Shawn Conn Interview

Reelybored (RB): First, provide a little background info about yourself to use for the introduction.

Shawn: Shawn Conn. I attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in painting & illustration. I left midway through my junior year. After getting out of the Army, in 1991, I became a tattoo artist, planning on earning the money to finish school. I became popular fast, winning awards for my tattoo work, as well as magazine coverage. In 2006, I decided to pursue my passion for illustration and painting and decided to tackle the digital medium as well. I’ve done numerous book covers, posters, merchandise art, t-shirt designs and painting commissions. I also still tattoo part time.

RB: Tell us about how you first discovered being an artist.

Shawn: I think ever since I stopped eating crayons and started drawing with them, I developed my passion for art. My first real indication that art was the career I wanted to pursue came when I was in first grade. I drew a picture of a bluebird for a classmate and she promptly kissed me on the cheek. That’s when I decided being an artist was the choice for me.

RB: What motivated you to become an artist?

Shawn: I’ve loved creating art my whole life. I would spend countless hours drawing monsters and worlds for them to inhabit. My parents were extremely encouraging and constantly pushed my brothers and me to follow our passions and never settle for less than we wanted out of life. It gave me the determination to become a professional artist.

RB: What kind of artist would you say you are?

Shawn: I like to think that I work somewhat loose in my work, using abstract marks and textures to build a fairly tight-looking rendering. My traditional work almost has an Impressionistic look to it, when viewed close up, but more refined as you step back from it. I’ve been called the “Monet of the Macabre”, ha, ha, ha. I love that. My digital work is somewhat tighter than that, but I still try to rely heavily on loose details, forming a cohesive larger image. I like to think my style is constantly evolving and defining who I am, as an artist, as I go along.

RB: Do you mind being labeled a horror artist? Why or why not?

Shawn: I definitely don’t mind it, as I love horror, but I also detest being pigeon-holed into a particular niche, or genre. I am deeply drawn to fantasy and sci-fi art, as well. I just haven’t had much of a chance to explore those genres, as I made my initial splash in the world of horror art. 

RB: Your art tends to fall under the dark and macabre side of things. Any particular reason why?

Shawn: I grew up at the tail end of the atomic golden age. We would have bomb drills in school when I was a kid and we’re constantly warned of the threat of Communist annihilation. Every Saturday afternoon at 1 PM, on television, was a classic horror film, like “The Wolfman”, or “The Mole People” and then at 3 PM would be a Godzilla movie. Then, at night, after the 11 o’clock news would be the Gregory the Grave Walker show. My father would usually let me stay up with him to watch the Hammer horror greats and other classic horror films. We also went to the drive-in a lot and saw such classic films, as “Food of the Gods” and “Prophecy” (the mutant bear one, not the Christopher Walken one). This, coupled with a love of reading horror fostered by my mother, and a diet of magazines such as Famous Monsters of Filmland, Heavy Metal, and Fangoria, a path of dark art was pretty much laid at my feet.

RB: What is the work you are most proud of and why?

Shawn: Wow! That’s a tough one. I’m proud of all of my creations, but at the same time I always look back at everything I do and ask myself the question, “Could I have done that differently to make it better?” Being a perfectionist, I tend to sometimes spend too much time obsessing over certain elements of any given piece, so I’m learning to be happy with where I bring a section to finality. However, of everything I’ve done over the past few years, I think the one I’m most fond of is “Did I Do That?”. It’s a post-apocalyptic image of a young blonde girl, circa 1950’s. She’s standing in front of a sweet pink Cadillac El Dorado surrounded by dead zombies, a Remington 700 resting on her shoulder, and a severed zombie head swinging from the barrel. I did it for Harcos Labs for a candy cigar label and all they needed was the upper half, but I finished it out into a full poster because I was so into the idea of this young girl, who obviously has no problem with a zombie-infested world and even seems to enjoy it.

RB: Where do you draw your inspiration?

Shawn: From everything. My studio is chockful of horror toys, autographed photos of horror icons, and lots & lots of books! One of my biggest sources of inspiration is Heavy Metal magazine. I’ve been warping my brain with that mag for the better part of 30 years. I also get inspired by watching movies and listening to music and I waste a whole lot of time checking out amazingly badass art online. Seeing killer art always inspires me to step outside my comfort zone to push my art to the next level. 

RB: What do you hope to accomplish in the future on an artistic level?

Shawn: I think my biggest goal for the future, is to break out of the strict horror genre and start doing more work in the sci-fi and fantasy art realms. I also want to do more comic work, specifically covers, and develop a webcomic, I’ve been working through a sick concept for quite some time now. 

RB: Any funny stories/ rookie mistakes that you look back at and laugh about?

Shawn: As an illustrator, my biggest rookie mistake has to be sending a client the wrong file at the job’s completion. I’ll sometimes create 2 to 4 versions of a piece to experiment with different colors, elements, textures, etc. Well, in this case, I was so excited to send it over to the client that I sent one of the early versions over. Luckily, the client has a great sense of humor too, and sent back, “Love it! In keeping with your new “half-finished” style of art, I’ve taken the liberty to omit a couple of numbers on your check.”

RB: I can only assume that you are a fan of horror. What would you say is your favorite horror movie and why?

Shawn: Well, it’s no secret that I’m a huge zombie lover, so I have to say my favorite horror film is “Dawn of the Dead” ’04. I think it artfully took Romero’s film and updated it for modern-day America. The acting was great, the story was great and the effects were top-notch. It did a fantastic job of portraying how it would most likely play out for individuals if a real zombie apocalypse were to occur. 

RB: Any parting words for aspiring artists?

Shawn: Quit now, so I don’t have to put any more names on my list of people to k… Shit. I said that out loud didn’t I? 

My best advice is to fix your inner eye on your ultimate goal, early on, be willing to adapt it, and change your game plan, but knowing where you want to be with your art in 1 month, 1 year, 5 years, etc. can be a huge help in actually achieving that ultimate goal. Write it down, along with all of the steps you need to take to get there, and put it somewhere you’ll see it. Don’t give up and practice your craft constantly, but balance your ambition with living your life. Don’t forget to do things that are fun for you and enjoy your loved ones. Without that healthy balance, an artist can stagnate quickly. 

RB: Where can we see your artwork?

Shawn: My work is most recently featured in the Feb 2013 issue of ImagineFX, as well as Allan Graves’ “Zombook” (available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble). The best place to see the full collection and most current updates of my work is at my website, http://atomicdeadguy.com. Select pieces of my work can be viewed on the Deviant Art site, http://shawn-conn.deviantart.com/, People interested in keeping up with my projects can follow my Facebook page at, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atomic-Dead-Guy/280116952040303