Watching Not Watching is a recurring Free Range series where we invite a WNW Member to nerd out with us over a particular TV show that fuels their creativity. It's essentially a way for us to experience a taste of the water-cooler conversations that the freelancing portion of our community might be missing out on.
Read MoreWatching Not Watching: Mr. Robot
Watching Not Watching:
Mr. Robot
WORKING NOT WORKING
HBO has long been the gold standard of television, and arguably still wears that crown. But there are now so many adrenaline-packed and addictively authentic shows touching down from Netflix, Amazon, FX and AMC, and WNW Members are finding plenty of creative inspiration from all of these curators. Often overlooked, USA is now front and center with the aforementioned powerhouses on the heels of Mr. Robot's Emmy and Golden Globe wins. But Mr. Robot has had a cult status right from the start. Below, WNW Member and New York-based Designer Julia Korbut tells us how the show hooked her, and why there are no signs of it releasing its grip: "When I first heard of it, Mr. Robot seemed like a cool show about hacker culture. It was the only time I’ve seen hacking portrayed as something other than a bizarre 3D fever dream. A bit into the pilot episode, additional undertones were added in - social justice, mental illness. It quickly became a show that’s not only about hacking the planet."
Julia also contributes some brooding pixel art that drips with as much paranoia and darkness as the show itself.
FYI: This is a Spoiler Free Zone.
Who is Julia Korbut and how did she get here?
I'm a self-taught designer and illustrator. Currently a Product Designer at Venmo. I've been working in agencies, games and startups for the past ten years. Sometimes I do pixel art on my off hours.
What was it about Mr. Robot that hooked you?
When I first heard of it, Mr. Robot seemed like a cool show about hacker culture. It was the only time I’ve seen hacking portrayed as something other than a bizarre 3D fever dream. A bit into the pilot episode, additional undertones were added in - social justice, mental illness. It quickly became a show that’s not only about hacking the planet.
Elliot, the protagonist, is a regular security firm employee by day, and vigilante hacker by night. He suffers from some sort of delusional dissociative disorder, and self medicates with drugs and hacking people for social contact. We don’t get the full picture of what’s happening due to his illness. We quickly learn we can’t accept the story as-is since the entire show is narrated from his perspective. It’s a complex show that makes you look twice before you read it at face value.
The show is set in current day Manhattan, with every detail kept true to reality. It makes the Mr. Robot world seem like it could exist, a scary thought at times. It draws a lot from the anger younger generations face growing up into a sense of debt and insecurity. They want to reclaim the world, make it better. It has that “Occupy Wall St” vibe, which is an interesting ingredient for a tech thriller. The protagonist, Elliot, is worried about where the world is headed. He has suffered personal losses due to corporate greed. He wants to save the world and spare others. It doesn’t necessarily go well from there.
Who’s your favorite character and why?
Mr. Robot. has a lot of great, powerful female characters. We even meet a trans character later on. My favorite character though is definitely Angela. She’s Elliot’s childhood friend, and in the beginning of the series we often see her overlooked, disrespected and pushed aside. She decides to seek power. She takes control of her fate and evolves a lot in the second season.
Moral ambiguity is a common theme in this show. There’s this duality of right and wrong. Angela definitely gets some of that. We don’t know the full extent of her agenda, but she pursues it relentlessly. She keeps moving towards her goal even in very hostile situations. She has this air of revenge, of “I’ll show you”, hand in hand with building herself up and having the drive to keep going. Seeing powerful, non-stereotypical female characters is definitely refreshing.
Without giving away any spoilers, which season did you like more?
Every season has a central theme of sorts. From crime to punishment and so on. I’d say both seasons are pretty adrenaline-packed, but the second one really goes places. You think you know what’s going on in the first season, that you have a pretty good understanding of things. In the second season, you realize a lot of things were a misconception.
The amount of blackmail on Mr. Robot is pretty impressive. Does the show ever make you want to wipe your online identity clean and move to the mountains?
There’s definitely more to this show than that. But as scary as it is, every ‘hack stunt’ on the show is entirely possible. Real life security consultants, some ex-FBI, were hired to help write the show that way. What makes it interesting is that those attacks stem from something apart from malice. And we get to see the consequences.
Is Mr. Robot, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape for you?
I love watching movies, TV, music videos for the colors. The fashion. The cinematography. But anything is a possible source of inspiration for me. It’s like a muscle - you can train your eyes to see interesting composition and color in anything. I see ideas in the most random things.
On-screen media is particularly inspiring for fashion. If only my Wacom could print out sweet outfits.
Complete this sentence: If you like ________, you’ll love Mr. Robot.
The internet.
What other shows, new or old, do you recommend to fellow WNW Members?
So both of those recommendations are going to be from the UK. I don’t know how come they portray dystopia so well, but that’s just how it is.
