Moonroot art feature artist interview

1) Hello and welcome, please tell our readers a little about yourself? Where are you from? What is your current occupation?

Hey bro! First of all, thank you really much for contacting me with this interview, I'll gladly answer all your following questions! Well, I come from Hýskov, small village in the middle of the forests in Czech Republic, bud have moved to Brno few years ago because of university of musicology and music composition theory where I was studying in. Now I'm living in the edge of Brno, more in the forest than in the town. Beautiful landscapes around and a dam where Hell Fast Attack black metal festival starts every year, so I'm happy with where I'm living now. Nature means the biggest inspiration for me and it was what I've missed the most in the center of the town few months later.

2) When did your interest in drawing begin?

Really hard to reply this exactly. I used to draw from my childhood. When I was in pre-school as a child I've spend a time by drawing microscopic marine organisms which I found in my moms encyclopedias. I can say I started to draw creatures every time in my life. Then at the school I've been drawing comics about dreamy planets of apes where I was escaping to from my real life. But, I started to draw and paint motives for groups much more later in Brno when I've joined the university of musicology and live there with my friend and band-mate from Sternum, Marek in one of the student privates. It was great period of my life, we've been talking about black metal philosophy and music all the time, compose new riffs for the first album and going to one evil garage in the place where no one was living in where we've had our first rehearsal room. (Now the album should be finally done in 2015, I think you might be looking forward, we spend lot of time to make it as strong as possible!) In that time I was drawing few motives for some groups just for fun and have contacted Christophe Szpajdel just because I was interrested in what pens did he use for his awesome logos. I've send him also some of my logos which I've done with the message. Than he wrote me that he really like what I do and would like to help me with our band logo and cooperate with me in the future on some logo ideas. It kicked me incredibly! And from this moment I draw as much as possible and contact many, many groups and labels with offering my drawings in that beginning just for try and for fun. I really spend more time on email than with the pen in my hands what was debilitating. But seems like it finally pays off now. And I'm still cooperating with Christophe on many ideas. Many thanks to him for what I do.

3) Your style of art feature dark and atmospheric themes, is there a point in time when that became your dominant form of art? If so, what band or artist inspired you first?

I don't think so. It all comes from me clearly. I always loved dreamy landscapes, little bit kitschy beauty of the nature painted in the era of romanticism, atmospheric, dirty and dark music... And that's where it's coming from. Nature is my biggest inspiration. I draw all of it in the forests when I have a chance and when the weather plays for me. Music inspires me especially in logo designing where I need to know the band exactly, its philosophy, lyrics, the way how they're thinking about music composition - than I can express it in the logo. But in the case of paintings and drawings I'm more inspired by nature, books what I'm reading in the time when I'm creating the artwork (most of this inspiration belongs to H.P.Lovecraft, Robert Jordan, Steven Erikson and R.E.Feist) and my own fantasy and dreams. Not least, I love creating new worlds and that's how I call the creating process, I always think about the place or scenery what I'm drawing with all the contex around like it was a new world or part of existent story.

4) When exactly was the creation of your Moonroot Art page, how has it helped by promoting your work?

It's better for linking the page and my work than personal profile where're also things unrelated to the artworks. It's also good contact place for groups. I can also spam this page more with photos from creating process. But it lost its importance in last year because of facebook policy of economic. Fb naturally assumes that every page in it is there just like a presentation of some corporation or business, so they limited the views of the pages maximally. Now only small percent of the followers can see your posts. You have to pay if you want people who have liked your page to see your posts - how insane.

5) How many bands have you done t-shirt/cd cover art for?

I really don't know man. It's hard to say, many drawings never reborn on the real product or it takes long time period for the group to record the album and use it. I also draw and paint stage design, sketches for tattoos and other illustrations and now I'm not able to say how much I've done. And it's not so important I think.

6) Are you a self thought artist or did you have any teachers? since your early drawing stage have you notice a steady progression in your work? how has your art progressed since that time?

I never had a teacher, only artists I really like theirs art and inspires by them when I want to learn something more about new technique or so. I'm self thought artist in this way of meaning. But I always try to learn more about composition, colour combination and new techniques. Last two or three years I draw or paint almost every day and there's still a lot of what I want and need improve and learn. When I was starting with the motives for bands I did all of it just by inks and improve in lot of ink techniques and combinations. than I tried bigger and more colorful pastels and coals drawings and learn about oils and acrylics than. I think I have a long way behind and I learn something new with every new motive. Here I have to thank all the groups I've cooperated with in the past - for theirs ideas and visions which I've made real on papers or canvas. For inspiration and for the motives which I probably never paint without their initiative.


7) Name some of  your most notable accomplishments? Any big bands that have used your work?

Yeah, there're few of this kind of interresting name milestones in my way I'm really proud on. I have done new logo for Nokturnal Mortum,T-shirts for <Code>, Fanttasma t-shirts, logo for Winterlore, (Theese two are still not so known, but spend few minutes with their music, you'll be surprised!) t-shirt for Baptism, cooperation on few logos with Dave Rotten from Avulsed. Now I've done an artwork for Old Nick from Ceremonial Castings for his new solo piano album - it's my first experience with creating something for classic music album in some way of meaning, hehe, I'm really honored for this opportunity, the music which've been shared by Nick since now sounds awesome. I also cooperate on lot of things with Naturmacht Production what belongs to my friend, Robert Brockmann, many thanks to him for all the opportunities to work with the bands under his wings - like Agael,  Lebensnacht or Stoic Dissention. I'm also really proud on cooperation with czech pagan group Panychida on their last album and Phantoms of Pilsen festival I did the posters for in 2014 organized by my friends from Panychida - Honza Vaněk and Sinneral.

8) Name some of the Zines or E-zines that have featured your artwork?

there're not so much Zines and E-zines I cooperate with on the artworks. Only Mortem zine (www.mortemzine.net) where I'm like a reviewer and interviewer primarily. But I'm also something like a designer of this zine, you'll see more of my share in graphics on the new page what we're preparing now. I did also Shub-Niggurath inspired t-shirts for Mortems ten years celebration.


9) What are your aspiration and goals 2015? What are your current projects?

I'm planning extensive cooperation with Somnus Aeternus, czech doom metal group on its new concept album with concept artwork as well. I'm also preparing on two exhibitions with Christophe Szpajdel and Moga Alexandru from Kogaion art. I plan more interresting cooperations but let me surprise you, I'm not supposed to talk about all of it since it´ ll be done and official. Anyway, the most of all interresting cooperations are never planned and interresting doesnt have to means only big name or sth like that. I'm really looking forward to all visions which I can make real!

10) If any bands/labels/zines etc.. want to get in contact with you, what is the best way to reach you?

There're many ways for contacting me, I'm really open to talk with the band members about theirs vision closely, so I dont mind if the bands contacts me via Moonroot art page or fb personal profile. But the base is the email - moonrootart@gmail.com

11) Thanks so much for participating in my zine, the last lines are for you, any final thoughts?

Thank you really much for your questions and support! All Hails brothers in arms, I'll be waiting for your visions which let me build new worlds!