Introducing Pints and Pens
Like a superhero alter ego, our very own Joe Rodger, aka Wee Vault Joe, is also the artist behind Pints and Pens, who recently created the tattoo flash art series for our Sour to the Core launch.
Joe's sour beer inspired artwork was used on our merch, Giphy stickers, temporary tats and even tattooed for real on a Vault City super-fan...
We chatted to Joe about his art, his biggest influences and what the future holds for Pints and Pens.
Tell us about yourself
I'm Joe, the GM/weird guy behind the bar at The Wee Vault, and the bloke that Vault City decided to trust enough to use some of my doodles to launch the core range.
I don't really have a medium or style as such; I've changed my drawing style over the years from comic book to cartoon to my own take on tattoo flash. I'm a bit too restless to settle on one style! Currently, the only places to get hold of my stuff is via the Vault City website or in The Wee Vault, but if you contact me directly via my Instagram to chat about commissions I'll see what I can do!
What motivated you to start drawing?
I've always been quite creative but never really did anything with it. At school I wanted to pursue a career in physiotherapy so I pretty much just worked towards that and only chose the subjects that would eventually lead to that.. big mistake as I clearly didn't manage that...
I'm not the most focused person so I really struggled to organise study times and sit down to learn from a book, most of the time I just found myself doodling in my revision notes.
Who are some of your favourite artists?
I'd have to say two big influences are Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby who are both known for their work in comics, Marvel in particular. I've always had a love for comic books and the artwork from some of the classics especially; crazy bright costumes and wild ideas for characters, but also undeniable as to what they are on the page.
I've always strayed away from the uninterpretable side of art. I like to see something and know exactly what it is, which is how my love for comics started! Besides that, my Instagram feed is just filled with work from tattoo artists from all over the world!
Do your other interests influence your art?
I've never really thought about if my other interests influence my art, I kind of just have an idea or get given an idea from someone and then do my best to put that on the page! However, I guess in recent times, seeing as I'm doing more of a different take on tattoo flash, and I did think about finding a tattoo apprenticeship a couple of years back; yeah, that has kind of influenced what I'm doing now!
In your opinion, what’s the best piece of art you’ve ever created?
When I was at school years ago I did a kind of 'superhero team picture' in my chemistry revision book, and that was the one that more or less kick started my whole love of drawing! From there I've just tried to teach myself different styles and techniques, so that's probably my favourite piece although it's far from my best! I did do a drawing of Star-Lord not long after which to this day I'm still very proud of, as it's one of the most detailed pieces I've ever done!
Who would you love to collaborate with?
Never thought about collaborating with anyone in all honesty! I genuinely never thought I would be seeing my artwork anywhere else other than my house or Instagram feed!
What can people expect from Pints and Pens in the future?
We'll just have to wait and see what the future brings for Pints and Pens! I'd love to do more 'bar wall' artwork. I had an absolute blast doing the T shirts, so some more stuff like that would be fun. I think I'll focus on more smaller pieces that I have fun doing! Hopefully this is the start of something that keeps evolving.