Black Mirror is an obvious recommendation. Every episode is like a movie, a separate story line. It explores technology and where it could possibly take us as society. Some episodes, especially the last one from season two, are really extreme.
Utopia is another brilliant one. This one is super underrated. I can’t really describe it without giving plot details away, but just watch this. Some keywords: Comic book conspiracy theories, beautiful cinematography, the color yellow, sick beats.
What are you working on these days?
On my off hours I jump between a few different things. I have a bunch of ideas I work on. Currently my focus is on a short animation project. It’s loosely inspired by museums and simulation theory.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Are you a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share? Email us!
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: STRANGER THINGS
WATCHING NOT WATCHING:
STRANGER THINGS
The beauty of Netflix is that an addictive new series will appear seemingly from thin air, ready to be discovered in its entirety. And then the word will spread, slowly but surely. Stranger Things is a perfect example. An unassuming trailer popped up at the start of summer, and now you're telling (or being told by) all of your friends that it's the best thing since [enter 80s reference here]. Fans are obsessing over every aspect of the show, from the 80s allusions to the haunting electronic score to the glorious opening credits, co-designed by WNW Member Arisu Kashiwaga.
Below, we talk to four WNW Members (Ben Stafford, Phillip Van, Ann Shen, & Evan di Leo) who love the show as much as we do, and approach the discussion with a consideration for how the show can inspire their creativity. A few of them love Stranger Things so much they even threw in some awesome fan art. A special thanks to WNW Member Ida Kristina Andersson as well for perfectly rendering the majestic life form that is Winona Ryder.
*Light Spoilers & Nerding Out Ahead
What was it about Stranger Things that hooked you?
BEN STAFFORD: I ended up watching four episodes the day it came out (July 15th) and the remaining four the following day. It felt more like a movie experience rather than your typical episodic TV show. There's a certain beauty to what Stranger Things was able to do in 8 episodes that most shows can't do in 22. They were able to tell a clear story, make the viewer care about the characters and how they developed and changed over time and they managed to keep the pacing just. Here's where I'm giving out some "A+'s": child actors/actresses, theme/score, title sequence, set/prop/costume departments and the many nods to the classics it borrowed from in Season 1.
Am I gushing too much? Likely. But I know what it feels like to care passionately about what you're making and hope other people receive your vision and love it as much as you. I'd say the Duffer brothers can be confident in knowing their vision has been accepted and applauded. So from one artist to another, well done and here's to Season 2!
PHILLIP VAN: The aesthetic! Then the performances. Then the story. In that order. The look and feel of the show is pure nostalgia. For any 80's kid, resistance is futile. Every reference gave me a pleasant, even unnerving sensation, tapping into a weird part of my brain that has been dormant since the 80's. Sorry to my brain, which I just completely sold out. Who didn't love The Goonies, E.T., Explorers, The Lost Boys and Close Encounters growing up? The series also mines darker films like Nightmare on Elm Street and Altered States. Granted, none of this is original, but that's the point. It's the jigsaw construction of references that makes the whole collage so ridiculously enjoyable.
Then the performances got me -- the kids they found are insanely amazing. And they clearly all trained at whatever kid acting school Sean Astin and Corey Feldman graduated from before making The Goonies. Not Eleven though -- she's even better -- she definitely went to whatever school Natalie Portman came out of before making The Professional. Around the end of episode 3, the story really kicked in, the pace picked up, and I found the premise more original than I assumed it would be.
ANN SHEN: I love spooky mysteries that dip a toe into horror but not quite because I can be such a chicken about real horror films (like The Exorcist) or disgusted by the gratuitous torture gore-fests that’s the trend nowadays. But as a child of the 80s and early 90s, these sci-fi mystery/adventure stories were the best! Stranger Things walks that line SO well. From the opening mystery to the variety of characters, there’s so much for anyone to connect to – and the opening titles are so good, the set details are fantastic, and the soundtrack sets the perfect mood. It’s all so familiar yet completely original.
EVAN DI LEO: I had a very vague ‘you have to watch this show’ recommendation from a friend and knew little else about it. It quickly became obvious this was going to be a show I needed to spend the time with. It feels like just a fantastic love letter to a very specific flavor of film and media from our childhood... even in an age where huge chunks of film and media companies are trying desperately to capitalize on that nostalgia. This show just hit all the right notes.
Which of the three storylines (the kids, the teenagers, or the adults) did you like most, and why?
BEN: Without a doubt, it's the kids who stole the show. The boys' chemistry was great, but the most captivating character was Eleven. I loved the way she learned how to be a friend and what it meant to care for others. I think the group's bond grew tighter and gave them more confidence the more time they spent with Eleven.
