By Laser Wolf
It’s no secret that the Rock Coast Rollers are suckers for wildly imaginative and unique posters. In fact, our very own Bristol Smashin’ has created many memorable ones for our home bouts and events.
When we started drumming up ideas for art for our forthcoming Ballad of Milli Vanilli lip-syncing contest, one of our skaters presented a very cool illustration she found on the Internet. It was called ‘Girls Rock,’ and it was created by Aaron Scamihorn, an artist who is well-known for (among other things) screen-printed concert posters he has created for the likes of Cake, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, and Me Without You. He’s also done artwork for his local roller derby team, Naptown Rollers, based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
I sent an email to Aaron (who works under the pseudonym RONLEWHORN), asking for permission to use his art, told him about us, our fundraising event, and how much we admire his work, a distinct brand of digital portraiture that showcases his love affair with typography and serigraphy.
I expected him to politely decline or at the very least ask for compensation. I did not expect him to take the time to to create a poster for us and to do it as a donation of his time and talent. But that’s exactly what he did.
Here’s the finished poster:
Needless to say we are in love with the poster and so very grateful to Aaron, who we found to be not only generous and talented, but down-to-earth and funny. Check out our Q&A with him below, along with other pieces from his collection.
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Q&A with Aaron Scamihorn (a.k.a. RONLEWHORN)
Aaron Scamihorn, also known as RONLEWHORN, in his studio in Indianapolis.
What is your artistic background/training?
I grew up in a family of artists. Mom was an art teacher and both she and dad ran a pottery business with a studio in our basement. So I’ve always been around creativity and creation. I ended up going to school for art education but ultimately finished my graphics degree and focused in on marketing, illustration and design. After a few years in a cubicle behind a keyboard, I had an itch for that physical act of creating something by hand and decided to learn to screen print. This step has really pushed my work in illustration and poster design. I continue to focus on artwork for bands both in my day job as the Director of Design for TourDesign/Live Nation and by night as a freelance illustrator and poster artist.
You’ve worked on posters for the likes of Cake – how did you get started on this route? Was Cake your first gig poster client? I know you also do artwork for other well-known bands.
A local promotions company in Indianapolis, MOKB, reached out via twitter to find an intern for designing gig posters. Even though I had a full-time job at the time, I responded and let them know I’d love to work on whatever they had need for. The first screen-printed gig poster I did was through them and was for Mayer Hawthorne.
Getting the opportunity to do a poster for CAKE when they came to Indianapolis was really what helped me make a ton of connections and opened up a lot of doors for me as a gig poster artist. Their manager loved what I produced for that show and we have done 6 different posters together since.
Gig poster for Cake, courtesy of RONLEWHORN
You’ve also done artwork for your local roller derby team, the Naptown Rollers. Are you a fan of derby? How did that work come about?
My wife and I were invited to our first derby bout around 3 years ago. We sat track-side and loved every minute. I also loved the artwork on the posters and in the event program. We became regular attendees and have been season pass holders ever since. I started following them on twitter and at some point they reached out looking for illustrators for poster artwork. Since then I’ve done one or two posters each season. As a big fan of punk rock, comic book art and illustrating tough-looking chicks, derby posters are right down my alley!
A lot of people are still either puzzled about or totally intrigued by roller derby. If you could ask a derby girl one question, what would it be?
I’ve always wondered how you keep track of how many minor infractions you’ve had and when you’re about to get sent to the penalty box. The best jammers I’ve seen are effective with strategy such as knowing when to call of the jam to keep the other team’s jammer in the penalty for the start of the next jam etc. I can barely keep track of what is happening until it’s done, I can’t imagine trying to keep track while doing it!
Naptown Rollers bout poster, courtesy of RONLEWHORN
What are your favorite types of projects both thematically and in terms of form?
I’m in love with illustrating faces. If I could just draw faces & skulls all day, I’d be very happy.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m constantly on sites like designspiration.net and ffffound.com that stream a ton of very inspiring images with everything from art to design and architeture to photography. I am a huge supporter of absorbing as much as humanly possible and the result being inspiration based on the amalgamation of the 1,000’s of images.
Who are some of your favorite artists, writers, filmmakers?
Since I was very young, I’ve been very inspired by the art of Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and similar pop artists that found artistic merit in everyday objects and the iconifying of these subjects. I also grew up reading comic books and feel that a lot of my illustration styles are greatly influenced by the artists who created X-Men and the like.
What was your initial reaction when you got the email asking to use the Girls Rock illustration?
I’ve had many people pull images off my site and repurpose them for other stuff. It was refreshing for once to have someone ask permission.
Most artists would have protectively (and understandably) said, no or charged us a hefty fee for use. Why did you allow us to use the image and do the poster for us without charge?
I like supporting grassroots organizations and groups that are doing charity work. Seeing that the event was donating to an interesting cause and knowing that If I took a few minutes to tweak the art and put in your event’s info I knew the final result could be more effective in getting people to come out for the event.
Clockwork Orange poster, courtesy of RONLEWHORN
Weirdest project you’ve been asked to do?
Illustrating pig vaginas & cut-away anatomical diagrams of the artificial insemination process. (You asked!)
One random fact about you.
I drink about 18 shots of espresso a day.
You had your first gallery show back in 2011. Have you had any more shows since then? Any outside of Indianapolis?
I have recently made a connection with Gallery 1988 in LA. I have had pieces in two of their shows now. One as a tribute to Judd Apatow films for which I illustrated Jason Segel fully-nude from his scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The second was a Woody Allen tribute show for which I did portrait of Woody and framed in a vintage ornate circle. There are two coming up that I will have pieces in this year at this gallery. Follow me on twitter @RONLEWHORN or on Facebeook to say up to date with upcoming gallery shows and events.
Portrait of Woody Allen, courtesy of RONLEWHORN
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing?
Probably in a band. I used to sing and play guitar for a punk outfit called The Parliament.
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A big thank you to Aaron for taking the time to chat with us, and for the very awesome poster.
And for those of you nearby, don’t forget to sign up for the Ballad of Milli Vanilli lip syncing contest by clicking here. Deadline is April 8!
Rock Coast Rollers 