Friday, September 3, 2010
Geoff Shupe
Posted By Gavin Sheehan on September 3, 2010, 11:11 PM
While
a lot of the companies who create different forms of entertainment
hire their own staffers to be principal artists and designers, the
freelance base is often tapped to breathe new life into ideas that
may have already run their course. The amount of illustrators in
Utah doing work for national companies might surprise you as some of
the most popular work these days are derived from concepts and drawings within out own art
scene, from artists you see on a near weekly basis in galleries and
collectives. Like the guy we're chatting with today.
--- Geoff
Shupe has been a fixture of Captain Captain Studios for a couple
years now, hammering out his own models and sketches for gaming
companies and comics, while also serving as a go-to man for several
tech design firms for his 3D images. Not to mention having the
distinction of being a selected artist for the Draw Nights at NoBrow
Coffee every Tuesday. Today we chat about his career and his work,
thoughts on local art and freelancing, and a few other topics as you
check out his work throughout.
Geoff
Shupe
http://chromiumash.blogspot.com/
Gavin:
Hey Geoff! First thing, tell us a bit about yourself.
Geoff:
Hey man. I do freelance concept design for video games and comic
books. I'm just a guy trying to make my twelve year old self proud
and keep the family fed.
Gavin:
What first got you interested in drawing and illustration, and what
were some of your early inspirations?
Geoff:
Same old story, I was totally into video games and comics as a kid.
But I think the difference was that the games and stories were always
secondary to the art. Most people want to get into the industry
because they want to play games all day. I’d always have my friends
play the games for me so that I could check out the details, like a
particular gun or bad guy.
Gavin:
You got your BFA in Painting & Drawing from the U back in 2008.
What made you choose the U, and what was the program like for you up
there?
Geoff:
Heh, actually I tried to get into BYU's animation and illustration
programs first. They've got a lot of industry recognition down there.
But I didn't get in and I couldn't afford to go to a specialty
art-school like Cal Arts or Savannah, so I figured I'd just head up
to the U. Once I was there I realized that Painting & Drawing
would be best for me because it’s the skill-set everything else
needs. But the program up there is very contemporary fine-art
oriented, so after the first year everybody is concerned with "style"
and attitude more so than traditional skills. It got harder and
harder for me up there because I was always aiming for production
quality renderings of something versus having some artsy message behind
what I was doing. A lot of the professors poo-pooed that and gave me
a lot of crap, and I had to largely teach myself the things I knew
would be necessary.
Gavin:
Over the years you've done mostly freelance work, how did that come
about and what did it entail?
Geoff:
Well, I don’t mean for this to become a U slam session, but I
guess success is all about over coming challenges right? When I first
got out of school I looked to get on with a game studio, but the
common reaction I got was "We don’t hire from the U because they
don’t know how to draw." I had been right about the skillset that
was being neglected in school, but there I was, and still far from
where I needed to be. So in the meantime I took any small project
from photography to animation to illustration and it started to
snowball after a few years as my portfolio grew. I got in contact
with people in the industry who were kind enough to mentor me to keep
working on my skills and it’s just grown from there. I guess you
could say that I built it out of the failure to do things the way I
initially wanted to do them.
Gavin:
You also spent time working for Envision Design. What experience did
you gain from them?
Geoff:
Envision was a small company with their hands in a lot of things and
really excited about growing. So I got to wear a lot of different
hats and see things from a business building perspective. It’s
definitely a must for any artist to be involved with the unglamorous
business mechanics like negotiating price-points and contracts. That
experience was probably the most beneficial in terms of nuts and
bolts.
Gavin:
What made you decide to move into Captain Captain Studios? And how
has it been for you working in that environment?
Geoff:
I had a friend, Berk Frei, who already had space there, and we
collaborated on a big project that came up. And then when it was
finished I just kept working there. It’s been awesome to associate
with the diversity of artists down there and see a bit more of the
SLC art scene from the inside.
Gavin:
How did the idea come about for you to start up Iron Brass Studios?
And how was it for you building your own contacts?
Geoff:
Some big opportunities came up, so Berk and I realized that if we
wanted to continue to field that caliber of work we'd have to play
the part. Having an official name and all it seemed to make a big
difference in the eyes of clients. So far most contacts have been
through other contacts, I can’t stress networking and marketing
yourself enough.
Gavin:
What's the process like for you in creating a piece from the idea to
the final product?
Geoff:
I almost always try to set an external goal, whither it’s for a
client’s validation or just to exercise some personal technique. I
almost always have a pretty good idea in mind of what I want to
accomplish before hand. The challenge then is to figure out how to
get there. Along the way I try to incite "happy accidents" to be
a catalyst for inspiration but I also invite a lot of outside
critique that helps push me to the next level.
