Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Scoggins.
Hi Tim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
According to my Mom, I could draw before I could talk, and by the time I was 8 or 9, I could pretty accurately catch anybody’s likeness. So by the time I was ready to graduate high school, art school just seemed like a natural fit.
After graduating from Colorado Institute of Art, I moved to California, started freelancing as an illustrator, and eventually ended up taking the job of staff artist for Copley Los Angeles newspapers. After 10 years and approximately 1000 pieces of art later, I went freelance again and moved on to large scale murals and fine art, and even a little teaching.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My wife always says I should be honest and preface my story as a cautionary tale. And to be very honest, making a living as an artist, particularly a freelancer, is financially precarious at best. When it’s going well, it’s tremendously rewarding making money by creating, but when it’s slow, it can be down right terrifying. Especially when trying to support a family and raise kids. But for me, overall, it’s been mostly satisfying and I can’t imagine having done it any other way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a self supporting artist, I learned early on that I couldn’t be too particular about what kind of art that I did. And as such in my career as an artist I have done graphic design, illustration, exhibit painting, murals, airbrushed cakes, and all sorts of other assorted airbrush work, on all kinds of objects.
If I had to say what I am best known for though, that would definitely be my portrait work. I’ve done celebrity movie work, editorial portraits, mural portraits, and countless airbrushed portraits on everything from t-shirts and jackets, to funerary urns. My most famous piece though was a portrait of Muhammad Ali, that was featured in the biggest selling issue ever of Penthouse magazine and the tenth annual edition of the Illustrators annual.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m pretty much an open book, but there are probably some people and friends out there that don’t know that I’m and avid sci-fi nut and was once a pretty good athlete, particularly in basketball.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://scogginsart.net
