Pretty art from Jon Macnair. It kind of reminds me of little Maurice Sendak illustrations. But a little bit more Swedish heavy metal. There is a really big new pastoral/fantastic/woodland vibe weaving in and out of the zeitgeist these days. Jon does other work too…so check out his website. It’s special.
It’s hard to give a one-sentence description of Camilla d’Errico. Here’s my attempt: Camilla d’Errico is a comic book artist who develops creator owned, small press science fiction books with a heavy manga influence, as well as a very successful gallery artist linked to the so-called “low-brow” scene, for which she paints fantastical canvas pieces of sprite-like girls and animal familiars reminiscent of a more lush, pastel Yoshitaka Amano. That’s the short version, and it fails to mention her commercial work for Microsoft Zune (among others), the plush toy based on her character “Kuro”, her work on the Nintendo DS game Billy Boom Boom, or her mainstream comic book work for DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint. I think Camilla is probably what we’ll all have to become in this grumpy, unforgiving economy: versatile. An elastic creative who can look at an idea or a character and understand its aesthetic so fully, that extending it outwards across platforms and mediums, from two dimensions to three dimensions and back again, is second nature. Some consider her a contemporary of gallery artists Stella-im-hultberg and Audrey Kawasaki, but it may also be accurate to compare her to media-hip, genre spanning comic artists like Paul Pope, Jamie Delano or Ashley Wood. Camilla was nice enough to answer some questions for me.
As someone who is pursuing parallel careers–in two different worlds where success relies on a great deal of hustle and patience: have you had to push yourself and hustle equally in both the gallery world and in the world of comics? Had you planned on pursuing both of these threads in your art career, or did it just develop this way?
(Camilla at work on a print inspired by a Neil Gaiman short story, “How To Talk to Girls at Parties”)
Push and hustle equally – a resounding YES. Absolutely. Both work, though vastly different, require the same kind of dedication and passion, hard work, and even hair-pulling! To be successful at any medium or even any career, I honestly believe it requires determination and hard work. As for planning the careers, I actually had no intention of becoming a painter. My career choice has been comics since I can remember (excluding wanting to be a paleontologist when I was 5). But events brought painting into my life and I’ve been lucky enough to have my work not only accepted but loved by collectors.
Related to the previous question: While you’re having a lot of success now, if, one day, work was drying up in either the gallery or comics world, which career would you feel more committed to focusing your energy?
Wow that’s a tough question and I need to ward off the evil eye! The only thing I can say, is that I would still give both careers the same kind of attention they needed to continue thriving. You see, as each one builds, it will require ever more work and stamina to keep it at a high level and to continue pushing it further. I paint and draw for passion, and I worked many years without pay, so I wouldn’t have issues if I had to go back to ‘working for free’ in order to keep it all afloat until the next wave came in to swoop me forward.
Is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming comics project with Grant Morrison? Which of Grant’s stories have you read?
Which haven’t I read?! I love Grant Morrison and when we have had our creative meetings I’ve come away so motivated and inspired! Grant actually announced in March that the project is going to be “The New Bible”. I’ll be seeing him at San Diego convention so we’ll have a pow-wow on it. Other than that, I can’t say much.
What do you think is necessary for a good story?
The essential thing is well thought-out and compelling characters.
What is your genre/sci fi DNA composed of? What comics or science fiction stories did you read as a kid?
I mostly watched tv, I must admit that I didn’t actually read sci-fi, I mostly watched it on tv and movies (Dr. Who, Quantum Leap, Star Trek, etc.)
Does manga produced by Westerners, for western audiences, need its own aesthetic, tropes, and sense of identity, reverent to but distinct from its eastern analog? Or should it work to closely resemble Japanese manga?
That is a VERY tough question because western stories are very different from their eastern counterparts. The problem with westerners imitating Asian manga is that they try to be authentic but they miss their mark because they aren’t going for the essence of manga (which is the story), but looking at the aesthetic only. So in a way, the westerners have created their own brand that can only ever appeal to a westerner, but not a true lover of manga, whether an Asian or a ‘Westerner’ (who loves and appreciates the essence of manga, ie. the story).
