MRR Comics & Art Issue Artist Q&A with Ben Fordree
This month’s MRR magazine is the Comics & Art Issue! Throughout March we are highlighting some of the participating artists right here on MRR.com. Today we hear from Ben Fordree from London, England.
What are your main publishing projects?
I don’t publish a lot of work, I usually make flyers and print shirts for some local punk ventures. I’m not much of a self-promoter so I mostly make personal work.
What are some of your artistic influences?
I’m really interested in folk art and outsider art, I would say I find something more interesting and influential if I don’t know who it was made by.
Musical influences?
I’m pretty conflicted because I like music that tries to do something a bit more abstract and interesting, but I also like music that is really straight forward. I like to try new things with art but I also like to do the same thing over and over again. I really like Spike In Vain and Disclose.
How would you describe your style of drawing?
I like to use the bold and clunky imagery used in tattooing and make it look a little bit less like a tattoo. I enjoy taking something that already exists and making it look different or more stupid. I’ve recently been photocopying a lot of my paintings.
What other punk projects are you involved with?
I run a printing business called Outside World Print where I print T-shirts for people and sell bootleg shirts, buttons, earrings, etc., and I co-run a record label called Muscle Horse Records. I also play drums in a band called Hunger and another band called Street Beef, and I sing in a band called SEMI.
What’s in the future for you as a cartoonist/artist?
I’d like to keep trying new ways of making art.
Check out Ben on Instagram @benfordree.
For links and more info about this artist and all of the artists in our Comics & Art Issue, check out the artist bios page.
