Meet Arthur Janecek | Storyboard Artist & Risograph Printmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Arthur Janecek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arthur, what are you inspired by?
Despite currently working as a visual artist, my first love is cinema! I grew up in a smaller town in the South where there wasn’t much to do besides go to the movie theater and that really shaped who I am in so many ways. People have been telling stories visually since there were caves to paint on, and I think making any kind of work that deals with narrative– be it still or moving image– is one of the most human things you can do. Images are such an incredible tool of communication no matter what you’re trying to say, silly or serious!

Nature, architecture, and interior design are also super inspiring to me. I think working in any creative field it’s important to be looking to disciplines separate to yours to see how they relate. There’s beauty and story all around us, you just have to be open to discovering it.

I am also inspired by my two cats, Morel and Chanterelle, who’s undeniable zest for life is something I can only hope to aspire to!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far in my career is that you can’t control what doors open for you– you can only be open to walking through the ones that do.

I originally moved out to LA from the East Coast to finish my undergrad, with the goal of working in corporate studio animation– the job market for which has contracted considerably after a pandemic, strikes, the bursting of the streaming bubble, and countless corporate mergers that have cut jobs and axed productions left and right. Both industry veterans and greener artists like myself have been left wondering, what’s next? What does making a living as a working artist even look like right now?

I think the answer to this lies in fostering community, in showing up for others, and, maybe even scarier, in showing up for yourself. Towards the tail end of the pandemic I was lucky enough to get involved with Nova Community Arts, an arts education and studio space in Atwater Village, where I learned Risograph printing and now volunteer as a Teacher’s Assistant for that same class. Imagine combining a screen printing studio with a Xerox machine– that’s a Risograph. Originally invented as a high-volume office copier in Japan in the ’80s, a Risograph works by printing one color of ink at a time– by feeding the same piece of paper through the machine with multiple color passes you can create incredibly vibrant pieces of art with colors well beyond what traditional digital CMYK printers can achieve.

The bright colors and unique texture of Riso have made this method of printmaking very popular with artists, and getting involved with this community has opened so many doors for me as animation jobs have continued to dwindle in availability. Not only is helping with teaching incredibly rewarding in and of itself, this community (and technology!) continues to be instrumental in inspiring me to independently create and sell my own work. While not (currently) working that dream industry gig can be tough, it’s at the same time an amazing opportunity to invest in myself and tell the stories I want to tell without any creative constraints. As scary as that is, it’s also incredibly freeing– I’ve begun selling my own illustrations, zines, and merchandise at events both in LA and NYC, and will be exhibiting at my first international show in Toronto this summer, which I’m creating an entirely new comic for!

Every time I sit down to illustrate, storyboard, animate, design, teach, whatever– it without fail feels like I’m doing it for the first time, like I’ve been given another chance to learn something new and keep improving my craft and that’s not something I ever want to take for granted. We can’t predict where we’ll end up in our careers, and maybe that’s not always such a bad thing!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Not LA proper but still in the county so who cares– The Huntington Botanical Garden is a must visit, especially if you’re coming from somewhere outside of California! The plants there are insane be they in the ground or the glasshouse, there are art museums on the property, a tea room if you’re feeling fancy, and if you visit on an empty weekday morning you can pretend it’s actually your yard.

Also, non-negotiable, we’d be going to an American Cinematheque screening at the Los Feliz 3! This is my neighborhood theater, my ride or die, and American Cinematheque always puts such care into their programming. Might be one of my favorite places and things to do in LA! You know we’d be getting drinks at Figaro after and people watching, too.

Los Angeles has such an incredible food scene too– we’d be going to Doubting Thomas, Damo, Solarc Brewery, Cafe Triste, Camelia, and, maybe the most fun table in LA right now in my humble opinion– Horses in Hollywood!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thank you to Gray and Rosie and everyone else I’ve met through Nova Community Arts! I wouldn’t have the tools or community to create the work I do without y’all.

I’d also like to shoutout my friend (and neighbor!) Janet Sung, who is a super talented artist and businessperson, and has been so gracious in her mentorship in all things illustration business.

Website: https://www.arthur-janecek.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coralroott

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-janecek-6667351a7/