A 6.0 Minute With Nike Artist Adam Haynes

Where do you get your ideas for the Nike artwork from?
Much as I’d like to take credit for all the Nike work I’ve done, most of the time I’m not the one that comes up with the content of the illustrations. I work with a talented team of designers and writers, and the ideas for the drawings emerge from numerous brainstorming sessions. Once the concepts are established, I draw from a variety of sources, from my own photographs and journals to magazines and films.

What’s your favorite medium to work in and why?
I prefer to draw with india ink and paint on weathered, rough surfaces. This isn’t always conducive to artwork that can be reproduced and scanned at high quality, so I mostly work on illustration board using brushes and pens. I’m a huge fan of graphic novels, screenprinted posters, and other printed media.

Who are three artists that have inspired you the most?
Evan Hecox, Katsuhiro Otomo, Frank Miller

How did you get your start in the design business?
I moved to Montana back in 1996 to snowboard and managed to emerge with a design degree from Montana State. My wife and I moved back to Oregon in 2000, and I lucked into an apparel design job at adidas.

Out of all the action sports Nike 6.0 deals with, which one’s your favorite and why?
I grew up skiing at a little area about twenty minutes down the road from the house my parents still live in. I started snowboarding as soon as I had enough lawn mowing money saved up to buy a used gnu. These days I still manage to get sixty or seventy days on the hill every year.

Is there anything new coming up that we can look forward to?
Yep, I can’t spill the beans just yet, but we’re working in some exciting new directions with Nike 6.0. I’ve got many personal projects in the works right now as well in the form of screen printed posters, paintings, and drawings.

For more on Adam Haynes and his art, please visit www.stickfort.com