You’ve probably seen Mike Campau’s work without realizing it. Over the past 20 years, this digital artist has honed his style and techniques to produce eye-catching imagery for brands including Under Armour, Chevy and Specialized, and characterful portraits of Tracy Morgan, John C. Reilly and Dave Grohl. He also creates personal work to experiment with new techniques or skewer social media and politics.
In this podcast, Mike tells Chris how he’s grown from usual inspiration as a three-year-old, to learning from car campaigns, to the tools and collaborations that make his work possible today. If you’ve ever wanted to make the jump to becoming a successful freelance artist, Mike has solid advice on how to get established and manage your work-life balance.
Links:
Mike Campau interview with 3dtotal >
Chapters:
5:07 Getting started in art — via McDonald’s
9:04 Deciding to pursue digital illustration
15:23 Finding your own style
24:16 How to establish yourself as a freelance artist
29:12 Getting the confidence to jump ship
37:51 How to give clients unique work
43:47 Mike’s go-to CG software then and now
57:59 Discover Mike’s favorite projects