PHILLIP: The kids, definitely. I mean, other films and shows have conjured the 80's, Like Halt and Catch Fire, Freaks and Geeks, Donnie Darko, House of the Devil, but until now, none have nailed the feel of the KID FILMS of the 80's, which were arguably the most important ones. Tarantino craps on the 80's a lot, but one thing he can't crap on at all (is saying crap twice) is that there was never another era that made kid films the way the 80's did. Don't get me wrong, Spy Kids is great (haven't seen it), I love Harry Potter (totally lost track) and Pixar is Pixar (nothing to add to this, Pixar IS Pixar) but where are the kids riding around on BMX bikes late at night to deal with the secret nature of reality using DIY contraptions they built in their basement???
That having been said, the teenagers' story exceeded my expectations. Charlie Heaton reminded me so much of River Phoenix that he actually feels like he time traveled to the present to shoot this show. (What kind of day rate would he get for that?) I love how his story basically turned into a class struggle -- blue collar misanthrope vs. white collar preppy kid and his terrible wealthy friends. It was also a classic test of faith. In the 80's, if you believed in weird stuff, the rich conservative kids would beat the hell out of you. The Duffer Brothers totally channeled 80's writers, addressing the worst of Reaganism, specifically the intolerance Reagan supporters had for anyone who thought or acted differently. Thank God we live in a better era now, where the idea of a megalomaniacal Republican out to poison our minds and spread fear and hate is an unimaginable nightmare, relegated to the distant past.
ANN: The kids! Their story was so reminiscent of those 80s childhood stories about coming of age, being full of hope, and doing the right thing. Eleven is such a great character -- she’s so strong and powerful, expresses the hell out of the show, and barely says 10 words total in the series. Kids have such rich internal lives, and it was so great that some of it started spilling into the adults’ reality in Stranger Things, most exemplified by when the adults start using the kids’ fantasy vernacular to describe what was happening.
EVAN: I think probably the Mom's story, or the Adults is the most interesting. The show does a fantastic job showing you three distinct perspectives, or really four if you count Eleven as a separate line. Watching the show now as adults we can relate to those nerdy kids because we were those kids. We were those angsty teenagers. And there's piles and piles of great (and not so great) films about these stages of growing up. But Stranger Things has a very relatable and real take on parenthood as well. On adulthood. That’s something thats largely missing from these other coming-of-age films. And to use sci-fi/paranormal devices to explore real loss and relationships. "People think I’m crazy, I know I sound crazy… but I can FEEL him." It's very compelling.
Is Stranger Things, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape for you?
BEN: I believe it's both. I love tv shows with stories that engage and make me think. It helps spark new ideas and causes me to approach my work differently.
PHILLIP: A creative inspiration, definitely. An escape, not so much. I always get a little worried when people tell me they watched something because they "needed to escape." Not to get pedantic, but all good stories involve conflict. Most involve extreme conflict. Saying I watched Stranger Things to escape feels like saying I played Call of Duty to go to my zen place. If dying on a battlefield in Frankfurt is my form of meditation, something's wrong.
But seeing such insane love for the 80's on full display is inspiring, to say the least. I've read articles about how the 80's are a fully exhausted era in film and TV, but if anyone gave a sh*t about what those cynical writers looking for a clickbaity headline had to say, Stranger Things wouldn't exist. Sorry, just venting. Stop attacking the 80's!
ANN: Oh definitely a source of creative inspiration. Even though I love nothing more than something brand new to marathon as my preferred method of chill, I always inevitably get inspired by what I’m watching. It helps that I tend to be drawn to things with great stories, strong characters, and obsessively addictive qualities (inspiring me to think of why, and then hopefully adapting it for my own work).
EVAN: It definitely is. There's so many amazing things happening with television right now. Literally too many. I can’t keep up. And theres a lot of lessons on storytelling and writing and aesthetics there as well. There are lessons in studying painting or literature or music or photography… but television and film combine so many disciplines. And of course to let yourself get carried away in a good story, it's a great source of escape.
Complete this sentence: If you like ________, you’ll love Stranger Things.
BEN: I'm being redundant with what most are saying but I have to say E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. I watched it soon after finishing the show to help fill that Stranger Things-sized gap in my life.
PHILLIP: The Goonies / The 80's / Trapper Keepers / BMX bikes / Dark Crystal / Golden Era Spielberg / Joy Division / David Bowie / The Lost Boys / Television.
ANN: E.T. / Goonies / Winona Ryder / The 80's / sci-fi mysteries / Are You Afraid of the Dark
EVAN: John Carpenter / Stephen King / The Goonies / Synthwave. Yes Yes Yes Yes.
What other shows, new or old, do you recommend to fellow WNW Members?
BEN: My favorite drama shows are Lost and Breaking Bad. Hard to beat those. If we're talking comedy, you can't go wrong with Parks & Rec, The Office, Community or Arrested Development. And I'll always have a special place in my heart for Survivor. I haven't missed a season since it first started when I was 14.
PHILLIP: Halt and Catch Fire -- the only other super amazing 80's thing I've seen recently. I'm also just getting into Documentary Now! and it's criminally funny.
