Chattanooga-based illustrator and former graphic designer of thirteen years, Travis Knight, is a digital artist whose work has garnered national attention while he has remained local to the Scenic City, having created officially licensed artwork for Netflix's Stranger Things through a collaboration with Target, while also serving as the art director and lead instructor for the Chattanooga Film Festival since its origin.
Knight has developed artwork for local businesses spanning from OddStory Brewing Company to Hoff Sauce, and he has had exhibitions in the Ava Gallery and also displayed his art at ClearStory Arts in the studio. His artwork tends to lean heavily into horror, vintage pop culture, and comics, with his illustrations often having an aged, worn, and weathered look, while utilizing layered textures and anaglyphs to hide hidden details and meanings within his pieces.
I fell in love with Travis’ work on Instagram after I saw his piece on the new horror film Obsession. He was able to capture the essence of the horrifying film with what appears to be a simple digital piece, playing the song from the ending of the film, and depicting the silhouette of the main character with the One Wish Willow logo, infamous in the film, in a white banner across her shadowy figure.
His work tends to fit perfectly within the city’s uniquely offbeat creative landscape, and his art has a retro-horror, pulp magazine vibe that is heavily influenced by “weathered vintage comics, dog-eared monster magazines and low-brow zines,” according to Knight. His pieces range from larger, national commercial illustrations to pop culture, horror, and local Chattanooga projects and collaborations.
In speaking with Knight about how he first fell in love with illustrating and his early journey, which ultimately led to him embarking on a career as a full-time illustrator, he detailed growing up drawing characters from his favorite shows, with the idea of having your art associated with movies you love seeming like a dream.
“I began drawing at a very early age. Some of my first memories are of me drawing. I’m an ’80s and ’90s kid, so I spent a lot of time in front of the TV drawing. So, a lot of He-Man and G.I. Joe. I would try to draw the characters from my favorite shows. It was like my own little way of contributing to the stories.
I was completely obsessed with Star Wars and Indiana Jones. That’s where I first saw the work of the famous poster artist Drew Struzan. I would spend hours looking at my VHS covers of his work. That’s when I discovered what an illustrator was. Being able to have your art associated with movies you loved seemed like a dream come true. I often joke that I knew who Struzan was before I had even heard of Picasso.”
In describing his niche artistic style and how it has evolved over the decades, he mentioned his love of textures and that lived-in feel that is familiar and layered.
“I love using a lot of texture in my work. I want things to feel lived-in and have a sense they’ve always been around. My goal is usually to make something new that feels familiar. I’m also trying to keep people engaging with my work. I find the layered images give a sense that something is hidden in there. It’s a way to connect with the viewer. People find hidden things in my work all the time. That makes me very proud.
Ultimately, I want to make work that’s challenging to me. I may not be for everyone, but that’s a good thing. You find your audience when you're true to yourself, and you push on. I’m endlessly inspired by old things. Old tins, signs, and pulp magazines hide the best little nuggets. Miss registered inks and torn pages are my happy place.”
When asked about upcoming projects and what Chattanooga means to him, he discussed having room to expand in the Scenic City and that he has a couple of exciting projects on the horizon, one of them being a new alphabetical guide to country music over the years, and a few other mysterious projects that he is not allowed to discuss quite yet.
“I have a few exciting projects coming out this year. I worked on “Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories” by journalist Lauren Black, for which I did 80 full-color illustrations. It comes out sometime in September via Greenfinch Publishing. I have a few other projects that I’m not really allowed to talk about.
I love Chattanooga. My friends and family are here. I’ve had room to expand here. I keep a studio in the amazing ClearStory Arts building on Holzclaw, where I’ve been able to start painting again. I can’t imagine how expensive that freedom would be in a bigger city.”
Knight’s style is distinct, and his influence on the already very strong creative community in Chattanooga is evident with his myriad collaborations and extensive work as the lead illustrator and active art director of the Chattanooga Film Festival.
His pieces contribute to the already booming art scene in the city, and his work highlights the intersection between pop culture, comic books, and horror films, inspired by counterculture and B-movies. Knight has made a name for himself not only nationally, but as one of the Scenic City’s most cherished and prominent local creatives. When he’s not writing, you can catch Knight hanging out with his wife Hain and his dog, Sir Ronginald Longbody the Third.
Travis Knight
- Official Website: dtknight.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/travisknight