I don’t want to brag, but I knew Scott C. back before he was a big deal, the darling of the Internet. And what has that gotten me? Well, knowing a really nice guy, for one. But also this chance to chat about his new – excellent – hardcover collection of his work, Amazing Everything. And if you’ve spent any time on the Internet, you’ve probably seen his adorable watercolor creations, which lovingly embrace pop culture and weirdness – from a lumberjack holding hands with a log, to… Well, lumberjacks doing other stuff.
Scott and I chatted about all that, his connection to the gaming industry, and most importantly, what painting had him stumped:
MTV Geek: Okay Scott, let’s kick it off talking about Amazing Everything… How’d the book come about?
Scott Campbell: Amazing Everything is something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile. I've never collected my paintings into a book before. It is nice to see everything in one place! And in a book that is sort of heavy that I can place on my table or tables. My friend Maurene Goo helped me lay it out and Insight Editions was gracious enough to offer to publish it. I've worked with the editor, Kevin Toyama, on other projects, so it was great working with him again. Actually having someone to help edit my writing was very satisfying. And Jack Black's foreword is like an awesome little poem. He acts as my bouncer for the book, I would say.
Geek: What’s it like seeing your art collected in a hardcover format like this?
SC: It feels splendid to see it all together! Like a family album. There are many memories in this book. Organizing all of the paintings was like laying all of your photos on the floor and trying to pick the best ones for your little album. And then you are proud to show your newly composed album to people whenever they come over for coffee. That is the feeling for me.
Geek: Actually, to take a step back – I’m pretty familiar with your history, but can you talk about your work with Double Fine, and how that’s grown into the career you have now?
SC: I've worked for Double Fine for about 10 years as Art Director and concept artist on games like Psychonauts and Brutal Legend and the soon to be released Once Upon A Monster with Sesame Street. I worked long hours on those games and enjoyed creating those worlds very much. Read More...
