Students of Design

Nathan Walker – Basketball Illustrations, New York City, and a 4-Hour Design Competition – Ep36

Episode Summary

Nathan is a seasoned Illustrator, Artist, and Designer living in Austin, TX, and surprisingly, we never crossed paths while I was living in Austin. But I bet we were in the same place at the same time and never even realized it. His artwork draws inspiration from urban culture, graffiti, street fashion, and sports. At the same time, his use of texture and exaggerated character features adds a gritty New York City vibe to his illustrations. Nathan's list of clients includes the NBA, NFL, New Balance, Under Armour, Nike, Timberland, and other well-known brands. Besides reminiscing about cartoons from the '80s and '90s or classic G.I. Joe packaging, he enjoys sitting down for a meal at Jeffrey's Grocery. He's also the only person I know who has participated in a 4-hour design competition on YouTube for a chance to win $10,000. Tune in for a talk about why he was afraid to label himself as an illustrator early on in his career, why a part of him belongs to New York City, and how he almost derailed a design competition by asking to use the restroom, lol. Follow Nathan on Instagram @atpcdesign and check out more of his work on his website: alltheprettycolors.com. Also, "Don't Never Not Give Up".

Episode Notes

Nathan is a seasoned Illustrator, Artist, and Designer living in Austin, TX, and surprisingly, we never crossed paths while I was living in Austin. But I bet we were in the same place at the same time and never even realized it. His artwork draws inspiration from urban culture, graffiti, street fashion, and sports. At the same time, his use of texture and exaggerated character features adds a gritty New York City vibe to his illustrations. Nathan's list of clients includes the NBA, NFL, New Balance, Under Armour, Nike, Timberland, and other well-known brands. Besides reminiscing about cartoons from the '80s and '90s or classic G.I. Joe packaging, he enjoys sitting down for a meal at Jeffrey's Grocery. He's also the only person I know who has participated in a 4-hour design competition on YouTube for a chance to win $10,000.

Tune in for a talk about why he was afraid to label himself as an illustrator early on in his career, why a part of him belongs to New York City, and how he almost derailed a design competition by asking to use the restroom, lol. Follow Nathan on Instagram @atpcdesign and check out more of his work on his website: alltheprettycolors.com. Also, "Don't Never Not Give Up".

Questions for this interview.

• Do you think most people have the perception that you're only an illustrator, and do you feel like the rest of your skills are underrecognized?
• Having lived in Dallas for a bit, is any part of you a Dallas Cowboys fan?
• You've created artwork for the Dallas Mavericks. Can you explain how you got your foot in the door with the Mavs and describe what you made for them?
• When illustrating basketball players, how do you decide which details to emphasize to make a player recognizable?
• How do you break down movements like a crossover or a reverse layup into something static yet still dynamic in your illustrations?
• What is it about New York City that captures your attention, and how does the city influence you?
• Could you explain the concept behind the Trio of Time series, and then tell us about the inspiration behind the idea for your timepiece?
• Did that project teach you anything new, and what challenges did you encounter when designing for such a small mechanical footprint?
• You were on a design competition show called Card Stars. What did you know and what didn't you know about the competition before it started?
• Was the competition the first time you've ever sat down to create within such a strict, uninterrupted block of time?
• How stressful was the experience of working within a strict time limit on your slow-ass laptop, with cameras rolling, people shuffling around, and the weight of trying to do your best work for a chance to win 10,000 dollars?
• Making your family proud was essential to you. Do you feel like you did that?
• Which collaboration felt the most like a true reflection of your own voice as an artist, and why?