's here's the one on the bottom
down here you can see is
be final one along your walk
about you transfer to a considerable miles
so they were given us a name maybe you get your contest
and uh...
people can make it could be nice is pretty cute
uh... we had and you can see different versions i made with the same logo and
one of the things that's important with graphic design and particularly for some
of you euro audience out there who might be bloggers or
when folks who want to get some graphics like mission for them
credibility's being able to create something that can be reused different
ways uh... up here you see a circle and this is sort of your google cluster of
he spoke
uh... next retirees are rotated on them
uh... banner
that use on your blog again three different section for free science
fiction
and basically being able to really brand your website
soaking talk a little bit about
how you created it technically keeps you drawing image on the computer words
influential or use a different program
i was using adobe illustrator which is a vector based program
uh... basically photoshop you think of his pixels are little dots next to each
other for a minute
uh... becker's uh...
look at something like this
sort of thing for them as i had to be version of
out three i don't like c_d_i_
university r_c_g_a_ animation perfect circle of a wire frame
this is like a wire frame
all these placer mathematically
calculated so you can still them change them
alter that notebook to say no matter what you did
so here's the final element you see here is the most
here's the sign
and here's a d_n_a_ trail too and the d_n_a_ in oak trail were selected all
straighter as i could just copy the patterns
and then basically disheartened tweak that interest them
in the program
and soon then you combine all of those elements together into the final image
yeah so once again here's our members
uh... we have the overlapping d_n_a_ trail
we have the sign
and then i brought all those elements in the photoshopped layer them together
and was able to actually against a princeton cc
there's a dimension only to the letter is the signing
there's the now says the little plainclothes will highlight of his belly
little goal
twinkled his idol shadows
i added some shaking to the d_n_a_ structure in the back
uh... something stars
and really try to give it a texture and and
a little bit more complex
but but the truth be told you want to keep
but the reasoning
uh... sort of select graphic
iconic element of that house uh... cluster you are an earlier but that is
ok
so here's an earlier version and you can see this is the early mouse here
u_s_ stayed the way it is
what happened was
it started with the black and white designed what are you a graphic design a
logo
particular
a teenager to reuse a lot especially you design it pretty much as one color to
start with
uh... you wanted to be able to read if you create one for business card
if it's only
package told you what that bounced a standout
uh... this is pretty clear i think right now you can kasi it's a mouse shea
workload stuff
you'll also see me try different versions of the let me perhaps some
others cute
and so what made you think of the maps and a
member we talked a little bit back and forth but i think that was originally
your idea
well you know it's filed in science fiction
you know twenty the biology you can think of a human being you can't
feedback classic
eliza let me know that and she wouldn't answer but but
inova
forearms lapore leads in the circles of the mathematics
there's a lot different
things people think of the secret is to have something that israeli connects to
the audience
uh... in some way in
this is an out of the rocket pack so what else
what more can you think of when you think of biology in science fiction
at its more positive cuz
mysql that seemingly being done
experimented upon it thinks in science fiction and this is a mouse kinda
on his own that states have a good time sir
that's it
and you did a couple of other portions to do it
yeah so when we start although i was able to take
the files and this is pretty amanda photoshop and you can see i'm playing
with
i've learned but here are the
d_n_a_ trail which we didn't have yet
at that point
uh... there's a different version using the mouse has a different color
different shapes
this plane with what looks good
won the confidence that you have a graphic design in this case is that
of the mails the blue the blouses too close to the background in value
of the same goes for
this one here alerted the cause of the house
but they intend to sign the brown
they're all of us and ali so basically they don't read very well from a
distance they don't
they don't pop but it's the
well reasons
mazes said the typical process didn't use the new doing illustrations logo's
on commission
uh... i do different
the techniques they some of the project is sometimes liable
uh... generally always end up in the computer in some form and all the times
what it is so for instance that this is the logo
text eurostar
are usually pretty much be ruled most of the digitally because
bethany is their you need to have
branding images that you can
scaling change
the great thing about
they'll adobe illustrators files is that
you can even cut vinyl
uh... internal buyer
all of mathematics ways to be read by a program in
uh... and i think i
vital interest account windows and stuff like that
uh... which i used to do and past life
there
and so that's really powerful you know this is
you know once again a very similar to the ideas of about some of the things
we're seeing with
uh... three-d_ printing and stuff like that but you know a-flat way expert
and and and involved simply
we can call motion comic salute
enemy
still images for keep it
uh...
