Interview
Dave Titus
Dave is a talented Illustrator and graphic designer with many high profile clients to his credit including Disney, General Mills, Nabisco, Kirkland Signature, Airborne, GRAMMY Foundation, Hasbro and hundreds more. He’s also a sign painter and muralist, and has been painting outdoor art since high school. Art is in his blood. His mom was a painter, musician and writer and inspired the passion in him from the day he was born.
Living the life of an artist, Dave has been able to volunteer his time over the last 28 years to the community. He served as a board member with Mono County Little league for 17 years and coached baseball at all levels for 20, including high school. He served on 3 school WASC accreditation committees, started the Crowley Lake Trail Run as a fundraiser, and donated 100’s of hours to the schools throughout the upbringing of his boys. Currently Dave sits on the Board of the Mono County Office of Education, and and the Mono Arts Council board to play a more direct role in the continuing development of art education programs through the community.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I've been drawing since before I can remember, and that passion eventually transformed into a career as an illustrator and Graphic Designer. My big break came when I was commissioned to create the Mozilla mascot for Netscape back in 1994. That jump-started my freelance business and helped me realize a lifelong dream - to work for myself creating art. Originally I painted with traditional airbrush and acrylics, but my work and style translated nicely into Photoshop. I've been creating art digitally ever since, and I've won a number of awards for digital illustration.”
What inspires you most?
"The mountains inspire me more than anything else, except maybe my family. I live on the eastside of the Sierra Nevada at the base of the John Muir Wilderness, and get into the backcountry every chance I get. I carry a Nikon DSLR so I can shoot landscape and wildlife photography whenever possible, but just walking in the high country helps give me a clear sense of who I am and what I want. It's a balance I seek more than anything else so I can do all the things I love to do, and I get that from climbing and hiking. My family supports all of that and more, and they themselves do things that amaze me every day.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I'm a commercial artist and work mostly in the Children's Market for corporate clients, and there is no underlying message in my work other than positivity. Children and adults alike gravitate to my work this way. On a personal level I love dragons, sci-fi and fantasy and when I have time to do my own thing that's what comes out of me.”
How would you describe your work?
“My work is often whimsical and fun, but also surrealistic. Since I've been working in the children's market for so many years I struggle here and there to keep from drawing everything too cute. Maybe that's why you see skulls and beasts in my portfolio. My drawings are pencil on paper and have more of a loose feel than my finished work, which has a smooth and colorful airbrushed look.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Frank Frazetta was a huge influence on me. I just loved seeing everything he painted. Mark Fredrickson captivated me with his incredible airbrush work, and Ansel Adams is my photography idol. But above all, my mom was my biggest influence. She was making art until the day she passed away from breast cancer. Six months before she was gone I had the good fortune to attend a life-drawing class with her. It's probably my most cherished memory.”
What is your creative process like?
“I hike a lot and the ideas come to me the easiest in that space. After that I sketch everything on paper. When I have what I want I scan the drawings into Photoshop or Illustrator and use them as a template to "paint" the color. I use a pressure sensitive light pen on a Wacom tablet. In Photoshop I'm able to do everything I could do with an airbrush and a whole lot more, without the mess and clean-up. Software and hardware have become essential art tools.”
“I think art has always and always will play a huge roll in society, just through the innate urge people have to create.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I think art has always and always will play a huge roll in society, just through the innate urge people have to create. We love to make art, and look at art. We love it, and we hate it. Art brings out the emotions in all of us no matter what the medium, or avenue we find it in.”
Website: davetitus.com
Instagram: @dwtitus
