The artist behind the deck "Trevor Bowman"

Boujour TLG members

Here is the first instalment of a few interviews that will be accompanying our release of the limited edition TLG X FREEDOM FIGHTER X TREVOR BOWMAN deck.

What can I say about Trevor Bowman... well not much I don't even know the guy,but what I do know is he has a knack for drawing & painting all you favourite characters in odd and interesting place and posses, with that being said, here's a little talk on talk with Mr. Bowman.

Enjoy!

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Mostly movies and TV shows I grew up with. I try to keep on top of current events but I find myself constantly reminiscing to the 50’s 60’s and 70’s , pop art and print ads ., accessories and retro clothing , Playboy , National Geographic and Time magazines , the styles , the trends and music have always been a big influence on my life .

Favourite medium to use ?

Glass , paint and mixed materials . I treat every sheet of glass as a animation cel ,outline goes on one side ,colour and mixed materials go on the other . Its delicate to work with ,but the finish product is always worth the risks .

How did you get into doing skins for cell phones ?

A friend of mine started a make your own/do it yourself iPhone skin company called StickStickBangBang . It’s a great product , easy to use and should be mentioned to everybody out there : http://www.stickstickbangbang.com/bowmanitis wink wink nudge nudge

What prompted your move to Australia ?

I had a couple of friends move down there , 2 were in teachers college , and 2 others were exploring . One was dating a British guy who was working on the new Star Wars films and told me to get down there . I’ve always had an urge to go there and it seemed like a good move At the time , wasn’t tied down to anything and needed a change . Didn’t end up seeing R2D2 but I did do some cool shit down there .

Your work seems to have a comic book background feel, did you read comic books

as a young lad ?

Big X men , Spider man and Batman fan . Cosmic Odyssey by Mignola and the Maxx by Sam Keith really hit home for me . I collected for a couple of years and stole ideas and poses for my own sketches ,there were some great artists out there and really influential images , plus having a classical animation background really instilled that comic book black outline in my work today .

Are you still singing in any bands ?

Unfortunately , my singing career has been reduced to playing guitar on the crapper these days . Too much screaming and too little training left me with MTD (Muscular Tension Dysphonia) . It’s this singing disorder , where you use your esophagus as a diaphragm ,projecting from your throat instead of your gut . I can still belt it out , just have to warm up 1st. still writing though . "Always a broke ass rockstar for life" .

How did you hook up with Joey Clarke of Freedom Fighter skateboards? and How

did you start doing graphics for him?

I met Joey back when Omy gallery, on Queen , was still open , he bought a painting off of me and we’ve remained friends ever since . Joey is a good human and is a big supporter of mine as well as arts in general. He’s kept me employed and has been good to me over the years .

Working on the TLG /FF skateboard graphics did you find any complications doing

any of the characters or the guerrillas ?

Honestly ? not really . minus the fact that you guys added a brand new character to the design the day it was supposed to be finished , I had fun doing this one . It’s tough to capture one’s likeness and demeanour with out the proper sit down camera time but I think it turned out pretty cool . Everybody is recognizable and that’s all that matters in the end . I tried to catch a glimpse of everybody’s personality , knowing none of you guys in person , I had to rely on photo references for your characteristics . Facebook helped out a lot , hope I get a signed copy one day

Is there a prized piece that you would never part within your collection?

I used to hang on to my paintings ,hoard them almost , but then I sold a few and realized the potential and gained confidence in my abilities and talents . There is a painting that I have had for a couple of years called The Boba Surf . 56 x 50 inch glass window frame I found a few years back , features Boba Fett surf boarding a big wave with a sexy red space chick ridding the nose . It’s my favourite and I have yet to finish it because of its size , weight and sentimental value . It is up for sale but I’ll never get what I want for it so, I might just keep it .

So what’s next for you ? Any up and coming shows or projects ?

Nothing scheduled yet but there is a project I have looming in my head , actually several projects I have 3 solid art shows I’d like to do and get out of my head sometime soon, need a proper gallery and representation to get them started though .In the meantime I’m just scrapping by , doing storyboards and trying to get my stuff out there .

Any advice to up and coming artist ?

Stay in school , get your degree , never doubt your super powers

You can check out all of Trevor Bowman's art work HERE

The decks are on route . . .

"Keep it Lovely"

Schwang