uh...
unethical uh...
maybe not this time
uh... where i have to admit i will need to the school who hang out so i
apologise now
uh... yes i have i done
projects mostly working with collaborating with uh...
colleagues were also good friends of mine
i've got a lot of work of alexis part of this kid babel which is a terrific
graphic novel series and
if you haven't read it yet it's great for dole circuits it's really fun
and alright he already
designers logo the basic ethical will go
by also color the cover so he says be high-resolution scans abilities
giant photoshop files like fifty layers and shading
also has a great stoppin
and i guess we
this case
but the shoppers will see pixels and so if i would blow something up early
bakeware illustrator the possibly small
all that extra detailed stuff is better to elem
as pixel based
you can't make it was really big corporate so i do things like that but i
also of have collaborated with him on promotional videos
i've been about
or with a globally one for each book
as well as our above us one with is what what what they call them
by a record
uh... i also just did one for a kick starter
uh... cakes are the results of the hot better-known in the art world that
stopping now
of my friend karen look tuesday about
c-myc a_b_c_ and if you go to bat on her kick starter page
you can check out that idea which i also created a crystal these are all their
web site to check out
what software do you use
to groton
moving images
i'm a big fan of the after-effects uh...
by i was doing
under their mission creep digital age you know before we had all this really
easy to use it
open source in adobe and all that crazy stuff
so
part of it is uh... i wanted a tool that i did
combined images of different things together after taxes really good for
that
uh... made a brief flash movies and you can bring quicktime movies you can be
your green screen you can do beget plugins warranty can generate particles
you can
and sell yourself
and so that the other is really a leopard things you can plead to delay is
a movement three-e_ which i i won't
uh... if you see the third trailer lex house for his campaign watchers which
might not be out yet
uh... we did all three covers of his books multi plane
where he comes into all the lawyers would seem
really thought really fun stuff and
i love the power as you said motion comics as the kinds of a buzzword both
good and that i think
where its
uh... for people don't know it's people taking comic art
uh... rehearsing it and animation csr an animated as ever
an audio book version of a comic book
is that may be the best way of saying it
with voices and adele elaborated sometimes they do what they are actually
make a comic they destroy public looking are
which is a little weird because that's not really no comic anymore the property
reports
you know this water like a movie that's
and we're
but i do have post about it because i was interested on my blog eunice click
the link that says motion comic magic
okay maybe changing the talked a little bit you want to teach
artnet flight drawing mostly
yes uh... art classes ipod
uh... ha
uh... proceeding classes i work in a youth center at each of the country are
museum
uh... try officials museum for their summer program in spring program
ayatollah after-school programs and private lessons uh... all sorts of stuff
that's that's pretty it's funded for that
things i do
uh... micron everything from computer graphics to animation
eladio animation uh...
caricatures
cartooning
i think i'm even get yoga class at the alternate process for this weekend
nice many details a little bit about
that class you're teaching this weekend a_t_f_ think that the alternate press
expo yet the odds that eighteen of the permafrost expo
i'm going to uh...
