Interview: Worthy of a Gallery – Mr. John BellWe searched far and wide and found an amazing talent to interview this month. His name is John Bell and his work is definitely worthy of a gallery. Mr. Bell has an Industrial Design background but followed a career and passion for concept art and movies. He has had a distinguished career (working on some of the biggest movies of the last couple of decades) and currently works with Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) in the San Francisco area. We had a chance to ask him a few questions and get our hands on some of his fantastic little sketches.
Q: You started off doing industrial design and then seemingly went down a different path in the creative industry. How has your ID background, especially what you learned about sketching, helped with where you are at today?
A: I studied Trans. design at ACCD which was great for learning to observe and render a mess of surfaces. But even more than that, learning to take the time to look at the world around you AND memorize it has been the most important lesson I’ve learned. From watching people stand, walk, move to how paper folds, trees blow…there are thousands of ‘snapshots’ in my head that I use on a daily basis in my work. Not owning a cell phone or ‘crackberry’ allows me to look at the real world. For me , it works better.
Q: It is interesting to see people who started out in industrial design, but then made the transition into concept art and movies. What advice can you give other designers out there who may want to expand out someday and do something else with their talents?
A: I feel very fortunate to have gotten where I am today with my career. If it weren’t for 3 or 4 people I met I don’t know what would have happened to me. I’m forever in debt to those aquaintences and friends who thought of me and gave me a chance. I also believe design is design. Dosen’t matter if it’s a sofa, shoe, bottle, car….you have to have a good eye for proportions. I’ll give it a shot no matter what it is. What’s the worst that could happen?
Q: You have been around for a while and have seen so many things in the creative/ design industry change. How do you feel it is important for you to keep pushing yourself to learn new tools/techniques with your own sketching?
A: I’m as technical as a #2 pencil so I try to come up with good ideas, present them to the best of my abilities and cross my fingers. With the internet, it’s intimidating to see how many incredible artists & designers are out there. Fear of them catching me keeps me motivated.
Q: What do you love to sketch when you get a free second to yourself?
A: Oddballs, the fringe element.
Q: As a Director for Industrial Light and Magic how much would you say you depend on your sketching skills in your everyday work?
A: The project I’m currently on goes through many stages. The stage I’m in now requires me to draw everyday, all day. Later I’ll work with modelers,texture artists, and lighters to see that ‘the look’ is maintained.
Q: What advice could you give to the rest of us on getting better with our sketching?
A: Even when you don’t have a pencil & paper sketch in your head. At the airport, bus stop, restaurant, playground, pretend you are drawing people, the architecture, nature, by really looking at it, study it. If you like what you draw, keep doing it.
If you have enjoyed John Bell’s work feel free to visit his site here…don’t hesitate to leave him a comment or two here in the comments as well!
Tags: IDSKETCHING.COM, Interview, Pencil, Sketchbook
