Aaron Pinto Illustrator & Drummer

Illustrator, drummer, graphic designer and a hard-core metalhead, Aaron Pinto also goes by the name Kidsquidy. He never knew that frivolous doodling would lead him to grotesque T-shirt designing for his metal bands. It was in turn, his first step towards creating album art worthy of the Rolling Stone Metal Awards; any average metal fellow’s dream. Now he is all set for his first ever showcase at the upcoming 8th annual '20 under 35' Design X Design Exhibition and we cannot wait to see what’s on display. 

The Artist
‘I’ve spent my life shuffling between Bombay and Doha (Qatar). I was always exposed to a lot more pop culture in Doha as compared to Bombay, which only had Doordarshan for the longest time. There I was watching some of the best cartoons, video games, comics and toys… I think that stuff shaped me the most. All my work has some subliminal reference to something or the other that I loved growing up.’
‘I think I figured that I’m good at art about 6-7 years ago. I had always wanted to design an album cover along with being the drummer of a metal band called Providence. We were releasing our first album in 2012, which is when I decided to design the album art. It ended up winning Best Album Art at the Rolling Stone Metal Awards.’ 
‘Around the same time, while interning at MTV, two of the design leads saw that I had potential and offered me a job in their department instead. Long story short, I realized that I did not hate it as much as cutting footage of reality shows, and I wasn’t half bad at it either. And five years later… here I am.’

How music met graphics
‘I think both kind of went hand in hand. I used to buy a lot of CDs back in the day, and it feels so good to actually hold a CD/vinyl of your favourite artist and take your time going through all the details of the album art and inlays and stuff. Metal/rock and art have a long relationship and I think that just stuck with me. I used to really look forward to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest albums because their artwork were always so great. Pink Floyd is another band that always caught my attention. These guys put some real effort into their imagery. I mean, I also just love skulls! And I always have music while working. Can’t work without it. And can never predict how that’s going to translate.’

The process of developing an album art
‘What I do feel is that bands/people don’t take art as seriously as they used to. Making music is only one part of a musician’s journey; you’ve also got to package it right.’
‘I always like to listen to a band’s music before I commit to working with them. I must enjoy the music to be able to give them the best possible output. Once I’m convinced of that bit, I sit with the band and try understanding their concept and what they are looking for. Most of the time, bands have a very specific idea, which makes life a little easier, but sometimes I am given complete freedom to execute their vision.’
‘I then go through all the lyrics and music multiple times to completely understand and immerse myself in the vibe of the band. I also try not to constrain myself by sticking to any particular style. I try and adapt to the music and the imagery that would be best suited for the band. I always finish the linework first, and believe every artwork should look good in black in white before I take it into colour. That’s pretty much all that is there to this.’

The Future
‘I plan on moving onto a bigger canvas. Move out of digital art for a bit and work on murals, and more with mixed media. 
I am also working on a very politically driven series, which hopefully will see the light of day. (Don’t lynch me, guys!)’

Event details: 
What 20 under 35 Design X Design Exhibition
When Jan 24 to Feb 13
Where Gallerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise de Delhi
72, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi

Text Garima Gupta