The Art of Philip Straub. Exclusive Interview with the Artist!

Philip Straub. Art Director, Illustrator, Concept Art Teacher and Writer.
His main objective is to create and develop beautiful things that entertain and enrich people lives.

 

Philip is a master of digital and traditional (oil) art. His designs and illustrations can be seen on a variety of products: books, games, wall murals, scrap booking, gift, stationery and textiles, broadcast media, book jackets, CD covers, magazine covers, trading cards and in feature films.

 

The image that landed him his first artist representative, his first national award, and first paying job was “Faceplate” painted in oil and acrylic on board. And now he is an established world-famous artist held in high respect among artistic circles. He has been a featured artist numerous times in several publications including: The Society of Illustrators NY and Los Angeles Annuals, Spectrum Fantasy Annuals, Expose’ digital fine art books, ImagineFX Magazine, Advanced Photoshop Magazine, Corel Painter Magazine, Fantasy Magazine, 2D artist Magazine, It’s Art Magazine, and on dozens of digital art websites and forums.

 

The pronounced common element that unites almost all his masterpieces is a fantastic element. Due to his artworks, you can be easily transported into new worlds, surreal worlds inhabited by unique characters, where everything seems real, but it can’t be.

 

For more information, view Philip Straub’s website.

 

“Faceplate” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Oil and Acrylic on board / Photoshop .

 

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Hello Philip. Please, tell a couple of words about yourself and your family. Where did you get your education?

 

Hi there Well, let’s see – I was born in New York in 1973. My family moved to southern Connecticut when I was 8 and I lived there most of life until I started traveling to different parts of the country for my career. As for my education, I received my Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Illustration in 95, from Paier College of Art in Hamden Ct.

 

 

You have a fair amount of achievements what takes only true artists to do this. What are you most proud of?

 

Is that what I am a true artist? I think I’m most proud of the work I’m doing on the Utherworlds project I’ll be finishing up over the next few months. I’ve been working on it for 5 years now and have essentially taken off a year from full time AD work (all of 2008) to complete it. It was and still is a huge leap of faith for me where I’ve taken a huge paycut to produce something that is important to me.

 

The project includes a large format book with approximately 70 illustrations, a 60,000 word novel, 2 unique written languages, a unique spoken language, tons of maps to support the mythology and an interactive website. The website includes an original soundtrack from a well know composer, about 15 minutes of animation, and tons of interactivity. All this I’ve self funded and I’m very fortunate to have some truly amazing folks helping to complete the project.

 

“Love – Loss” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Oil on board.
About this Image: One of a series of paintings created to explore human relationships.

 

Do you usually ask for suggestions regarding your works improvement?

 

Certainly. Any artist can always use constructive criticism on their work.

 

I wonder if you still have the works of your earliest ages. Could you show them?

 

There are a few on my site – oil and acrylic paintings I did in college.
As you can see- back then I was much more into simple imagery and a very controlled palette.

 

“Mark Flag” – one of the early works of Philip Straub.
Medium: Oil on masonite.

 

What projects do you enjoy working on most: creating illustrations, concept art, illustrations for children’s books, digital or traditional paintings or something else?

 

Honestly, I enjoy it all. It’s really about the specific project for me and the Art Director I’m working with more than anything else. I’m usually in a position where I can hand pick the freelance jobs I want to work on so that helps. I like a challenge, and images that stretches my ability and fit into my sensibilities as an artist.

 

“Aadyasha” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Photoshop, Painter.

 

It is known from your biography, that you are a founding member of the CGSociety and regularly contribute to it by judging illustration competitions. By what criteria do you estimate the competitive works? What things do you usually take into account first: creativity or technical performance?

 

I actually try and judge each image on its own merits. That said, obviously images that excel in both creativity/originality, and technical execution are usually the ones that receive the highest regard during a juried competition. However, the most important aspect in an image to me personally is originality in concept. I’m drawn to images that have a strong idea/story and images that play with metaphors or symbols. Now, with the advent of digital technology technical proficiency has new meaning- and while there are myriad of technically rendered images out there because of the great range of tools, many have little soul.

 

“Sailos” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Photoshop, Painter.

 

Tell us please about two stylistic stories written by you. What kind of stories are they and what questions and problems do they touch upon?

 

Certainly.
There is the novel Utherworlds that I mentioned earlier – it’s pretty epic. The story revolves around the concept of Dreams and Nightmares and their connection to the conscious and unconscious thoughts of sentient being, especially humans.

 

The basic idea is – All thought is alive – each hope, fear, and memory is a part of the whole we call the universe. Every living creature contributes in their own unique way to the balance of positive and negative energy in the world. This energy is channeled to the Realms of Nightmares and Dreams, a visual manifestation of all thought energy that is located far in the depths of the universe.

 

For eons a balance has been maintained between the positive and the negative but, the balance has shifted and the natural order has been disrupted. Sentient beings have lost their way and have given into the temptation of negative thought. Hope, empathy, and truth are being challenged by the growing forces of greed, hatred, and lust. War, global climate change, and industrialization grow with each passing day unchecked. It is true – the universe has reached a tipping point. A time of no return is nearly upon us all. Those who are open – those with true presence and a belief in hope are called upon to reclaim and restore the balance.

