Interview With Philip Straub

P.S. - My experiences in the game industry have taught me everything: diplomacy, leadership and team building skills, art direction, people and project management skills, not to mention the refinement of all the fundamentals in art. I think I’ve probably gained a little from every experience/project. Certainly, I have applied some of this learning to my own work but, my personal work is really just that, personal.

I.A. - How can an artist manage not to loose the pleasure of creation when it becomes its job? Can the game industry offer talented artists a new way to develop their skills?

P.S. - At the end of the day, a job is a job, no matter what you’re doing. Even the coolest projects can, at times, be a real drag due to all the challenges related to creating a polished piece of work like a game, film, or book cover….whatever. That said, if an artist enjoys creating and is given the opportunity to do so in a work environment, I think they will find pleasure in the creative process, regardless of the specific situation. The fast paced entertainment studio environment isn’t for everyone, though. It requires a certain balance of skills. With the inherent challenges associated with working in games, there are a ton of opportunities for an artist of any level to develop their skills. Since games require such a varied set of skills to be completed, there is always a new opportunity or experience to acquire; and an artist can usually try new things, and even find skills they never knew they had.

I.A. - What is in your opinion the most interesting in the creative process?

P.S.- Interesting question! I guess the most interesting thing about the creative process for me is the experience of extracting a personal extension of myself, my soul, or my ideas onto a 2D canvas. I like the concept that what I’m creating is unique to my experiences, my skill set, my personality, and is saying what I want it to say. I also enjoy the therapeutic dream state I enter (most artists do) during the creative process, especially during the early sketch stage.

P.S. - Honestly, I’m never really happy with my work. Sure, there is the initial elation I experience once I’ve completed an image but, it’s quickly replaced with the desire to do the next painting or as far as I’m concerned, finding the flaws in the image I’ve just completed. I guess I’m particularly proud of “Where Fears Roam” since it won the Silver medal in the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles competition last year. The sped paintings I’ve been doing lately have been really fun to create and I’ve been learning a ton during the process.