Nerdlocker Artist Interview – David Moscati

Moscati Vision [mo•scott•ē vi•zhen]
noun
1. The freelance studio of Designer and Illustrator David Moscati, specializing in Print, Identity and Web design.
adjective
2. The phenomenon of being able to see through the specific aesthetics of David Moscati.

I would love to include a detailed biography of artist David Moscati, but no one could possibly write one better then he did, so please check it out on his website here,. Just a sample to whet your appetite:

There were both volcanic eruptions and a solar eclipse on December 4th, 1983. Fact. Also, David Moscati was born in the capital of the United States of America, his birth inspiring the development of Neue Helvetica. Fact.

Needless to say, I hope you feel as perplexed, yet extremely entertained as I was.

Not only has David Moscati been part of the last Guzu Gallery Strange Beasts: A Tribute to the Japanese Kaiju Phenomenon, he is going to be a part of Deep Cuts – 12 Tributes to Our Favorite Music Heroes at the Guzu Gallery here in Austin, TX. At the end of this interview You can see his newest piece for this upcoming gallery.

Nerdlocker (NL): Hey David thanks for making time for me today to answer some questions so the fans at Nerdlocker.com get to know a little bit more about not just another awesome screen print artist, but a guy who has been in multiple gallery shows recently and has produced some great web and gig prints as well.

David Moscati (DM): I really appreciate the opportunity. I always enjoy talking about what I love most. I also feel that with every interview I reveal more and more of how much of a nerd I am. So I guess this way it’s just all out in the open.

NL: Seriously let it all hang out man. We do. When did you first become interested in drawing and designing gig posters, art prints and movie posters? And how did you get into it?

DM: I have been drawing since before I can remember and it just comes naturally. My Dad was a traditional illustrator and so I started off as an illustrator and migrated into the graphic design later on. This is where I realized I was still illustrating only using a new tool. The move into film posters came easy because I was always a huge movie buff and creating artwork about things that inspire you is basically what art is. The film poster scene is just the most literal form of that example. I love doing film prints because that is what inspires me.

NL: I personally have noticed revamped movie posters that might be better suited for the plot are popping up everywhere. It allows us to re-imagine the characters or maybe even take a completely different direction with the visual.

DM: I agree. More often than not the “underground” poster designers have much better concepts and designs for these films. I believe its because we attack the project completely differently. Instead of thinking of it as an advertisement to please the masses, we try and create something beautiful that represents the film the way a fan would like it to be represented.

NL: I would imagine an artist can easily get burnt out doing one type of print consistently, like always focusing on gig posters or art prints or movie posters. How do you keep things fresh?

DM: You definitely need some sort of variety otherwise you get bored. Poster design is what it is. You can cut it many different ways but in the end you are creating a print piece to be used for a similar purpose. The key is to not pigeon-hole yourself into one thing over and over. This is where I create my form of variety. Based on the subject matter I may be more minimalistic like my most recent piece, The Brawler, for Guzu Gallery’s Deep Cuts, or maybe something much more detailed and intricately illustrated like my Lone Wolf print for Ltd Art Gallery’s MINT Condition 2 show. Either way, I always enjoy it. Sometimes I literally have to create my own projects just to get an idea out. This is how my Wasteland Warriors print series got started.

NL:  As an artist do you prefer a steady dose of direction from a client or do you just like to put pencil to paper and do what you feel and hope the client is happy with?

DM: When dealing with clients, you must do both. You have to be patient and listen to the client and really hear their needs over all the other non-essential stuff they say. Then you go to your desk and throw away the garbage and keep the necessities. Now you can just get to what you do best and be your creative self. They came to you for a reason and that (hopefully) is because you’re good at what you do. The client however needs to step back sometimes and let you work. It really is a balancing act.

NL: How do you go about creating a design for someone for a band? What goes through your mind from start to finish? And where do you find the inspiration?

DM: I have a very different approach with the gig posters. I usually base the visual off of a song title or lyric. Then I try and tie in the bands presence somehow. Overall what I want to accomplish with a band poster is an art-piece that will draw someone’s attention. You walk by a dozen or more posters in a window to a venue but I want mine to make you double-take.