Gavin:
Considering the different types of work you create, do you prefer
working in 2D or 3D?
Geoff:
Well, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. I’m
predominately digital in both 2D and 3D, but I sketchbook a lot to
initially work things out. In regards to traditional mediums, digital
is just another tool of the trade. I know that rubs technophobes the
wrong way, but I wouldn’t say that one medium replaces the other.
It’s not like oil replaces watercolors, or ink replaces pencils,
they are just mediums with their own uses. Pragmatically I just try
to use whatever fits the project best.
Gavin:
Who are some of the people you've done work for since starting up,
and how is it for you working freelance?
Geoff:
I've done work for Idaho Technology Inc, Perspectix, Privateer
Press, all sorts. Freelance is tough in that it's fairly unreliable
income, when it rains it pours, and sometimes there's nothing going
on. But it's really nice to be able to make your own hours and work
on a diverse variety of jobs.
Gavin:
When the final design is out, what's it like for you hearing
people's reactions to your work?
Geoff:
Of course hearing compliments is great, but negative comments are
more useful. You can’t really take feedback like a personal
judgment and feel bad about it or get a big head. Sure, I’d rather
hear something good because then I know I’m done with the piece,
but when you hear something bad you have to learn from it and
incorporate a lesson from it or else you’ll just make the same
mistakes. But sometimes people's opinions are just irrelevant, good
and bad, but its fun to listen out of curiosity.
Gavin:
What are some projects people can look forward to seeing from you?
Geoff:
There in lies the rub. A concept artist is usually "the man behind
the curtain", essentially we’re the idea people, visual ideas,
but almost never the final product. But I’m doing some designs for
game figurines for Privateer Press at the moment. If they get made
they won’t be my sculptures, but the design will have my invisible
signature on it.
Gavin:
Moving to local for a bit, what are your thoughts on our local art
scene, both good and bad?
Geoff:
The Good: Everyone is really chill with each other. Once they get
out of the academic environment people seem to drop their
competitiveness and really support and teach one another. When the
opportunity is right, some amazing collaboration takes place. The 337
Project was a perfect example of that. The Bad: There definitely
isn’t enough support in the local market. A lot of the best artists
living in Utah sell out of state because they can’t make a living
otherwise. People here just don’t want to pay for good art. You
might see that as a vicious circle, "good artists sell elsewhere,
and no one wants to pay for locally available second rate art", but
that’s not the case. There are some great artists trying work
locally but they really struggle.
Gavin:
Is there anything you believe could be done to make it more
prominent?
Geoff:
That’s a tough one. Things like Gallery Stroll, Craft Lake City,
and the Arts Festival are awesome. But I think there needs to be an
event that is more dedicated and focused on say the
painting/drawing/sculpture aspects. It would be awesome if there were
a separate Artist’s Market during the summer, like what they do
down in Phoenix. Some pavilions in the park for a few weeks where
artists can congregate, and then people would have a consolidated
location to go to and check out great art.
Gavin: Speaking of Gallery Stroll, what's your take on it as a whole and what it's done for
the art community?
Geoff:
I think its great. Its exposure, and artists get to make new
contacts and a little extra cash. It’s a great way to spend a
summer evening downtown.
Gavin:
Is there anything you'd like to plug or promote?
Geoff:
Yeah. We’ve got an awesome group of people in the local comics and
game industry that get together for Draw Night at NoBrow Coffee, every
Tuesday night from 7-8:30PM to just draw and hang out. The first
rule of Draw Night: there are no rules. The second rule of
Draw Night: you have to draw. Also, check me out! My sketchblog
can be found here, and my portfolio over here.
Thanks man.
| Follow Gavin's Underground: |
On Topic...
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for April 19
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Abigail, The Beast, Hard Miles, Sasquatch Sunset and more
- Apr 19, 2024
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for April 12
Civil War, Escape from Germany, Coup de Chance, Hundreds of Beavers, La Chimera, Sting
- Apr 11, 2024
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for April 5
Monkey Man, The First Omen, Wicked Little Letters, Girls State, Scoop, Exhuma
- Apr 4, 2024
- More Gavin's Underground » More Culture »
More by Gavin Sheehan
-
Gavin's Underground: End Of An Era
Nine and a half years of local entertainment blogging comes to an end.
- May 26, 2017
-
Torris Fairley
A quick interview with the up-and-coming SLC-based comedian.
- May 25, 2017
-
Cirque Asylum
A look into the dance school teaching unique forms of aerial arts.
- May 24, 2017
- More »
Latest in Buzz Blog
