I had the privilege of interviewing artist Mister Sam Shearon, here’s that interview!
First of all thanks for taking the time to do this.
Q1: How did you get into artwork?
Well, according to my Mum, I’ve been drawing monsters since I could hold a pencil… So really, I didn’t “get into artwork”. It’s really something that you develop naturally over time; practicing the craft over years of personal skill exploration and learning. It’s not really something you ‘get into’. I don’t think it’s really something you can wake up and choose to do. Art is so much more than an overnight career step. It requires dedication and a lifetime of practice and personal development.
Q2: Did you get inspiration from any other artists?
I’m actually continually inspired by everything around me and that does include other artists. I have some fond favourites of course and I’m certainly influenced and fueled by their work. I think we all take a little piece of inspiration and weave it into our own creations from the fellow creators that speak to our inner selves. But ultimately, we make those elements our own and develop them into new waves of inspiration that others will come to enjoy and so on. Paying it forward or passing the torch of inspiration, I guess. But some of my favourites include Simon Bisley, Frank Frazetta, Liam Sharp, Ashley Wood, Brian Froud… to name just a few!
Q3: You’ve done a wide range of artwork, including for some of my favourite bands. How was it doing work for bands like KISS, Slayer, Rob Zombie, Iron Maiden, Doyle and more?
Every band is different, from the band members to the record label, each experience is new. Some are very easy to work with and very supportive of fellow creators; some are happy to lift you up with them and are sure to let the world know you’ve created something that’s a part of their legacy. Others are just businessmen who are more concerned with their own end product rather than the cogs in the machine. The same goes for labels, some respect you, others take you for a ride with zero credit. For the most part I’ve had a great experience working with some of the biggest names in the music industry and would happily create for them again. Rob Zombie is a great artist/creator in his own right and so to create artwork for his world was a true honour and a pleasure to work with. Richard Patrick from the band ‘FILTER’ is another gem in the industry and an absolute pleasure to work with – LOVE that guy! Jason Charles Miller too, (formerly of gODHEAD), another hardworking fellow creative whom I’ve been friends with now since the early 2000’s. I’ve created a vast amount of artwork for his releases over the years and he’s always been fun to work with – Every project is visually different, which I really enjoy! I could write a book about the experiences I’ve had with some of the more colourful characters over the years… Movie worthy scenes of insanity with Ministry, American Head Charge and Marilyn Manson to name just a few.
Q4: Is there a band or company you haven’t done a design for but really want to?
Oh, there’s a whole list of bands and authors I’d love to work with… But to be honest, a lot of whom I’d love to create for are actually dead. I find myself occasionally creating portraits of past peers… in the hopes of reviving and celebrating their existence. My way of adding to their immortalization, giving a little bit back as a thanks for their own contributions in life so to speak. As for the living, I’m sure I’ll get around to creating something for them at some point! (That said, alive or dead). I’m not going to name any names – as in time, these things will happen in their own way.
Q5: You’ve also done a wide range of Cryptozoology artwork, how did you get interested in that field?
I’ve been deeply fascinated by the unexplained since early childhood. Growing up in England, I was always either exploring museums in the natural history departments, or I was out in a forest somewhere catching frogs and chasing dragonflies. Every now and then I’d experience something ‘weird’ out there something ‘unexplained’. Giant foot long dragonflies… earwigs with extra-long pincers… giant frogs… Strange lights in the woods and across the sky… even the occasional ghost! So naturally the world of the supernatural, cryptozoology and the paranormal all wove their way into my life one way or another. I have a huge book collection, so over time and getting to know some of the authors, it became a natural progression to then step forward and actually illustrate their book covers.
Q6: Do you have a favourite Cryptid?
It has to simply be bigfoot… There are SO many reports… SOMETHING is going on out there! They’re seen everywhere… all over the globe in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Different names, different legends going back hundreds if not thousands of years in some cases. It fascinates me. We can’t be the only upright walking apes out there. I think there has to be something to it, some truth to the mystery. Whether they’re an undiscovered ape or a surviving population of ‘other’ human-types from the homo-family tree… who knows!? But something is out there walking around on two legs and it’s not bears!
Q7: What works are you most proud of?
