Meet your new favourite graphic artist.
LA artist and musician Sammy Ruiz has been a punk since childhood – from learning to draw using his father's heavy metal album covers as references to becoming the drummer in a punk rock band at the age of thirteen, punk music has been a part of his life from the very beginning. "I remember seeing pictures of The Ramones, Black Sabbath and Social Distortion at 12 years old and saying, 'that’s what I want to do.'" Sammy recalled when I asked about how he got into music.
After performing as part of a band for over a decade, Sammy has spent the last several years working as a solo artist, releasing his debut album Ghosts of LA in 2019. "The main difference between being a solo musician and playing in a band is, in a band, you’re playing FOR the audience and as a solo performer, you are a part of the audience." Sammy explained. "Playing in a band was challenging because we all had to agree on things before we did them and now, as a solo artist, I can do what I want, whenever I want. I love the freedom I now have."
Sammy's music, influenced by Tom Waits, Mike Ness, Django Reinhardt, Howlin’ Wolf, and Shane McGowan, isn't always overtly creepy, but it definitely has some spooky elements – notably, Ghosts of LA's titular track opens with Sammy growling about "creeping in the moonlight".
More often overtly spooky is Sammy's art. In addition to music, Sammy developed a love of drawing as a young child, going on to major in art in college. "I was painting a lot of portraits and landscapes back then," Sammy told me. "I had an instructor named Phil Morrison who would tell me, 'Sammy your artwork is so dark.' I took it as a negative thing but he encouraged me to pursue a creepy art style. From that point on, I worked on developing creepy characters which I still do to this day."
Sammy's art pulls from a variety of inspirations, including animator Marc Davis (famous for designing Cruella De Vil), cartoonist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, painter José Clemente Orozco, romantic painter Francisco Goya, graphic artist David Mann, and legendary filmmaker Tim Burton. While each of these artists has their own unique style, their influence on Sammy's work is clear.
Sammy's art vs Ed Roth's art
While Sammy's art is often fantastical, he says that research is crucial to his process. "I have so many ideas in my mind but the research I do helps me figure out what the piece will look like." he said. "For example, If I want to draw an octopus monster, I research the anatomy of an octopus, research their colors and research how their tentacles move. Once I understand what I am drawing, drawing it in my style comes easier. As Mark Twain said, 'Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.'"
Currently, Sammy is working on developing more of his own original characters – including fictionalized versions of himself and his loved ones. "I’m working on a series that’ll include my daughter Lola, my dog Luxe, myself and a villain." he told me. "The goal is to make short animated films that have all 4 characters in strange and spooky situations."
Creating animated films is a pretty big task all on its own – but Sammy's dreaming even bigger. "My hopes for my professional future is to be 100% financially stable with my art and music," he shared. "I would love to be an artist for a major corporation but being an artist that has 100% creative freedom sounds better. I would love to compose music for films in the future in addition to being a live performer."
You can check out more of Sammy's art on his website, and follow him on Instagram and Youtube for updates on his art and music.
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