Interview: Scott C.

There's something infectious about Scott C's art.  It comes from a realm where everyone from fairytale knights to two-headed babies speak like California slackers, and everything that happens is downright awesome, man. (See, I told you it was infectious.)  It gives off a feeling of child-like wonder, one that reminds you of the first time you saw your favourite cartoons or read your first comic. That purity of joy, unsullied by cynicism or pretention, that made you want more.

Unsurprisingly, then, that it's much the same experience to speak to Scott in person -- he greets you with a beaming smile and firm handshake, radiating passion for art, comics and humour.  So, it was a pleasure to chat with him over email about the various places his art has taken him, from gallery shows to Sesame Street.

Dude.

-- Gavin Lees

You started your career working in video games, rather than the comics and art that most people probably know you for.  How did that come about?

That's interesting to hear because the video games seemed to be what people associated me with for a long while.  I started working in video games back when video games weren’t nearly as big as they are now.  I painted backgrounds for little Star Wars kids’ games at Lucas, but it wasn’t until I joined Double Fine Productions that the games turned into something else for me.  The most notable games that I worked on there were Psychonauts and Brutal Legend as Art Director. I worked in video games after school because I really didn’t know what to do with my art training.  I liked games, but I went to school for Comic and Children's Book Illustration. When school ended, I found the motivation to do these things a bit difficult. An art school friend worked at Lucas as an animator and helped me get that job.  That was where I met Tim Schafer, who I joined in the early days of Double Fine.

Tim wrote the introduction to your Double Fine Action Comics, as well as being something of a legend.  What’s it like to work with him?

Tim is the best. He creates amazing stories and has a great grasp of that medium of storytelling that make designing for him incredibly fulfilling.  It is super fun to throw ideas back and forth with that dude.

Had you grown up with games like Monkey Island and Grim Fandango?  Was it easy to get into his way of thinking?

I actually hadn’t played his games before, but friends had shown them to me a bunch.  I started at Lucas as they were finishing up Grim Fandango and had great respect for his games the more I checked them out.  But really he, as a dude, was what impressed me most.  There was one company wide email that he sent out once about how he learned some new thing about email and it was the funniest thing I had ever read.  So that email is what sold me on that dude.  Our humor and way of thinking are super similar, so I think that is why we jived so well when we were making games.

Of the video game concept art that I’ve seen, it’s recognizable as you, but the style is quite muted, almost homogenized.  Did you find that your art suffered as being part of a production team?

On the contrary, I think it taught me a great deal. Those first two projects spanned a 10-year period, so I grew an awful lot in the process. I learned how important back-story is to the design of characters and environments. I learned how to use the environment as a way to tell more of the story.  There were opportunities for players to piece together little narratives as they explored the worlds and I loved that.  That was something I try to do with my paintings and comics, give viewers those pieces to discover. Over that time I also learned about shapes and consistency of style as it pertains to the overall story. Brutal Legend called for a more Frank Frazetta style because it was a Heavy Metal world, which was a departure from what I usually do, but exploring that was super satisfying.

Working with a team was probably one of the greatest and most challenging things. I definitely wanted to do things myself, but bouncing ideas off of everyone else in a workplace like that is incredibly helpful.  It also taught me how to deal with rework and editing to makes things better. That has come in handy as I do these children's books and illustrations with other art directors and editors.  I love that process.

Why did you decide to move back into comics?

I made comics with my friends all through my time in video games.  It was just a fun thing to do with my buddies.  We called our comics "Hickee Comics".  Friends of mine from Lucas would just jam out comics together in cafes to make ourselves laugh.  We would take them to comic shows and try to meet people.  It was a good release for us.  Since that time, I have grown to love the comics community and find major inspiration from these people.  Who are also my friends.  These comic friends.

Are you still working on video games? 

I still do things with Double Fine here and there.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you’ve been involved in recently?

I designed monsters for their upcoming Sesame Street crossover game.  That was a crazy experience, drawing Muppets. 

Oh, this is the game for the Kinect, right? Once Upon a Monster. Have you designed brand new muppets just for the game?

Well, sort of.  We designed a bunch of new Double Fine style Muppets for the Sesame Street Muppets to visit and become friends with.  So they were Muppets, but just a different world of Muppets. 

How do new technologies like the Kinect, or even just the progress in graphic capabilities affect your role as a concept artist?

I suppose we need to think about how these things are being used a bit differently and how people will interact with them.  That has always been one of the more challenging things, designing for games, keeping in mind the use and interactivity of the characters or objects.  It can hold designs back at times, but it can also be a fun challenge.

If you're not doing so much in games now, what's occupying your time?

I have been focusing on Children's Books and illustration recently, but I will be doing video game stuff as well. Oh, and I am still showing with galleries regularly.  We've got a show coming up in November at [Gallery] 1988 as well as a few group shows in LA.

You’ve done a lot of work with Gallery 1988, who are on the forefront of the recent gallery art revival.  Was it a natural progression for you to move on to exhibiting your illustrations?

