DAVE WHEELER
ILLUSTRATOR
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
 www.davewheeler.com

So Dave, tell us a little about where you grew up and which relative pushed you into the art field…or your first experience where you realized, “hey I can make a living doing this!”

I grew up in Casper Wyoming. The weather can be pretty harsh sometimes so drawing was always a good choice for something to do. My family has always been great at appreciating what I do. While not really “pushing” me into the art field (does anyone have a family who actually pushes them into art as a career?) they supported me completely in what I wanted to do. At the same time they encouraged me to learn to do many different things.

I can’t really think of an experience which first showed me I could make a living with my art. I always looked at work I liked and assumed it was possible to make art a career. I’ve found out that it takes a lot longer and is much more difficult than I had thought.

Where did you study art and how important was school and the people you meet there in shaping the artist that you are today?

I first studied art at Ricks college (now BYU Idaho) where I had some really great teachers who made it very clear that creating art and design is hard work which takes a lot of discipline. They were especially strong on fundamentals-drawing, design, painting etc. After earning an associates degree there, I transferred to the School of Visual Arts in New York where I completed a BFA.
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SVA was terrific in that it opened up a whole world of creative possibilities. There were so many strong instructors and students each with a different take on visual art. I had a few teachers especially (Frances Jetter, James Yang, Jack Potter, Steven Brower among others) who were great at recognizing what I was shooting for even when the result turned out to be sort of a disaster. They encouraged me to keep taking creative risks (and to work really hard).

Many of my favorite artists never went to school (not much anyway). So I know it isn’t necessary for everyone but I’m glad I did. It really helped me to explore directions I wouldn’t have otherwise. Regardless of the format, I think everyone needs some way to get feedback on their creative efforts whether it’s school, friends, a mentor etc.

Going from smaller town in the west to a place like SVA in New York helped give me a degree of confidence in starting my career. I’m not naturally an over-confident person, so it was a big help.

How did your perception of who you are as an artist change before and after you went to school?

I guess I thought of myself as more of a cartoonist before I went to school. Then again, I still think of myself as a cartoonist with “illustrator”, “designer” and “artist” added on. School taught me that the distinctions between all of the various labels don’t mean much. So many artists have work which crosses over many categories.

What people/experiences really helped you in getting your first break?

One day in Steven Brower’s design class he gave us a brainstorming exercise for a couple of essays. He only gave us a short time before we put the sketches up to critique. Then he told us that the ones which the class voted on would be published in the next issue of The Nation (and even get paid). Mine were selected. I don’t think Steven thought it was a big deal but it was exciting for me to see my art for the first time at the newsstand.

Another break came when my wife and I moved to Pullman Washington. It’s a college town about 80 miles south of Spokane. My wife had a great opportunity for her schooling which took her to Washington State University and later to the University of Washington. Pullman isn’t exactly the kind of place in which one imagines beginning an illustration career but there I met Tim Steury and Jo Savage. Tim was the editor and Jo was the art director for a magazine called Universe. It was sort of a research journal for WSU with really interesting articles on everything from food safety to intellectual property. Tim and Jo were really open to how I approached things. I learned a lot from working with them. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to work with many different clients and I continue to learn from each one.

I used to think there would be one “big break” and I would be set. But now I realize that it’s more a series of breaks I’m working for. I just feel so grateful to everyone who has given me a chance. Every assignment is a break.

Your list of distinguished clients include; The Boston Globe Magazine, Computerworld, Harvard Business Review, HOW, Newsweek (international edition), Smart Money, Time, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post Magazine…(’your name here’). What is the most important thing you could tell a new illustrator about keeping good relations with clients?

I think it’s just always doing your best, focusing on what needs to be communicated in the piece and being dependable meeting deadlines.

What is the worst experience that you ever had with a client…what should we look out for?

I’ve had a few bad experiences but I would have to say it’s less than five percent. I’ve found that it doesn’t really matter how large or small a client is - or the size of the assignment. It can be just as satisfying (or disappointing in some rare cases).

I think I would rather like know what was the worst experience a client ever had working with me.

You use a very tactile mixed media approach in your work, will you ever go strictly digital? Having never seen your work in person, what is does the ‘mixed media’ constitute for in your work?