ANN: So my old reliables aka shows I put on all the time when working (which is a lot) include: Bob’s Burgers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Parks & Rec, 30 Rock, and Gilmore Girls. Shows that are currently on that I’d recommend: Scandal, How To Get Away with Murder, Unreal, Master of None, Fresh Off the Boat, The Mindy Project, Sherlock, and Game of Thrones (I held out for a long time on this one, but I am now in deep). As you can probably tell from this list, “Shows featuring a strong female lead” rank high on my Netflix recommendations.
EVAN: I'm a HUGE fan of Peaky Blinders. I'm a sucker for Crime Family stories and this one is tremendous. The dialogue is cutting and brilliant. There are so many strong and compelling characters. The period setting is beautifully realized. The music and art direction are top notch. Oh and the cinematography. The costuming. The lighting. Pretty much everything they do, they do well.
Stranger Things does a great job of functioning as an homage to so many great shows and films before it, while also establishing its own original personality. How do you achieve a similar balance in your own work when drawing inspiration from other subjects and artists?
BEN: That's a great question. I think they stole the best part of the greats and were able to create something fresh yet familiar. It's very much like how J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens was widely accepted. I think both of these camps knew what struck a cord with people when it came to the originals and were able to capture that for their own benefit and story.
I look at masters and study their work in hopes that I can take the best parts of their work and convey similar feelings in my own. The more I study, the more I'm able to think like the masters instead of straight up lifting their work or ideas. I think that's the balance everyone hopes for. I'm no master, but if I can pay homage or if people can notice similar tendencies, I'll be satisfied.
PHILLIP: If I'm making anything that's an homage to anything else, I wear my references on my sleeve. I don't claim something is mine when it isn't. I try to write a love letter to the thing I'm referencing in a way that I hope flatters rather than mortifies the original makers of that thing. A dedication is worlds apart from a theft. One is the upside-down version of the other. Sorry. Half-baked Stranger Things reference.
ANN: First, I make sure to draw from a large and diverse pool of inspiration – from Rococo paintings to John Singer Sargent to fashion illustrations of Rene Gruau to mid-century children’s book illustrators and designers to Parisian building signage, the list goes on. I study what works and what’s appealing to me about their work -- the design, the light, the color, the lines. Then I put the inspiration away and try to find ways to apply it to my own work. And it always starts with that -- design, value, color, lines.
EVAN: This is a tricky one I think. Finding your own voice is so important as a creative person. But I also think that it's good to study the artists and work that you are moved by. You can't create in a vacuum. It’s good to know and hold up work that you really love so you have something to aim at. I think especially for those starting out, you can let go of trying to be unique or have a voice and just study work that you love. Do the work. Learn your craft. And in time your voice will emerge.
What are you working on these days?
BEN: I do a fair mix of editorial illustrations and logo/branding work. I've only been professionally illustrating for the past couple of years but it's been fun to test the waters find what I'm truly passionate about. I've got some big goals so as they say, "I've only just begun."
PHILLIP: A pilot! And that's all I can say about that. Also, commercials. I'd love to do an 80's inspired one. I wish brands just made straight up 80's commercials for their products again. Can't we all collectively agree to deny that the present exists? If we did, maybe it would disappear forever. Alright, I am a bit of an escapist. I'll admit it. Talk to me after the election.
ANN: Lately I’m doing a lot of publicity for my upcoming book, Bad Girls Throughout History, coming out with Chronicle Books on September 6! I’m also in development of a couple big illustration projects that will be coming out next year, so there’s a lot of juggling happening right now.
EVAN: I’ve been spending time really trying to sharpen up my traditional drawing chops as well as get deeper into digital painting. I do a lot of sketching, drawing people I are memorable walking around New York. And a lot of time painting in photoshop. I’m also developing a short film with my good friend and partner Ashley Becerra that will be a sort of surreal character study. Exploring the complications of expectations in personal relationships. It’s been very fun to explore a idea without a brief or client to tend to.
Want to nerd out about the shows and films you're watching? Email us.
Jesse Dean: "The hilarious and deadly Kitchen Bros communicate with their middle fingers and shotguns."
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: FARGO
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: FARGO
You might say we're in the Golden Age of Televsion. There's a ton of amazing shows on TV right now, emphasis on a ton and amazing and shows on TV. To stay up to date on the million and a half shows currently streaming on every device possible, we frequently have to enlist our pop culture savvy members to find out what we should have been binging months ago. This time, we picked the brain of WNW Member #9134 Jesse Dean, an animator who has worked on Adult Swim shows as well as FX's Archer. Turns out his taste in television and film is as cool as his full name: Jesse James Dean.
Jesse opened up about his animation career before geeking out over one of his favorite shows, Fargo, of which he writes, "The cinematography and score are great but it's the writing and character development that really grab ya by the noodles. It’s one of those shows that makes you love the bad guys as much as the good guys and is hilarious and dramatic and violent and disturbing at the same time." Jesse credits the show's caliber to the Coen Brothers' involvement, adding, "Those guys know how to massage the brain of the audience."
