Awesome Art Spotlight and Interview: Eileen Steinback

For years, Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net has been about two things only – awesome art and the artists that create it. With that in mind, we thought why not take the first week of the month to showcase these awesome artists even more? Welcome to “Awesome Artist We’ve Found Around The Net.” In this column, we are focusing on one artist and the awesome art that they create, whether they be amateur, up and coming, or well established. The goal is to uncover these artists so even more people become familiar with them. We ask these artists a few questions to see their origins, influences, and more. If you are an awesome artist or know someone that should be featured, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.This month we are very pleased to bring you the awesome art of…

Eileen Steinbach

Eileen Steinbach, the Clio Award winning artist behind the name SG Posters, lies her focus on key art as well as alternative art to promote films from indie pieces to studio productions. Before getting into the field of entertainment design she worked in different advertising agencies in her hometown of Hannover where her main focus was branding and editorial design. Her work can be described as conceptual minimalism, with strong and evocative ideas being the main focus of her art. Steinbach works both illustrative and image-based, depending on what a film needs to create striking imagery that gets to the core of the story. She’s part of the artist collective Poster Posse and her latest creations as well as a glimpse into her office life can be found on her instagram.

JOBLO: What got you started as an artist?
EILEEN: Growing up, I was always interested in art. From a young age, I enjoyed drawing, painting, collage art, so when I had to make a decision after graduation, I went straight into an apprenticeship to become a media designer. There I learned all the technical things, how to use the software, how to design for print and web, how to prepare files, etc. It wasn’t enough though, I didn’t feel creatively challenged by that really. I knew the tools now, but wanted to actually create. So after the apprenticeship I studied graphic design, where I explored my creativity some. I experimented with editorial design, typography and lettering, but also illustration, hand print techniques and motion design. Slowly but surely I found fields that interested me and once I graduated, I went into advertising. I loved the brainwork that went into it as well as the creative solutions. So I tried to incorporate my learned skills, tried to break out the box in campaigns and the like but quickly learned that that had limits. So, as a passionate cinephile, I started creating movie posters on the side, just for fun to keep the muse happy and posted them on tumblr, which was huge at the time. I gathered quite a big following and after a while, my posters popped up in Google searches for the movies and people started using them on news articles and even IMDB, because the movies didn’t have key art at the time. That was when I thought to myself: wait, could I do this for real? Movie posters? After some research I realised that it’s absolutely possible and from that moment, I pushed for it with all the marketing knowledge I had and started putting myself out on all the important social media platforms, something that began to work pretty quickly. Social media was easier to navigate back then and the followers came just like they did on tumblr and with that, came the clients too. It very much snowballed from there. Producers, filmmakers, smaller studios. Some celebrity encounters too. Ten years later I am working in this field exclusively as a full time freelancer, creating key art (the official movie posters you see at your theaters, Netflix, etc.), promotional art and tribute pieces for fun, when there’s a movie I’m looking forward to or loved a lot. Promotional art, by the way, is the more artistic work I do for films, together with the Poster Posse. Studios approach them for the artists visions’ and I’m so glad I can be a part of that. It’s usually illustrative and a really nice addition to classic key art campaigns. You know, that out of the box stuff I always wanted to do.

Who were some of your favorite artists growing up?
I was a big fan of Monet as a young teen, whole room was his paintings and color schemes. Very classic, but something about his work just captivated me at the time. Old Disney posters were next, so artists like John Alvin come to mind. Then it shifted into a Tim Burton phase after puberty and honestly, that one is still going. I just love his illustrative work and of course his films. Besides Burton, there’s definitely Andy Warhol and Stefan Sagmeister, those two had the biggest influence on my early design career. Their approaches and their ability to connect design and art was inspiring. So naturally, Saul Bass became a favorite soon and once I stepped into the poster world for good, Akiko Stehrenberger became my biggest inspiration. Her work is simply phenomenal and she is so kind on top of that.

