Eliza Tudor
July 31, 2022
•
15 min read
Hello. How are you holding up? Hopefully, this summer has included plenty of naps.
In this edition of OIP news, we’re sipping cold drinks, crunching pellet ice, and resting between reality, folks. It’s Q&A time with our wonderful Production Designer, the immensely talented Drake Preston.
So pour yourself something chilly, and let’s chat all the good stuff with fantastic Drake. It’s time for (*announcer voice*) Nine Questions: The Drake Preston Edition:
Q.01:
At OIP, we love the fact that everyone has their own set of “classics” (i.e., books, songs, recipes, comics, food, objects, movies, shows, etc. that shaped you). What were some of your favorite childhood “classics”?
Drake:
Henry the Explorer by Mark Taylor & Graham Booth. Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips. Power Rangers. Soccer. Backwards hats. Iced tea on a hot, summer day. Atari, Sega, and Nintendo. Anything and everything LEGO. Magic, Middle Earth, and Muggle Studies.
Q.02:
Where would your adventure be set: underwater or in space?
Drake:
Space.
Q.03:
Favorite word / font / letter?
Drake:
Antidisestablishmentarianism—just for how absurd of a word it is. Standard Medium: the typeface used for the NYCTA before it was replaced by Helvetica in 1980. A lowercase 'g'.
and Bob Noorda, Unimark, 1970. Reissued by Standards Manual, 2017.
Q.04:
At OIP, we love a good digital disruption. What are some things you enjoy doing off-screen? How do you disrupt the digisphere?
Drake:
Meditation. Music. LEGO. Cooking. Hiking. Kayaking. Writing.
Q.05:
Snacks while you work–yes/no? If yes, what’s your go-to?
Drake:
Do people work without snacking? Yogurt and granola is usually my go-to for a balanced boost of protein and sugar.
Q.06:
What are some of your favorite tools-of-the-trade?
Drake:
I fought it for so long being from a PC family, but I would take my Mac with me to the end of the Earth. I also love a set of Pantone books and paper samples.
Q.07:
You are hosting a party. Who’s coming? Where and when? What’s being served? (Fictional characters and locales are welcome.)
Drake:
My closest family and friends. October. Mid-day. Everyone is dressed up as their favorite fictional, non-fictional, living, or dead British icon to celebrate our son (Big) Ben’s first birthday. Coupes of gin clink with ginger beers and Old Speckled Hens. Trays are tiered with delicate pastries and dainty sandwiches. One might say it’s a bloody brilliant celebration.
Q.08:
What mashups do you wish existed?
Drake:
LEGO and Dieter Rams.
Q.09:
Any recommendations for the OIP community? What have you been enjoying this summer? (Or, something you are working on that you would like to share?)
Drake:
Astro's Playroom. It's an instant classic that takes me right back to button-mashing on my family's plaid sofa circa 2002. Wim Hof Method. I've found a lot of peace and mental clarity using this method at the start of each day.
Thanks so much, Drake! (LEGO, are you listening?)
Just a reminder, submissions are open for our inaugural anthology, Playing Authors. Sign up for our (*forthcoming!*) newsletter and catch us on Instagram.
To paraphrase Jane Austen–who certainly didn’t pass up a summer ice cream1–“With best…&c.” Take gentle care, folks.
– Eliza
1 On July 1, 1808, Jane Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra: “But in the meantime for Elegance & Ease & Luxury . . . I shall eat Ice & drink French wine, & be above Vulgar Economy. Austen, Jane. Jane Austen’s Letters. Ed. Deirdre LeFaye. 3rd ed. Oxford: OUP, 1997.
