Illustration Month cruises along here at ADC, with our kickass exhibition presented in partnership with the Society of Illustrators opening this evening here at the ADC Gallery. On the ADC blog, we continue our ADC Illustrator of the Day series, spotlighting the many illustrators who are also ADC Members. Some are professionals, some are students, and some just draw for fun.

And our next ADC Member may or may not have kissed a girl and liked it, but he definitely leant his artistic talents to the Katy Perry disc that bears that song, as well as a host of other albums.

SHAYNE IVY

Knoxville, TN, USA
behance.net/shayneivy
tombras.com
sivy@tombras.com

865-242-2045

Follow @shayneivy

Almost every kid likes to draw. When did it become more than just a kindergarten project for you? How was that interest nurtured?

Art became important to me when I began Architecture School at The University of Tennessee. Across the way at The School of Art was all of this gritty, tactile art being created along with illustration and graphics. It occurred to me that I could combine my love of music with creating art as graphic design and develop a career in the music business, rather than becoming an architect or a musician. It brought me so much happiness along the way, from being able to meet my most favorite musicians and to be able to survive in NYC as an artist.

How much of your ability is self-taught versus through schooling?

School taught me to focus and also a great deal about art history, but all the techniques I use have been developed in my experiences.

How would you best describe your illustration style? Would you say that you had a specialty?

The style is “inking.” I am very new to it as I am mostly a CD/graphic designer with big ideas. I love vector art and Adobe Illustrator. I love editorial and music/DVD package design more than anything. I design a good amount of posters as well.

“ Illustration is not something that should be forgotten about in the design process.”

What’s your weapon of choice? Any particular brands or models you swear by?

I use a Wacom Intuos Medium Tablet for drawing and inking, and a special Wacom inking pen exempt of clicking buttons on the side.

Finish this sentence: “Despite what you might think, illustration is not _______ .”

 Illustration is not something that should be forgotten about in the design process.

What other artistic passions do you have?

I love typography. Not creating it, but using letterforms to evoke emotion. Playing the drums is another passion and has been the biggest influence on me as an artist. I have been able to apply what I learned in my music instruction to creating art which is kind of cool to me. Diligence and a passion to learn, always improve and to be inspired is what drives me.

Which professionals do you look up to the most in the illustration world?

Brandon Lively, for one. I tend to like a lot of French Illustration: So Me animation/illustration, especially his work in this video. I also love BMD Design.

At the end of the day, what do you love most about being an illustrator?

There is an excitement that comes along with creating something by hand. Handcrafted is always better!