We recently connected with Alan Pirie and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

As a teenager, I slowly went from listening to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal to harder and faster music genres, specifically Thrash Metal. When that happened, I discovered what would turn into my favorite band, a legendary L.A. Crossover (Thrash meets Punk sound) band called Suicidal Tendencies.

Skip forward to the early 2000s, and MySpace (remember that!) and I got in touch with them with what at the time was “fan art”. This led to doing some Tour Flyers and eventually, it progressed to an acrylic painting of a skull, I actually did 2 variations, one of which was picked for an album cover and the other was used for merchandise.

A year or so after that, I finally got to meet the band (I traveled to France for that) and they signed one, I kept the other and since then we have become good friends to this day with a long relationship of art for other albums, countless clothing designs and more.

Alan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have always done artwork, as a child (you know, those horrible splodges of paint on paper and the ones that parents hang on the refrigerator door) so I always felt it was something I would get into. My first job after school was restoring old horse-drawn vehicles where I worked with a Sign Writer and that helped me get into the first H.N.C. Singwriting course in the U.K. which also introduced me to Airbrush art. So I seem to have bounced along with absorbing many different styles and techniques which does make me quite versatile when a client asks for work. I am by no means a professional Illustrator, but I can illustrate, same with Airbrush art… so I do believe I have a relatively unusual overall skillset. I tend to be able to fix problems on the fly which can be a good time saver if an issue arises, both for myself and the client especially if it means something additional or slightly different can improve the overall project.

Also, I am completely self taught with Graphic Design and Art programs (Photoshop etc.) and although I may do many things the long or wrong way, I do get there. Now I would say I am very proficcient in Photoshop.

I am also extremely proud of a side project called PIGGIE PARODIES which is animal parodies (primarily Guinea Pigs and Rabbits with some Capybara pieces) where I recreate film posters and album covers with these adorable critters instead. This went from one single piece “Batpig: The Fat Knight” which went viral on animal groups, in 2016 to now with almost 50k followers on social media, and a recently monetized and earning Facebook page. The fact it started as a random piece of my pet, is very heartwarming. It’s quite an undertaking doing this with no team and also keeping that personal element of posting, interaction, and fun but it is rewarding and worth it. It also enabled me to open a successful Etsy store.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It will sound incredibly clichéd, but the joy my art brings to people whether a middle-aged Mom who loves the fun Guinea Pig parody to an old-school Punk Rock guy tagging me on socials that he bought a new Suicidal Tendencies t-shirt at their show and liked the art enough to find out who did it.

It can be frustrating doing some pieces that get no real reaction, but the times they do is very rewarding and genuinely means something.

I had art at an art show in N.Y.C. in collaboration with a Punk clothing brand called GxBxT365, and I flew over for it. I was one of the lesser known artists there amongst genuine Punk artists that are iconic, and the fact people knew who I was, bought prints, wanted photos, and were so cool to me… THAT was mind blowing.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

For me specifically… the books by legendary Movie Poster artist Drew Struzan. He did The Goonies, Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, Star Wars, Back to the Future, and every good poster/artwork you saw at the video rental store back in the day. They always blew me away, so seeing his collection in print plus his documentary, just opened my eyes and became so inspirational even if it’s a style I do not focus on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alanpiriedesign.com
• Instagram: @samuraiguineapig (and/or) @piggieparodies
• Facebook: @samuraiguineapig (and/or) @piggieparodies

Image Credits

All images credits myself.