Meet Brian Busch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Busch.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and Rhode Island School of Design, with a focus on fine art and illustration. After graduating, I wound up employed as a sculptor and mold maker. While a departure from where I thought I was going, working in 3D was a real benefit to my painting skills.

Years later, I decided to dedicate my time to fine art painting. For around ten years, I participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, both here and overseas. I also enjoyed being a frequently commissioned portrait and mural painter.

In 2017, I decided to go back to my initial love of illustration, and at the end of the year, I made a move to Los Angeles. Since then, I have been working as a sketch/storyboard artist in film and advertising as well as finished illustration.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While I have been extremely fortunate, in many ways, the path is rarely smooth. Fine art has its own struggles, but the switch from fine art to commercial has been challenging in many ways. First, the switch to digital was a strange one for me.

While the same principals of image making apply, digital is a language all its own, and while difficult, I absolutely love it. Second, while I had my own business with my fine art, I was not nearly as disciplined as I need to be now working commercially. I regret not learning the business side of things while I was younger, a common mistake among artists, it is easily an important skill as the actual craft, perhaps more.

Lastly, switching careers a little later in life was a gamble, I had no portfolio that would serve me in my new field, so a lot of time was spent last year building a new portfolio and doing samples for potential clients. I have taken numerous lower paying gigs, so I had experience and actual client samples. Luckily, this is starting to pay off.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
As mentioned, I am pretty new to commercial Illustration. The short answer to “What do you do?” Is “What do you need?” I have done everything from movie posters, instructional manuals, whiskey labels, and book illustrations, and am currently about to do a graphic novel. But if I specialize in anything, it’s being a visual storyteller, that’s why storyboards and sketch art are a perfect fit for me.

When a client needs a visual representation of what a commercial may look like or a movie, they hire a storyboard artist to basically do a comic strip version of it so they can get an idea of what things look like before they go through the expensive process of actually filming it. A sketch artist basically does the same thing, but for print ads and billboards.

I am getting noticed for the moody quality of some of my works, and I think the thing that sets me apart is a long career of fine art before going commercial, This sort of thing usually happens the other way around, where after years of commercial work, people finally pursue their personal work.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
In rural Illinois, where I grew up, we had the Prairie Path. A bike path that seemed like it could take you anywhere, I spent a lot of time there, a vivid memory as I write this is riding past horse farms on my way to a neighboring town so I could go to the A&W drive in for a root beer float.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.brianbuschstudio.com
• Phone: 630-379-6145
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Brianbuschstudio

Image Credit:
Zelda Devon

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