Interview with horror artist RM Hanson!

By Geoff Bough

It could be said that I have an affinity with the world of horror. It would be dead on to say that that love of horror started with horror comics and Universal Monster movies as a kid growing up which in turn opened my eyes to the vivid imaginations of horror artists the world over.

Artists such as Basil Gogos, Simon Bisley and HR Gieger fascinated me and I continue to be a fan of the world of horror art to this day.

We got the chance to speak with horror artist RM Hanson about his work and love of horror, check it out...

Rev: You have a very unique style of art, can you tell us about your history in art and illustration?

RM.: I started off wanting to be an animator and started at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design right out of high school. I took some illustration classes as electives, and by the time I was in character animation, I realized that spending the rest of my life in a dark room over a light table was just not going to work out. So, I hit illustration really hard, and one thing led to another, leading me to study abroad in Ireland for a semester. There I had free reign to work on whatever I wanted, and there my style developed, and when I got back, I just kept with it.

Rev: Were you always drawing and sketching as a kid?

RM.: As soon as I had hands big enough to hold crayolas, it was all over. I remember getting yelled at once for drawing little horned monsters on a piece of paper in church when I was a kid, so, not much has changed I guess. My parents are very creative, artistic people, and they always supported me in all that I undertook, no matter how much blood was in the work.

Rev: When did you first start to devote more time to your work as a profession?

RM.: I really started chomping at the bit right after graduation from MCAD. I am constantly trying to get freelance work, and making a name for myself in the horror industry is what I am really going for. It was during school that I started thinking about horror-themed art as a career as opposed to just my personal work, and then I have been trying to make that the reality ever since.

Rev: Did you study art in school?

RM: Yes, all through high school, and all through college. I love all kinds of art, and studied all kinds, from animation to design, film, painting, sculpture, writing, all of it. I eat, live, and breath the stuff.

Rev: I know you did some art recently for 'I Want Your Skull' which is certainly one of the most interesting collections of artwork around. Can you tell us how you got involved with that project?

RM: It started by finding Brian Morris on Drawn.ca, the illustration blog, and the link to his stuff went to the I Want Your Skull site. I was immediately hooked. Then, when the call for fan art came around, I tried it out and ended up getting in. It is an awesome site/publication/project, finding and exposing a LOT of really rad artists, and I hope that the piece I just submitted for the next print issue gets in. It is a great project I love supporting.

Rev: As an artist who or what do you draw inspiration from?

RM.: Holy crap. That is a really good question. Horror movies and music are probably the most prevalent lately. Especially vintage and classic horror. The 1940's and 50's were such a bizarre time, and the movies are so strange to someone of my generation, and I love the awkward acting and rubber monster suits.

My friends are also a HUGE part of my inspiration, as is my very special lady, Karen O. A lot of their links are on my blog, skeleface.blogspot.com. My folks are a big part, as are a lot of current and past artists. I am addicted to the monster art of Basil Gogos. He is the king. Also, I am a huge fan of Greg Simkins, James Jean, Brian Morris, Travis Millard, Banksy, KOA, David Hartman, Chris Mars, Chet Zar, Zach Johnsen and the rest of Tank Theory, and there are always more being added to the list.

Rev: I notice in your sketchbook you have a lot of the classic Universal Monsters sketches, who's your favorite monster out of the bunch?

RM.: Man, that is like choosing a favorite child! I guess if I had to choose just one, I would probably go with Frankenstein's Monster, played by Boris Karloff. That was the first classic horror movie I fell in love with, and I still watch it all the time.

There is something about the tragedy of that character. I really like tragic monsters. A close second would have to be the Wolfman, but like I said, they all feel like family to me.

Rev: Your caricatures are absolutely brilliant! Can we expect to see more of those in the future? I'd LOVE to see you do a George Romero caricature.

RM.: Thank you! You know, that work has always struck a chord with a lot of people, so I think I owe it to you guys to come up with some more. I would love to do some tributes to the horror greats. George A. Romero would be an AWESOME person to draw. He has a great face.

Rev: Are prints of your work available for purchase?

RM.: Yes, there will soon be prints of my piece "One of a Thousand Faces: Bloody London" available on the Creep Machine website, www.creepmachine.com, as well as the original piece. If anyone is interested in any of my pieces and would like to buy a print, just shoot me an email and I will get you taken care of. No formal store or anything, yet, but hopefully soon.

Rev: Are you open to commisioned work?

RM.: YES. I am working on a commission of a Kraken right now, and it is really fun. I would LOVE to do a lot more commissions, they are a great way for me to throw my own spin on content set by other people.

Rev: Who would win in a zombie gunfight, Bub from Day of the Dead or Big Daddy from Land of the Dead?

RM.: You know, I think Big Daddy has the tenacity, but I have more love for Bub, so I would hope that Bub would come out less dead.

Rev: Any favorite bands or music you jam while working?

RM.: Anything spooky or haunting, or just flat out furious. Lately, I am really into a lot of metalcore and hardcore, death metal, psychobilly, good old death rock, and movie scores. So, there is a good range. Calabrese, Tiger Army, Nekromantix, 100 Demons, Greyskul, Misery Signals, Chiodos, and of course, The Misfits have been on a lot lately. Danny Elfman is always a winner, too.

Rev: Favorite zombie movie?

RM.: Again, like choosing children (I don't have kids, by the way, but I can imagine this is what it would be like trying choosing one if I did have them.) The more blood and guts the better, but honestly, I love them all. I love the original Night of the Living Dead, and, I know purists out there may condemn me for this, but I am also in love with Shaun of the Dead. I think that movie was successful on SO many levels.

Rev: What can expect to see from you in the future? Any projects you're working on at the moment?

RM.: More work...lots more. I have a couple of projects in the works that are more fine-art based, although still horrific, and I am constantly making new illustrations.

I am trying to get in with a few magazines to do some work, some record labels and some bands, so hopefully those will be going through, but you can always expect more monsters. I am working on several more pieces as a tribute to Lon Chaney, Sr. and I plan on doing a more completed series of Universal monsters. My own creations are always lurking around too. I post some of this stuff on my sketch blog if you are interested in tracking some of the process. If all else fails, you can believe that I will be keepin' it killer.

Thanks for your time RM and we look forward to seeing more of your amazing work! To check out mroe of RM's work, go to: skeleface.blogspot.com and www.rmhanson.com