[photo credit - © Jacob Levenson]

Grady McFerrin grew up in Long Beach, CA. After graduating from college he moved to San Francisco where he bought an old C&P letterpress, designed posters for the Fillmore, discovered hand-lettering and managed to pay his rent with substitute teaching and selling the occasional piece of art. In 2003, McFerrin moved his studio to Brooklyn, NY, where he now resides with his wife and son. He has a line of stationery products being published by Chronicle books and has designed numerous wine labels for Bonny Doon Vineyards and Gallo. Other notable clients include Cryptogramophone Records, Asthmatic Kitty and the New York Times. His drawings have been recognized by the AIGA, the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, American Illustration and Print magazine.

06.09.09

Building Robots

If you have a degree in what field is it? I have a BFA in illustration from Cal State Long Beach.

Have you always been able to draw or was it a skill you learned in college? I have always drawn, but I haven’t always drawn well. It took me five years in college to realize that. Drawing well takes lots of practice. More specifically, it takes lots of hours struggling with figure drawing.

What was your first paid assignment? I did a cover for a zine, which was mostly about comics and indie-rock, called YOUR FLESH. Ironically, it took about two years for me to get paid for my first paid assignment.

Which illustrator (or fine artist) do you most admire? I’m a huge fan of the illustrator David Stone Martin, who did album art for record labels like Verve and Mercury in the ’50s and ’60s. I love his signature pen-and-ink linework, which he learned from working with Ben Shahn on WPA projects.

What would you be doing if you weren't an illustrator? I have no idea. Teaching a high school art class maybe. Before becoming an illustrator I spent a summer driving a truck, delivering chips and salsa around San Francisco.

From where do your best ideas originate? The gut. Seriously. Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink is about how sometimes our impulsive decisions are our best. I didn‘t read the book, but I like to think he’s talking about illustration.

How do you overcome a creative block? I start by making lots of photocopies of found art from old books and magazines—imagery that I find compelling and relevant. Then, I cut up the copies, paste them down, lift them up, rearrange them, tack them to a board, photocopy some more, etc. It’s not the most efficient way to work through a block, but I’m usually happy with the results.

In one word describe how you feel when beginning a new assignment? Stoked.

Do you have a personal philosophy? I don’t really have a philosophy about illustration. I do believe that my work must constantly change. So, it follows that my philosophy about art must always be changing too. Right? I’m really into making drawings that feel timeless. I don’t want the art to feel too modern, nor do I want it to feel too old. I sort of like the mystery you achieve with that kind of ambiguity. I also feel like when you create something, 99 percent of what you’re doing is editing yourself and steering clear of bad ideas. Personally, I try to avoid things that are overly-literal, cliché, cheap laughs, ironic, tight undies, etc.

Do you have creative pursuits other than illustration? I dabble in music, occasionally laying down sick guitar riffs on Garage Band. Nothing serious. I have a two-year-old son named Felix and raising him is my most creative pursuit to date. For example, he thinks that when I go to work, I’m going to a studio to build robots (which I did once for his birthday).

What music are you listening to right now? Pretty much any and all soft rock from the early seventies: Steely Dan, Bread, America, Todd Rundgren.

What’s your favorite quote? “We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” —T. S. Eliot

Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? “I guess you’ve just gotta find something you love to do and then do it for the rest of your life.” Ok, I borrowed that one from Max Fischer, but it’s good.

What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? I think I’m still learning this one, but it’s very important to “listen” to clients and “hear” what their needs are, so you can give them the piece that they want. In the past I’ve been caught up trying to make drawings for me, listening only to my own ego, and not understanding that different clients have different needs. An illustrator must be nothing if not flexible. Bend, don’t break! Oh, and there’s nothing wrong with fighting for something worth fighting for.