Miguel’s Website - https://www.miguelalmeidaillustration.com/
What is your primary medium?
I bounce between traditional painting using stuff like posca pens, markers, stuff like that and digital. So usually it kind of just depends on what I'm doing. I definitely like painting a lot, but I also like working on my computer and Photoshop with my Wacom tablet.
What motivates you to start creating?
I just think I've always loved creating art since I was a little kid. I've always enjoyed making my own little flipbook animations. I remember stealing my parents little post it notes and doing like Dragonball Z, you know, like little stick figure animations. And I guess I just never kind of grew out of it. So it's always been something that I do. I love creating imagery, especially very more kind of like graphic colors, shapes and pretty much anything that comes to my head.
Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?
Lately, it's been a lot of my upbringing. My parents are both from Mexico. They immigrated here, I would say, probably over 30 years ago. So I definitely grew up in a community where I saw a lot of the people that were immigrating here and the jobs they did. It's been kind of nice, in a way it's almost like honoring the people that sit on the side of the street and sell corn. You know, or the guy that pushes the ice cream cart for hours in the summer. I think it's kind of cool to honor that. I think it pushes me to follow my dreams and that, just seeing how hard these people work. I think lately that's been inspiring my art a lot.
What else has inspired your art?
As far as inspiration, growing up skateboarding. I started skating when I was 12. Some of the first art that I really enjoyed was, you know, skateboard graphics. Whether it was Toy Machine, Blind, Zero, Baker. I was always drawn to that stuff. And I remember I used to draw over my binders, like the little Blind logo, or the Toy Machine devil logo. And then from there, I found out about the artists that made the boards like Ed Templeton, Margaret Kilgallen, Barry McGee and I think those are all artists that I grew up admiring and I definitely draw inspiration from those artists and I think that's got a lot to do with like the style that I work in very kind of bold, graphic. shapes and colors.
Has being Part of the skateboard community helped you?
I think so. I think if it wasn't for skateboarding, my life would definitely be a lot different. I don't think I'd probably be creating the same art I create now. I might be touching on the same subjects. But I think the way I create it is very influenced by the skate videos. I watched the posters I had in my room, the graphics on the boards. I think all that definitely has influenced my art and like my life all together.
How important is having a set aside art space for you?
Oh man, it's so nice to be able to like, do your work in one room. And then when you're done, go into another room and sleep and not be surrounded by it all the time. Because it definitely I think it is nice to be able to step away from it. Go into a different room in your house or wherever you are and kind of just like separate yourself from it and take a break. Because for me, it's always better to step away from a painting, and look at it with fresh eyes. You know, be able to come back and see if I see anything versus just like always looking at it and always being in there. It's kind of nice
Do you think you create more now with a dedicated space for art?
Yeah, I think so. Especially because, you see I have like paints everywhere, kind of paint brushes everywhere. I don't have to set up and clean up too much. So it gives me more time to be able to just sit down, doodle an idea out, even if it's just for like an hour and not have to worry about setting it up and taking it down and doing all that.
Are you able to make a living off of your art in Boise?
I'm moving towards making it kind of more my main income. Right now. It's like 50/50. I work at the Boise Co-Op as a cashier four days a week and then on my three days off, I'm doing art jobs. So commission work, or doing personal work that I sell prints or stickers of, and T shirts and totes.
Is it hard to find commision work here in Boise?
At first it kind of did seem hard. Like I just didn't know what I was doing. There was kind of no guidance. I was just like, just kind of floating there and I would get commissions here and there. I think it was after I got a few bigger ones like, Prestige Skate Shop had me design a board for them, which led to another job helping JD's Bodega design some of their logo work and some of the stuff that's printed on their merch. And then it just kind of kept growing and growing. And one thing kind of led to another.
So you were involved in the JD's Bodega sign?
Yeah, I think Prestige Skate Shop told Josh Davis, like, hey, check out Miguel, he's got some cool stuff. And then from there, me and him started talking and we ended up working together and it actually turned out to be a rad project.
