NORM BREYFOGLE

Norm Breyfogle has been a comic book artist for over twenty years, and is also an illustrator and gallery painter by trade, but he also loves to write. He may be best known in comics for his stint on DC Comics’ Batman and other Batman-related comics, which he drew for about six years (1987-1993).

Today, Norm continues to illustrate for various comics companies and other clients outside of comics. He can be reached via his website, through which he sometimes draws on commission, sells his past comics art pages, and interacts with his fans via his message board.

Norm’s website:
www.normbreyfogle.com

Norm’s Debut Art gallery page:
http://debutart.com



When did you first decide to become a graphic designer/ illustrator? Was there a pivotal moment?

When I was 13 or so and taking private art lessons with the late commercial artist Andrew Benson, I decided one night that I should pursue art rather than science as my career, since I had this talent.





Who or what inspires you?

Beauty, reason, love, virtue, hope, etc. All the virtues are inspirations to me, as is art (of many and varied kinds, including music and literature). Good films, too. I also love Nature, and getting vigorous exercise.

And thinking of my best friends or a lover, and past postive experiences with them, can also inspire me.

Heck, I’m easy. I can even be inspired by Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer!







Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College/Art School?

Although I did attend college as an art major, I consider myself mostly self-taught, since nothing and no one can teach one to draw; one must actually practice drawing and always strive for improvement.

Any computer skills I’ve developed have been self-taught, since I graduated college just before the personal computer became ubiquitous.






How do you keep "fresh" within your industry?

I observe what others are doing in similar publications, I keep involved and in touch with my fans and peers electronically, I attend comic book conventions, and I keep working and getting published, slowly learning new skills as needed.






What are some of your current projects?

I’m pencilling and inking the interiors and covers of the on-going monthly title The Danger’s Dozen, published by A First Salvo. The first issue will be sale in December of this year (‘07), and we’ve already got six issues in the can.

Every now and then I also do an illustration outside of the comics millieu via my London representative, Debut Art.

I really enjoy creative writing in my spare time, too, though I’m not trying to publish much of it yet. Much of my writing can be found on my website, although I’ve also written the better part of a novel and 1300+ haikus, which I’ve not posted there.







Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?

My poetry, short prose stories, and my prose novel are that of which I’m most proud, and they’re also what I enjoy working on the most. This is probably so, I suppose, because it’s all work that’s coming straight from me, with no commercial interests or editorial oversight interfering with the creative process.

In my career as a visual artist, the projects of which I’m most proud include Metaphysique (my creator-owned six-issue graphic comics story from ten-plus years ago, published by Malibu Comics), a few Batman projects and particular Batman-related issues for DC Comics (for instance: The Birth of the Demon, and Batman Dreamland), Prime (Malibu Comics), and all the Anarky issues (DC Comics) .






Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?

Oh, heck, yes. I’ve still not mastered much of Photoshop at all. I only use it at present mainly for scanning and sending my work, though I’ve learned a few other manipulations. I tend to learn what I need to when I need it.







Any advice to the novice designer/ illustrator?

Learn to draw and how to use other traditional mediums, and master computer skills. Put your ego on the back burner when interacting with all professional contacts. Possibly find an agent to rep you, if you feel uncomfortable repping yourself at first. Most of all, follow your bliss, i.e., pursue a path with heart, do what makes you happy (unless you’re psychotic, of course; in that case, turn yourself in).





What makes a designed piece or illustration successful?

Aesthetically? I’d say real quality lies in the correspondence between what the artist intended for a piece of art and the actual effect that the art object has on others. Obviously this contains an in-built subjectivity, but since we’re all arguably more similar than we are different, quality in art is relatively objective, although many can still disagree over any particular example.





What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?

Exercise, eating right, an occasional party, and planning neat things for the future.

And writing.






Finish this sentence. "If I weren't a designer/illustrator I would have been a..."

“... scientist, philosopher, or writer.”





And finally, what is the best thing on prime-time TV right now?

I really couldn’t say. However, some of the things I personally like to watch on TV include The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, South Park, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, old movies, Star Trek, and various science and history programs.

TIM FRAME

Tim Frame has over 20 years of experience in graphic design and visual communications. His broad range of experience includes the design of corporate identity systems, retail graphic programs, environmental graphics, as well as advertising, packaging, and publication design. Tim formed his own studio in 2000 and now works almost exclusively for other design firms and agencies. He also teaches graphic design at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.


www.timframe.com



When did you first decide to become a graphic designer/ illustrator? Was there a pivotal moment?

I'm not sure that the term graphic designer existed at that point in time, you have to remember that this was "back in the day." I believe they were called commercial artists back then. Anyway, it was actually as the result of an art class in high school: the teacher gave an assignment to design and illustrate an advertisement. It wasn't until then that I realized it was a career possibility.





