All Photos: Alan Mercer
From the runways of Milan, to Animated TV shows, magazine racks, toy stores, book shelves and even the fragrance isle of your local drug store, Glen Hanson's witty, stylish and sexy imagery is everywhere! Over the course of his multifaceted career, Canadian born Glen Hanson has predominantly divided his time between the two worlds of illustration and animation.
His illustrations have appeared in a variety of publications around the world including BRITISH VOGUE and GQ, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, NEWSWEEK, THE WALL ST. JOURNAL, MAXIM, VARIETY and D.C. COMICS and on book covers for RANDOM HOUSE, KENSINGTON, HARLEQUIN, and most recently, the popular ‘GODDESS GIRLS’ series for SIMON & SCHUSTER.
His roster of advertising clients includes TIMEX, GRAND MARNIER, McDonald's, and SUNSILK shampoo. His development illustrations for MATTEL'S "MONSTER HIGH" dolls set the tone for the brand on packaging, design and the animated spin off. He has created poster images for the Off-Broadway hit musical "ALTAR BOYZ", Seth Rudetsky's "SETH'S BIG FAT BROADWAY SHOW" and the play "MISS ABIGAIL'S GUIDE TO DATING, MATING and MARRIAGE", on CD covers for House Music Label PURPLE MUSIC and BLINK 182's "THE MARK, TOM and TRAVIS SHOW" for which Glen was awarded a certificate of excellence from the AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF GRAPHIC ARTS.
All Illustrations: Glen Hanson
Throughout North America, Glen's images adorn gift set boxes and print ads for BOD men's and women's fragrance products. They have also appeared on the runways of Milan on a series of t-shirts as part of the spring and fall '05 collections of European men's wear designer, ANDREW MACKENZIE. Ads designed by Glen for those collections were featured in both L'UOMO VOGUE and FLAUNT magazines. REV JEANS Italy as well hired him to create a line of sexy t-shirt images and NYC based designer KARA ROSS has used his fashion illustrations to promote her line of high end accessories.
In Animation, Glen started out by designing characters for TV's BABAR, BEETLEJUICE and DARIA cartoon shows. In 2000 he was nominated for an ANNIE AWARD for his art direction and design on MTV's internationally syndicated SPY GROOVE series. He has since developed shows for NICKELODEON, FILM ROMAN, STUDIO B, and DISNEY. He co-wrote, designed and storyboarded a series of animated promo spots for SOAP NET entitled "CRESCENT HOLLOW" and in 2009 he combined all his talents to direct, design and storyboard the animated music video "GHOST TOWN" for UNIVERSAL MUSIC recording artists SHINY TOY GUNS.
Whatever the medium, Glen brings his unique talent, passion and enthusiasm to everything he creates... writing comics and TV shows, conceptualizing visual merchandise and campaigns for entertainment or corporate clients, or just capturing the likenesses of the famous and the fabulous with his signature style.
AM: Glen aren’t you originally from Toronto?
GH: Yes I am.
AM: Did you go to Art School?
GH: I went to Animation School. That was the first formal training I got. As a kid I was obsessed with Disney and Hanna Barbera and comics. I did a lot of self study. I drew all the time. When I was in school I drew, when I was home I drew, when my mother wanted me to go outside and play I was drawing. In Animation School I got to do life drawing for the first time. I also got to learn about technical things in animation and drawing.
AM: Do you do any animation now?
GH: I haven’t for a few years but one of the last things I did was to direct a video for Shiny Toy Guns. The link is on my web site. I do animation development and character design and art direction. I’m hoping to do more. It’s just a matter of finding the right project.
AM: You have quite a range in your work. I’ve seen some very adult work from you as well as child friendly.
GH: Yes, I would probably be a bit more successful had I stayed in one genre or one media, but I love doing everything. I’ve been working on the covers for a series of tween girl books for Simon & Schuster called ‘Goddess Girls.’ I love mythology and doing covers of kid’s books but I also love doing fashion illustration, caricatures and sexy girls and guys. That’s all part of me as a person and I want to be able to manifest that creatively. I would be bored with just one thing.
