Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Albright.
Brad, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began my illustration career focused on narratives and sequential storytelling, experimenting with animation and graphic novel formats. As I dug deeper and progressed along, I started shifting my focus away from the sequential art to individual images with more intricately crafted compositions, expressing more within a single confined space. Now I’m able to push that space deeper with old-school 3D, using red/blue glasses, which helps to engage the viewer with a fun, accessible interactive experience. It pulls them into the art and draws the eye to different areas of the artwork… actually offering a secondary experience for the viewer.
I’ve been balancing illustration, art and design since 2005, with poster art being a more recent focus in the last 7 years or so. Most recently I’ve introduced laser-engraving and cutting to my toolbox, which has allowed me to apply my love of line art to physical materials like wood. Still, my niche specialty is old-school 3D with the red/blue glasses, which I do for clients and in my personal and gallery work
A love for the drawing process keeps me motivated all the time. There are a lot of creative things I enjoy doing, but drawing specifically is first and foremost. There’s a sense of discover and technical challenge every time, and I’m always finding little quirks to explore that keeps it fresh without completely deviating from what feels fun and natural and true to my taste. I always tell students that love of process should be the guiding force, whatever that process is, because that’s what will carry you through the inevitable ups and downs of life and career. But drawing is meditation to me, especially so when music is involved.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s always an experiment, with lots of trial and error exploring both new techniques and new outlets and venues to find the audience. But I’d say the biggest challenge is balancing the creative side with the business aspect, for sure. For example, one of my passions is working with musicians. Typically, bands are working with very limited budgets so we have to find a happy middle ground that benefits both the band and allows me comfortably make my contribution. Ultimately, I view music merch as something that should enable the band to bring in those supplemental sales, paying to gas up the van and feed the band. So, I make an effort to cover my time and material costs without crippling their ability to make a profit on the final product.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Albright Illustration & Design story. Tell us more about the business.
I focus my efforts primarily on 3D poster art for galleries, pop up art shows, and for my own online shop at AlbrightIllustration.Etsy.com. Album cover and tee-shirt graphics are a regular passion of mine. I’m also very excited about now introducing layered woodcuts and laser-engraved pieces, essentially taking art that is most often drawn digitally and applying to a final product that is 100% organic material.
One project I’m particularly proud of was the album packaging and illustration series for the band HE IS LEGEND’s 2017 album ‘few’. I was fortunate to craft the look and feel of the entire package across digital, vinyl, and CD releases in a way that was true to that specific album while alluding to the band’s history, and still managed to function as an honest expression of my own.
I think what sets me apart is a love of process. My passion for drawing keeps me motivated all the time. There are a lot of creative things I enjoy doing, but drawing specifically is first and foremost. There’s a sense of discover and technical challenge every time, and I’m always finding little quirks to explore that keeps it fresh without completely deviating from what feels fun and natural and true to my taste. I always tell students that love of process should be the guiding force, whatever that process is, because that’s what will carry you through the inevitable ups and downs of life and career. But drawing is meditation to me, especially so when music is involved.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I’ve seen a strong shift towards working digitally in the illustration community. As someone who also works in the gallery scene, I sort of ride the line between illustration and fine art, where there’s a heavier focus on the original piece. But riding in the middle, I find ways to craft an image and then reproduce it in a way that is reasonably priced and easily distributed to the people who will appreciate it most. I think it’s all about expression, and whatever tools help you most successfully communicate with your audience are where it’s at.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AlbrightIllustration.com
- Email: Brad@AlbrightIllustration.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/bradalbright
- Facebook: Facebook.com/albrightillustration
- Twitter: Twitter.com/bradalbright
- Other: http://Etsy.com/shop/Albrightillustration | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradalbright
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