We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matt Haley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matt below.
Matt , appreciate you joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Most people seem to think comic book art is solely related to the old BATMAN Tv show from 1966. Even in the age of Marvel movies, potential clients and partners will still immediately react with the notion that my art will be silly and full of “BAM! POW!” sound effects! So, once they’ve understood that comics are really just about telling a compelling story with pictures, and they get that the pictures can be in any style… they see the efficacy of working with me and their campaigns always succeed beyond their wildest dreams!
What i’ve learned is how to walk them through the process and get them to discard any preconceived notions around comic art, usually by just sitting and sketching in front of them. For people who don’t think they can draw, – it’s magic.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
At the tender age of 20, I quit my day job as a radio DJ, and drove with my college roommate to the San Diego Comic Con with some “Star Trek” samples I’d drawn – and I got hired! Learning to hit deadlines was tough, especially in the pre-digital art age. Discovering Photoshop and drawing tablets very early on, I leaned more into creating comic-book-styled art for videogames, TV shows, movies and corporate clients. Then, luckily, I got connected with Stan Lee through – of all things – a Craigslist ad! They were doing the pilot for “Who Wants To Be A Superhero” for the SciFi Channel, and they desperately needed an artist, thankfully.
Comic styled art is so effective when used to tel a client’s story, and in this age of “AI”, some people think all one has to do is hit a button and – voila! – comic book art. This is NOT true. All the AI “art” looks the same and it just cheapens one’s brand and message. Stan Lee taught me everything I know about telling stories with dynamic, exciting pictures, and while I do use a computer to create some of the art, only the human mind can ideate, only a human artist can create!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When the bottom fell out of the comics market, I was utterly lost. I’d entered the comics business with no job training and no thought of doing anything else for a living, so those were depressing times. Until, I discovered digital art. Doing comic art on paper with pencil and pens was the best education for a new artist, simply having to sort down and draw allowed me to use those same skills in the digital realm. Suddenly, I was faster and more competitive, and very quickly fell into doing art for video games.
The video game art connection came from a Craigslist ad. I’d read about Craigslist but hadn’t used it, and one day spied an ad for a company needing storyboards for a videogame. We connected, I did the gig but realized we hadn’t talked money. That week, a check arrived which was much large than expected, and then every week, the same client would call asking for more art!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
BUY LOCAL. Seriously, buy from local artists. Seek them out, go to conventions, and BUY. That’s really it. Don’t follow every influencer clone out there, very few of them create anything worthwhile. Local artists enrich life.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.matthaley.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/matthaleyart
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthaleyart
