If you’re in need of a little inspiration, and you favor illustration, look no further than Neal McCullough. I received an email from Neil yesterday, and I was so impressed with his work, I had to share. Neil is a talented illustrator, and a lot of his work has a “clean, yet vintage” feel about it. Check out his website, HandDrawnCreative.

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Everyone, have I got a treat for you! Please welcome the latest BittBox Featured artist: James White. James is a talented, experienced designer from Nova Scotia, and his work speaks for itself. I chose a few selected works for this post, but believe me, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Visit James’ Flickr page to browse all of his work and hang on to your pants, because you will be inspired. Read the interview with James below to get to know the artist a little better and you can also visit his website (Signalnoise.com) for more info. Ladies and gentlemen, the fine artwork of James white:

Some of James’ Works:

James’ Flickr Page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/signalnoiseart/

James’ Website:

www.Signalnoise.com

James

My name is James and I’m a graphic designer working in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. After drawing all my life, I trained to be a designer from 1995 to 1998 and have been working in the field ever since. I do corporate design work by day and always have various personal art projects I work on during the evenings and weekends, which ultimately fuels my love of art and creation. I let my design and personal art bounce off of one another as I learn new techniques.

James

Everything is a challenge. Whether it’s a client job or a piece I want to create for myself, it’s the process of coming up with an idea and executing it properly that really keeps my fires burning. Art and design is everywhere, and I draw a lot from my environment in terms of inspiration and exploring different styles. I start my with a mug of coffee and surfing the web for art updates (mostly via ffffound.com) which is easy because the web is flooded with new art every single day. Being an artist isn’t limited to the pencil or computer, to me it’s a way of life so it’s very easy for me to keep the ball rolling.

James

My weapons of choice are Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and my mitts. I’ll sketch out an idea to nail down a simple composition that appeals to me aesthetically, then mock it up in Illustrator using simple blocks so I can experiment with color on the fly. After that it is a matter of building all of the elements I require for the given piece, which sometimes involves using Flash as a random asset generator for shapes and things. Illustrator is where most of the logos, type and precise shapes begin. I then use Photoshop to bring everything together and really refine the composition, colors, type and texture. I rely quite heavily on the happy mistakes that happen along the way which causes me to see the piece in a new light and may give me ideas I never would have considered otherwise. My process is rather lengthy, but it’s enjoyable to see all of the elements finally come together when/if they do.

James

Blocks happen fairly seldom to me because I really do try and immerse myself in what I love all the time. I’m constantly watching inspiring movies and cartoons, reading design magazines and comic books, and keeping up on the internet art scene as much as I can. I also do a lot of art history research. Having inspiring material and people around all of the time really makes design-blocks a rare occurrence, and keeps me into what I’m doing. Many of my friends are creative types and their ambition to pursue their own projects is very easy to get swept up in.

To get a shot of inspiration I will sometimes start reading US conspiracy theories and checking out 1970s television network promotions on Youtube. Sounds strange I know, but it works.

When a block or bout of discouragement should hit, I normally just go for a walk to get away from my sketchbook and computer for a while. I live close to a park and the ducks there are good company.

James

Constantly. I love my rock and metal and it keeps me going as I click away in Photoshop or do some sketching. Some of the art pieces I have created hinge directly on what I might be listening to at the time because I love music so much. A few of my favorite bands to play as I work are Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin, In Flames, Massive Attack, The Beatles, Isis, Pelican, Mastodon, Jesu, Tool, Red Sparowes, Unkle, etc.

James

I’ve come across so much great work that has inspired me, but I’ll do my best to pare it down. Older influences come from the early part of the 1900s, guys like Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko, Marcel Duchamp, Josef Müller-Brockmann, Saul Bass and the Bauhaus School. Most of these artists were practising far before the computer was invented, yet there work and style are benchmarks in a lot of new work coming out today.

