Luke Feldman aka SKAFFS

October 2008: Originally from Warrnambool, Victoria, Luke now calls Melbourne home. Working professionally as a multimedia designer for over 10 years he has developed SKAFFS, a collection of vibrant and quirky ideas that started during high school and came to life a few years ago.

What is SKAFFS? Where did the name come from?
SKAFFS is a world made up of wonderfully weird and vibrant creatures and environments. The name came to me one early morning. It is a play on the word “scaffolding” as it represents the foundation for this fantastical world.

SKAFFS is a collection of vibrantly coloured artwork, giant vinyl adhesives, collector toys, skate decks and other fun paraphernalia.

How would you describe your own work?
Vibrantly coloured, curvaceous, symmetrical, stylish and clean.

What have you been working on lately?
It’s been busy in the world of SKAFFS which is always fun! I am currently finishing up my co-authored and illustrated children’s book “Chaff n’ Skaffs: Mai and the lost Moskivvy” to be launched in early 2009. Being a huge fan of “Where the Wild Things Are” book, I am very excited in preparing for a collaboration exhibition with Maurice Sendak in Los Angeles in November. I am preparing for the launch of my collector toys Mai and Maiko. And I continue to work on my upcoming animated series to be launched early next year.

When did you first realise that you wanted to be a commercial artist and illustrator?
I have been drawing ever since I was a child. After studying multimedia and visual arts at University, a whole world of possibilities opened to me. I realised that I could adapt my own style to many different platforms: illustration, animation, mobile content, games. The many hours of doodling during high school could actually be put to good use and brought to life!

Having had the opportunity to utilise my style to design advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, Apple, Disney, Facebook etc has also been a lot of fun and very rewarding.

What have been the highlights in your art related career to-date?
This year I had the opportunity to design a 1-storey high booth at the MAC World Conference in San Francisco. Working with Plasq (www.plasq.com) I was able to design the booth with a jungle theme. Having the opportunity to see my designs printed out so large and formed into furniture was an awesome experience.

Last year, my short film ‘Who Saved the Moon’ was featured as a finalist at the International Independent Film Festival at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego. I was asked to be a special guest to speak about my animated film. Since then, my short film has been featured in various international film festivals which have been great exposure for me. Check it out here: http://www.skaffs.com/animation05.html

I am also a huge fan of the work of Theodore Geisel’s Dr Seuss. Last year I was asked to exhibit with the work of Dr Seuss in Los Angeles and this was a huge honor for me. It was such a successful sell-out show.

This year I held a solo exhibition ‘Perpetual Kagemi’ in Melbourne. It was so great to have such a huge turn out and positive response to my work. Collaborating with Coothwork to film the show was also a great experience for me; Coothwork did all the filming and editing, I did the music, and character animation and special effects.

I am currently working on my own animated series and that has been a really interesting yet challenging experience. Interesting to see how it comes together with the story creation, storyboards, animatics, but challenging with all the hurdles one has to overcome to produce an animated series for television!

You’ve done illustrations, animations, toys and gallery art. What’s your favourite medium?
I actually enjoy adapting my style to various mediums. Digital illustration is probably considered my favourite medium because I enjoy the process of creating the piece, finalising the layout and adding the crisp shapes and vibrant colours. I hope that people are inspired by work and like myself, are tempted to jump into the piece to explore the world of SKAFFS.

Where can people see your work?
My work can be found at www.skaffs.com with updates made frequently on www.skaffs.com/blog and on my Facebook site. Various stores and galleries in Melbourne, Los Angeles and San Francisco stock my work. A full list of stockists can be found on www.skaffs.com.

Do you have a favourite artist, or artists?
My favourite artists include Theodore Geisel, Salvadore Dali, Max Ernst, James Jean, Mark Ryden.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
My advice to aspiring illustrators would be to establish a style, practice, and stick with it. Experimenting with different mediums will help you to define who you are as an illustrator. Get involved in the local community and start exhibiting.

Links:
www.skaffs.com
www.lukefeldman.com
www.facebook.com/people/Luke_Feldman/739047921
www.myspace.com/skaffs