Only in the Golden Age could a show exist that both massages the brain and grabs ya by the noodles.
FYI: This is a Spoiler Free Zone.
Work
How'd you get started as an animator? How have you seen your work change over the years?
Not including the filthy flip books I made in high school, I started animating officially in grad school. It took a good 2.5 years before I started to get a grip on it. I had the principles of animation down but it wasn’t until I started working in the industry, surrounded maniac animators and designers, that I learned the ins and outs of how to really make stuff look cool on screen. To this day though, I am still learning how to make it work better. Every day that I’m not animating, I get more crusty.
What’s it like animating for a show like Archer versus say, the Adult Swim shows you’ve worked on? Is Adult Swim its own breed of crazy?
My experience animating on Archer vs the Adult Swim stuff was totally different. A couple years back I had to do some key/tween drawings for Aqua Teen Show Show. The characters that I was working with had very limited animation. Though they had full dialogue, they were basically just bobbing up and down wiggling their arms around. I was given some existing artwork of the characters and was told what they needed to be doing in the scene. It was a very loose process. The animated poses were created in photoshop and then sent to the After Effects team to string together the actual animation. Working on Archer on the other hand was much more strict but at the same time more freeing because I could put more life into the characters. In the beginnings, Archer’s 2D animation was entirely created using After Effects. The illustrators created the artwork and then that was given to the After Effects team to animate. Nowadays, its half and half After Effects and ToonBoom Harmony. I was part of the Harmony team. We were given all of the illustrated characters and handled the fight scenes and more intricate crazy action’y 2D animation while the After Effects team handled the rest.
Of all the shows you’ve animated for, which one is most in line with your own creative style?
Of all of the shows that I have animated on, the closest to my creative style (design wise) would probably be Aqua Teen. The characters tend to be so much more gnarly and off the wall. The animation is very limited but I always loved the look of it. Archer was definitely the most fun to do actual animation for though. That show punched, kicked and smashed me into submission.
What’s next for you? Any projects or shows lined up that you’d like to talk about?
These days I am not in the big studio environment. I’m freelancing out of my house doing illustration and animation for random clients. I work with my girlfriend, who is one bad mamajama graphic designer. We are doing all sorts of stuff from websites to email blasts to stationary. If this venture gets dull, we will both be knocking at the big studio doors again for sure. I’m not working for the big studios these days but I am definitely still watching what they churn out. Really looking forward to the new seasons of Rick and Morty and Archer.
What’s one show that you would love to do animation for?
The main show that comes to mind that I would love to work on would have to be King Star King. The animation is very old school squash and stretch but has totally insane content that will melt your eyeballs. So much absurdity goes into one quick sequence. I really love what those folks are doing over there. Someday maybe I’ll get a chance to dabble in some work with them. Similarly Superjail had some really off the wall animation, though I’m not sure the show is coming back to us.
Fargo
You’re a big fan of Fargo. What lead you to illustrate The Kitchen Bros rather than other characters?
The Kitchen Bros from Fargo season 2 are a couple of bad dudes. They rarely speak and whenever they do, it's always a little whisper into the ear of their bossman Mike Milligan. These guys bring such a strong presence to the screen, not only through the actions of the characters, but the art direction of their wardrobe. They compliment each other in all aspects.
Do you tune in and watch Fargo weekly or do you binge all at once?
Lately I have been tuning into Fargo regularly. If it was available to binge watch right now, I would be on the couch doin’ it. I'm also currently halfway through binge watching Jessica Jones. Finished Narcos and Bloodline, both binged. Always ready for new episodes of Munchies and eagerly awaiting the new season of Broad City.
What is it about Fargo that draws you in? Which of its two seasons do you like more?
My initial curiosity about the show came from my deep love of the film. I say curiosity because I expected it to pale in comparison to the film but I was proven wrong. It absolutely stands on its own, whether you have seen the film or not. The cinematography and score are great but it's the writing and character development that really grab ya by the noodles. It’s one of those shows that makes you love the bad guys as much as the good guys and is hilarious and dramatic and violent and disturbing at the same time. Season 1 was so great that it made me nervous that the second season wouldn’t hold up, but season 2 sort of went the True Detective season 2 route, without the suck. Fargo Season 2 is a new story, new actors and characters, ties into season 1 and does it all very successfully.
Does the show do a good job of capturing the peculiar world that the Coen Brothers created almost 20 years ago?
That is part of what makes this show so great. The characters and general mood of the show lends very much to the Coen Bros film. The show hits all of the feelings from hilarious to very dark and grim. I’m sure its success has a good bit to do with the Coen Brothers being producers on the project. Those guys know how to massage the brain of the audience.
Is Fargo, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape for you?
