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Russ Schwenkler - A Fairly Dangeruss Man Russ Schwenkler is one of the
greats in the skinning community. Russ took some time to speak
with us about his work, his life, TEK: To follow up on some of the Wired article: At 39, do you really believe you're twice the age of the "average"skinner? (most of our staff is at least 30). Russ: No, that stat was created by Dan Koeppel. I'm certainly a bit older than most of my skinning peers, but the "average" skinner is more than likely in their mid twenties rather than the late teens as suggested in the article. TEK: Can you tell us about your partners? Anyone we know? Russ: Sure. You know them all with maybe one exception. "Treetog" (Renato C. Veras Jr.) is my Brazilian buddy. We work well together and often share ideas and graphics when we're creating our suites. "Dmer" (Deven Stephens) is another very good friend. Deven does all of the LiteStep theme creation for Double D Designs and creates several custom skins within those packages. "Alexandrie" (Johanne Chaine) is a real blessing. She does all the ICQ skins on Dangeruss-Industries (DRI) and more importantly is web programmer par excellence. She's done a major job in restructuring DRI twice. Her latest contribution was reformatting everything to php3 so I can update everything using custom scripts. It's magnificent! My latest associate is Grecian, "Theremon". He created a series of GetRight skins and I've added them to the collection at DRI.TEK: Please tell us about working in Suites. Russ:I enjoy a coordinated desktop, so I've always skinned in that fashion. The reality is that most things are repetitive, and as such, skinning a suite is rather painless. Once a style for corners, buttons, Windows controls and the like is established, it's simply a matter of sticking to a design standard. Being able to modify things to suite but retain the look and feel is the only real trick. TEK: What is your workflow like, how do you plan, are you using "component pieces" for the art, and how do you delegate duties among your skinning crew? Russ: Because the foundation of my custom desktop is Windowblinds and NextStart, I always begin with those applications. Since Windowblinds skins so many elements, once I'm finished with that skin, I have many of the common elements for other skins already complete. In the process, I usually create a layered Photoshop document with various pieces and use them to create the "Frankenskins" that follow. I really don't delegate skins. Most of my associates are eager to contribute their pieces to a new theme. I'll usually send Deven bits as I proceed, so he can begin the LS theme creation. Often we coordinate our releases. TEK: Migellito suggested that in the future, great skinners will achieve a kind of "designer" status, with names like "Dangeruss" carrying the kind of status in the interface design world that "Dior" and "Gucci" carry in the fashion world, ...do you see this coming?Russ: Hmmm interesting notion. No, I can't see that a pixel pusher, such as myself, will attain the lofty status of those named designers. Much of the allure of those fashions is their high price tag and "snob appeal". With skins being free download anyone can afford to dress their desktop in the latest haute couture. It's nice to have one's work recognized, but even amongst the computer savvy, Kai Krause, is often just another name. TEK: Do you see it as a good thing? Russ: It's hard to predict what will come of this skinning movement. As it becomes more and more prevalent and the software becomes easier to use and more mainstream, I believe that you'll see less and less individual recognition. If you recall the early days of desktop publishing, many small businesses sprang up offering strictly DTP services. Where are they now? There's little call for them since software producers both large and small have filled that gap with easy to use software. As skinning becomes more mainstream, I expect that skin builder applications will be come more robust and easy to use and skinning will pas from a specific skill to a task any competent computer user can perform TEK: Have there been any drawbacks to your star status? Russ: Not really. My web costs have increased. You'll notice that I don't run adds (yet) sot DRI is a wholly self funded activity. I get a bit weary answering the same questions via e-mail. So much so, that I have reply templates set up for common questions. TEK: If it was possible to arrange it with all the necessary parties, and you could devise a CD-ROM that would automate the install process so that anyone could slip it in, and it would configure their computer to look and act just like the "Thredz" screenshot, would you do it? Russ: Well, you could do it today with a custom LiteStep Distro. TEK:
I believe a "Thredz Operating Environment" CD would sell like hot-cakes,
do you agree? Russ: The operative word here is "sell". There's so much precedent for free themes with LS, and KDE and the other Linux GUIs all being either open source or free code, I think sticking a price tag on it would be self defeating. TEK: Please tell us about your education. Russ: Typical High School education with a brief dabble in college. I concentrated on engineering and drafting in his school with a slant towards technical illustration. Never took an art class in my life. TEK:
They say you learn everything you really need to know in kindergarten.
