Tilteed

Artist Interview: craig watkins

Curator’s Statement:

The king of doodles has returned to Tilteed with a vibrant piece! Back with his second Tilteed Limited design, Wotto brings us a fresh new batch of monsters to have fun with. As with his other original designs, I always end up seeing something new with every glance. This is what makes owning Wotto t-shirts so great! Who doesn’t love a new surprise with each new look?

Welcome back to Tilteed, Craig! What have you been up to since we last saw you?

I have been busy. I have been designing tees, of course, but also working on a few other projects. Character design, logo design, and some animation too. Can’t reveal much right now but all good stuff to work on.

What do you want to convey with Monsterous? How did you come up with all the characters?

Monsterous was born out of me wanting to do a tee with just one set of characters. Monsters are awesome and I have been missing drawing them. I also wanted to try out a different color scheme because I was getting a bit bogged down with the same colors. The characters come very naturally to me. I have been drawing a long time and they just kind of flow.

When you’re done with a t-shirt design, how do you come up with what to draw next?

Well luckily this is my full time gig so usually clients dictate what I am drawing next. If I am all up to date with client work then I get to do personal stuff, which I really enjoy. I have around 15 designs I want to work on, but I just haven’t had the time.

How is the 100 Paintings Project going? How many paintings have you already created?

It’s going really well. I have completed 40 and sold 31. I have been approached by two galleries who will be hosting some of the last 60 paintings. I’d really love to see the whole 100 in a gallery together but unfortunately that’s not going to happen because they are spread all over the world.

What is your dream dinner menu for the week?

Monday - Wife’s Burritos - soooo good
Tuesday - In n’ Out cheeseburger.
Wednesday - Pasta - Pretty much all pasta makes me happy.
Thursday - Mahi Mahi - Cooked by my wife.
Friday - Lamb Chops - Cooked at my favorite French Restaurant
Saturday - Grilled Chicken Sandwich from French Restaurant
Sunday - Curry (Any kind)

Do you collect anything?

Not really. I have a bunch of toys on my desk that I add to occasionally but I wouldn’t call it a collection. I also have a lot of art books, but again I buy them for reference rather than as a collection. It’s no surprise that I also have a lot of T-shirts.

What are some things that you want to accomplish before 2011?

I wanted to get printed at LaFraise before 2011 because I really respect the standard of prints over there. I achieved that earlier this year. I also wanted to be involved in an animation and design a toy and I have done both of them. Although the toy is unlikely to see the light of day now :(