Screaming Demons Made Me Do It

Hello dear reader, I have a treat for you.  I, your lovely Live News Girl, D* Cyber Punk met with the defiantly dark artist Marcus Jones aka Screaming Demons for a day at the Glastonbury Festival where we sank pints of cider and chewed though veggie burgers while we chatted about art, life and all the kinds of things freaks like us talk about…

Goth Clothes: Please tell us, how did you first discover your talents as an artist and how have you developed your talents over your journey?

Screaming Demons: I became aware that my drawing and painting were getting me unwanted attention from other pupils when I was about 10 years old; you know how they display your paintings in corridors at school.  Lots of people knew who I was because of my art; this was not always positive attention.  So naturally I attended an art course after leaving school.  After completing the two year course I got a job in a Landscape Architects Office.  Drawing trees and plans didn’t interest me at all, but at least I was getting payed to draw.  After 2 years the formality of the office environment became too much for me and I left.  I spent years drifting in and out of mundane jobs (mostly out) but I always kept drawing and selling art, it was mostly caricatures and cartoons.  At 24 I got my first tattoo and I knew from then I wanted to be heavily tattooed, so I got myself a tattoo gun and started tattooing myself.  I wasn’t interested in becoming a tattoo artist, it was about changing myself.  I’d always looked ‘alternative’ but now my appearance was a little more permanent.  At the same time I was piercing myself, most of my 30 piercings are visible so by now another office job was out of the question.

For the first time since I left college I started to paint again, these were large fetish fantasy paintings.  I had a regular slot at a fetish club, showing my paintings once a month. The next project was taking on the mammoth task of the graphic Novel; it was a dark tale of lust and horror.  The main character is called Zelta – she was a very sleazy Gothic Girl who used and abused everyone around her.  I sold it in local gothic clothing shops and comic book shops. Zelta was seen by Mark Berry who started up Naked Magazine, I illustrated for Naked for a couple of years.  It was while watching Mark manipulate my drawings that I became interested in digital art.  It took me few days to grasp the basics (and I’m still learning). Pretty much everything I do now is digital, I regret not trying it earlier.  Over the last couple of years I’ve been producing a lot of images for clothing and more recently CD covers.

Goth Clothes: Do you tattoo anyone else other than yourself?

Screaming Demons: I have only ever tattooed one person and that was my wife. I tattooed some stars on both her feet, I was very nervous but it went well and we’re both pleased with results.

Goth Clothes:  Can you tell us about your life experiences that have influenced your creative style and in particular, some of the creations we see in your portfolio?

Screaming Demons: I’ve always been into alternative music and fashion, I was scruffy  black clad teenager with heavy black eyeliner – trying  to make myself look dead ,  I think the  teachers thought I was a drug addict. I also used to draw on my body with a marker pen, a sign of things to come. I always attended gigs clubs and bars where the black clad pierced and tattooed go.  Later in life I started to go to tattoo conventions.  I think all these things have influenced my art and of course my lifelong love affair with horror films. All these things have a heavy influence on my artwork.

Goth Clothes:  Your current artistic style frequently focuses on the traditional “Pin Up” form with gorgeous girls featuring as your primary subjects. Can you tell us where you get your inspiration for these creations and do you base your girls on real life models?

Screaming Demons: I was always watching the old black and white films when I was young, so I’ve always had a soft spot for that vintage look, when you match it with tattoos – it looks great!  No they’re not based on real people; they’re almost cartoon like with impossibly slim waists and large breasts, huge eyes with tiny noses that you only find in Hollywood.

Goth Clothes: Your creations would definitely not be described as “mainstream” art.  How do you find the general population reacts to your work?  

Screaming Demons: The general public don’t get to see much of my art – I know where I’m not wanted – Haha.  I try to deliver it directly to the people who might be interested, but when the general public do see my artwork   the words ‘ weird ‘ and kinky’ are often used.

Goth Clothes:  Do you find you generally attract a specific genre of followers?

Screaming Demons: yes, extremely intelligent and good looking!

Goth Clothes:  If you could wrap up this genre in a portrait, what would the subject look like?

Screaming Demons: Big boots, pierced up, tattooed and heavy drinkers - much like me.

Goth Clothes:  What tools do you use to create your works and can you please give us a little bit of understanding of the process involved in how it all happens?