Russ: My father was an engineer, and his sketchbooks always fascinated me. I was always drawing things and by the age of five, I knew that I would "make pictures for a living" And in your adult life? I draw my inspirations from many contemporary sources. I was an avid airbrush artist for many years (pre PC) and I've always looked up to some of the big names in that genre. TEK: What do you do "in the real world"?Russ: I am a Sr. Media Developer for the Siemens corporation. I create illustrations, graphics and animation for our training and promotional materials. I produce art for print, video and multimedia, using a wide variety of software and hardware. TEK:
What's the home life like, specifically, does your family respect your
"skinning time"? Russ:My wife is very supportive. She enjoys using my work on our computer, but prefers less 'manly' designs. Thredz is a bit too dark and "techy" for her tastes. My son, Robert (20) is pretty stoked by it all. To be honest, seeing "dad" in a national magazine is fairly common stuff. I've been involved in several hobbies and have been fortunate enough to have caught the media's eye in each of them at one time or another. TEK:
Great artists are like pop stars. Russ: Mainstream "alternative" stuff is my current listening preference. Think Rage against the Machine or Creed and you'll be on the right track. TEK: Did you ever have long hair and drive a motorcycle? Russ: Visit http://www.dangeruss-industries.com/Motorcycle.htm for that answer. TEK: Ever been in a bar-fight? Russ:I plead the fifth. TEK: Do you have any groupies? Russ:In the traditional sense, just my wife. I do have some email "pests" that think I'm their best friend and write way too often. TEK: Please let us know about your equipment choices... How big is yer monitor, how fast is your processor, what art program do you prefer, and are you doing anything (production-wise) that the rest of us would find really surprising? Russ:I work with many PC at the studio where most of my skinning takes place. The preferred machine is a dual 700 Mhz box with 768MB RAM and 40 GB HD. I run a 21 inch ViewSonic monitor at 1280x1024. 3D design takes place on an Intergraph workstation with similar specs and some very expensive 3D graphics and video boards installed. At home is a modest 400 with 256MB RAM and a 17" monitor set at 1024 x 768. Production wise, I think I'm pretty typical, no revolutionary methods I'm aware of. I'm sure I could learn loads from watching other skinners work. TEK: Have you talked to Niel since the Wired article? Was he pleased to see your homage to him reprinted on the pages of the magazine? Russ: Niel was thrilled to hear about it. I sent him a copy, but I've not heard if he's received it yet. Niel has hinted at another cooperative effort in the future. In the meantime, he's really taken to skinning himself and we should expect some really kick-ass stuff from him soon. TEK: Do you have any advice for the new and novice skinners? Russ:Start with something modest. Don't dive right into Sonique or LiteStep without some experience. Learn your tools well. Follow graphics tutorials and try to use the techniques to create something unique, not just a tutorial clone. TEK: some of your skins have their genesis in designs from elsewhere on the web or in real life, such as thredz from Neil Allardice's website, or your motorcycle skins. Which of your most popular skins came solely from your imagination, and what 'place' in your imagination do you think they came from? Russ: Airframe and Driftwood, both for windowblinds, are completely original works that has proven to be quite popular. Both sprang from a desire to create very rich skins that had a lot of surfaces you wanted to touch. I wanted to create something that had a tangible quality about it, that looked as if it were fashioned from real world materials. The same quest drove me to create the wallpaper " Inertia". TEK: when an artist does great art, there is something underneath the surface of the image; a meaning or voice which the artist is expressing. What is your voice? Russ: Precision. I am by nature a detail oriented person. It's impossible for me to "rough sketch" anything, I get bogged down in the minutia. What I strive to create is a clean precise look, a sense or order. TEK: some of your skins have a very cold and technical beauty, such as thredz or the ill-fated borg. Some are very warm and endearing, such as driftwood. However, they all posses the same feel or 'signature.' do you feel a distinction between the two types? what do you think the difference results from? what do you think the 'signature feel' of your style consists of? Russ:The same sense of precision and tailoring I mention in the previous response. My work tends to incorporate a lot of contrast and definition between elements. You don't see too many "12 shades of gray" skins in my body of work. TEK: your windowblinds skin 'darth' is a port from a popular kaleidascope (mac GUI themer) skin. What are your feelings about the mac os? have you ever designed for it? are more k-scope ports a possibility? Russ:I use the Mac OS daily for video editing. It's got it's problems too, that's for sure. I'm not OS centric with a preference for either. Seeing as the Wintel platform has more software options and more flexibility I'm drawn to those attributes. K-scheme ports, maybe. I browse the new stuff occasionally, If I see something that really rocks me, I'll try to obtain permission and create some skins. Lately, nothing has moved me much. There are some schemes that I'd really like to port, but the author has declined, so they won't happen for the PC from my efforts. FnaDs Five 1. what skin do you wish you'd written? Treetog's Aqualung theme. It's perfect. 2. what would you like to have on your laptop if you were stranded on an island, e.g.: skins, music, proggies, peripherals, games,etc. I'd have to have all my skinnable progs, Notepad and a copy of Photoshop. A satellite net connection would be swell, but not in the "stranded" theme I suppose. I'd be happy with Sting and Stone Temple Pilots in my mp3 player. Games? What are those? 3. have there been any skins that have made you laugh? cry? orgasm? Weird question. Cry? Possibly "despair", created while I was in a really depressed state. There are sadly many laughable skins out there. Orgasm, Sorry, not yet. Although some of the screenshots on LiteStep.net are pretty close =) 4. boxers or briefs? Briefs. 5. list some sites you visit daily, weekly, hourly. Skinz.org (natch) , deviantart.com, Designs by mark, raph.com, 3Dcafe.com, google.com (best search engine) LiteStep.net Tek thanks Russ for the time
he took to talk with us, and for the insight into his life and work. Go right to the source at: www.dangeruss-industries.com 11-1-2000 |
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