TV has always been and I’m sure will continue to be a creative inspiration and escape for me. I’m guessing the same could be said for everyone who watches it. Its a good way to tune out the mania in life and get sucked into another world. I do also enjoy creating some fan art time from time to time.
What other shows or films do you recommend to the WNW community?
Some more recent shows that I would recommend are: Munchies, Bloodline, The Affair, Broad City, Rick and Morty and Silicon Valley.
Some films: Mad Max: Fury Road, Ex Machina and Dope. One that I definitely recommend as a movie night group watch is Bone Tomahawk. Kurt Russell. Huge mustache. Cowboys and Cannibals. Do it.
What’s one song that always gets you into a creative rhythm?
Want to talk to us about the shows and films you're watching? Email us.
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: MAD MEN
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: MAD MEN
To celebrate the final season of the cultural phenomenon that is Mad Men, we spoke to WNW Member #1218 David Saracino, a huge fan who has illustrated all of our favorite stylish characters. David fondly looks back on Mad Men with us: "Honestly, because of how well the show is made and written, they could all be greedy, womanizing alcoholics and I'd still watch it---oh wait." We also asked David to release his inner soothsayer and offer bold predictions for how the era will end: "I don't want to read too much into the ghosts Don's been seeing, but..."
How'd you get started as an illustrator? And how have you seen your work change over the years?
I've drawn all my life, so when college rolled around I majored in illustration, and landed my first paid editorial gig junior year. Ever since then I've worked with editorial and advertising clients on both coasts doing a variety of work, ranging from conceptual illustration to product development. My work has changed (and continues to change) quite a bit over the years. I started-off working strictly traditionally, watercolor and colored pencil / ink, but as I started getting more and more work, learning to work digitally proved much less time-consuming. Initially I was scanning in my final drawings, color-correcting them, editing them, then finally coloring them, which also became a pretty big time-suck. I eventually invested in a 21" Wacom Cintiq, so now I work digitally start-to-finish. It's been the saving grace to working with tight deadlines and round after round of last minute edits.
Do you tune in and watch Mad Men weekly or do you binge all at once? And other shows?
I do watch it live! Before I had access to cable tv at my apartment, it was so important that I watch it live that I used to watch it at a bar with cable. To be perfectly honest, I don't totally hate commercials. I've enjoyed commercials ever since I was young, always loving the funny ones, clever ones, etc. It's also pretty fitting to watch the commercials during a show about advertising, right? Also, I kind of love the annoyance of having to wait another week to see what happens next---I feel it really adds to my watching experience. To be fair though, when a new season of a show I like is uploaded all at once onto Netflix or wherever, I'm definitely guilty of binge-watching the hell out of it. Guess it depends on the show.
What is it about Mad Men that draws you in?
Definitely the time period and production value. I'm a huge fan of midcentury design, and the show's attention to detail is outstanding. I know a few people who had a hard time getting into the show and gave up on it because none of the characters were "likeable" enough. Honestly, because of how well the show is made and written, they could all be greedy, womanizing alcoholics and I'd still watch it---oh wait.
Upon seeing Roger's 'stache, did you immediately declare, "I have to draw that"?
Absolutely. I drew Roger and a few others last year, but I wanted another shot at him. I feel like I'm editing and redo-ing a lot of my work recently---not sure why---but his new 'stache definitely gave me an excuse to give him another go with the 'ol tablet. John Slattery's likeness is surprisingly difficult to capture, so adding a mustache to an already difficult-to-recognize portrait made me keep second-guessing his features. I'm pretty content with how he turned out, but who knows what will happen when I look back on it in a week.
What's your take on the start of the final season?
Looks like it's back to business as usual for Don and Roger, not that I'm surprised. I'm glad we're seeing Ken's story focused on a bit too. Not to mention the start to a possible/probable love interest for Peggy. Was a little surprised from the complete absence of Meghan, but I'm guessing we're going to see a little more of her. All in all, I'm pretty interested to see how they're going to fit in everything they need to wrap up in 7 episodes.
Bold predictions for how the era will end?
I don't want to read too much into the ghosts Don's been seeing, but my girlfriend and I agree that we think Don's going to kick the bucket by the end of the season; especially when he witnessed that song and dance number by Robert Morse in the mid-season finale last year. I'm not sure what's going to happen to the firm, it could either be sold off and completely absorbed by McCann, or have lead creative be taken over by Peggy; she's definitely proven herself to Don.
Do you think a new show about advertising will quickly fill the well-shined black Oxfords of Mad Men?
I really hope that there isn't an insurgence of shows that take on advertising. They definitely won't stock up well, especially if they don't devote the time and effort to crafting such a production. The actors deliver such incredible performances, all in a very cinematic environment, and I doubt that can be outdone for now.
Is Mad Men, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape for you?
