By: Chris Stead

Self taught and self made artist, Rich Friend started making art in the form of music. As he got older he found himself in a prime position to start working in visual arts. Now he works as a cartoonist in the new Batman comic. Although he does not claim to be a Goth artist, avoiding the cliches of Tim Burton-esque look, Rich says that he has a certain kinship with the Goth community.

When Rich was younger he fell in with the group of people that were outside of the mainstream. This is undoubtedly a familiar story for many that are in the scene today. Although he never persued the lifestyle he is definitely still intouch with those that do not fit the social norms. Though he works with the Batman team, Batman being a dark comic for certain, Rich truly makes his voice heard most strongly through the artwork outside of the Batman studio.

How old were you when you first started doing art?

I drew a little bit as a kid. I started getting recognized for having maybe a little more artistic ability at 10 years old. I sort of knew it. I could tell it came easier for me than it did for other kids and also I could tell by the reaction of adults when they saw my stuff maybe something was up. Being an only child I guess it gave me something to do. I never took it all that seriously which in hind site was sort of dumb of me.

What influenced you to go into visual arts?

I am not sure exactly. I was in a band and had done music my whole life (since age 11) but I was known for being an artist and was referred to as that also. I did nothing to cultivate that label though but looking back people referred to me as an artist a lot more than I ever realized. Around the age I went into High School it basically became this unused skill I had. It would occasionally come in handy. People always remembered my ability to draw and for some reason there’d be that moment every few years where someone would say ”oh, you need something drawn, you should ask Rich”

At age 24 I saw a job opportunity as an inker for comics and went for it. I got hired in less than a year I went from being a singer and guitarist in a touring punk/grunge band to working professionally as a comic artist. It started out as a side job but I saw a lot of avenues through comics and thought it was a good place to pursue lots of different things…I get my art out all over the world and my name too. I work for Warner Brothers essentially. It doesn’t get much bigger than that. I meet people from all fields of entertainment.

Have you received formal training in visual art? If so, where?

No. I am self taught…no art classes and no art training…I am not opposed to it, but I have never gone.

I understand that you work on the Batman comic. What do you specifically do there?

It’s a new series that deals with Batman at about year 2 of his evolution into the Batman character. It deals with his first meeting with Lex Luthor (Superman’s main nemesis) and this huge army of killer robots he’s created. It’s a monthly comic, and I just ink it. I am not really pursuing comics in terms of my own art right now although I may be doing something in 2007 it depends on the situation. I’ll know in a few months if it’s going to happen. I may pitch my own idea and see if I can create a new book. Inking is a nice way to be involved in commercial art without having to do something I am not in 100% control of for now. Comic work (well commercial art in general) has a lot of restrictions…that’s something I can’t deal with. Inking pays the bills and has been a fun day job.

How did you get involved with the Batman team in the first place?

They asked me. I am sort of known in the business so at this point jobs line up more easily than they did when I started.

What art do you do aside from your current work in Batman?

I do a lot of illustration work; I am very interested in photography and also fine art. I am working on a pitch for a really cool project. I can’t talk about it too much but it ties in with music and working with a band… It’s still in the early stages. It would be a huge, huge deal if it works out, the equivalent of hitting the lottery in some ways. There’s still something I find more appealing with doing my own work and developing my own ideas. I just don’t think I am a great team player when it comes to creativity…either would be great though.

You said that you find a certain kinship with the goth community. In what way do you feel akin to the people in the goth community?

I’ve personally always felt alienated. I am the kid who would go to the library and read about dark things, I focus and I am interested in the darker side of life. It’s a hard way to live and can cause problems like drug abuse or alcoholism. I was listening to dark music when I was as young as 10 years old and was drawn to such sad and depressing things. I felt so alone. I don’t know…growing up in a sunny, happy, sporty place like San Diego and having a personality like I have can be tough. You just don’t fit in always. In High School people thought I was weird because I started dressing different. It was so stupid. You wear black or do your hair a little different and you receive an immediate backlash to it. You end up with 3 or 4 friends who are all mocked….it was me, a lesbian, a gay guy, and a girl who’s dad hit her. That was my life back then. I just buried my head in the sand and did my own thing with this small group of friends. It’s a more creative existence, that’s how I see Gothic people, creative, sensitive, artistic, literate and probably isolated to some degree. That’s me in a nutshell.

How did you first get involved with the goth community?

That’s hard to say. I don’t think I am involved in it that tightly, if at all. I have never felt connected to any one scene. I have gone to some of the different Goth club nights on and off in San Diego. I went to a few of the Fetish Balls and stuff like that. It’s cool I like to see people being themselves.

Would you consider yourself a Goth artist?

No. If people are striving for individuality trying to be something like being a Goth artist to me is a waste of time. Doing some watered down version of Tim Burton like 50 million people try, or doing this “dark” bondage photography we’ve all seen a million times…is done. It’s been done, and done to death…Literally. I say DO great dark art or try and create a new fashion sense or really make a new statement with you work, like a piece of great literature. Do something that moves things forward or opens new doors for people. There’s no label on that, and that is far more appealing to me. You can deal with similar dark or gothic themes but I think the presentation needs to be advanced not rehashed

What is the motivation behind your art?

I just make things up. A lot of it right now is basically demos for future work. Like prelims and studies, little test runs on different things even though the work is pretty tight.

Is there a vein that you follow with regard to what your art says to you and your viewers?

I try and draw things that I think can be presented in an interesting way. There’s a beauty in things like death or dark material, but there’s also something challenging with surreal things as well. I am interested in history, folklore, and different cultures. Sometimes you do a piece of art only because it’s an image that’s striking. Being a musician/writer most of my life. I think I can maybe narrow down an idea into a concept that’s clear or abstract. Like if I wanted to convey the feeling of loss. I can think of imagery that’s symbolic of that emotion and possibly come up with a unique way to present it because my ideas aren’t based only on art I’ve seen. They are based on words, phrases, energy, and rhythm. Other times there’s no message to a piece initially but then it becomes something bigger later or you realize it WAS something more…maybe like a dream that at first was a series of unrelated images or little abstract vignettes…but if you break it down it’s a real thing or an emotion. It’s always a little different. …I don’t know where the desire to draw certain things come from. It comes from everything I’ve experienced I suppose.

Aside from the comics, what audience is your art generally for?

Well again I don’t really do comic art right now. Most of my art (meaning 100% me and the art I am sharing for this interview)….is for people who like imagery and have a bit of an imagination. They’re illustrations for the most part….some are based on photos or little clippings I like and I arrange them, or warp them…others are 100% original and just made up as I go. I think this time for me is about experimentation and learning. Learning about art and myself at the same time.

How do they tend to react to what you say with your pieces?

People seem to like it. A lot of artists are into my work which I find interesting and very flattering. You can tell you are on the right track when a lot of your peers are into your work. I’ve been very lucky to have that support.

If there is any one thing that you would like people to know about you and your art, what would it be?

My work has evolved quickly and as long as I stay focused, I see myself producing a lot of art (all media) over the next few years. I just celebrated my 3rd year drawing, working with photography, and painting digitally and traditionally…so at that, I am still very much a young artist. I hope there’s a little something special when someone sees a piece I’ve worked on that’s intriguing, and they want to see more. I hope it’s as much intangible why they like it, as it is obvious.