Mike Lee
"To me, simplifying is keeping only what is necessary and discarding the rest..."
——Mike Lee
Mike Lee是一位来自加州的自由插画师，2006年毕业于奥蒂斯艺术与设计学院数字媒体专业，Mike毕业后一直从事商业插画工作，现生活工作于纽约曼哈顿。
"I reduce my subjects to their most basic forms, but render them with the same amount of precision and realism as in a traditional life drawing..."
——Mike Lee
Mike的铅笔插画作品精简，细腻，梦幻，作者看到他的作品时第一印象是曾经玩过的RPG游戏，不知道大家看过后有什么感受，让我们来看看关于Mike的一篇访谈。
What inspired you to nurture this very particular style of yours? your approach to detail and choice of B&W tonalities is unique, creating an almost dream-like texture to your work..!
In my drawings, I try to balance simplicity and detail. I reduce my subjects to their most basic forms, but render them with the same amount of precision and realism as in a traditional life drawing. As for my choice of medium, I turned back to the basics of pencil on paper. The minimal pallet and meditative quality of the process probably account for the dream-like quality you mentioned. It’s also a departure from the vivid and saturated digital work I’m often engaged in.
Your sketching techniques, especially in doing portraits, almost reminds me of impressionist art. are there any particular artists that inspire you?
My influences are pretty varied, but among my current favorite artists are Yoshitomo Nara, Marcel Dzama, Margaret Kilgalllen, Os Gemeos, Justin Mortimer, Vincent Desidario, Geoff McFetridge and Chris Ware.
The scenarios that you represent seem to be very studied. How do you plan a drawing and what inspires you to choose such particular scenes and environments?
My work is inspired by the people and spaces around me in everyday life. I’ve drawn scenes from my neighborhood bodega, the courtroom I served jury duty in, the homes and lives of friends. Each drawing involves intense planning, starting with a rough sketch, then a tight line drawing and a full lighting study. Only after I’m satisfied with the composition will I begin the final art.
There is a great attention towards the choice of spaces and architectural characteristics in the drawings, a very selective choice of the space to include in, and exclude from the drawing. could you expand on this?
I do my best to create a strong focus in every piece. In my art, the silhouette becomes one of the most crucial aspects in creating a bold initial read. I use the negative spaces created by doorways, windows, stairwells, or any structural element to frame the scene.
How do you feel about the current self-promotion platforms such as social media? We have actually come across your work through Tumblr and Instagram, and would love to know your perspective on the subject.
I struggled with this for quite some time, and only in this past year have I come to embrace the social-media aspect of the art world. Especially for hermits like myself, I found instagram to be one of the best ways to discover and connect with artists globally. Now I feel it is a necessity for any artist that wants to get their work out into the world.
Do you have any up and coming projects for the near future?
Yes, I do have a few upcoming projects. I’ll have a couple of drawings at the Honolulu Museum of Art for the Contempo #Artshop this summer, and on the 27th of June I’ll be at GR2 in Los Angeles in a two-man show with Vincent Nguyen entitled “Still, Life”. Also, the RVMP crew has murals planned in the New York City area this spring and summer.