I surf a lot of artists’ websites to keep up on what is happening on the modern global art scene. There are some wonderful things happening online now in the ‘post web-boom’ era, and so many artists who came to light in the early 2000s have really found their voice. Some of the artists I’ve been watching over the years are Joshua Davis (Joshuadavis.com), Scott Hansen (iso50.com), Chuck Anderson (Nopattern.com), Fatoe (Fatoe.com), Jemma Hostetler (Prate.com), Mike Cina (Trueistrue.com), Mike Young (Designgraphik.com), Sheppard Fairey (Obeygiant.com) and the comic book artist Darwyn Cooke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwyn_Cooke).

James

Absolutely. I am always interested in potential commission or collaboration work, and I’d love to work with any of the musicians or artists I listed above. My full contact information can be found on my website, Signalnoise.com.

James

Keep the pedal to the metal. Never stop trying new things and exploring different avenues and mediums. You will never know your full potential if you set boundaries for yourself so keep looking forward and plan how to evolve your work. Also, there are riches to be found in the past. A little bit of online art history research is a wonderful way to generate new ideas and concepts. If you have an artist who is your hero, find out who influenced them!

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The November featured artist is xLukex.beard, another standout talent from the BittBox User Showcase. xLukex.beard is a music enthusiast, and a master of the grunge, but don’t take my word for it, have a look for yourself and read the interview below…

xLukex.beard’s Flickr Page:

xLukex.beard on Flickr

Interview with xLukex.beard

xLukex.beard

My name is Luke, I’m 20 and I am a self taught graphic designer and have been at it about 5 years or so now. I live in a sleepy little place in England called The Forest Of Dean (A location mentioned a few times in the new Harry potter book for anyone who has read it).

xLukex.beard

Being mostly involved with music industry I am constantly fascinated by artwork for cd’s, vinyl’s and merchandise designs. When you walk past a CD by a band that you normally not give a second look and be 100% drawn in by the artwork, that is the drive! That look and interests is the small yet profound effect you have had on that person even for that small space of time.

xLukex.beard

If I had to say one thing then id love to say that my work surprises people. That its far from what they expected but more of what they were thinking.

xLukex.beard

Grab a guitar! I often find my self playing away sat in front of the monitor. it relaxes me a hell of alot and can get my head straight if I need that elusive idea.

xLukex.beard

Blaring Constantly! Its the only way to go. Silence is never very inspiring on any level.

xLukex.beard

Jacob Bannon is one of my all time idols. For people in the vein of what i do. he did the artwork for all the converge albums and many huge bands such as As i lay dying. His style is unmissable and i have yet to see some thing I don’t like.

xLukex.beard

Not right now, but i may be free in the next few months or if the right job comes along.Please feel free to drop me a line on xlukex(at)axecore.com

xLukex.beard

Thanks for taking the time to read me babbling on and check out my work, please support bittbox as it inspires me and many others :)

cheers!

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Another standout talent from the BittBox User Showcase on Flickr, and the featured artist for October, everyone say hello to Pashii. I don’t need to say much more. The pieces speak for themselves. There is an interview with Pashii below, and a few selected works. If you weren’t in the mood to get inspired today, well, you’re about to!

Pashii’s Flickr Page:

Pashii on Flickr

Pashii’s MySpace Page:

Pashii on MySpace

Interview with Pashii

Pashii

Well, I’m Pashii, a visual enhancer \ Retoucher for PLP STUDIOS here in Chicago!! Pretty much a determined, focused, imaginary, fun, goofy, & laid back type of girl! Enjoy working with Photography. Started into the world of Adobe, 7yrs ago & found my passion that I loved so much.

Pashii

It is all my senses, seeing, feeling, smelling, etc, anything that may drive a certain thought or imagery. I also love to just observe the environment you can learn so much just by sitting back and watching. ;) People, animals, memories, to future thoughts.

What keeps me going is my self motivation, I have a lot of support thankfully from a lot of people and they inspire me to keep moving, trying new skill sets, and just keep learning. Just being proud of yourself and consistently pushing yourself no matter what obstacles are in your way.

