Adam Turnbull – Poster Boy

Adam Turnbull packs heat. His weapon of choice? The “Wacom tablet,” better known as “an artist’s best friend” in many art disciplines. For the multi-talented artist, illustration, graphic arts and design challenges are met with precision. American writer and illustrator, Edward Gorey once said, “To take my work seriously would be the height of folly.” We’re pretty confident Turnbull takes his work seriously, to the point of cleverness. His art acts as a commentary, often touching on the realisms of life. Adam is quite the operative and it shows up in his work. A mix of the seriousness the art world demands and a care-free attitude he picked up on the shores in his native Sydney, Australia. From executing projects like that for adidas- for which he painted 60 straight hours- to slick typography posters telling the world that ‘Everyone loves the harmonica,’ such variance makes for a portfolio that is a colourful sketch of many stages. Like his work, Turnbull too has grown in a step by step process. From designing a friend’s website on a Microsoft program with a Photoshop download on a 56k modem to building a list of international client and running his own design company entitled, Vacation Creaive. Adam is fuelled by curiosity and early on, a fear of working at a coffee shop. Our Q&A reveals his favourite art form, how his career began and advice for aspiring artists. While you’re reading this you might imagine, somewhere in Sydney, Turnbull is sitting in a chair, feet up with a Wacom tablet in his hand, creating the next big thing.

So you’re a graphic artist, designer and illustrator. Out of those three, which one do you like working with the most?

I enjoy all of them on different levels. With art, I enjoy the very natural process of exploring an idea and take it wherever you want to. With design, I enjoy the process of taking concepts and developing them and narrowing them down to one final. I like with design that if needed to, you can force ideas out of yourself. 
As for illustration, it took me years of working on a particular style that I wanted to perfect, which may never happen, but just to get it to a point where I can be happy with certain illustrations and to complete a brief with an illustration makes my day every time I do so. So I guess I love illustration the most. It is very rewarding

Can you tell us a little bit about how you got your creative career started?

Well I guess it all started when I was in high school. This was before blogs and things. I think msn had just come out and I spent about two months with a 56k modem downloading Photoshop and taught myself how to make websites. I made them for my friends and we had…..blogs I guess. We would load up photos of us surfing and skating and stuff. Then I went on to study design where I worked in a studio for a couple of years, freelanced for some ad agencies and then decided to take it all on myself. Along the way I have always been working on my illustration portfolio and exhibiting art every few weeks. 
I remember when I was going to apply to study, it was either fine art or design and I chose design because I was afraid to end up working in a coffee shop, although now I would love to work in one.

How do you get started on a project? Like where does your inspiration specifically come from?

Lets go with an illustration project. I generally get a brief from my agent Colagene. From here I will research every angle of the brief. Who, what, when, where, etc. and then draw up a little mind map and relevant inspiration. I will then sketch out a few ideas and choose a couple to develop into final sketches to present to the client. One of these will be turned into the final illustration. Inspiration for each project is different.

Out of all your artwork, which one is your absolute favorite? Or which ones stand out more and are more meaningful to you?

My series of abstract personalities I have been working on for a couple of years now is one of my favorites. It’s something I think about quite a lot and I intend to complete a whole second series of these. 


I’m also really enjoying my series of portraits I am working on at the moment.

Can you go back all the way to your first professional project and tell us how it turned out?

It was a website for a friends band, I did it in the Microsoft program, i think their manager gave me $20 or some shit for it, but I think it was good for the time – it would have been like 2003. They were a rock band. Inevitably the site was black background, a red grungy logo and white body copy. I think I even put grungy edges on all of the photos. I used to do the flyers for their gigs and stuff as well. It was all a learning experience. I think it was ok for the time. (Laughs)

What advice do you have for all young aspiring artists out there trying to get into the creative fields?

Just fucking do it. I know it sounds corny but I get really annoyed. I always hear people studying art, talking a lot about being an artist, talking a lot about making art and judging everyone making art without actually making any. 
My BIG bit of advice is photograph your work nicely and make a decent website. The web is everything at the moment and more and more people don’t trust a dodgy website.

What do you have planned for the future?

I am planning a sabbatical year from design clients and just working on illustration projects for myself and my agent Colagene. I am represented by them in North America and Europe so it makes sense for me to spend some time in Europe, so I’m intending to spend my year in Berlin.

And since it’s our summer issue, can you tell us about your favorite summer memory/moment?

I grew up in a small suburb across the road from a beach, so I have many, many memories of surfing all day. But nothing beats a summer in Sydney where the beaches are beautiful. And there are always great summer parties. Everyone is always outdoors. It’s pretty amazing here in summer.

**Adam James Turnbull is represented by Colagene.