It's a very rare experience; getting up in the morning and genuinely being excited to go to work.
What about if you were working on something you've been passionate about since you were a kid, would that make a difference?... Well I suppose anything gets tiresome if you do too much of it, but not if you're a freelancer and a skillful, sought after one at that. Sometimes every week can bring you a new and exciting challenge, keeping you motivated and always creating work that wows.
I introduce you to the work of freelance illustrator Sam Gilbey, a SCI FI fan at heart, even attending London Excel's Star Wars celebration in July with some amazing shots that you can find on his flickr account. If you want a peek simply click here for his Star Wars pics.
Sam Gilbey is one of those lucky people, who has had the pleasure of working on a wide range of SCI FI and movie-related projects that would make any artist or designer jealous. He is best known for his observational, colourful and distinct painterly style, which draws upon and celebrates popular culture, whether that's movies, videogames or the occasional giant robot.
The Dark Knight
The following illustration was a personal project Sam Gilbey undertook in response to watching 'The Dark Knight' and rereading Alan Moore's 1988 comic book, 'The Killing Joke'. He has created a striking image that speaks directly from the heart of the movie and captures the mood of the comic.
(This article continues below the image)
"Brian Bolland opens The Killing Joke with these beautiful panels of rain which set the tone perfectly for this extremely cinematic novel. Then after seeing 'The Dark Knight' at IMAX in London, you realise that the Joker is always going to haunt Batman, in the way that he hopes to haunt his own enemies. While trying to get to sleep with an ear infection, the following illustration just jumped into my head somehow, with The Joker's face distorted in the puddles behind Batman. It's not so much that he's actually there, more the idea that Batman is seeing him there as the neon light and the rain plays tricks on the pavement."
Sam Gilbey's public SCI FI artwork journey started with an illustration he did inspired by the film 'Shaun of the Dead' (shown on the right), and not too long after that, he got the chance to interview its director Edgar Wright. He showed him the illustration and Edgar Wright liked it so much he got it printed onto canvas for his office wall. It even ended up in the official IDW graphic novel adaptaton of the movie.
Sam Gilbey then went on to create a large collage of 'Hot Fuzz' characters you can see below. He stated "he was fascinated by this classic Star Wars poster by Tom William Chantrell (seen below on the left). I was a keen drawer, and this to me seemed almost magical - I could see it was drawn by hand, and yet it looked exactly like the characters I knew and loved. What appealed to me in particular about Hot Fuzz was the fact that, in the same way that the movie is both a parody of, and an homage to American cop buddy movies, my illustration could be both a parody of, and an homage to classic movie poster art."
(This article continues below the image)
You can clearly see the Star Wars influence coming across in his explosive 'Hot Fuzz' piece.
Just before the end of 2007, Sam was sought out by Dick Lunn, the art director of 'Hot Fuzz' and was asked to create a wide range of artwork for the ITV sitcom 'No Heroics'.
(This article continues below the image)
If you haven't seen it yet, 'No Heroics' is a show about a group of British superheroes who spend a lot of the time in the pub, and aren't necessarily all that, er, heroic. It's injected with British cynicism and if you would like to find out more click here to go to ITV.com.
Sam Gilbey didn't let anyone down with the impressive standard of work he produced for the show, which I will showcase here for you and let you judge for yourselves:
The 'Lady Trouble' comic
(This article continues below the image)
Sam Gilbey was commissioned to design and illustrate the first cover and a comic panel for the sitcom's female superheroes Electroclash and She-Force. He found inspiration in 1980's He-Man spin-off She-Ra pictured above. I wonder when He-Man or even She-Ra will be the next comic turned film.
Superhero Stickers
(This article continues below the image)
Within the world of 'No Heroics' kids can buy stickers of their favourite superheroes and these were designed meticulously in the style of trading cards.
Set Artwork
These comic book covers were placed in frames around the pub the superheroes drink in and reference 2000 AD as the logo pastiches show:
(This article continues below these images)
It amazes me the amount of time and effort that is put into each element of TV artwork and the sometimes so brief a moment it is displayed when the show airs. This kind of work is never filmed directly, but without it the show would lack authenticity and the overall effect of a world filled with superheroes would be lost without all the comic references and paraphernalia that brings it together.
The second to last episode of 'No Heroics' airs on Thursday at 10:30 on ITV2. If you're free, I'd recommend giving it a try and now you know about Sam Gilbey, play spot the artwork in the episode.
UFO Artwork In Faesthetic Issue 9
Faesthetic issue 9 showcases 80 pages of original UFO themed art, including four from Sam Gilbey himself. Faesthetic is a collection of art & oddities from around the world. The latest issue features high quality 2 color (black & fluorescent green) offset printing. The two double page spreads he has done can be seen below..
(This article continues below the image)
Up And Coming Work
Sam Gilbey has been recently asked to produce some artwork for a test shoot for the upcoming movie 'Paul'; Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's next shared project. It is to be directed by Greg 'Superbad' Mottola and is about "a pair of geeky British friends who travel to a comic-book convention on the West Coast."
Currently he cannot disclose much more, but we'll all keep our eyes open for Sam Gilbey's possible art contribution.
I believe Sam Gilbey's style and dedication to the arts will take him a long way and I hope to see more of his work pass through the realms of SCI FI. Watch out Drew Struzan, Sam Gilbey's following in your wake.
To have a flick through more of Sam Gilbey's work just click here to go to his website.
- Lyndsey Cooper
