FUCKYEAHLOST.com

Fuckyeahlost.com interviews Justin from damoncarltonandme.com!

Earlier this month we told you about his site, and now we have an exclusive interview with the man behind the art of damoncarltonandme.com! Now check out my interview with Justin where he discusses the show and then talks about the work he’s done and what he’s working on next!

First of all, introduce yourself!
Hi, my name’s Justin Sena and I’m a Lost-aholic. I’m also a 29 year old graphic designer. I work at a design firm in Long Beach, CA. I design mostly toy and dvd packaging there. Some of they brands that I’ve designed for include Gundam, Ghost in the Shell, Yu-Gi-Oh, Kamen Rider, etc., and some packaging concepts and stuff for a couple big movies that I can’t talk about yet. I also love drawing and it’s a bit of a relaxing escape from being on the computer all the time.

Now, let’s talk about LOST! How did you get into the show? Did it click right away, and if not what was it that made that click happen?
I actually missed the 1st season while it was airing because there was another show that I watched that came on at the same time. I kept hearing how crazy/cool it was from my friends. So when the 1st season DVDs came out, I bought them in order to catch up in time for the second season. I put the first DVD in and after that, I don’t think I left my couch for the next 3 days with the exception of a few hours of sleep. I was so hooked - it was like mental crack and I was addicted.

What do you think was the most shocking moment?
The first time I ever watched the pilot episode, seeing the guy (Gary Troup) get sucked into the engine was pretty shocking - especially for a show to open like that. I knew at that moment that the show wasn’t going to hold back. But I think the MOST shocking moment for me was Alex getting executed in front of Ben. The fact that Ben just sat there and let Keamy shoot her…I really thought either Keamy wouldn’t do it, Ben would stop him, or SOMETHING would happen…It was such a cold, harsh scene.

Where do you stand on Team Jack/Team Locke; Ben/Widmore; Jacob/MIB?
Jack/Locke - I looooved Locke in the first 2 seasons. He was easily my favorite character. But then he questioned himself too much, lost his faith, and became very selfish in his goals. Eventually he even grew to be a little evil in my opinion. Jack on the other hand went from being a strong leader to a weak spoiled brat. I hate that he took a chance of killing everyone on the island (and managed to get Juliet and Sayid? killed) just because he couldn’t have the girl he wanted. What a baby… so I pick Sawyer!

Ben/Widmore - Ben’s a conniving rat. He’s manipulated his way through life. Ben doesn’t even seem to understand the island or Jacob. Widmore on the other hand has become a spoiled rich tycoon that thinks his money will get him anything he needs. I don’t think either of them deserve to lead.

Jacob/MIB - I love these characters and can’t wait to find out more about them. I’m wondering if Jacob can change into a smoke monster too since the MIB can. I’m also wondering if Richard is one of them (whatever they are) since he doesn’t age either. Anyways, I like rooting for the good guy, so I hope Jacob finds a way to come out on top in the end, but in the meantime, I wouldn’t mind seeing MIB turn into the smoke monster a few more times to wreak some havok!

Have you ever had a theory that seemed crazy at the time but turned out to be true?
I don’t know if it seemed crazy, but I always assumed that the smoke monster and the “dead” characters that re-appeared on the island (Christian, Yemi, etc.) were one and the same. Then after seeing last season’s finale, I guessed that MIB=Smoke Monster=Re-Animated characters. It’s starting to look like that theory was correct.

Favorite character and why? Least favorite character and why?
My favorite character would have to be Eko. I loved his solemnness, his strong will, and his determination. He only spoke when he had something to say. He’s just a really powerful character. I really hope they find a way to incorporate him into this final season. My least favorite characters would probably be the obvious Nikki and Paulo. Besides them, every time I see Randy Nations pop up I want to throw popcorn at the screen and boo. He’s just such an ass.

Favorite season and/or episode and why? Least favorite season and/or episode and why?
My favorite episode was “Deus Ex Machina”. It was the first time I can remember any TV show making me shed a tear. I can’t explain it, but it just tugs at my heart every time I watch it. Everything from the way it was filmed, the music, the parallels between the on-island story and the flashbacks, etc. were perfect.

Overall, season 1 just had this epic openness to it - like the show could go in any direction. It really took you along for a ride. I’d say that season was easily my favorite. I don’t have a least favorite season. When I had only watched it live, I used to think season 3 was bad, but I just re-watched the entire series to be ready for season 6 and honestly I didn’t mind season 3 at all this time around.

