IN STUDIO: Drew Beckmeyer

I've featured the very talented Drew Beckmeyer before. I love his work. You've maybe seen his art at Tiny Showcase, or more recently in last Sunday's New York Times. Today, I'm very happy to have an IN STUDIO visit with him. You can see more on his site. Thanks Drew!

MC: Can you talk about your process a bit? Do you screenprint a lot of your work?
DB: I’ll usually think on an idea for a bit, then do a super tiny and loose thumbnail. Then I’ll think on it a little more and draw it out as vague and light as possible on some paper I prepared (and by prepared, I mean I rubbed dr. pepper into it). From there, its pretty self explanatory. I draw with gouache, ink, pens, pencils, and frequently I collage older drawings or colored paper in. On account that I don’t do any real comps or color comps or anything like that, there is a significant amount of time spent staring at it and thinking. I kind of like working it out at the time, on the real thing… visually at least. The idea and what im trying to say stays pretty consistent from start to finish.
I rarely ever screenprint my actual gallery or illustration work, just cause the time it takes to set all that up requires more forethought in terms of composition than I am usually willing to give up. I do end up screenprinting quite a bit though, just usually on books and other sellable things.

MC: Are you working on anything now?
DB: Right now I’m gearing up for a show at Tinlark Gallery in May, writing a post apocalyptic internment camp story that may end up being a comic, and fielding various freelance illustration jobs.


MC:What would be a dream project for you
DB: In terms of dream jobs, I kind of feel like I’m getting to do exactly what I want to be doing right now. I just want to get better at it and maybe start making a little bit of money.

MC: Who would you love to work with?
DB: Anyone who gets what I’m going for, David Hockney, and the ghost of William Blake.