 

Our main characters is thrown directly into this conflict when his family goes missing and he finds himself in the Realms of Nightmares with no memory of who he was or how he got there. He must find his past and understand how it is tied to his future and the future of the known universe.

 

“A Waking Dream” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Photoshop, Painter

 

There’s also my children’s story Secret Places. This is connected to the Utherworlds story but draws from completely different mythology and characters. The basic premise is as follows: Secret Places is a hidden world on earth that has existed since the creation of the earth. Not so long ago, all the children of the world danced to the ancient songs of animals living in harmony with one another. It is true, under the warmth of the summer sun, children everywhere listened to the animals around them play the music of life….each child playing along with them. Little did they know that these playful interactions assured that humanity would always be connected to the world where they came. And so it was for thousands of years – as children grew into adults, they retained the memories, fantastical lessons, and knowledge of that simpler time. Such as memories go, most would forget the details but, the memories that remained guaranteed humanity would become the stewards of the world.

 

The creatures of Secret Places, along with all life on earth, teach us that every human being has a unique relationship with the wild world, and that the discovery and cultivation of that relationship defines us. We learn, through our early exploration, that childhood innocence and wonder sprouts into an adolescence of creative adventure and finally blossoms into an authentic adulthood filled with artistry and visionary leadership.

 

“A Secret Place” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Photoshop 7 and Painter 7

 

In 2008 your work will be appearing at the following trade shows: Wondercon, Licensing International, and Surtex. Could you clue us up on this work?

 

All of these shows have already passed us by . At Wondercon I had a small showing of prints and merchandise through one of my dealers. The Licensing International and Surtex shows are trade shows where, through my American representation, we showed a preview of the Utherworlds and Secret Places Intellectual Properties and some of my other design work. The Surtex show focuses mostly on home décor, and apparel type products while the Licensing International show focuses more on entertainment properties, games, and new IP.
In 2009, I’m probably going to be doing some European trade shows as well so hopefully that will be fun and will expose my work to the European market further.

 

Are you still continuing teaching an online Concept Art class to students? If yes, what do beginning artists need to become your students?

 

Yes, I’m finally teaching my online Workshop again with the CGSociety. This time around it has all new updated content with additional textbook reading written by me, video tutorials, and additional assignments. The class will commence on October 20th and run through December. I take students from all skill levels from beginning to professional- all they really need is a desire to learn and a basic understanding of art fundamentals and digital tools.

 

“In Mourning” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Oil on board / Photoshop 7.
About this Image: Originally an oil painting I spruced this image up a bit in Photoshop, adding a fantasy element to the piece.

 

As we know, you taught a Concept Art class at EA University as well. What was the main purpose of this and what benefit did you derive from it?

 

I really enjoy teaching. I get a great joy sharing the knowledge I’ve tried to gather over the years with others. Really, there are very few things that I find more rewarding than helping someone grow as an artist or even as an overall individual. At EA the main purpose of the class was to raise the understanding and knowledge of art fundamentals studio wide. I had a nice group of diverse folks sign up for it with a really strong showing from the Art Direction community. So, I had the opportunity to share ideas with my friends and colleague’s and learn a-lot along the way.

 

Are there times when you are at loss for creative ideas? If yes, how do you fight with this?

 

Thankfully, I haven’t really had that problem in quite awhile. What I do struggle with is finding the time and energy to do all that I want to do in my life. I sometimes have trouble sleeping because I can’t stop the old mind from churning- I might be thinking about a story I’m writing or a painting I’m doing. I tend to solve problems late at night which can be useful but, most certainly can become an issue when I only get a few hours of sleep for nights at a time. As I’ve aged, I’ve continued to improve what they call in the games industry, life work balance- essentially I try and make time for my art but, also my wife, my family and my friends. I think it’s true, if an artists doesn’t take time to live some life outside of his/her studio then they will bring little to their art. An artist is an observer- so we must get outside and observe.

 

“Dali” by Philip Straub.
Medium: Graphite, Oil and Acrylic on board.
About this Image: A homage to Salvador Dali.

 

Which artists, contemporary or classic, do you get most inspiration from?

 

I’m inspired by so many different artists. I love the Hudson River School painters like Church and Bierdstadt. I’m very influenced by some of the orientalists like Gerome, Alma Tadema, and Bouguereau. I love the work of Michael Whelan – he still creates beautifully symbolic imagery. And, well, the list goes on.

 

What do you usually do to improve your skills as an Illustrator, Concept Designer, Art Director, and Author?

 

Practice, practice, and more practice. Lots of reading, a little meditation and remembering to go outside and get some sun.

 

* * *

 

Did you hear what Philip Straub said? Don’t sit too long before the monitors! Go outside to get some sun.
Thank you, Philip, for an captivating interview. We wish you success and inspiration. Just continue on the same lines!

 

 

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 5:17 amand is filed under Illustrations and Art, Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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