John Guydo is a New York City based Illustrator working primarily in the traditional medium of pen and ink. Inspired by master engravers like Gustave Dore and Albrecht Durer, John crafts detailed illustrations through intricate line work. Much of his recent focus has been on creating poster prints licensed by Marvel, DC, and Warner Brothers.
In this episode, John discusses:
-How he realized that he missed drawing after doing a lot of work in graphic design and web design.
-The importance of taking some breaks from your creative pursuits.
-The way in which he started sharing his work on social media.
-Why he shares intricate, detailed shots of what he is working on.
-The long-term project that he is working on with poet David Herrstrom.
-His strategy for sharing his work on Tumblr and other social media websites.
-The way that social media not only allows you to put yourself in front of new audiences but also allows you to be the audience to artists that you would have never witnessed.
-Doing alternative movie posters for Blade Runner, Batman, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
-What it is like to work with Bottleneck Gallery.
-Not thinking about his work as a career, but rather as entertainment.
-The challenge that he faced to incorporate so many Marvel characters into the 10-year anniversary poster for the MCU.
-Working digitally and incorporating color into his work for the first time.
-How he sometimes overthinks the business aspects of creating art.
-Dealing with overwhelm when it comes to choosing the version of a piece he wants to create (and how he makes a decision).
-How he spends a lot of time before he even makes the first mark to ensure that he is happy with the composition and the idea as a whole (and then it is off to the races).
-The importance of creating things that you want to see rather than trying to cater to what others want.
John’s Final Push will inspire you to give your art to others as you would like to receive from them!
Quotes:
“Drawing in your own sketchbook is one thing, but having audience really changes things.”
“I’m the type of person that likes to really obsess over things. Sometimes too much, actually.”
“One of my resistances is coming up with a final decision on what I’m going to do, because there is only going to be one image at the end of the day.”
“It usually takes me a long time before I actually put pen to paper. I really need to lessen that and get started on these things quicker.”
“To me, the most important part of the process happens before you put pen to paper.”
“Give art to others as you would like to receive from them.”
“The only type of success that I ever found was when I stopped trying to be successful and just started doing the artwork that I found interesting to myself, and then that little bit of success came along.”
Links mentioned:
Bottleneck Gallery: Website / Instagram
Illustrating the Beasts of the Bible
Incubation, Ideation, and the Art of Editing: Beethoven on Creativity
Connect with John:
Store / Instagram / Twitter / Tumblr
On the next episode:
Marie-Noëlle Wurm : Website / Instagram