Why do you tend to collaborate with writers on your projects? Do you ever have an interest in writing your own scripts?
I collaborate with writers because I can’t write a story to save my life! And because I believe in teamwork and collaboration for any project to be successful. Writers have their own sensibilities and they are writers for a reason, I would never think to be able to do better than them, since they are experts.
What is the collaborative process like on a project like “Burn”: how do you go about communicating your plot and thematic ideas to someone who will turn it into words and dialogue?
Collaborating on a comic involves the artist, the writer, and the creator (if this person isn’t already one of the two others) brainstorming, bouncing ideas off of each other and constantly going back and forth, developing the story. First comes the script with a general outline of the entire story/series, then each chapter broken down and refined. Then comes the art. When I have to communicate my visual ideas to a writer, I find I can actually set those out in writing pretty well – so it actually involves conversations, emails, and pictures insofar as my drawing thumbnails or sketches. Also, the writer himself will understand comic art, so between thumbnails and written descriptions, our own language and almost symbiotic understanding is created!
What is it that’s gratifying about gallery or canvas art that can’t be found in comics? As someone with an urge to tell stories and develop characters, how are these impulses played out within paintings? Do you ever feel the need to compress more information into your gallery pieces, to encode potential stories and background for the “character”?
Paintings, to me, are almost like an inside joke because I set out with a story to ‘paint’ and that is my story to tell, but everyone sees something different in a painting, since there are no words – it is completely open to interpretation. I have to accept the fact that the story that I’m telling with my one image isn’t necessarily what other people are ’seeing’. The good thing about a painting is that I don’t have to give a narrative, but I can capture the essence of that story in a single frame. The negative can be a sense of disappointment when people don’t “get it”, especially when it is a story/painting that had a particularly strong meaning to me.
What was it like working on “Billy Boom Boom” for the DS? How were you approached about the project, and what was the creative process like? (And do you play any video games/did you grow up playing video games?)
Billy Boom Boom was my first, big commercial illustration project and it is so wonderful to see it coming out in a big way now! It is going to hit stores in September and I am so excited about it. The release of the DS game will coincide with the release of the first issue of the Billy comic book, so it is a double whammy of Billy magic. I was actually approached by the creator, Sean Megaw of Day 21 Studios on referral. I was young, just starting out and he saw the potential in my art. Once I started working on the characters, I got involved in the story as well (I can’t separate the two things; art and story – they are one and the same for me) and we developed this amazing relationship and team. Together, we fleshed out the characters, the world, the story, and I would draw it all. In the end, I drew dozens of characters. It is mind-boggling to me now. And the game itself is great fun, it is like a racing game (ie. Mario Kart) but on glide-wings in fantasy worlds. I did play games when I was little, starting with Atari!!! Then of course Nintendo and Mario Bros., Zelda, Tetris, etc. Very old school, I know. But I have also played more recent consoles and games, especially with friends.
What drew you to the story of Faust, which you retell in “Tanpopo”?
Faust drew me in initially because of the angst that the main character experiences and I was intrigued about the relationship with the devil and how the story plays out and ends. I didn’t originally expect Tanpopo to become a series; it was a book I illustrated out of the passion I felt for the story. The response has been so overwhelmingly positive, and with my sister’s (AdaPia) help we’re turning it into an amazing project that expands beyond just the stories, but into toys, plushies, clothing – it is a dream come true.
Are there any other upcoming shows or projects you want to talk about?
Do I ever! I did an >illustration with Neil Gaiman, which just came out a few days ago (Editor’s note: Check it out here )
I am releasing Tanpopo Vol.2 at San Diego Comic Con – this time the tale is based on Samuel Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner. I’ve also released my new plush – check him out:
Another cool thing releasing (pre- releasing, actually) at San Diego Comic Con is my first artbook, by IDW – Sparrow.