NL: What’s your favorite medium to work with and why?

DM: My favorite medium will always be pencil on paper. There is nothing like it and nothing will ever replace it. No matter what Wacom they make or app they produce. The physicality and intimacy of having a pencil in your hand is like a form of meditation to an artist. The feel of the paper, and the idea that it is the only one like it is very rewarding. This process influences me even in the digital world.

NL: Who is on David Moscati’s wall, what artist and or prints?

DM: Part of loving what you do is being a fan. I am a screen print fanatic and love the medium, so I can appreciate other artists and I always love it when I see designers that have a much different style than me. I love the work of Daniel Danger and Godmachine because of the ominous tones they both set. I love when illustrators tell a story with their aesthetic. Another good example is Rich Kelly. I also love everything Francesco Francavilla does. Being a comic book nerd at heart I love seeing those artists do prints. They have such a great style to them that can’t really be duplicated. I will hang up anything that I find well designed. I have one of IBM’s smarter planet ads on my wall as well. Outside of the modern day design I also have an original Saul Bass advertisement, and a Toulouse Lautrec reprint. Both of which heavily influenced me in design.

NL: Is  this your full time gig?

DM: I wish. If things keep up the way they have been then it could very well be a possibility in the near future. And nothing would make me happier. I love what I do and it is much more than a hobby to me. As for now though I am just a lowly Senior Designer. However if you want to describe “full time gig” as the amount of time I spend, then I guess I have two full time gigs. From the moment I get off work to early into the next morning I am grinding on my prints.

NL: A Nerdlocker tradition is to ask 3 nerd questions, the first is , What is your favorite movie of all time, if you could only pick one?

DM: UGH! I hate this one! In the best way possible though. I have so many that I am partial to. My top three would be Blade Runner, The Road Warrior and I go back and forth between John Carpenter’s The Thing and Alien. If I were to chose one, I would probably go with The Road Warrior. Can’t beat that Interceptor.

NL: I agree You can’t beat the Interceptor, last of the V8’s! But yeah Blade Runner is my all time favorite movie. I just got it in Blu-ray and can’t believe how many versions there are now, I grew up with one version, the narrated version. I dug it.

DM: I will say that Blade Runner is the better movie as a whole and I love anything Ridley Scott touches. I just really love the post-apocalyptic genre too much.

NL: What is your favorite video game and are you a console guy, handheld or old school stand up video games guy?

DM: I haven’t been into the video game scene for a bit now. Mostly due to my work load both career and freelance. However I can easily say my favorite of all time is still The Legend of Zelda gold cartridge on NES. Then I would throw in the first Resident Evil and Max Payne as runner ups.

NL: What is your favorite comic book or comic book character?

DM: My most read character is Batman. He has the most interesting books and I think I own the most based around him. I think my favorite book is Joker by Brian Azzarello. Really as an illustrator I look more at the artists behind the books. I love Tim Sale, Lee Bermejo, Jefte Paolo and Greg Capullo to name a few. One that kind of has been crossing worlds that I really enjoy is Francesco Francavilla. Comic book art is just as important as the writing to me so that heavily influences the stories I read. And he’s badass.

NL: Thank you for letting the world into your life. You definitely have a vision and it shows in your work David. I would like to thank you for your generous offer of an artist interview tradition here at Nerdlocker and giving away a few prints for our usual social media giveaway for the fans.

DM: Thank you so much, I really enjoyed it. I always love discussing my work and all the things that influence my art. Just so happens that it fits in nicely with Nerdlocker.

A huge thank you to David for taking the time to sit down with us. Please keep up to date with his work by visiting his website, and liking his Facebook page.

Now for the tease! David has graciously donated 3 count them 3 prints (2 Signed/Numbered and 1 AP) for an exclusive Nerdlocker giveaway! Stay tuned for details!

As always, stayed tuned to Nerdlocker for more exciting artist interviews!