Scrapbook Notebook Series Scrapbook #6 | Page 34

interview with an illustrator Joseph McDermott the Pop Art style illustrator wishes designer s Charles & Ray Eames were his parents . . . u SB What drew you to illustration? Joseph: Working in the arts is something I’ve wanted to do since I was young. Whether it be as an artist or in a museum setting, which I did for eight years before pursuing illustration. u SB Do you have any formal design training? Joseph: My degree is in Art History, though I took painting, drawing, screen-printing, and photography courses. u SB Where are you from? Joseph: Freehold, New Jersey, which is also the hometown of some guy named Bruce Springsteen. u SB Where do you live now ? Joseph: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I spent a semester here while in college and fell in love with the city. u SB Describe your studio to me? Joseph: It’s a tiny one bedroom apartment I share with my girlfriend. Most of my work is done at a desk in the corner of our bedroom, or at a table in the living room. u SB Describe the view from your studio window? Joseph: It’s a parking lot, but there is a Jamaican restaurant across the way that pipes in an amazing barbecue smell through the windows in the afternoon. u SB What is your biggest inspiration? Joseph: The absurd. u SB How do you 144