Now this is a difficult question as I’ve created so much over the last fifteen years or so… it’s hard to pick your favourite child and in that sense I have hundreds. I will say I’m very fond of the work I’ve done with author David Weatherly. He and I have teamed up to produce 50 books that cover the 50 states of the USA and their monsters and legends within… I’m doing the cover artwork for all 50 books; David is doing the research and writing. SO those are some of my favourite pieces. I’m also very fond of the work I’ve done for my own projects, namely my Creepy Christmas artwork that are available as greeting cards and prints etc. That whole winter world of mine is growing each year and eventually I’ll be releasing a book among other things! I’m proud to have created for a whole host of authors and bands over the years… Too many to mention here, but some favourites include Clive Barker, Stan Lee, the X-Files and bands we haven’t already mentioned such as Ministry, American Head Charge, Kill Devil Hill, Poweman 5000, Biohazard, Orgy, Rammstein and HIM among many more.
Q8: What were your favourite horror films growing up?
In all honesty, I didn’t watch too many horror films growing up… I was far more interested in Godzilla and King Kong… Or films about dragons and fantasy. Though I did of course watch the classic horror films from the silver screen, my favourite being the ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’. I also have a fondness for all the old classic British films from the Hammer Horror company of the 1960’s / ‘70’s. You can’t go wrong with Frankenstein and Dracula… the wolfman… the mummy……… pure GOLD! Though for ‘80’s horror I have to say John Carpenter wins… ‘The Thing’ being a personal favourite. I also love ‘The Lost Boys’ and of course ‘Gremlins’…. too many others to mention here!
Q9: Have you got anything exciting lined up?
I’ve always got something exciting lined up! Hahaha I just finished the full album sleeve for FILTER’s new record: ‘The Algorithm’ which is out now as well as KILL DEVIL HILL’s new record: ‘Seas of Oblivion’ released today as I write this. I’ve also added to the album sleeve for Jason Charles Miller’s recent release: ‘Cards on the Table’, (the cover was done by the amazing photographer Ashlynn Von Helsing!), I did the back cover and inner artworks. I’ve also just done a series of alternate posters to promote a new movie called ‘Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose’ directed by Adam Sigal. The movie stars Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver, Christopher Lloyd and Neil Gaiman as the voice of ‘GEF’ the mongoose himself! Aside from those projects I’m also currently wrapping up a book cover for author Luke Phillips and another for Kenney Irish… No doubt I’ll be creating another piece of artwork for the cover of David Weatherly’s next book in our ‘Monsters of the United States’ series too! There’s plenty more on the horizon for my own personal projects and I’m constantly writing too… so who knows what’s next!?
Q10: What’s your views on the current state of the Horror genre?
I think horror is currently having another golden age globally… new franchises are being born, new cult-status characters are getting sequels and some promising new directors too have surprised us with some original takes. ‘Last Voyage of the Demeter’ was a pleasurable watch… it had some issues, but overall was a great take on one small aspect of Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’. ‘The Ritual’ is a firm favourite, with it’s ties to H.P. Lovecraft and in that same breath, ‘The Color Out of Space’ with Nicholas Cage and indeed ‘MANDY’ were both glorious in their visuals beyond anything else.
I really enjoyed ‘M3GAN’ and I thought Jordan Peele’s ‘NOPE’ was fantastic, as of course was ‘GET OUT’. But I think it’s been a good while since we’ve seen some real quality, mind-bending, horror… Though it seems to be coming in waves these last couple of years. I’m very fond of Asian horror and in particular a number of titles from both Japan and South Korea. ‘Train to Busan’, ‘The Saddness’ and ‘Alive’ being real stands outs. That part of the world has really struck a nerve of quality in regards to portraying emotion over simple shock tactics, (which appears to be the quick-fix go-to for a lot of overrated US movies). Now I’m sure that has a lot to do with the US fat-cats in their suits who care more for a sure hit. But that in turn limits what can be released or even made in the first place. But with Asian horror, they always bring the creep factor turned up to eleven and I’ve yet to see anything from the West that’s been able to really disturb me as much as Eastern cinema does in YEARS!
Q11? : Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
All I’ll say is follow your own footsteps, believe in yourself because no-one else’s belief matters if you’re not doing the work yourself. It all comes down to you, there are no hand-outs in this business. But the most important thing to remember above all else, is that if you don’t ask – the answer is always ‘no’.
Q12: Do you have any last words for anyone reading this?
Never give up on your dreams.
You can find and follow everything about me at the following links –
http://www.MisterSamShearon.com
https://www.patreon.com/MisterSamShearon
https://www.youtube.com/c/MisterSamShearon
http://www.instagram.com/MisterSamShearon
Raz's Midnight Macabre 