If you had to have one character who is still alive die, who would it be and why?
I think I’d like to see Ben die. He’s escaped death too many times and I can’t believe nobody’s just gone ahead and killed him after everything he’s put them through. Plus, letting his own “daughter” get executed in front of him…

What moment made you the happiest?
I’m a bit of a romantic, so I think the scene that made me the happiest was seeing Desmond and Penny re-unite. I love how they were destined to be together. Half of me hopes that season 6 just leaves him alone to live happily ever after.

Which characters death hit you the hardest?
Maybe Alex’s or Libby’s. I have a huge nerdy side and can relate a lot to Hurley. So it was really nice seeing him finally find a girl that was into him for who he was. Then, BANG! and it was all taken away. I kind of wish they spent just a little more time in the show mourning her (and maybe not leave us hanging with the unexplained Santa Rosa hospital scene!!). Alex was just innocent and didn’t deserve her fate.

What would be the perfect way for the show to end in your opinion?
I think that the thing I like the most about the show is that I have NO idea where it’s going. I don’t even know where I would want it to go. I’m just along for the ride. As long as it leaves me satisfied and not going “huh?”, I’ll be happy. I’m not really into the open-ended, “interpretive” endings as much as a satisfying clear answer.

Alright, now let’s talk about your work. What inspired you to make the site and to make these prints?
Well, someone posted the Damon Carlton And A Polar Bear poster “Locke’s Secret” on my Facebook. I thought it was gorgeous and shortly after that I was dedicating a lot of my time to following the DCAAPB site. Being an artist and a Lost fan, it was totally up my alley. The screen-printed posters looked amazing in person. So, towards the end of the poster series, I was really drawn to the idea of doing my own screen-printed artwork. I had also met a few other artists on the blogs and forums that were inspired to put out some of there own artwork as well. In addition, I had managed to gather a lot of freebies that were given away at the DCAAPB events. I decided to put together my own site to give away the freebies I had, release my own art, and provide an outlet for other artists.

I started the site out with a giveaway shortly before the DCAAPB Gallery event. Knowing that Damon and Carlton would be at the Gallery event, I told the winner that I’d bring his prize with me and I managed to get it signed by them. The awesome thing was that someone was live streaming the event and caught the signing on camera. I got an email 2 seconds later from the prize-winner telling me how he had just watched his prize getting signed live! I also gave Damon and Carlton copies of my 1st poster, “System Failure”. It all made for a pretty great kick-off for my site.

The two prints on the site look great. How long did “The Exit” take? How about “System Failure?”
I have a full time design job, so I can only work on the prints in my free time after work. I also don’t like to rush my work. I tend to walk away from a piece I’m working on for a day or two to get a fresh perspective on it. In other words, they probably took me a lot longer than they could have.

With both prints, I had a fairly clear idea of what I wanted to do before I started. I usually start out with some quick thumbnail sketches to get the idea down on paper and see how the layout is working. I spend roughly 2 min on each thumbnail, but will usually try to explore a few variations on the layout.

With System Failure, a lot of my time was spent researching the screen-printing process - it’s a lot more involved than the design that I’m used to and requires a lot of planning with the limited color pallet and the order the colors will print. I probably spent a few weeks with the research and design simultaneously. The poster was all done in Illustrator. You can see a “making of” for this poster here.

The Exit on the other hand was hand drawn before bringing it onto the
computer, so a lot more time was spent on the initial drawings. I
probably spent a week or so penciling, inking, and doing the black
fills. Then I spent another week coloring it in Photoshop. Again, a lot
of time and planning had to go into the colors. I’ll be doing a “making
of” for this poster soon.

Will you be continuing this project? What are you currently working on?
I’ll be continuing this project as long as there’s interest and my free time allows me to. I have 2 more posters already drawn, but I’m not sure I’ll release them as is. I’m not 100% happy with them yet and might re-draw them. I also have ideas for a couple others. I really want to capture moments that are important to fans of the posters.

In the meantime, I have a few new guest artists lined up, as well as some more giveaways. A couple of my closest friends are also interested in doing some art for the site as well - we’re looking into exploring other media besides print. Maybe some wearable art.

Is there anything else you’d like to say about the project?
I’m doing this for the fans, so stop by, let me know what you think. I’m always open to feedback. Let me know what you’d like to see. I will also always offer my prints as high-resolution downloads for free so that everyone can print their own. The actual screen-prints look amazing in person, but some people don’t want to spend the money or just can’t afford it.

Thanks to everyone for the support so far! It’s been a lot more amazing than I expected!

22 February 2010 ·