Who or what inspires you?

Mostly the work of other designers and illustrators, both past and present. I'm not necessarily referring to just individuals, but their work. There's a lot of older stuff I've found here and there, you have no idea who designed it, but the work is amazing. I collect a lot of old "stuff" milk caps, beverage labels, magazines, catalogs, children's books, travel decals, etc. Mostly stuff from eras when everything was illustrated and lettered by hand. I'm inspired by design and designers in other disciplines as well. On a much grander scale, I'm always inspired by the work of the creator of the universe (God). Not just the unique designs and amazing beauty, but also the level of detail that can be found in all of His creation.





Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College/Art School?

I've always loved to draw, so I guess you could say I taught myself to a very limited degree. In college I majored in Art with a concentration in Commercial Art (remember, this was "back in the day"). I also did a year of grad school just to build my portfolio. I was actually torn between design and illustration, because I loved and wanted to do both. Although I do remember after having my first logo assignment in college thinking it would be cool to just design logos. I think one of the main things I came away from school with was a love of typography. I don't think it was as much an influence from school as it was from discovering the work of Michael Doret. His work still inspires and amazes me.





How do you keep "fresh" within your industry?

For me it's making time to pursue the things that inspire me. I think working with and around other designers also keeps you fresh. Seeing what others are doing and the exchange of ideas and learning from their practice(s). It's also one of the disadvantages of being a solo act.





What are some of your current projects?

I'm doing some sports logo concepts for Disney's marketing group and a redesign of the logo for HOLLYWOOD.com






Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?

I'd have to say that a lot of the work that I'm most proud of has never seen the light of day. Either options that a client decided not to proceed with, or concepts that are still just a rough sketch on paper. An example would be a couple of logos I did for Ironhead Athletic. It's an example of what I consider to be some of the best work I've ever done, but the client decided to hire another designer and move forward with their mark. Another example would be the logo and T-Shirt concepts that I did (unsolicited) for the Dennis Miller Radio show.






Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?

I want to develop some ideas I have for a couple of lines of T-shirts. I've got a few done for my "Motor Skills" line. I also have a name and concept for a web site that would be used to promote these: www.touristees.com. I would also pursue producing some silkscreen and letterpress work if I had the time.






Any advice to the novice designer/ illustrator?

There are no shortcuts to success. You need to continue to educate yourself through your own efforts of exposure and experience. Solicit feedback from those who are successful and more experienced. Take on projects that will give you more experience in areas that you want to pursue, even if they're not paying ones. Do whatever is necessary to become a good communicator, because that will have as much influence on your success as your design/illustration skills.






What makes a designed piece or illustration successful?

If it communicates the concept clearly in unique fashion and resonates with the audience that it was intended for.





What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?

I go back to the things that inspire me. It seems like there's less and less time for that. With teaching full time, I feel like I'm not spending as much time designing as I would like, so the burn-out aspect is more related to trying to maintain/manage two careers rather than being burned out by doing too much of one thing.





Finish this sentence. "If I weren't a designer/illustrator I would have been a..."

Homeless, destitute person. Probably a musician, though I have no natural talent that I'm aware of, which would result in my being homeless and destitute. I really love music and have a great respect for those who have such talents.





And finally, what is the best thing on prime-time TV right now?

I can't really say I follow any of the shows in prime time, I'm still anxiously waiting for one of the networks to make a TV series out of the ROCKY movies.

CHRIS GARDNER

Chris Gardner is a lifelong east coaster who can't wait to live in a place where there's no snow. He's the illustrator for House Industries and loves it to death, although he wishes House was located in Hawaii instead of Yorklyn. Chris cut his teeth back in the day as a comic book artist working for DC Comics, he worked all night, slept all day and lived on microwaveable tuna noodle casserole and Coca Cola. He now has a beautiful wife and son who've made him as happy as any man could ever hope to be. And he still loves the tuna noodle casserole.

chrisgardnerart.blogspot.com



When did you first decide to become a graphic designer/ illustrator?

Somehow I always knew that I wanted to draw for a living, it's just been a part of me for so long, my family was (and still is) incredibly supportive and encouraging, I really never thought of any other options. Well, there was a small blip in time (maybe 9th grade) where I wanted to be an electrician because I thought it would be cool to have my own van, but I snapped out of that in short order and grabbed my pencils and ink bottles again. - meaningless factoid of interest - Chris Gardner has no idea how to program a VCR, or operate a minimally complicated electronic device, but he has driven a van and thought it was cool.





Was there a pivotal moment?

Back in high school I met my buddy Tom Lilly, he had some real art skills and proceeded to kick my tail. That hadn't happened to me before and it struck a chord, I decided that I'd better get to work and turn it up to eleven! - Spinal Tap reference alert! - That may very well have been the event that caused me to become a student of the craft as opposed to being the guy that simply rode his ability without pushing it further.






