I had the chance to interview Rosario who goes by the Unexpected Specter, some time ago. He does a lot of work with bands, and one look at his Instagram or Tumblr you can see why he's churning works out for bands left and right. There's definitely an overall theme in his work which is usually in black and white and hand drawn. You'll notice a lot of skulls, bones, decay, animals, and just nature in general. It's bleak, primitive, and raw, and looks great for a band t-shirt, sticker, poster, or flyer. Anyway, I wanted to know how Rosario works, especially someone who does a huge chunk of his output focusing on art for bands.
Super Dank Metal Jams: When did you start drawing? Did you go to school for it or take any classes directed towards illustration?
Unexpected Specter: I've been drawing since I can remember, it was always a constant in my life. By 4th grade I was creating comic books of my own characters with multiple issues. I took classes in high school and went to a few years of college for animation, but never finished. Did a lot of studying on my own, lots of trial and error.
SDMJ: When did you decide to make art for bands and monetize it?
US: I am a musician as well and played in several bands over the years. So it made sense to combine these two passions.I would always do my own band's art and work for friends' bands etc. It was not until a few years ago I decided to try and make a living off of it. A decision that didn't come lightly. I found it difficult at first to charge bands and put a monetary value to the artwork.
SDMJ: What bands were you in or currently playing in? Anything on Bandcamp, YouTube, or Soundcloud?
US: I played in a post hardcore band years ago and nothing remains online from that project. Sometime ago, a buddy and I wrote a doom/folk album and that is up on bandcamp. fridaynightvendetta.bandcamp.com
SDMJ: When you say making a living off of it, does this mean this is a full time gig for you, or is this just something you do on the side?
US: I do freelance full time.
SDMJ: Do you doodle a lot for fun or practice?
US: Yes, for sure. When I am not doing commissions, I work on personal projects. Work that might become prints or maybe trying out some new techniques.
SDMJ: You seem to have a preference for hand drawn over digital. Why is that?
US: A couple of reasons. One, I am still very much a tangible person when it comes to certain things. I still buy physical comics and music and just can't let go (literally) of holding a piece of paper in my hand. Two, I feel I have more control with open and ink and I do a lot of stuff with paint splashes. Some things you can't just replicate. There is also this safety net when working digital that I don't care for. If I miss draw a line in ink or spray too much ink in a direction, its there no going back. It could lead down a direction you might not have gone down, that's exciting to me.
SDMJ: How do you manage doing your art with your normal life? Do you have a routine you like to stick with?
US: Definitely, I find it really a necessity to have a routine. Block out certain times of the day for differing sections of my life.
SDMJ: What's your daily routine look like?
US: It varies a bit, but I usually start with emailing, either reaching out to bands that caught my ear or communicating with bands that I was in a previous contact with, and with bands i'm currently working with. Then some ink to paper, sketches or final pieces which ever the day is calling for.
SDMJ: What is your goal when working with bands?
US: That I created a piece of work that represents both the band and myself.
SDMJ: What is your favorite piece of work you worked on?
US: Over several years I have been working on a one shot comic, that I will be releasing soon. I am very proud of it. I worked on every aspect of it and it is a story I am excited to tell.
SDMJ: What's the comic about?
US: It is called "Three Day Pallbearer" and I should be releasing it fairly soon. Its about a couple of life long friends and dealing with losing loved ones. It takes place just after the American Civil War.
SDMJ: Who are your favorite artists? Who do you look up to? Who would you say is an influence on your work?
US: There are a few artists that were a big influence in my early years, Jim Lee and Jack Kirby. From seeing their art, which not only was I in awe over as a kid, it would also set me on a path to want to do what they do. Later in life around high school, I discovered Ralph Steadman and my mind was blown.
US: It's hard to pick a favorite Kirby book, too much to chose from. I will say, the character designs of Thing and Darkseid are some of my favorite. The texture of their skin and broad features are killer. As for Lee, early X-Men and Wolverine work definitely an influence on me growing up. Also his work on Batman: Hush is fantastic.
SDMJ: Where do you get your ideas from? How do you stay inspired?
US: Nature. It is a never-ending source of inspiration. So many variations of life and each life has different forms and phases. There are a lot of time throughout an average day when I see something and say, I want to draw that.
SDMJ: What are you currently listening to or what would you recommend listening to?
US: Bands I have been listening to a lot lately, not just one album but their whole catalog: Converge, Neurosis, Deftones, and Faith No More. Also, I had the pleasure of doing some work for Moon Curse for their last album "Spirit Remain". It is a really great record that I have had in pretty steady rotation since I got it.
SDMJ: What advice would you give yourself if you could travel back in time to when you first started?
US: To work at it as a constant. Keep creating always, even if nothing is on your mind to draw just start drawing something, and put pen to paper.
So here's our very second interview for the blog, and I opted to interview an artist rather than a band. Why might you ask? Well other than being truly interested in Unexpected Specter's work, in general I want the interviews here to be more of an exploration into the mechanics of things. A sort of "How does it work?" from the interviewee's perspective. So expect more interviews here to be focused on the behind the scenes aspect of things, and the people who are more involved with that. I'm not going to shy away from interviewing bands, but expect them to be more specific.
Here are some other recent artworks done by Unexpected Specter. Enjoy! Cheers! -Samir
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