ideally a second here is going to happen
i was going to bring up an image here and i'm
confused because being computers aren't happy together cast
so let me uh... call up the damage here are just so i can't talk right hahaha
off in the process right there
uh... into san francisco it's on october thirteenth and fourteen
and it's basically indy publishing so we have in the comic books and art and art
prints
and toy is and lots of handmade kind of cd crafty
kuttner your hit
call things going on
some wonderful celebration
they were the bay area
nearby should come up and check it out of a reasonable to get into a ten
dollars
they have free workshops are long workshops all day both saturday and
sunday
i'll be teaching with the first one on me in on saturday october thirteenth
and it's on creating and designing tennessee characters using
and uh... basically playing with
uh... different elements in combining the together chose a hands-on workshop
to be a lot of fun where
i'm gonna talk about stuff we're gonna draw together even
gamble ups and challenges to work
you do you do need to class on
did you think and what are some of your inspirations
interns or or the fantasy art
well you know it's out there so much for the internet
you know pretty much everything of the world to be out there
uh... but classic stuff i was a huge fan of brian brown uses ie
characters for the dark restore the lodge invincible purposeful
and library a difficult fairies
beautiful artwork n
really
a dark dark versions of the nowadays
it when he draws fairies are not they're very pretty and sometimes for there also
mary means
spiky uncharted
baking pan out
fierce in a magical way uh... yes indeed and probably in you know and the fights
over already
stereotypically not so bad in you know a little a little less for clinton
basically
regularly and happy
i don't have a realistic probably is the best way of saying
but uh... i did a fan of his work ever since that or crystal
uh... watching uh... video one-pound ups
attend drawing a skeptic sc xy
sexy yes of so that's a big
influence in tennessee obviously disney films are pretty high in my list
for more modern style of adventure time on cartoon network
fantastic series out
phenomenal series and very creative in
serta
but for me to watch because generationally it's sort of
now it's it's people who are referencing things that i'm not
regeneration or but
uh... it doesn't suffer from where he wanted to it
what about it
or his flight but charles that's
mata charles s fantastic he's uh... definitely i'd love his watercolor
techniques
is drawing style
i love uh...
you know it's not
didn't steer typical fantasy of james gurney has done a tovia
well these are as i don't work in the same styles but
i love that work
and soon
what do you actually can be teaching in the class
this weekend dvds
started asking that people are do you know how to draw burden to start with
the basics is really bad ideas coming up with ideas and
and so it in some ways as could be
as little weird topic because it's
is something we all did which is
coming up with ideas and really just and being creative the greatest combining
different ideas together trying different dates of what i did give some
exercises that you that's as a hands-on workshop
more so pushing the headline element that ashley acclamation
talking about
creating a character together but also using reference
uh... it's we've already using some probably from a recent trip to canada i
had
and being able to talk about how
to bray trend of the uh...
move away from south stereotypical things into more
applying sort of symbolic symbols and
and thematic things and stuff like that in something that we love you but i
think it's a fun to be in a situation where we all work together
sounds like it should be interesting
eating and drinking change topics just a little bit
you also
or where the organizers of the day of social group for artists like
yes yes i'll
uh... a
hope for a group of
also about your ego
with george let her go
uh... no cash products very cryptic
artist
well there
uh... our group was that we have been in previously and uh... a different group
and it wasn't so
going but directions we cared about thanks for being a little
people you love loss and so we
revolve around a star this what intrigue draw san francisco
and what we do see once a month we need to use a restaurateur apart
or museum like the current retirees in downtown area
because park mardi gras we hangout we sure what will work to help get feedback
and decided to london
really interact with each other because
miss very solitary
incidents a lot of sitting around by yourself sometimes
and sometimes
creating on your own and gotta get out there and talk to real people attached
enjoys anyone welcomed to join you guys really a m widening
any any level of artist and he even people who are
artist for stating it without re
those that biases uh...
this amount will be meeting i believe the last
thursday to look at it our club in san francisco with a half white
eating on the walls
so bellevue team obviously but it should be home with them to have a bunch of
our friends and acquaintances any friends too
get together and help us free
and soon
at some point farming atm you could tell us a little bit about
projects that you have in the works right now meeting to talk about it
uh... we're going to be a graphic novel
it's a really fun
when the child is for me personally is that unwarranted artists who is trying
to write better writer trying to draw
i think i think a lot of people that succeed with their products are ones who
are
but writing a stronger they come into the air
identity press that way
on the opposite i've always been drawing it
uh... somewhat of a doing is like this problem gert term project i could pick
it up for years in the straight work on it and which
i've been really
taking it as a a chance to really learn about storytelling story structure of
him
of losing to either one for long since
absurd podcast here was no blood always applause and podcasts and
figuring out all the techniques and really enjoying the process of not
feeling like i have to get it done by the convention like eight
right away i would like to have it and then next year
uh... it's an idea i really like i'm really excited about so um... that
people visit my blog
uh... and apollo progress
alive will start
i'm hoping to start updating the next couple weeks
kids
ali who knows that will have the initials do you have
as part of it
young thing i look forward to seeing
how it develops
thank you very much for chatting with me today maybe we can do this again
sometime up to date month to hang out
talk to you later
wide by everyone