As most of you know, Nerdlocker has a serious addiction to nerdy t-shirts. We get many compliments for the apparel we choose, which I always found ironic since we do not design them, but I digress. In one case in particular we received an e-mail from an artist by the name of Zerobriant in reference to a shirt Brandon wore during a taping of Nerdlocker. He thanked us for wearing it. Intrigued, we looked deeper to see what other designs he had done. What we found was one of the Nerdiest designers we have met to date! Come and meet one of our favorite t-shirt and poster artists!
Nerdlocker (NL): Tell us a little about yourself, and don’t forget the part where you earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, yet ended up as a kick ass artist.
Zerobriant (Z): Yes, I am a nurse, I worked as a staff nurse, a ship nurse and a company nurse but all those times I was either giving my patients a free caricature or a painting. Also I graduated Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising before I studied Nursing. I worked on a publishing/printing company for almost a year until I decided to go back to school. School rocks! And being an experienced college student gives me all the credit! 😀
NL: We definitely love that you are in the industry of helping people. The world would be a better place if that happened more. So other than school and making sketches for patients, how did you get your professional start in the art world? And how did you find your niche in nerd art?
Z: My job at the printing company was making logos, brochures and epic posters for band concerts and more. The sister company was on a tee business, and I always see their designs as most amazing. I wanted to create my own style and send it to them but it was a little too late when my thoughts of being a nurse became a priority. It was only after a few years when I was working graveyard on a call center giving medication for sleepy agents that a friend approached me with a question: Have I tried joining tee design contests online. Well I haven’t so I gave it a shot. Amazingly I won my first shirt of the day, and then almost every month I got a new one printing. (Teextile, DesignbyHumans, Ript and Teefury are amongst the first to have my designs printed).
The shirt site that pioneered my work was not really into nerd art when I was in getting in the sense of it. I realized that my inner nerd wants to come out. So I decided to design tees with the theme of Batman, Star Wars and Doctor Who. I was surprised with the outcome and so my passion to produce more nerd art became a calling to support the fans of the show. And give them artwork they deserve.
NL: Where do you find inspiration and what are some of your influences?
Z: I always watch TV series on the internet. I do not have a television in my room but my computer screen is wide enough to watch my favorite series while working art on the other side of the screen. I may get another monitor soon ☺
A single show gives me a thousand ideas already, when they say a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine a moving picture for 30 minutes.
NL: Who are some of your favorite artists?
Z: I have always been captured by the great masters of the Renaissance period, but the ones that inspire my work are the present artists who deliver not only great works but great words as well, those who are friends and supporters. To name a few, my mentor who told me that I am a madman in promoting, Jimiyo. A good friend who has amazing ideas from his brilliant mind, Rtofirely.
NL: What posters/art do you have on display in your house?
Z: Most of them are my artworks, oil paintings but the poster I used to have before I painted my room was, Star Wars and Ninjas! I also have those X-Files posters.
NL: Star Wars or Star Trek?
Z: I never watched a lot of cable shows when I was a kid, so I am not very familiar with the Trek family. I have seen all the episodes of Star Wars and I have some geeky movie guide books given by my friends. 😀 I also find Princess Leia to be so sexy.
NL: What do you do in your free time?
Z: I read a lot of magazines and ebooks (comics). I have a large collection of Lobo comics. Playing Call of Duty and other World War 2 PC games take most of my free time. But lately I have been into photography so I don’t think I have much free time now.
NL: Are you a Marvel guy or a DC guy?
Z: Lobo is my favorite character and he is from DC. Batman on the dark side is just amazing. Marvel rocks and so do the movies!
NL: Give us a Nerdy secret that most people don’t know about you.
Z: I collect action figures of only villain characters, like Alien, The Joker, Darth Vader, Darth Maul and even from some animated movies.
NL: What is your favorite movie?
Z: Well that is quite a vague question, because I always change my favorite movie every time I see a new one. For now Avatar is topping the charts, because it is just amazing. To name a few that may be my faves are: Count of Monte Cristo, King Arthur, Braveheart, Troy, I am Legend, Bourne Identity, Godfather Trilogy, Star Wars Trilogy, Matrix Trilogy and a lot more!
NL: What is your favorite video game?
Z: Sniper Ghost Warrior and Portal. I am a diehard sniper and a sniper has to have skills and strategies.
NL: What is your favorite comic book or comic book character?
Z: I guess I already answered that, but then again, nothing beats my fraggin’ hero, Lobo. And everything ninja!
NL: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our hard hitting questions! And of course keep up the awesome work!
Z: My pleasure! And of course, I would like to thank the other members of the amazing artist group called The Rebel Alliance (RBA) and RBC Asylum
and also my followers in my facebook page. Without you guys, nothing is worth it! And kisses to my wife and kid. 😀
Special thanks to Zerobriant. He really is a Nerd among Nerds and I do mean that with utmost respect. Luckily for us, the man does not stop creating awesomeness. Case in point, Zerobriant has a brand new design on sale at TeeFury on Friday, January 27! And remember, it’s only up for one day so grab it while you can! Here’s a sneak peak!
Have no fear, if you miss this design, Zerobriant offers a wide selection on his website, or on Red Bubble. Check them out to buy some of his amazing t-shirts and posters! You can also connect with him on Facebook (www.facebook.com/zerobriant), Twitter (www.twitter.com/zerobriant) and his personal blog (500px.com/zerobriant).
And what artist interview would be complete without a giveaway? Stay tuned for details coming soon!
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