Screaming Demons: It goes something like this, I find an image in a magazine that I like because of the lighting or the pose, then I change it to my style so that the first stage becomes pointless. I’ll do a pencil sketch and then scan this in and paint in Photoshop. I often have only a vague idea of what I’m doing and then picture kind of evolves through ruthless editing and useful criticism from my wife.

Goth Clothes: Many of your works have a “Horror Film” influence to them ~ What is your favourite scary movie?

Screaming Demons: The horror film I’ve seen the most times is ‘American Werewolf in London ‘ by John Landis – the script is great and the effects were groundbreaking.

Goth Clothes: Tell us more about the novel Zelta ~ How did this novel come about in your life?

Screaming Demons: Zelta is a story about a tattooist guy who gets involved with a very seedy character called Zelta. There’s a lot of drink, drugs and strange visions. Most of it is set in bars and clubs and creepy old churches.  I wrote and drew it myself.  I remember getting a little frustrated not being able to find the sort of art I wanted to see in comics or graphic novels, so I decided to produce my own.  It took me three years to complete and I think I learned a lot. The story was a vehicle for the images I wanted to draw, so it’s full of voodoo girls, demon nuns and lesbian vampires. I’m planning to upload the whole thing onto my new website in five bite size chunks.

Goth Clothes: Where do you get your best ideas?

Screaming Demons: I always keep a little black book nearby in case inspiration strikes for a new T-shirt idea. Daydreaming on sunny afternoons in my living room seems to work best for me; all my night time dream ideas turn out to be mystic turds.

Goth Clothes: It’s probably as stupid as asking a mother which is her favourite child but do you have any creations which are your favourites?

Screaming Demons: That’s easy, it’s always the latest one, but the love affair is quickly over and I move on.

Goth Clothes: What is the question you are most often asked? 

Screaming Demons: In regards to my art, its “Why do your female figures have cuts and bruises?”  And the answer is simple; I’m just trying to make them appear more human. Digital art can look cold and sterile; this is me trying to combat that and now I suppose it’s a bit of a trademark.

Goth Clothes:  What do you consider to be the essential elements of Gothic style?

Screaming Demons:  A balance of beauty and horror – and black, lots of black.

Goth Clothes:  If you could be an apprentice to anyone in the world (fictitious or real, from any place, any time) for a whole week, who would it be and why?

Screaming Demons: I would liked to have been on set  with film director Stanley Kubrick whilst making ‘The Shining’, I’ve studied this film frame by frame and I love the way every shot is perfectly balanced – like a mini masterpiece. I consider it to be the creepiest film I’ve seen and the music is amazing.

 

Goth Clothes:  In a quiet corner of your day, when your time is completely your own, where are you most likely to be found and what would you be doing?

Screaming Demons: It’s really boring, but I’d be surfing the web – looking for an inspiration tattoo design or hoping to discover an amazing new band. 

Goth Clothes:  If you had to set your alarm to wake you up super early tomorrow morning, what music would you choose to wake you up?

 Screaming Demons: At the moment it would be ‘Trapped Love’ by the Cramps from their ‘Flamejob’ album.

Goth Clothes:  Who or what is your nemesis?

Screaming Demons: Anybody in authority who thinks they should control my thoughts and actions. 

Goth Clothes:  What most endearing quality?

Screaming Demons: My wife says I’m more willing to change than anyone she’s met. My philosophy is that it’s easier to change yourself to fit the world, than it is to change the world to fit you – keep yourself fluid.

Goth Clothes:  What aspirations or goals are you aiming to achieve within the near future?

Screaming Demons: I’m in the midst of co-designing my new website which I’m very excited about. I’m going to be selling prints and clothing, having competitions to win my art and uploading a hundred page graphic novel. I’d love to see my novel turned into a film or even to see it in print would be great. Otherwise I’d be happy to carry on designing more cool clothing and a few more CD/ album sleeves would be good.

Goth Clothes: Have you any tips for any aspiring artists out there in the alternative art world?

Screaming Demons: I don’t think I’m at a level of success to be handing out advice, but I’ll say this …I started to have some success when I gave up trying to please other people and just did what I loved doing, that’s when things started to happen for me.

Goth Clothes would like to pay a big fat “Punk You” to Screaming Demons for rescuing D* Cyber Punk from the lost children’s tent at the Glastonbury Festival.  You can see more of Marcus Jones’s amazing works on his website Screaming Demons, check our his Deviant Art Portfolio and follow him on Twitter for all the latest news on how his hang over is today.