I have given some thought to working digitally. I know my way around Photoshop fairly well and I’m doing some experimenting with 3d software. Still, I don’t know if I will really go that way. I think some aspects of it would be a great advantage but I don’t want to lose the human quality to the work. My trouble with the computer is that the process ends up being very indirect for me. I would miss digging through the trash to find just the right piece to glue into an illustration or the spontaneity of color texture etc. which physical paint offers. But then again who knows…

Usually my work has some elements cut out of illustration board and painted (usually casein or acrylic) then other found, sculpted or assemble pieces are incorporated. This might include tin cans, clay, sheets of acetate, scissors… It’s always something different which makes the process very interesting and challenging for me.

“How to Kick the Oil Habit” is an encompassing statement that reminds us of our giddy addiction. What process do you use is designing an original piece?

Projects always start with a client’s story, description etc. of what needs to be communicated. Then it’s a process of finding a visual vocabulary which will work for the story. This might include looking through the encyclopedia or a google search on the subject to see what imagery comes up. Then I play with the various elements to carry the message in the most interesting way. Sometimes that might suggest a visual metaphor or hyperbole. For me it’s a lot like the old style of essay writing where you have a thesis statement and everything else supports that. This is all just a fancy way of saying that I do a lot of desperate doodling to find what I think is an interesting idea.

After the desperate doodling I try to re-package the interesting ideas into something more presentable. Usually a clear line drawing indicating various elements and relationships – a blueprint for the finished piece. I send a few of these to the client. From there the client may select one to go to a finish or may select one to make some changes. That feedback can be very valuable. Sometimes something I think makes sense come across very differently. It helps to have another set of eyes on it.

In the oil piece, D.W.(the art director) suggested a guy chugging a can of oil. That led to the binge drinker analogy. He had also liked some of my other work which incorporated busy line drawings of crowds so I put the gridlock scene inside the figure. He sent me a pdf of the rough layout to work from. As the sketch and the layout developed, he suggested moving the figure over to the right which worked much better.

Once a sketch is approved I don’t change anything about the composition of the piece. We try to work that all out beforehand so the client can be designing with the sketch knowing that the final piece will fit. It’s usually now that I start to think about what to make three-dimensional etc. From there it’s a matter of playing with combinations of materials, line, color etc.

When the physical piece is done I shoot it with digital camera. Then I’ll make some final adjustments in Photoshop (dropping out a background so it’s completely white or adjusting some of the levels) before e-mailing the piece to the client.

What sort of projects are you currently working on?

I’m always pursuing editorial assignments. That’s the core of what I do. At the same time I’m exploring some different product ideas which I hope to sell directly. Stay tuned…

Do you have time for any personal work?

Sometimes. I never have time to do all of the ideas I would like to. But then, I also feel that I have a personal attachment to my assignment work. To one degree or another there is always a part of me in the work. I think that’s one of the most satisfying things about the illustration field.

Take us through a day in life of Dave Wheeler, what are your greatest challenges as an illustrator in today’s bustling industry?

There isn’t really a typical day. It’s either crazy busy or I’m trying to think of ways to make things happen. I try to keep pretty regular hours (until the deadlines get too tight) but what I do in those hours changes a lot. I do try to make sure I do some creating every day. It’s surprising how much needs to be done which isn’t actually creating art.

One of my biggest challenges for a freelancer is knowing where to focus my efforts. I find that I’m interested in doing all kinds of things, pursuing different ideas etc. It can be difficult to determine what is worth pursuing. From a creative as well as a career standpoint it can be bewildering when so many choices are available with so little structure.

Time for the question we’ve all been waiting for; any tips for those aspiring to be illustrators?

I don’t really feel like I’m in a position to be giving advice. I’m just trying to figure it all out too. I don’t know a lot of other illustrators but it seems that everyone has a slightly different path. Different things work better for different illustrators. It’s really about the work in the end. The only thing that I know makes sense for me is that good work leads to more good work and mediocre or bad work leads to more of the same. So I always try to find something to get excited about in each assignment or opportunity. Other than that I feel like I’m the one who needs advice.

5 years from now where do you see your work taking you?

It’s hard to say. One of the best and worst things about this field is that it isn’t structured at all. So, you can’t look ahead like an attorney in a law firm and think “well, in three years I might make partner” or anything like that. There is no corporate ladder. You have to make your own career path. It’s both freeing and frustrating at the same time. In five years I expect to still be doing assignment work (which I love) but also branching out from there with some more entrepreneurial projects. Whatever the context, I hope I can always improve my work to the degree that I will look back and feel good about what I’ve done but feel even better about what’s next.

Thanks again Dave.

Posted: January 2nd, 2008 under Dave Wheeler.
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