For this months, slightly late double feature, I was able to get an interview with Canadian illustrator Jason Edmiston. There is also a nice gallery featuring 20 images of his work, so make sure you check that out after reading the interview.
CM: Can you tell us a bit how you got started in art, did you go to any art school for your training?
Jason: Not sure how far you want me to go back, but I actually knew I was going to be an artist for a living since I was a child. I never thought I would do anything else, and luckily it worked out. I had regular public school and high school art classes, but after that I went to the Ontario College of Art (now called OCAD because of an increased design department). It was a four year program, where the first year focused on foundations of art, and you specialized in an area over the next three years. I went into Communication and Design with a focus on illustration. Although school was a good way to get exposed to and prepared for the life of a working artist, I felt that I still needed to tighten my portfolio to get regular paying gigs. After college, I continued to teach myself through trial and error practice, and by pouring over my large library of art books.
(more…)
