Artist Mike Giant has been an creative force in the graffiti, tattoo and clothing worlds, most recently his own Rebel8 has been the focus of his attention. We recently caught up with Giant to discuss his daily routine, past influences and Burning Angel his most recent 2-color letter press print. Read on for our full interview with Mike Giant…
1xRun: What is your daily routine like? How do you start your day?
Mike Giant: I’m usually in the studio by 8 or 9am. I’ll work til noon or 1pm then take a break for lunch. Sometimes I’ll go for a bike ride then back in the studio til’ about 5 or 6pm. I’ll usually head into town in the evening to be around people and grab some dinner. If I’m really stoked on a drawing I’m working on, I might put a few more hours in at the studio before I crash for the night.
1xRun: What affect has living in Colorado had on you both artistically and personally?
Mike Giant: I’m very happy in Boulder. I think the move has been tremendously beneficial in all aspects of my life.
1xRun: You are constantly drawing, how important do you feel it is to be working at your craft each day?
Mike Giant: I’ve always told myself that if I can draw a little every day, all the bills get paid. It’s when I’m away from the drawing table for extended periods that I get in trouble. And obviously if you hope to be the best at something, you’ve got to do it every day.
1xRun: What advice do you have for younger artists struggling to make the transition from making artwork an unpaid passion to their career?
Mike Giant: Find a business partner. It’s hard to juggle creative work with paperwork. Rebel8 would be nothing without my homie Josh. He takes care of business, I take care of the drawings. Simple as that.
1xRun: With your latest print we have incorporated red, but much of your work relies primarily on only black line work, can you discuss your relationship with line work over the years and how it has changed as you have gotten older?
Mike Giant: I got hooked on coloring books as a kid. Simple as that. I don’t think my line work has changed much in the last 25 years, but I do feel like I’ve been able to refine it little by little over the years. I just started using a magnifying glass and that has opened a new level of detail that I wasn’t able to pull off before.
1xRun: We talked previously about some of your influences, Burning Angel has a bit of a pin-up girl feel to it, are there any pin up artists that you’ve been influenced by?
Mike Giant: Alberto Vargas, Patrick Nagel (below L-R) Hajime Sorayama, Rolf Armstrong, George Petty, Sailor Jerry, Chris Conn and Mr. Cartoon.
1xRun: Let’s talk about Burning Angel, tell us a little bit about this image, is there anything immediate you would like us to highlight?
Mike Giant: I’m just revisiting a classic theme with this one. I’m fascinated by people who give up their lives for their faith.
1xRun: Even though this piece is a bit of a break from our last two letter press prints, is it part of a larger series?
Mike Giant: I feel like I’m widely known for my drawings of tattooed women. I’ve been drawing them for decades. Nothing new there really.
1xRun: What materials were used to create the original?
Mike Giant: I inked everything with Sharpie markers on fine drawing paper. The notes and signature are in pencil and I finished it off with my right thumbprint.
1xRun: When was the piece drawn and created?
Mike Giant: The sketching started on April 22 and the final drawing was inked on April 24.
1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Mike Giant: Well, you guys liked a drawing I did many years ago in a similar fashion so I decided to just create a new piece based on the same theme. I dug through my old photos of friends and found one of Elisa Turpin that I thought would work well for this project. I printed out the photo of Elisa and mapped the contours of her face and body on tracing paper. Then I sketched on the flames and tattoos. All the sketching took about 10 hours. Once the sketch was done, I taped it to the back of a clean sheet of paper, put it on the light table and started inking the final drawing. The inking took about 10 hours to complete.
1xRun: How long did this piece take?
Mike Giant: Roughly 20 years.
1xRun: Describe this print in one gut reaction word.
Mike Giant: Sexy.
1xRun: Any any upcoming shows or events that you’d like to discuss?
Mike Giant: I’ll be in Albuquerque in July for a tattoo convention and I’ll likely offer a small show at a friend’s shop. That’s all I’ve got officially planned right now.
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Mike Giant: Website – Instagram@giantrebel8 + @rebel8
-1xRUN