Pashii

I do my work with eyes closed, lol..What may I say about my work? Comes from this big spongy thing in my head, it may be the most simplest in its form to sometimes and an extreme sequence of detail. My personal projects I let them speak for itself, let the viewer see what they may imagine. Now each project may vary so depending upon whom & what the project is produced for the time management is critical and the stages to production!

Pashii

I start to sing, dance, and just act goofy bring up random funny stories and crack myself up including others around. Just step away from that monitor and do something other then stare at the screen.

Pashii

Oh the music must be on Blaring constantly!!! Depending on the piece I am working on the music choice may differ. Though I must say some of the Faves playing while I create are Debarge, Moby, Enigma, Seoan, Amr Diab, Kanye, Little Brother, and a few others.

Pashii

Some of my current faves are Laura Racero love the fantasy feel of her pieces, Jakob Printzlau the use of illustration, typography, and photography are amazing,
Flavio Albino of Platinum superb work from concept to execution and there amazingly hundreds of phenomenal designers from all sides respect for all who devote their time for creativity.

Pashii

Never doubt yourself, once you do you start to set yourself up for failure, there will be days ahead when you want to throw in the towel but never become discouraged, replace it with passion, dedication, & focus it will pay off in the end. Really do research upon time management, people skills, and find great sites that offer you great resources to the type of design you are interested in. If you want it you must convince your mind FIRST, all else will follow, you hold your own happiness.

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**New to BittBox** the Showcase section. No, this isn’t a showcase for MY work, I’m showing off YOUR work. BittBox will choose one artist each month from the BittBox User Showcase Group at Flickr to be featured on BittBox with 5-10 works, along with a short interview. This is just one more way BittBox is trying to help designers/artists and the design community in general. By funneling traffic to individual artists and showcasing their designs, we not only get some KILLER INSPIRATION, but the artists get exposure at the same time. Good luck, and say hello to our first artist: Michael Brito.

Artists Website:

www.bybreets.blogspot.com

Artists Flickr Page:

Michael Brito at Flickr

Interview with the artist:

BittBox:

Tell us a little about yourself.

Michael Brito:

I’m just an ordinary guy. I work as a graphic designer, do freelance design and illustration on the side and try to be a good father and husband. My day is pretty full.

BittBox:

What drives you? What keeps you interested in design?

Michael Brito:

I like to be fresh and bring something new to the design community. I am inspired by good designers and tend to look into the past to see what great designers have done.

BittBox:

If you could tell everyone out there 1 thing about your work, what would it be? Maybe a unique skill you have, or rare technique you use?

Michael Brito:

I do a lot of sketching and research before I start a project. I would say that this stage probably takes longer than the actual finished piece. I feel that the more time I take in planning the better the composition will be.

BittBox:

Name at least 1 quirky or dorky thing you do for inspiration or to pass boredom in those “design-block” moments.

Michael Brito:

I do a bunch of so called geeky things. Play with toys, watch cartoons, and read comic books. If none of that works then I go and workout, that usually works.

BittBox:

Music while you work? Yes, No, Sometimes, or Blaring Constantly?

Michael Brito:

Yes, definitely unless I am working late at night (don’t want to wake up the kids). I think that music helps shape the work and some of my illustrations and designs have been highly influenced by some of my favorite artists or songs.

BittBox:

Do you have a favorite artist or a few that influenced you more than others?

Michael Brito:

I have a lot of favorites. for graphic design I love Saul Bass, Paul Rand, and Stefan Sagmiester to name a few of the more influential designers. for illustration I like Picasso, Dalek, Futura, Mike Giant, and Doze Green. I know that I am missing others, but this list could go on forever.

BittBox:

Anything else you would like to say to the readers?

Michael Brito:

No matter how discouraged you are just keep working, always be experimenting with new techniques, medium, whatever. push the boundaries. Don’t just do what everyone else is doing because then your competing with everyone else, be different and get noticed.

There you have it. Michael Brito style.

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