I used to throw these sweet little art shows with my friends, in San Francisco, after art school had ended.   They were just one night events with music, performance, and so many other things besides art hanging on walls.  So I always liked doing those little shows.  Gallery 1988 was my first experience with a gallery of that kind though.  I had never shown in a gallery that catered to that style of work, so that was super new and exciting.  It was also the first time I started to sell my work to strangers, which was a weird and awesome feeling.  I got super addicted to seeing people I had never met before get something out of my paintings.  I think that was when I paid more attention to what I was trying to do with them.  I like making people enjoy themselves.

Why do you think G1988 has become as phenomenally popular as it has?

1988 deals a lot with pop culture, which everyone can identify with and get pumped on. They work with a real good variety of artists that range in popularity.  It is interesting to see how people interpret these sorts of nostalgia.  It's interesting to see collectors pay attention to that.  But really... it boggles my mind, how nuts those shows get.  Man.

Has your success with these shows changed how you see yourself as an artist?

I don’t know. I feel that I am still trying to do similar things with my paintings and stories across these spectrums.  Just different ways to reach the audience I guess. 

There’s a recurring pop-culture theme to a lot of your work.  Is this simply born of your own affections, or are you trying to say something more through your art?

I have been searching for a reason to create things ever since art school.   And in the process of searching I discovered that all I really wanted was that excitement to create things that I had when I was a child.  You are never as pumped on things as you were when you were a child.  I would wear my superman cape around the house all day everyday because I was livin’ it!  I spent hours drawing that underground battle fort because I was living it with every sound effect! I would only takes breaks to go to the bathroom and eat a snack. I think that sort of energy will always creep into what I do because that is the feeling I am trying to experience and coax everyone else to experience.

I think that energy comes through really well in your comics -- you manage to cram a lot of humour into four panels, rather than just the setup-punchline format -- were you deliberately trying to break the limits of the strip-comic format?

I love dialog. I think there is so much funny stuff that comes out of the most mundane of conversations.  In real life, there are a bunch of little sweet moments when I listen to people converse.  They interrupt each other and just riff off each other.  I like that more than the punchline.  I like sweet endings though.  Just sometimes there isn’t an obvious joke there.  Maybe more of a feeling.  

What inspired your Great Showdowns series?

Great Showdowns came from the first Crazy4Cult show at 1988.  In the struggle to come up with a concept, I found myself drawing my favorite little moments from movies, but mostly just to draw the characters I dug standing there looking happy.  There was a common thread to these little moments in that they were all showdowns between characters, and instead of doing one showdown, I realized that a group of them makes them like a sweet team of awesome moments.  Each little moment will bring us back to that full movie experience, but only for a little moment.  They are like little biscuit bite moments.  And the more there are, the more you can spread them out and enjoy like a little buffet or potluck.  I enjoyed doing them, so I just kept going with it at every show and eventually started the website for them, so I could have a reason to do them more frequently.

Would you say that films have been a bigger influence in your art than other artists and illustrators?

It has certainly been a big influence on the Showdowns, but there are a lot of things that influence my art just like everyone else. Music, friends, my city, travels, the food that I eat, jokes that I hear in the streets.  I can’t really speak to what everyone else is influenced by, but I am sure it is hard to avoid some sort of effect on one's art from film and similar sorts of entertainment.

Given that you work in some many different media, is there any one in particular that you feel most comfortable with?

I suppose I feel most comfortable with paintings.  Paintings are a breeze.

A lot of your book illustration work has been for young readers.  What attracts you to that audience?

I used to work with children in day camp and art program settings.  They tell the most amazing stories when they draw something.   They really fly off the handle with those weird ideas.  I have always loved that.  I am probably inspired by kids about as much as I am inspired by film.

Can you tell us a little bit about your new book Zombie in Love?

It's a picture book for kids written by Kelly DiPucchio about a zombie looking for love.  He tries super hard to woo the ladies, but it never really works for the poor guy.  Eventually something happens that is good.  Spoilers!  But you can imagine what that thing might be.  It was a lot of fun to illustrate because there were so many opportunities for little visual gags.   It is my first children's book and I feel fortunate to have worked with such an awesome writer. The editor and art directors that I worked with at Simon & Schuster were also amazing! Ah. So many amazing things.

And, speaking of amazing things, you’ve got another book coming out shortly after called Amazing Everything! which has been getting really good press from all corners -- video games, comics, art, music -- what can we expect to find inside?

I am really excited about this book. I have wanted to do it for a long while. It is the first collection of my watercolor paintings over the past few years.  It collects selected works from shows I have done in the past, like the Nucleus shows and the 1988 shows and the London Miles shows.  But there are also some illustration works in there, like the King of Kong DVD cover.

It seems like your career is really hitting a stride as of late -- is there something big that you're working towards now, or other fields that you'd like to dabble in?

I would like to dabble in film and live theater somehow!   I like performing very much.  I just need to figure out what to do with it.

Posted in: Gavin Lees,Interview