Fat Punk Studios, while not expressly Goth, boasts some amazing art work and designs. They were recently featured in Front Magazine, Skin Deep and most recently in Skate Magazine UK and they carry some crazy cool skate decks and gear.  You don’t have to be a skater to appreciate this company though, just check out what they have for art and clothing and you’ll quickly see why we are fans.  They have got some incredible canvases for your walls that will always catch eyes.  These are designs for the cool at heart; you won’t find anything like them in your big box stores and they’re much cooler to collect than those cheap mass produced paper posters that you buy in plastic rolls from a bin. Oh, and did I mention that they’re also working on tattoo sheets and a book?  Next time you are looking to get some ink done you can check out what these guys design, it’s sure to rock.

I’ve always been of the opinion that an interview is only as cool as the subject at hand, so when I found myself lucky enough to get to Interview Sam Brade from Fat Punk I was super excited. I thought this would be an awesome first interview to kick off the new website and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Sam gave us some great answers and it’s obvious that he’s an artist with real passion for his work.

1. Who is Fat Punk?  Where did the name come from?

When I was a youth growing up in sunny Brixton (London) there was a huge fat punk of a guy living near me who owned loads of really cool Harley Davidson bikes. We would pester him year after year like the little shits we were to sit on his bikes but he was a bit crazy and used to shout at us NOO!!   Many years later this dude is long gone but my 1st studio is above where the CRAZY FAT PUNK used to keep his bikes.  The rest as they say is history and the FAT PUNK STUDIO was born!

2.How long have you been an artist?  Have you always been artistic?

Going back to my short trouser days I’ve always had a passion for drawing and creating stuff. I used to skate everyday until cider and girls took over. It wasn’t so cool to skate then, but the skate/punk graphics stayed in my heart.

Drawing was something that came easily to me, a pen and paper are never far from my reach. A solid grounding in being able to draw is paramount within the digital realms of vector art.

3.Where did you learn your art?  Self taught?  Formal education? 

I did an A level but most of it has been off my own back! I think you can’t really be taught how to be an decent designer/artist, sounds wanky but you either have it in you or you don’t. All anyone can do is try to encourage it out of you and give you a bit of discipline!

In regards to the digital side of things I am a totally self taught vector fiend. Most of my designs start on paper then if I think they are good enough they get transfered into the digital realms where I then embellish and add to the design.

4.If you had to chose between what you’re doing now and having a boring, yet incredibly well paying office job which would you pick?

I just couldn’t  face the day in dead end grind of most graphic design jobs. Designing little characters for cereal boxes or logos for pizza delivery shops.  All the money in the world doesn’t make you happy! Owning your own company is the dream I’ve always had, so as long as you can pay your bills and feed yourself without some arse of a boss telling you what to do you’ve already made it!!!

5.What’s your favorite flavour: Tattoos or Piercings?

Tattoos are for life and I think that the final decision to get a tattoo done is SO INTENSE like no other other decision!!  The rush of not being able to turn back is so cool and the more crazy the tattoo the more of an ‘up yours’ the decision is to the rest of the world!

6.Where does the inspiration for your designs come from?

When I was a kid I would try to draw what I thought would happen if say a tractor and a sheep were spliced together! As I got older I became really interested in cinema, in particular David Cronenberg’s flicks. The concept of organic matter mixed with metal and machinery fascinates me and lead me to getting some implants myself, and is massively reflected in my work.

Aside from cinema other major influences on my work are Manga, Japanese style graphics, Nature, Architecture and the visual perfection of M.C.Escher.

7.What’s your perfect Saturday night?

I can see it now…… few glasses of Absinthe, few friends, few bars, back to mine for some more absinthe, music and quite possibly some herbs from the garden of sweet mary jane!! Been mad busy recently tho so one of these is well overdue lol!!!

8.How do you feel seeing other people wear the clothes you designed?

I get such a buzz when I see any of my creations being enjoyed by someone else. At first I would even go shake their hand! Recently the drummer and lead guitarist of a band called ‘The Streets’ were wearing a FAT PUNK STUDIO tee at Glastonbury 2009 on stage and I still felt proud as punch!

9.What style would you say defines Fat Punk?

URBAN, SUB-URBAN, AGGRESSIVE , DIGITAL, CYBER OPTIC MIND BLOWING FANTASY SHIT! Fat Punk Studio mixes clean with mean and the rough with the smooth!

10.Do you have a message behind the designs?  Is there something you’re trying to express?

Not directly… I wouldn’t say that we are actively rebelling against modern illustrative styles; we are simply designing through the channels of our personal likes/dislikes and striving to create something interesting and refreshing that expresses/reflects our passion for accuracy and detail in design!

11.What sets you apart from other companies?

FOCUS, PASSION and STYLE …..This is what drives us and what keeps us ahead of the game. Our skills all come from within the company and we don’t stop working on something until we’re 457% happy with EVERYTHING!
 
 12.What’s in the future for Fat Punk?  Where is the company going?

We will be working closely with the Tattoo community producing Fat Punk tattoo books and sheets for individual tattoo parlours. We have also been invited to exhibit our works at several tattoo conventions across europe. We have some amazing sunglasses, caps and jackets coming soon along with more X-treme sports hardware! We are half way through completing the Fat Punk Studio ‘book’ which will be a completely amazing insight into the full collection of our art, from rough sketches to full prints.  

Our style is intensifying day by day so things can only get bigger! “FAT PUNK STUDIO WORLD DOMINATION”…… This is just the beginning!!!!!!!

13.If you could spend an afternoon with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and what would do for that afternoon?

I’d spend the day riding quad bikes on sand dunes in full Mad Max attire with Director Micheal Bay lol.

He is a visual genius and definitely someone that inspires me .. funny as f%£!!!!k   too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHsxQJ9ZOo