Most definitely, on both accounts. I'm very right-brained, and really get lost or caught up in cinematic experiences. I've historically gotten heavily invested into dramas, whether they be film or on tv, since they're inherent to beautiful cinematography. They definitely provide me a source of creative inspiration, as I almost always need to draw the main characters of a show or film immediately after watching it. As to them being an escape, I love getting caught-up in a good story and I tend to tune everything else out while I'm watching something I'm really into. I've been really excited about how much better tv has gotten over the last 5 or 10 years; it really seems like I get to watch a mini-movie in every episode.
What other shows or films do you recommend to the WNW community?
I was recently recommended by a friend to watch The Jinx on HBO, and I was not disappointed. I'm also a big fan of documentaries and whodunnits, so this was a shoe-in. I really enjoyed Tina Fey's latest straight-to-Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (illustration featured in The New Yorker), and I've just recently caught up with all of Louie on FX. I was floored by True Detective S01, and after the teaser trailer for S02 I lost my shit. In terms of recent films I enjoyed, I think the Oscars hosted a bunch of really outstanding films this year. Birdman was incredible, and was shocked it got subbed for Best Picture, and I really enjoyed Nolan's latest Interstellar; although I think that's one that you really had to see as large and as loud as possible in 70mm in Imax.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Nothing else really, other than thanks so much for taking the time to ask me about my work and interests, as well as featuring me on Watching Not Watching! I hope you enjoy my work, and keep in touch to see who I've been drawing.
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WATCHING NOT WATCHING: THE ERIC ANDRE SHOW
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: THE ERIC ANDRE SHOW
In the last installment of Watching Not Watching, we interviewed WNW Member #2772 Sam Taylor about his favorite show, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The consensus was that It's Always Sunny captured human depravity and selfishness at its finest. So where does that leave The Eric Andre Show? WNW Member #2819 Kyle Platts, a big fan of the show, answered this question and others, and shared an original illustration. Kyle helps us dissect a show that somehow manages to attain an even superior level of depravity, moving into the full-on grotesque. And each frenzied episode clocks in at only 10 minutes! For those who have yet to see an episode, Kyle nails it with this description: "It’s a great show because it doesn’t have any inhabitations. What they have done is taken the tired talk show format and spiked its drink with acid."
Do you tune in and watch The Eric Andre Show weekly on Adult Swim or do you binge online during vacations?
I don’t really have vacations much but yeah I binge on it hard. I think I’ve seen all of them now so it’s just a case of watching my favourite ones over and over again. One of my favourite moments is when Tyler, The Creator is a guest and Eric tells him his dad is here, and his dad is this creepy mutant looking white dude hiding in the rafters, and Tyler cries. That makes me crease every time.
What is it about The Eric Andre Show that draws you in?
I honestly feel like the show was written just for me and my friends. It’s pitched so perfectly and is the type of humour that makes me laugh uncontrollably in my most unreserved embarrassing laugh. The intensity is what I enjoy, the editing and timing is so perfect too, and I love how each show is all crammed into about 10 minutes.
There are plenty of bad shows trying to be good. But only a handful are good shows trying to be bad. Do you prefer this brand of inverted art that has a camp sensibility?
I mean sometimes it’s great to have good shows that are trying to be good shows too, but yeah I love how The Eric Andre Show has this low budget aesthetic and ‘not giving a shit’ sensibility. The best thing about it is the way it has that jovial look, but it’s actually really self aware and considered. It’s a great show because it doesn’t have any inhabitations; what they have done is taken the tired talk show format and spiked its drink with acid.
Your illustrations often capture humanity at its most comically repulsive. As an artist, how do you approach the grotesque while also letting your audience know you're in on the joke?
There are no mechanisms I use to achieve this that I can describe, I just think it’s something that seeps into my work via osmosis because I have a certain humour and it just comes out in my work.
Do you consider an artist's intention when evaluating their work, or do you let the work stand on its own?
The motivation for an artist is important for me and I think a lot of the time with good work you can see the intention without having it explained to you. I recently saw a Rashid Johnson exhibition here in London and immediately you can tell that he is politically driven in the tone of the work.
Is The Eric Andre Show, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape for you?
I don’t watch shows as a form of escapism, I feel really conscious about using time wisely so I like everything I watch to either be inspirational, funny or informative. But having said all that, I watched Taken 3 the other day and loved it. I suppose that would come under ‘funny’ though.
What other shows/films do you recommend to the WNW community?
I just recently watched The Raid 2, which is incredible. It’s probably the best film I’ve seen from The Raid franchise this year. Every fight scene is so intense and it just keeps turning up from scene to scene until by the end you feel like your head is going to explode. Also The Lego Movie; don’t let anyone tell you it is not the best film ever made. Liam Neeson’s voice as the good cop is so funny to me.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Yeah if anyone has suggestions for a good low fat alcoholic drink that would be great. I’m an illustrator and I sit drawing at a desk all day, so I’ve realised that if I keep drinking beer at the rate I am now I’m going to start looking like John Belushi pretty quick. Please send suggestions to platts.kyle@gmail.com.