So did you design the mascot guy they've got?
Yeah, so the main logo, like basically the main logos that they have. So I helped him kind of develop the signage for the front and then the logo where I think they have two different ones, a more detailed one, and then a little more basic one.
Does your upbringing reflect in the artwork you create?
Yeah, more in my personal work. Commissioned work I kind of make it more about the brand that I'm designing for. So I do use a lot of the same kind of detailed work. I do a lot of the same illustration style, but a lot of that is just more based on what the brand wants. But my work is definitely inspired by a lot of the stuff I grew up seeing when I would go visit Mexico, a lot of the colors I would see, a lot of the colors you still see in the architecture. Lots of teals, bright pinks, yellows,
Did you go to school at all for this?
Kind of, I went to University of Idaho and I did their virtual technology and design program. That was more based around 3d animation, 3d modeling and stuff like that. When I graduated high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was like, I don't know, I didn't know anybody who was an artist who was making a living as an artist. So in my head, I was like, how do I get paid by someone, but also get to be creative. So it was like 3d animation, 3d modeling all seemed new to me. And that's what I went to school for. I did learn how to do digital art in that program, which is probably what I use the most and I took some art classes in school as well. But most of that was based around 3d modeling and animating.
Are there opportunities you've had in Boise you wouldn't have gotten elsewhere?
I think so. At first, I was kind of like, I don't know, I saw Boise as a small community. And I guess I just never really knew many artists. But I can definitely say now that it's offered a lot to me just, you know, from Prestige Skate Shop, growing up knowing those guys, doing work with them. And I think in the smaller community word gets around like, you do one project for somebody, they recommend you to somebody else. Or like the project I'm working on right now for Bite Me. It's a new hand dipped ice cream shop that's going to open up in the village. They found out about my work through Push and Pour, because I did some work for them.
What's your favorite thing to do? Do you have a favorite practice?
I would say probably painting. Screen printing is still pretty new to me. So it can be frustrating but I think if I just had more proper equipment to do screen printing, it wouldn't be as frustrating or stressful when I'm doing it. But it is satisfying to be able to have control over what the shirt looks like, you know, instead of waiting to see when the shirts are printed, and just to be in control of the quality I think is something I've always liked.
What's it like doing commissioned work and having to create something that's not your original idea?
I think it's been pretty nice lately. Most of the people that have reached out to me like the style that I work in, they are reaching out to me because they like my work. So they give me a lot of creative freedom. I think through my college experience, and what I learned there, it was based more on designing for somebody. So it's really easy for me when I'm designing for a client to be able to get in their head and start doing stuff for them and kind of detach it from myself.
Is there anywhere you’d like to see your art grow?
Whoo, that is a good question. I mean, I think the ultimate goal for me is to be able to do this as a living, to be able to just survive and be able to buy a house one day, be able to do all that stuff just from creating art. I think it's something that I've realized, I don't want to live any life that is less than a creative life, you know, even if it means working at a grocery store and then doing my art stuff on the side. I think to me, that's more satisfying than maybe you know, getting a job that I don't like, but pays me well. Starving artist's life.
Why is art important to you?
I think the reason it's so important is because people can learn a lot from it. You can reach a much bigger audience with a message through your artwork, especially right now since I've been touching on a lot of subjects of growing up as a first generation Mexican-American. When I do a show I'll have people that grew up like me come up and their stoked on what I'm doing. It kind of excites them to see that, you know, like these people that work so hard are getting kind of you know, they're getting honored, which I feel like in Idaho, you don't see a whole lot of at the moment. I could be wrong, but just as far as public art goes, you don't see a whole lot of those stories being told.
Do you think art is something you'll ever step away from?
I don't think so. Even if one day I realized I couldn't do this for forever. I think it's something I'll always still do. Always still paint, always still doodle. I've done it since I was a little kid, and I definitely don't see it stopping anytime soon.