Travis Smith (artist)
Travis Smith (born February 26, 1970 in San Diego , California ) is an American graphic artist . He is mainly known for his artworks for metal bands like Anathema , Death , Devin Townsend , Katatonia , Nevermore , Opeth , Soilwork or Strapping Young Lad .
Career
At the start of his career, Smith designed the music album covers for a friend's band, the progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz . By working for this band, he was able to make connections that eventually allowed him to embark on a full-time career in the arts. From 2006 to 2011, Smith worked with nearly 100 bands. Except for one semester in high school , Smith did not go through any formal arts education.
Smith lives in San Diego.
style
Smith's work essentially consists of designing album covers for metal bands . He is known for his “dark and introspective” style, which is largely based on photographs, which are then digitally combined with other media.
When creating the cover of the band Avenged Sevenfold's album Nightmare, for example, he painted a few textures with acrylic and watercolors, scanned them and mixed them with the entire picture. For special components like the skull and the girl, he digitally painted over the photos and then inserted them into the originals.
Incomplete overview of Smith's works
year | album | Artist | Credit (s)
|
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Elements of Anger | Sadus | Artwork |
Eyesore EP | Skinlab | Artwork | |
Something Wicked This Way Comes | Iced Earth | Artwork | |
The Sound of Perseverance | Death | Artwork | |
1999 | adagio | Solitude Aeturnus | Artwork, design |
Alive in Athens | Iced Earth | Artwork | |
Demons & Wizards | Demons & Wizards | Artwork, design, layout, logo | |
Disembody: The New Flesh | Skinlab | Artwork, design | |
Dreaming Neon Black | Nevermore | Design, illustrations | |
Necroshine | Overkill | Artwork | |
Still life | Opeth | Photography, booklet design | |
Tonight's Decision | Katatonia | Design, layout, illustrations | |
2000 | Black Emotions | Beseech | Cover |
Bloodletting | Overkill | Design, illustrations, layout concept | |
Dead Heart in a Dead World | Nevermore | Design, illustrations | |
Lightbringer | Power Symphony | Illustrations | |
manifestation | Malevolent Creation | Design, illustrations | |
Only Law Is Survival | Hate plow | Cover | |
Thane to the Throne | Jag tanks | Cover | |
2001 | Blackwater Park | Opeth | Design, cover |
Horror show | Iced Earth | Layout, illustrations | |
Last Fair Deal Gone Down | Katatonia | Design, photography | |
Mechanized Warfare | Jag tanks | Artwork | |
Profoundemonium | Trail of Tears | Layout, cover | |
Rapture | Dragonlord | Design, layout, illustrations | |
Tonight's Music | Katatonia | Photography, design | |
Terria | Devin Townsend | Design, illustrations | |
2002 | Abigail II: The Revenge | King Diamond | Artwork |
Dark Genesis | Iced Earth | Artwork, design, layout | |
Deadsoul Tribe | Deadsoul Tribe | Design, layout, illustrations | |
Deliverance | Opeth | Design, photography | |
Despise the Sun | Suffocation | Artwork | |
Envenomed II | Malevolent Creation | Cover | |
Natural Born Chaos | Soilwork | Artwork, layout | |
Resurrection Through Carnage | Bloodbath | Digital editing, design | |
Souls Highway | Beseech | Cover | |
To welcome the fade | November's Doom | Artwork | |
Tribute to the Gods | Iced Earth | Artwork, design, layout | |
The will to kill | Malevolent Creation | Artwork | |
Words as Carriers | Matt Zane | Artwork, layout | |
Wrecking Everything | Overkill | design | |
2003 | Accelerated evolution | Devin Townsend | Graphic design, layout design |
Damnation | Opeth | Cover, booklet | |
Enemies of Reality | Nevermore | Artwork, layout | |
Exit through fear | Society 1 | Artwork | |
The Glorious Burden | Iced Earth | layout | |
Killbox 13 | Overkill | Design, layout | |
A Murder of Crows | Deadsoul Tribe | Design, layout, illustrations | |
The Puppet Master | King Diamond | Artwork | |
Viva Emptiness | Katatonia | Art direction, design | |
Glow | Unjust | logo | |
Gone Forever | God Forbid | Concept, illustrations, logo | |
diEversity | Entwine | Cover, design | |
The January Tree | Deadsoul Tribe | Layout, cover photography | |
Of Malice, the Magnum Heart | Misery signals | Illustrations | |
Twice Second | Symphorce | Artwork | |
2005 | Arcane Rain Fell | Draconian | layout |
The Black Sessions | Katatonia | Design, layout design | |
Ghost Reveries | Opeth | Art direction, layout, illustrations | |
Immersed | Sinai Beach | Artwork | |
ReliXIV | Overkill | Layout, cover | |
2006 | Eclipse | Amorphis | Artwork |
Alone | Solitude Aeturnus | Cover | |
The New Black | Strapping Young Lad | Artwork, photography | |
2007 | Live consternation | Katatonia | Artwork |
Ziltoid the Omniscient | Devin Townsend | Artwork | |
Viides Luku - Hävitetty | Moonsorrow | Artwork, layout | |
Silent Waters | Amorphis | Artwork | |
2008 | Cynic Paradise | Pain | Cover |
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder | Cradle of Filth | Design producer | |
The Wacken Carnage | Bloodbath | Artwork, art direction, design | |
Watershed | Opeth | Cover | |
2009 | Addicted | Devin Townsend | Artwork |
Anno Domini high definition | Riverside | Design, layout, illustrations | |
Bloodstained Endurance | Trail of Tears | Artwork | |
Carver City | CKY | Artwork | |
Skyforger | Amorphis | Artwork | |
The Cold | Flotsam & Jetsam | Cover | |
Night is the New Day | Katatonia | Artwork | |
2010 | Everything Remains as It Never Was | Eluveitie | Artwork, cover photography |
The Evolution of Chaos | Heathen | Artwork, layout | |
Ironbound | Overkill | Cover, layout | |
The Obsidian Conspiracy | Nevermore | Cover | |
omen | Soulfly | layout | |
Nightmare | Avenged Sevenfold | Cover, inlay | |
A thin shell | October tide | Artwork, layout | |
2011 | Heritage | Opeth | Cover illustration |
The Beginning of Times | Amorphis | Illustrations | |
Bloodbath over Bloodstock | Bloodbath | Illustrations, layout | |
2012 | Dead End Kings | Katatonia | Artwork, design |
2013 | Shrine of New Generation Slaves | Riverside | Artwork |
2014 | Pale communion | Opeth | Artwork, design |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Sea of Tranquility in conversation with five cover artists (English) , last accessed on May 26, 2011
- ↑ Bennett, J. (November – December 2010). "Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare: Guitarist Zacky Vengeance, artist Travis Smith live a dark dream". Revolver Magazine. P. 106.
- ^ Discography at Allmusic (English), accessed on October 28, 2016.
- ↑ Credits from Allmusic (English), accessed on October 28, 2016.
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Smith, Travis |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American graphic artist |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 26, 1970 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | San Diego , California |