Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Hemak.
Hi Sean, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hello San Diego Voyager Magazine! If you were to ask my parents about me, they’d likely share plenty of stories about all the mischief I got into as a kid. Everything from being a highchair escape artist, disassembling kitchen toasters and appliances as a toddler, baby powdering the entire house, playing with light sockets, covering myself with ash and hiding in the fireplace, handling poisonous bugs and waking up to finding me playing outside in mud puddles during the first wee hours of the morning. The list goes on and on! So, my story begins as a highly imaginative, curious kid who just really wants to know how stuff works. I can tell you that as an adult, not much has changed. Early on in life I’ve found myself impressed by all things curious, imaginative and adventurous. I had a special affinity for creative works that were bizarre and humorous. 1960’s weirdo art, monster movies, read along records, comics, picture books and family tales of reminiscence and adventure were some of the perennial things that sparked creativity in me growing up. The decision to pursue a creative career didn’t come to light until about early to mid-high school. Although I was heavily intrigued by the sciences, physics especially, it was at that time I realized my value in the creative community was beginning to get recognized. I was given the opportunity to create the logo for my hometown and have it painted on the water tower where it still stands today in Almont, Michigan.
By the end of my high school years I had won several awards and earned my first newspaper write-up. During the following years I attended Alma College, The Art Institute of Pittsburg and then graduated from Kendall College of Art & Design. The people that I’ve met there continue to be an inspiration and offer new perspectives that have helped me throughout my career. My first creative paying gig in college was a seasonal job with Universal Studios as an actor and makeup artist followed by freelance with Canon USA and, eventually, I landed a full-time job as a graphic designer in the Detroit area. One year later I traveled across the country to end up in the Pacific Northwest! Portland, Oregon became my home for next 14 years. “Stumptown”, as they call it, was a great environment for rekindling my infatuation with the curious, the imaginative, the adventurous and the weird! The Lowbrow art scene, mixed with great coffee and possible street clown sightings on the daily encouraged me to up the ante on my creative endeavors. I began showing at conventions such as Stumptown, Alternative Press Expo, Crypicon and others. I also began showing work in galleries. I had my first solo exhibition with Upper Playground (Gold Bank Sketches) and the following year I experienced my first SOLD-OUT solo gallery show (Smokey Bear: The Retelling of an American Icon). I continued daily work as a designer while fulfilling freelance gigs with companies such as Dark Horse Comics, KISS, Vans and Intel. Ten of my years spent in Portland I worked as a Creative Director in the graphics industry.
As one of six corporate divisions, I helped build part of the foundation of the company and my organizational achievements started to take shape as well. Soon we fostered relationships with major corporations such as Coca-Cola, Goodwill, Nike, Laika; so many great companies! I learned so much during my tenure there. I will forever be grateful for the chance to work with all of the amazing people in Oregon. It was Christmas time 2016 that I left the Pacific Northwest to arrive in sunny San Diego, California. Ahhh, the beautiful weather, glistening beaches and, oh my, the tacos! A whole new world to explore! I began life here in SD to work in the Halloween costuming industry. I was lucky to land a position with the world’s leading costume design and manufacturing company in Poway. We designed and built costumes for Disney, Hasbro, Lego and the like from the ground up. Beyond costumes I built storyboards for commercials and product photography.
