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Splattertribe
Interview - (10/2001)
(Originally published online at Splattertribe Website)
- Introduce
and compare yourself to a fictitious character (Cartoon, movie, TV,
comic book story, pro-wrestler,etc etc.)
Hello my name is Mike Bohatch. I am a professional illustrator of dark
art and surreal horrific visions.If I were a fictitious character it
would be some hybrid of Spawn, Ghost Rider, Pinhead, Alice Cooper and
Trent Reznor.......... now there's a thought.
- What
technical equipment do you mostly use for your art?
PC, Scanner, Adobe Photo shop, other than that it's all done with raw
materials and art supplies.
- Do
you ever start any art the old fashion way ...with a pencil and paper?
Yes, all the time. I usually start with a rough sketch of the idea to
hammer out what's going to happen compositionally. the sketch rarely
is used but its a good practice for collecting and planning out you
ideas. Other works allot of times start out with various traditional
mediums, chalk, pencil, paint, collage...etc.
- Tell
us a little about the various outlet's your art is featured and used
in.
My work can be found in various outlets such as CD covers, Book Covers,
Comic covers, Magazines and video covers. Most of the publications are
mentioned as they appear in my news section on my site. I've been a
regular contributor to England's "Third Alternative Magazine" and various
others. Allot of my work gets picked though for Heavy Music acts on
various labels.....and of course look for me in anything "horror" related
as that is my genre of choice.
- What
are your upcoming ventures?
I have a number of publications to be featured in that should be out
in the next few months, besides that you'll see more CD work.....my
latest venture though is working with a new Fox TV show called Sostv
which should be out in Jan 2002.....it's in its pilot stage, but we
are expecting many good things to come from it...it'll be a music /
art/.sports/film/media-type show. From me though expect alot of art
on there as well as various motion pieces, which I'll be contributing
to the show's general makeup and animation...which should be interesting....but
stay tuned for more to come on that.
- You've
done art for several CD's, what does a band have to do to get your art
for their CD?
Simple enough - email me with their inquiry and follow through with
the approved payment or commission. I try to keep a non-bias attitude,
in the sense that the band can be pro or unsigned....they can be in
release stage or just looking to get signed by releasing a professional
looking demo. Easy enough....all final art is supplied high-res..
- Do
you ever make original pieces for bands or are they usually pre-created?
I have done both and am available for both. Some times I have captured
their presentation in a piece preexisting. Other times, it might need
something more personal to them.
- Define
Eye's Of Chaos, what does that mean to you?
Good question........... Well I've always imagined that if darkness
had a form it would be represented in this character called "Chaos"
...Now when I mention darkness I'm referring to sort of a grungy entity
of sorts that transforms on both emotional and visual levels....a sort
of oddity in a sense that is both disturbing and appealing, if you get
the sense.....and of course I have this love for horror and its fantasticism
that I love to illustrate in artistic ways. So this entity called "Chaos"
would see things for what they are.....emotions would transform into
visions, creatures would emerge from whence hidden, life would present
itself into this surreal place that transcends the world that we know
it. Deformations and torturous acts would exist in artistic standards
that presented themselves as normalities... So in essence a beautiful
nightmare of sorts.
-
Hypothetically, does the words Splatter and Tribe inspire any artistic
idea's within you? Hee Hee...
Might be an interesting concept for a piece...sort of an abattoir of
sorts.........you never know, what tends to come out...
- Tell
us a little about what your site has on it?
It's about art....all about art.....it's designed to get to the art
quickly and to review and see pieces without long downloads......I wanted
to stay away form excessive "flash" stuff and banners although I may
add a "flash" thing down the road............also I've added for my
own pleasure, a retrospective collection of horror movie poster / ad
art. The site though is basically a vehicle for exposure and expression.
- The
next two questions are for features on our site...Answer however you'd
like.......For Our Music Hall Of Fame who are your top 5 nominees?
NIN, Marilyn Manson, Oleander, Stuck Mojo, Rob Zombie, Gary Numan, Skold
- For
Our Graveyard (basically music and bands that suck or have sucked) who
are your top 5 nominees?
Spandau Ballet, Kajagoogoo, Menudo, Wham, Ben Folds Five
- What
are your views on the chaos in the world right now?
Oh, well....chaos is a part of everyday life and existence...... I hardly
ever watch the news because most of it is bad news.........I think that's
evident in todays happenings..... but there is this chaos generated
through everything from religion to politics to economy that is fueled
by the media that is unavoidable......... you can emerse yourself in
it or you can choose to go on and live with whats in front of you.......
I think though you have to keep a positive attitude about live and where
you are going, because soon as you let your guard up...chaos will set
in and consume you and potentially destroy you...... My art doesn't
come from a "dark attitude" it comes from a choice of focus that I chose
to illustrate. Most of the time I'm in a good mood when composing, which
is the reason for being able to create multiple compositions.
- Do
you have an idea when starting a piece and has your piece ever been
finished looking like your original idea?
Yes.....all the time....of course there is the art part that tends to
vary, but pretty much I go with my vision rather than pure accidental
happenings.
- Do
you have any superstitions traditions, or good luck charms, etc that
you do on a normal basis that you feel would affect your goals if you
didn't?
No...not that I can think of. But I do try not to "force" myself to
do art, and rather compose when I'm in the mood for it. That keeps it
from being a mundane or tedious and keeps me in the right frame of mind.
- Any
closing comments?
Talk about anything you would like here. Well I'll just keep it short
with Stay true to what you believe in. Keep focused and maintain conviction
to your craft. The rest will follow. How do you do? PC, Scanner, Adobe
Photo Shop, other than that it's all done with raw materials and art
supplies. Though to persue my style, PS is not only going to do it.....alot
of materials I do traditionally and scan in....study books on "collage".......
you'll instantly recognize the relation..... libraries are good for
finding them books.......also don't forget to pick up a few books on
"composition"
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