AM: What has changed about your profession since you first started?
GH: It’s gotten much harder, not technically because of digital, but it’s harder now for two reasons. I find myself discussing this with my peers on a daily basis. The first reason is the economy and the second is because print is disappearing. This has really reduced the work for illustrators.
AM: I remember when everything was illustrated.
GH: During the first 60 years of the 20th Century all advertising was illustration. Every ad was illustrated no matter what the product was. Even into the 90’s there were still illustrated covers on TV Guide. I was lucky enough to get five illustrations in TV Guide for the final Seinfeld in 1998.
AM: That was a legendary issue.
GH: They don’t use illustration anymore. The paparazzi has taken over illustration. Publications aren’t as interested anymore. I also find that kids who see my work on line have no interest in buying it. They aren’t interested in originals either. They always want a print, but a print doesn’t have any value. Only an original done by the artist has any value. So we aren’t in the best time now. All the changes in media have an effect on this too.
AM: Can you predict the future?
GH: My prediction, that will happen in our lifetime, is there will be no more cell phones. We will have something implanted in our skin that allows us to think and send the text. Look how quickly Skype took over. That was once in the future and now we live with it in our own homes. We are able to communicate instantaneously all over the world.
AM: I’ve heard things like this before too.
GH: I also have concerns about the corporate aspect of how everything has gone and where it will ultimately end up. I don’t mean to be dire about this, creativity still exists out there but it is becoming more and more difficult to earn a living.
AM: It’s difficult to recommend anyone get into a creative field these days.
GH: I don’t think they should even offer a creative degree anymore. They shouldn’t even offer those courses. It’s lying to kids to have them graduate from school with this degree and there’s no work.
AM: I have to agree with you.
GH: I find myself lucky that I knew a period where I could make good money and that I have success. I know of a 22 year old artist in Texas who is insanely talented and he can hardly get work. He should be working all the time. At least I’ve had the chance to experience a period of plenty.
AM: Do you have favorites among your work?
GH: Yes I do. Often times it’s not the same things that other people like. I find that when others respond to an image, it’s not just the image but it’s an emotional response to what it brings up in them.
AM: Yes I agree. They love Lucy!
GH: Exactly! The Golden Girls image that I did has been tattooed on four people. That blows my mind. I think I captured them well but it’s not the best thing I’ve ever done. There are just certain things like Lucy, Bewitched or Golden Girls that have a cross market appeal and live in peoples hearts and minds. I know when I’ve done a good job, but I can’t control how people will respond to my work. You just have to throw things out there and see what sticks.
AM: I know you are fortunate to have a lot of projects coming up this summer. Can you give me a run down of all you have going on?
GH: As for what's coming up this Summer…a whole new line of Glen Hanson t-shirts and tank tops including the ever popular ‘Golden Girls’ caricature, other caricatures and some of my sexy male images, the ‘Paper Doll’ costumes I designed currently in the Lady Gaga ‘Artpop’ tour, a collectible poster for the punk/pop band ‘A Day To Remember’ and some very special ‘Broadway Legend’ merchandise for Broadway Cares coming out this Fall for the Holiday Season. As always, I have color caricature prints available and a whole line of my greeting cards through http://www.nobleworkscards.com/humor-cards-by-line-divas.html
So, it's been an exciting year so far and I have a feeling it's only going to get better!
AM: Glen, you are a good looking hirsute man. Is body hair coming back?
GH: It’s not coming back. It’s back! I spent the entire decade of the 90‘s getting rid of all mine and that was a huge amount of work. Now I can be hairy and people love it! Young guys are into beards now. They are huge on the runways of Paris, New York and LA. Anyone who is young and hip is no longer trimming and shaving. They are very much about natural. I love the whole mind set that goes with that.
To learn more about Glen Hanson visit his website http://www.glenhanson.com/