Sam Phillips
Artist

New Zealand

Ever since a young age I have always been interested in art and drawing. I can clearly remember at the age of 10 – 12 years, carrying around my big sketch book. I would glue in all of my best drawings of cartoon characters and super heroes that I would invent and put down on paper. The scrap books got so full that they would almost fall apart.

At college my artistic skill began to grow stronger and quickly became my favourite class where other classes struggled to keep my interest. In 5th form I achieved the grade of an ‘A’ (88%) for my folio and workbook. My folio was heavily based on comic heroes such as ‘The Hulk’ with the use of pastels through to oils and coloured pencils.

For 6th form I moved to a new college (Paraparaumu), Where I had a hopeless tutor that limited our creative side down to copying works of the masters using the schools water based acrylics for a whole year.

Barely passing any other subjects in 6th form I decided not to do 7th form and study Art at Whitireia Polytechnic instead. I learnt alot from my 4 years of visual arts study at Whitireia Polytechnic and worked with alot of different materials. I completed my final year mastering in painting that focused mainly on Pop Art imagery influenced by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. A style that I would later find very suited to digital art.

Completing my art degree I found it very difficult to find work. I discovered that the course was only really useful for a base qualification or to be a self supporting artist. I eventually found a temporary painting job where I worked as a brush hand for 3 months. I quickly realised painting buildings for the rest of my life was not at all what I wanted. So as much as resented it I returned to Whitireia Polytechnic in 2005 to study Digital design. This had to be one of the best decisions I could make. Half way through the year my tutor moved me up a level because my work was at a standard of the year above me.

Before completing my year of study the Polytechnic was approached by a software company called Elmbrook Technologies. They were looking to employ a graphic designer to work on the visual look of their company. I applied for the job and got it. I worked for Elmbrook technologies for three and a half years and learnt so much while working for them. I knew nothing about website design when I was hired which is what my job mainly consisted of. Don’t get me wrong web design is fun but sometimes it can feel quite creatively limiting. So in my spare time I worked on more print based work like my Tattoo Designs and Clothing Label Robot Nation.

www.samphillips.co.nz