Steve Dilley – Motion, Design and Graphics

Interview with Erin McGuire : Illustrator at Radium/Reel FX

AMC / Coca Cola “Chairs”

Surfing through storyboards last weekend I came across Erin McGuire’s portfolio. At first glance her illustrations seem playful & unassuming, but as I flipped through her artwork I became blown away by her classy & cool style. Erin’s illustration’s have a compositional style that capture’s the magic of her subject without forcing the moment. Lush with details, her personal & commercial portfolio sweeps across genre’s. She’s one of those creatives who by looking at the way she conceptualizes her images, helps you take a closer look at how you create your own art.

Besides her print work & illustrating children’s books, Erin also creates styleframes & pitchboards for Radium/Reel FX.

Radium/Reel FX are award winning visual effects houses-design studios located in Dallas, Texas & Santa Monica, California. Open Season 2 & Enchanted are a few of the feature films they’ve worked on & their client list includes Coca-Cola, HP, McDonalds & American Express.

I asked her if she’d be interested in talking about the creative process behind her work for the AMC/Coke “Chairs” spot that the two studios had recently completed. Erin turned out to be very much like her work…very classy & cool.

How would you describe yourself as an artist & what was your evolution to where you are now?

Most often, I describe myself as an illustrator. I do a fair amount of concept art and graphic design as well, but since illustration is usually a part of both of those processes, the term is all encompassing enough.  My subject matter seems to be predominantly feminine, and I’m most often approached to do work in that is whimsical and character driven.

My evolution to my current state is still ongoing. Right now, it’s in my interest to be as versatile as possible at Reel FX, and then keep a very specific style for my personal work. For my work outside of Reel FX (I’m currently working on a children’s book) I try to have a style that is very clear and cohesive, so that art directors know what they should expect from me.

How you were approached for this spot?

The studio I work for, Reel FX/Radium, approached a few people in the art department for this spot. Knowing they wanted artwork with a lot of figures, that would be magical and have some fantastical elements, they had me work on concept art for the pitch.

Was there a creative brief or pitch?

The brief was pretty clear, with some really rough storyboards to show the camera angles they wanted. We were told to have a natural fantasy approach, with intricate ornate trees and vines, along the lines of Guillermo del Toro, and to keep the kids looking “timeless” since these spots usually show for a few years in the theaters.
If you remember the “Pink Moon” commercial for VW a few years ago, they mentioned that spot a lot in the meeting as striking the right tone for the timelessness and mood of the actors.

Were there any special challenges on this job compared to others you have worked on?

Time was against us on the pitch, I don’t think we had more than a day or two to get all the art done and get the pitchbook together.  I really liked the aesthetic we were working with, so the actual art wasn’t as much of a challenge. I remember working with the producer pretty late at night to finish the pitch though.

I don’t know if any of your other work has been on the big screen, but was that a technical challenge, knowing that it’s going to have to presented on that large of a format?

Most of what I worked on was at the front end of the project, so I didn’t have to be too detail oriented with how everything was going to look on the big screen. My concerns were mostly just conveying the mood and style of the piece, so it wasn’t a challenge in that respect.
I also did some matte painting on the final project. In the last shot, where we look over the kids’ shoulders to the sky that says “AMC” I had to be really detail oriented in making the sky very believable.

How do you usually start out on your artwork? Are you painting on canvas, photoshop or both?

Almost all of my professional work is now done in Photoshop for time’s sake, but I incorporate a lot of painted textures that I make with watercolor and ink washes. Sometimes I’ll start a piece in watercolor or ink and then finish it digitally.

What do you do to stay creatively inspired?

I look at a lot of blogs. Google Reader has been a great tool for keeping up with my industry, as well as work being done in graphic design, fine art, interior design, photography, and animation. Looking at a broad range of work is inspiring for me. I also try and get away from the computer and read and cook a lot to not get burnt out on one particular thing.

What music are you listening to while working or who’s playing on your I-Pod?

Stuff with a lot of energy, lately the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, and Against Me. I’m a night person, so my work music has to be loud and upbeat or I get sleepy.

Erin, thanks again for sending your artwork & taking the time~

Here’s a few links to Erin’s work :

Erin McGuire.com

Erin’s Blog : http://emcguire.blogspot.com/

Radium : AMC/Coca-Cola “Chairs”