Who do you really dig these days, follow on Instagram?
Oh, there are so so many. Lovas Tibor has been a long time fav of mine, his work is absolutely stunning, the way he works with shape and color is conceptually and visually a real treat. Giovanni Esposito is simply too good to put into words, his painterly style is impeccable and he connects it with concepts, that just make you stare and feel. I love love love his work. Matt Needle has always been on my follow list, because he simply is a modern master of collage art. His work is so so good, I regularly think about quitting everything. Bruno Vergauwen is also up there, his dream-like style and limited color palettes something I could stare at for hours on end. C.A. Martin, who has the most beautiful compositions and colors and is so on point with likeness that it hurts. And honestly, every single one of the Poster Posse artists, it’s just such a crazy talented, versatile bunch.

What advice would you have for budding artists today?
Do it. If there is something you truly feel passionate about, anything really, a field, a medium, a style, pursue it wholeheartedly. Try not to overthink the first steps. Start, and commit to it fully. Not just a little, not just half an hour here and there, but with real intention and honesty toward yourself about the effort you are willing to invest. No one will come and save you creatively, no one will drop you in a nest of dream jobs and opportunities, you have to go for them. That means learning everything you can about your niche. Study it. Research it. Understand how to navigate platforms and tools that can help your work reach the right audience. Learn how to present and market yourself. And most importantly, connect with other artists in the field. Talk to them, exchange ideas, and build relationships. You’re not alone in this and trust me, it’s so much more fun with likeminded people around you, that have the same struggles and dreams. And no, it’s not all about social media. Send out your portfolio. Participate in art markets, networking events or even online communities. Try to find a quiet confidence in your work that makes you unstoppable. Yeah, I know, it’s easy to say and honestly, I am definitely still working on that myself, but first? Just do it. Start. Don’t sit back and expect things will just happen because your art is good, because the chance of that happening is way too small these days with the internet being full of incredibly talented people. What makes the difference is the willingness to step forward and actively claim your place.

What should we be looking out for from you in the future?
Oh, so many things! Besides more and more bigger key art projects hopefully, I also want to do more packaging, some physical media. Steelbooks and special editions, but also more soundtrack vinyls and such. I also went into book covers last year and I am very much enjoying working with authors and book boxes, that have immense trust in artists’ instinct and abilities, I love it. So I’m definitely expanding, but posters will stay my main thing, I just enjoy them way too much. And who knows, maybe I’ll go into teaching, Germany doesn’t have a whole lot of key artists, so maybe that could be my new niche in a couple years.

Being a fansite, we have to ask you… What are some of your favorite movies/TV shows of all time?
I’m a big fan of all things horror and fantastical, but also quiet dramas. Like I mentioned earlier, Tim Burton has been a huge inspiration to me for many years, so his Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish are definitely up there. The Shining, Seven and Constantine are three other big ones, very inspiring creatively to me personally and definitely ones I can watch over and over and over. But I also enjoy films like Practical Magic and The Lord of The Rings trilogy, to just escape into their familiar warmth, you know? Lastly, when I want to get real emotional? Put on Her, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Arrival or The Last Unicorn. You can ALWAYS get me with those. And shows? I’m a big fan of Mad Men, American Horror Story, Hannibal and my comfort rewatch will probably always be The Vampire Diaries (Team Enzo, just FYI).

Scroll down to check out some of our favorite art pieces from Eileen as we continue to follow her journey across her website and social media hubs: Instagram / Facebook / X / LinkedIn

Alice Darling

Alien: Romulus

The Architect

Avengers: Endgame

Challangers

The Craft

Fantastic Four: First Steps

Flow

Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds

Jaws

The Killer

The Last Podcast

The Long Walk

Mickey 17

Monkey Man

Ms. Marvel

Nosferatu

Oppenheimer

Snowbird

Superreel

Taxi Driver

Trap

Venom: The Last Dance

Weapons

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