Who or what inspires you?

This really is a tough question, I could write for a month trying to convey who and what, so I'll have to boil it down to the absolutes... my mother, she's the strongest person I know, period. All through my young life, she taught me the important things, and as far as the art goes, she passed down her talent and made sure I had all the art supplies and support I ever needed. My wife and son are the most beautiful things I'll ever lay my eyes upon, and they inspire me infinitely. - I Love you guys :) - Working at House Industries with the super talents there inspires me. Walt Disney, Robert Fawcett, Mark Schultz, Alphonse Mucha, Gil Elvgren, Gustav Klimt, Rene Gruau, John Singer Sargent, Bernie Fuchs, Rankin/Bass, Superman, Charlie Harper, Charles Schulz, Enrico Marini, Chris Ware, James Jean, Norm Breyfogle, N.C. Wyeth, Frank Frazetta, Joe Kubert, Mary Blair, I could go on and on...







Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College/Art School?

Self-taught, although it helps that some skills run in the family. My main means of improving was to study and observe everything that I could get my hands on, I studied artists past and present to try and decipher what made them as good as they were. I got my work in front of pros any chance I could and listened to what they had to say, the critiqing that you'll get is invaluable. Take that criticism and use it to improve your work, it's a fantastic thing. I incorporated all of that information into my art as best I could and learned a hell of a lot along the way. No matter how far you progress in your career, there's always someone or something to learn from, it's all there in front of you if you take the time to look and listen.






How do you keep "fresh" within your industry?

I try to stay in the fridge, at the factory recommended settings, maybe a little Saran wrap from the waist down... it pinches, but whatcha gonna do? After all that nonsense, I try to draw what makes me happy, and continue learning the craft.






What are some of your current projects?

The never ending list of illustrations to complete at House Industries keeps me pretty busy, I guess that's sort of like one huge project. The clothing venture that we're undertaking at House is a lot of fun, see House33.com. - plug - plug -. I'd really love to squeek out a little time to do some comic book stuff, I'm a complete Super Hero nerd at heart.






Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?

Probably my body of work at House Industries, I've been there just about 10 years now and I'm pretty proud of that. And the Batman comic logo re-designs, because... well, it's freakin' BATMAN man! ZAPP!!







Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?

I really want to take a crack at oil paints someday. As we speak, I'm using my mental powers to try and get Daniel Adel to volunteer to teach me, I don't think it's working at all though...







Any advice to the novice designer/ illustrator?

I kind of eluded to it a few questions back, I think that the most important thing by far is to be able to accept criticism. Get professionals or teachers or peers to look at your work and give their thoughts. Especially pros, they've been through the fires, more often than not, they're going to be able to hand you these amazing pieces of information that they've collected along the way, it's pure gold. I broke in as a comic illustrator WAAAY back... when they actually did the lettering on the boards with a real pen!

...and my favorite thing on earth was to go to comic cons and show my illustrations to everybody I could find, I'd ask them to tear it apart, not to pull punches, I can't tell you how much I learned by doing that, by having an open mind. It's the single most advantageous thing that I ever did to take those steps from aspiring artist to professional artist. That was one of my favorite, and most exciting times in life.






What makes a designed piece or illustration successful?

I think it needs to tell the story clearly, it's all about conveying the message.







What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?

See list of inspirations above... I'll grab something by any one of those people and dig in. Maybe get out to a favorite diner and grab a cup of coffee. There's no avoiding the burn-out at times, you just have to push through it, taking comfort in the knowledge that it happens to all of us.






Finish this sentence. "If I weren't a designer/illustrator I would have been a..."

Surgeon. I'm absolutely amazed by the medical field, it's just unbelievable when you think of the things that can be done nowadays, and what lies ahead we can only imagine. Or... a chef, It would be awful nice to hang out in a stocked kitchen, chopping vegetables and making great things to eat, I love watching the cooking shows, I could watch those all day long, especially the ones with tuna noodle casserole. Or...I'm telling you man, add a good 60 pounds of pure muscle and another 12 inches to me and I swear I coulda been helping my Philly Eagles win the damn Super Bowl! ...grumble...






And finally, what is the best thing on prime-time TV right now?

I don't watch much, if you're doing the art thing professionally you don't have a lot of time, well actually, you don't have ANY time but I'll sneak out to the couch with my wife and watch "House" sometimes, the good cooking shows are nice to see, and I'm always there on Sundays watching the Eagles. And if you can catch "Gardening by the Yard" on HGTV, hosted by Paul James... that's a great show, the guy just makes me happy, I don't know why, he just does, check it out. Thanks for the interview!