In 2019, I began illustrating covers and spot illustrations for The New York Times in the special edition kid’s The Fear Issue released during Halloween to explain common phobias and fears that that people face. Today I continue to work with globally recognized brands doing national advertising and marketing. It’s been a wild ride on my creative journey through life so far! I’m so honored and appreciative of all the fantastic people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I’ve had a tremendous number of great experiences and I try never to take for granted the invaluable insights and perspectives people have to offer. Throughout my career I’ve taken on the roles of Creative Director, Art Director, Designer, Illustrator, Photographer, Film Maker… I’ve had my hand in print, fashion, advertising, marketing, auto industries, fine art, music and more! So, I guess, my story continues as a highly imaginative, curious big kid who just really wants to know how stuff works.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey has not been the easiest path, but I think it unfolds exactly as it should. There are lessons and experiences behind every twist and turn that couldn’t have happened in any other way, and my life is richer because of it. I’m grateful for the good times and the wisdom from the hard times. It’s true that we’ll never know if the rode ahead will be smooth sailing or a bumpy ride, but we get to choose our participation in this life. We only get one shot! Take a risk; shoot for the stars!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Most every creative person has a certain activity or flow that they can revisit to produce a spark of inspiration. These sparks allow for exploration of bigger ideas, refining craft, self-expression or a good place to reclaim center. For me drawing is the rawest form of expression that I have, so I’ll speak to that. As an illustrator I’m mostly known for my pen and ink style. My imagery relies heavily on line weight, clean lines and a stark contrast between black and white. A large portion of subject matter showcases grotesque humor that draws inspiration from Weirdo art and some of my favorite illustrators (Ed Roth, Basil Wolverton, Charles Adams, Edward Gory and Charles Burns to name a few). My work has been noted as strange, creepy, clean, funny, odd, gross and goofy. I like to keep my creative process as slimmed down and bare-bones as possible. Generally, I don’t care to fidget with media or attempt to create overly refined illustrations. I love being able to show an idea as close to its raw form as I can. For me the imagery retains a human quality that emits its own original vibe which can sometimes dissipate through over-working media. For this reason a simple pencil, pen and paper will forever be by my side. Most of my work is produced with just brush pen on paper, although I do sometimes start with a light graphite sketch and ink over the top. Over the years I’ve tried a myriad of different pens, brushes, inks and paper. I’ve been able to condense the list down to just a couple of main-stay items that I use repeatedly. My favorite go-to tools to use are a Japanese Pentel Pocket Brush Pen (23590) and Bee Paper Aquabee Super Deluxe Mixed Media 10” x 10” sketchbook (808S60-909).
Most of my finished original pieces come out to be around 8 inches by 8 inches. A few of the most memorable highlights throughout my illustration career include: A solo show at Upper Playground / Fifty 24 PDX Gallery in Portland, Oregon. The show was titled Gold Bank Sketches and I exhibited 200 original 1 of 1 prints each hand-pressed in gold. The originals were 10″ x 10″ framed in 12″ x 12″ black wooden frames. The first night drew a crowd of over 1,000 people. My first SOLD-OUT solo show was with Upper Playground again called Smokey Bear | Retelling of an American Icon. I had gained image rights through The USDA Forest Service in anticipation to create a fully illustrated book. The exhibition displayed original pen & ink works and a near life-size acrylic painting of Smokey Bear. The New York Times contacted me to work on projects using my illustrations. My first publication to hit the national print newsstands contained three cover illustrations, a centerspread piece, 15 spots and an exit illustration. I’ve continued other work with NYT and I’m proud of the work we’ve done together.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite crafty childhood memories comes from visiting my grandmother’s house on Saturdays in the summer. I remember the radio playing oldies along with surf music and the old black & white television broadcast Twilight Zone reruns and shows like Shock Theater. Between my grandmother, my aunt and my uncle living in the same house, issues of the TV Guide, People and other miscellaneous magazines would pile up. So, on a lazy Saturday afternoon what’s an uncle and a nephew to do to pass the time? We’d grab a few of those unused magazine issues and go to town defacing the covers! I remember using a technique where we’d grab an eraser and if we rubbed the covers just right and with enough care we could remove the layers of ink on the print and expose just enough of the white paper beneath to insert our own creativity. With clever use of the almighty Bic pen or a common pencil we could alter the serene images of fashion models and celebrities into living monsters with scared necks, broken teeth, marred skin and eyes popping out of their heads! Muhahaha! Oh such fun! I often wonder if any of our pieces of magazine cover “art” are still circulating out there in the world. I do know that sometimes the simplest things done with a loved one can have a lasting impression though. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: seanhemak@gmail.com
- Website: www.seanhemak.com
- Instagram: @seanhemak
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sean.hemak/
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