Art Sims
Red Tails Poster Artist
"I love telling the story of African Americans and showing the beauty in our rich history."
Does anyone remember those "Draw Me" art school tests on the back of magazines and comic books? I took it. My love for art kind of started there. My mother, who was a schoolteacher, supported my creativity. I went to Cass High School in Detroit, which was known for the arts, and eventually Michigan State University. So between sketch work and classes, I made a lot of McDonald's runs during that time to keep me going — I still do. Burger and fries fuels a lot of creativity.
I've done a lot of artwork in the entertainment industry, from album covers to movie posters. So when Red Tails came along, I jumped at the chance to work on creating this movie poster. I love telling the story of African Americans and showing the beauty in our rich history.
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is a part of history we all should know. You want action heroes? These men were the real thing. And I tried to capture that, especially on a Lucasfilm project. There are famous artists who painted aerial dogfights that influenced me. So I wanted this to look heroic, because the heroes of Lucasfilm are always larger than life. And I was proud to show African Americans that way.
I'm fortunate to have a career doing something I love. That's because I wouldn't let anyone stand in my way. I even had a teacher at Michigan State tell me I would never make it. Now I'm CEO of 11:24 Design in LA. I'm where I am today, because I like a challenge.