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Sam Taylor proves he's the ultimate fanboy with his original artwork.
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
It's hard to think of a comedic or dramatic show that revels in displays of depravity to the extent that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia does. For one thing, not many shows make you want to shower afterward to wash the trashiness away. Yet It's Always Sunny has an undeniably fervent cult following, which makes us ask: Why do we love these offensive characters that represent humanity at its lowest? UK-based WNW Member #2772 Sam Taylor, a huge fan of the show, helped us answer this question and others. He also contributed some twisted original fan art.
Do you tune in and watch It’s Always Sunny weekly on TV or do you binge online during vacations?
Well I live in London, so I can’t watch it live because we don’t get FXX over here, so I always watch it on Thursdays. If it came out all at once I would binge though it, for sure. Last year me and my housemate watched the whole of season 10 in one sitting. We were pretty drunk by the end.
It’s Always Sunny has a huge cult following. What is it about the show that draws you in?
I just see so much of myself in the characters. Haha nah. I guess the show has an easy to follow formula, where the gang splits up with different objectives and in the end they disagree with their initial beliefs, I like that. The fickleness. Each character is formed perfectly.
Who’s your favorite character? How is it possible we can root for such depraved humanity?
This is a hard one but I think Dennis is my favourite character. He’s the most fucked up. Charlie’s just stupid and dirty, Mac is an idiot with conflicting religious/sexual orientations, Dee is totally desperate but Dennis is a straight up psychopath and I like that about him. The D.E.N.N.I.S System is probably my favourite episode. I think it’s easy to root for them because even though they do horrible stuff they rarely succeed and they like to think they’re bullies or sexual powerhouses but they blow it. A psychologist could explain better than me but you know what I mean.
Is It’s Always Sunny, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape for you?
Yeah, inspiration. Not exclusively though, I get inspiration from a lot of stuff that I like: films, art, the news, whatever. I just find IASIP really funny and it clicks with me. The characters are like cartoons in a way and I’m always trying to find new ways to make myself laugh. They remind me of people that I know which is both fucked up and amazing.
What other shows/films do you recommend to the WNW community?
At the moment I’m obsessed with The Eric Andre Show. The worst show ever.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes, death to craft beer.
More of Sam's work here:
One of Charlie's ghouls
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If you've seen the "White Christmas" episode, you'll know what this image is all about.
WATCHING NOT WATCHING: BLACK MIRROR
WATCHING NOT WATCHING:
BLACK MIRROR
Being in the creative industry, we consider it our job to stay up to date on all things pop culture. Occupational hazards may include binge watching (damn you, Netflix.) We knew we weren't alone in this so we caught up with WNW Member #2185 James Wignall who filled us in on his current obsession: Black Mirror. Originally airing on British TV, Black Mirror is a sci-fi horror series that imagines the deleterious ways technology could reshape our lives and relationships. You think you're a super fan? James gives partial credit to writer Charlie Brooker with his upbringing! And he made an original GIF for this article.
Do you tune in and watch Black Mirror on TV or do you binge online during vacations?
I was lucky enough to catch it from the start when it screened on Channel4 back in 2011. I got a bit of an itch shortly before the second season started and binge watched the first season again. Luckily it's only a few episodes, so much less of a time commitment than something like The Wire!
What is it about Black Mirror that draws you in?
My humour has always been on the rather dark, pitch black side and the clever satire and social commentary of the modern world we live in is right down my street. I've been a big fan of the show's writer (Charlie Brooker) for years. I grew up reading his columns in magazines like PC Zone back in the 90's, progressed to 11 O'Clock news show (of Sacha Baron Cohen fame) and of course more recently his Screenwipe, Newswipe, Gameswipe.
To think about it, him and Chris Morris are probably responsible for half of my upbringing!
Black Mirror recognizes social media’s significance and influence on society as a whole. Do you think it will be the new norm on TV shows and movies to show closeups of smartphone screens and superimpose Twitter and text bubbles?
With mobile phones and social media so prevalent and synchronous with our generation, I suspect use within TV and film to only increase. I would be hesitant to say, it probably already is the norm.
The most interesting aspect is seeing what the writers do with it, using the current trend as a springboard as to what the future might hold. Spike Jonze's "Her" has a pretty good idea!
Is Black Mirror, and television in general, a source of creative inspiration or escape?
It can be both! Some days you just want to watch to get away from work and relax, but other times television can help you take an idea into a whole new direction when you least expect it.
It doesn't even have to be a show, it could be the advert that inadvertently (no pun intended) triggers something.
What other shows or films do you recommend to the WNW community?
Any of Charlie Brooker's or Chris Morris' back catalogue. "Dead Set" was great, if you want something really messed up: "Jam".
I also grew up watching "The League of Gentlemen", so it holds a special place in my heart (Season 1 and 2 anyway, Papa Lazarou is possibly the best character ever, in the world).