Interview with Tinster by iCE Staff for iCE PACK 10/2002
Converted to ASCII text by RaD Man of ACiD Productions www.acid.org
HTML version available at http://www.ice.org/interviews.php?interview11
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iCE: Tell us about yourself. First name, age, occupation, hobbies, etc.
For those who dont know me - Im Tin. Im 33-years-old. I guess Im
technically a DESIGNER, but I fancy myself a Jack-of-all-traits because
Ive worked professionally doing everything from pure software
development, game design, game development, web development, you name it.
But Im the most happy when Im just simply drawing stuff that comes
purely from me - without anyone paying me to do it.
As far as hobbies - I enjoy reading graphic novels. Not superhero stuff -
more self-contained short illustrated stories like Ghost World. I also
like collecting toys - nothing in particular, just things that I find
cool - EBay can be as addictive as Heroine to a toy freak! Im in rehab.
My favorite piece is my 1979 Alien figure from the movie. I also collect
DVDs. .
iCE: Where are you from? Have you lived anywhere else?
I was born in Saigon, Vietnam. I came to the US in 1975 when the
communists took over Vietnam. I lived four years in Pennsylvannia, then
four years in Texas. I moved to CA in 1983 and have lived here ever since.
iCE: Tell us about your art - what you have released with the group and
what you do commercially.
I really believe that Ive grown immensely as a designer in the past couple
years. This is because for a long, long, time - I was caught in the rut of
being a purely commercial or corporate designer. I did corporate logos,
brochures, marketing collateral, presentations, etc.. I learned alot from
that experience, but it also disconnected me from the designer I am at
heart. I was being defined as a person who is paid to design, rather then
one who does it because hes good at it and enjoys it. When I first picked
up a pencil and started scribbling at 4-years-old, - I didnt draw a logo.
I didnt create a page layout. I drew vikings and stick figures of cowboys
and indians. And only in recent years have I started to do so again -
mainly because of DarkHalo and his introducing me to ICE drawing in
general - not drawing stick figures. Up until then - I went for 8 years
or so without doing a single sketch out of the pure enjoyment of sketching.
Everything was paid for work. So now I really enjoy finding time to start
a project that doesnt have a budget or time restriction. Thats why I
really enjoy submitting work to ICE.
iCE: How long have you been a member of iCE?
Im really bad with time, so I think Ive been a member for less than 2
years. Thats as close as I can pinpoint it. 2001-05-15-Current
iCE: What software do you use to do your art?
Hmmm. I dont really have one particular program that I always use. I
tend to go through periods where I would focus on one piece of software,
and then drift to another. Recently, for example - Ive been doing a lot
of vector illustrations in Flash. But Im now doing a Photoshop
illustration. In my professional work - I find that most of the time I
end up using a combination of software packages to arrive at the final
product. I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, 3DStudioMAX, and some
others.
iCE: Are you really so insane that you do some of those HUGE images
entirely with vector-based tools? What happened to you as a child to
give you the dedication to finish those, and why did it seem like a
good idea?
Its strange. All of the vector illustrations that Ive done were all
started on a whim. I didnt plan to do them completely in Flash. But
theres this weird moment when Im working - then all of a sudden I look
at the clock and its the next day. And I realize that there are 200
Layers of stuff all neatly labelled. I stare at all that work for a moment
and realize with some helplessness that I have no choice but to continue
until its done. Then - later Id reach a point where I dont know whether
to stop or keep going. Nothing else matters - not food, work, family.
Then - when Im finished with it - I think it sucks!
So in a way - it is insanity - momentary insanity. Im sure all of you
have experienced this.
iCE: What do you do in your free time?
I watch a lot of movies. I like movies from the late 60s and 70s. Movies
from that time have complex characters, stories, and they make you think.
Im a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick.
iCE: What would you be doing if computers didnt exist?
Id probably be a professional chalk outline artist. Id revolutionize the
field by incorporating different colors into the chalk outline. Why does
it have always be white? Why does it have to really resemble the corpse?
Id definitely push the envelope.
iCE: What do you like and dislike about the online digital art scene?
I consider myself a newbie to the whole scene, but from what Ive observed
so far - the only thing that Id like to see is a little more variety of
styles. Theres a lot of dark, gritty, game-type artwork, but Id like to
see more work that incorporates brighter designs. I know for myself - this
is harder to do because darkness helps to conceal or mask flaws in the
design. Its much more challenging to shine the light of day on your
design so that every little nook and cranny is there for the world to see.
iCE: If you were a snowman, would you rather go with a pipe like the
classics, or would you be concerned about the kind of image youd be
sending to the children?
I have no problem with the pipe - as long as you illustrate the
consequences of tobacco use. Maybe use candy corn to show how tobacco
made Frostys teeth rotten.
iCE: Given that you are a sand castle on the beach, would you rather have
some punk kid violently trample you gleefully, or have a wave slowly
steal your features until you were just a lump?
I wouldnt mind having the surf carry me out to sea, as long as the punk
kid is pulled out with me.
iCE: Have you ever considered chiropracty? Do you think that nerdy blond
kid in the old encyclopedia TV ads ever did?
Ughhh! I used to work with this Executive Producer at Sony that looked,
spoke, and dressed exactly like that kid in the commercial. Makes me
cringe to even picture him/them. Thanks for putting the image in my head.