Billy Boom Boom DS game and Issue 1 of the comic book series, will both release in September.
Then, in September, I’ll have my last big gallery show in LA for a while at Thinkspace. The name of the show is Vain Remains.
And last thing (for now) is that BURN is being released as a graphic novel in October by Simon & Schuster!
Thanks infinitely to Camilla D’errico for taking part in this interview!
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Sroop Sunaris an illustration graduate from Central Saint Martin’s. She was recently featured in a speaking series held by graphic design blog It’s Nice That
Here are some mock covers she did for Aravind Adiga’s novel The White Tiger:
The twisted Daniel Cantrell, A.K.A. The Horror (who I did a Q&A with here) informed me that he’s put out the latest issue of his insane, hallucinogenic zine, Good Vs. Evil. Good Vs. Evil # 2 was themed “Man Vs. Animal”. Issue 3 is themed, naturally, “Man Vs. Mescaline”.
According to Mr. Horror, Good Vs Evil 3 “is 84 pages, perfect bound … We have inside:
Jim Philips
Jason Atomic
Massimiliano Bomba
Thomas Ray
Luke Ramsey
Arnaud Lomeau
Valparess
Simone Schneegans
G
275c
Herrschulze
Andy Rementer
Dan has Potential
Wizards Hat
Heiko Mueller
Baik Intae
Conteleta
Miruki Tusko
Jon Vaughn
Zeke Clough
Brecht
Jon Boam
Franmo
Benjamin Marra
Hiromi Nakajima
Daisuke Ichiba
Pearpicker
YP
Rudyska
Nam Jiyeon
The Horror
Pakito Bolino
The Deer Man
Mr Klevra
Shoboshobo
Paul Boulet
Hasisi Park
Derek M Ballard
Ll Cool Jo
Satanik Mike“
If that’s not enough, he also came up with this tantalizing video to make you want it more:
For more information, go to Goodvsevil.blogspot.com
I have interviews with KDU founder David Gensler and digital artist Bert Monroy (host of Revision 3’s Pixel Perfect) in the first issue of Photoshop Retouch Magazine. (Whatever that is.)
Check it out at your local bookstore. In the future I think I will just scan and upload .pdfs to Scrib’d or Issuu when I publish something unavailable online, rather than making people scrounge around for these archaic glossy fetish objects.
In 1980, an artist named Bill Brand had an idea to create a sequence of paintings, lining the walls of the Q subway line on its way from Brooklyn into Manhattan, that when viewed through a sliver-long opening on a subway car would produce a flickering, moving, abstract image. This massive zoetrope was refurbished and cleaned last Fall, and retroactively given the quaint, World’s Fair-esque title the “Mass Transiscope”. Says Brand: I think it was such a preposterous idea that no one bothered to say no”
Read more about the piece here. Video below.
Kenji Hirata’s art is dense, brightly colored, hyper-symmetrical, otherworldly and optimistic. He cites as influences, “Jamaican dance hall sound systems, sci-fi futurism, billboards and hand painted signage of South East Asia”. I respect his conscious goal of recreating musical worlds visually; this seems to be something most artists inevitably allude to, fumble around, or reference obliquely.
Here’s a pretty amazing stop motion video that Hirata did to a tune by DJ Klock:
Hirata is currently in a two person show at Fifty 24 SF Gallery in San Francisco until June 24th.
These photos, of a 1:1 replica of Mobile Suit Gundam built in Odaiba, Japan, lit up at night, are just breathtaking. More photos here.
Korean artist Gwon Osang creates lifelike sculptures using photographs of his subjects, attached to mannequins. The result is a subversion of the utility of photographs as keepsakes of memory; Osang imagines an android like world in which the isolated images aggregate to form a whole that is, in its disrupted, fractured grammar, merely a warped sum of its imperfect parts. As collections of images, the photo-men and women of Osang’s sculptures at once present a multitude of perspectives, angles, colors, and approaches with which to approach the human body, and articulates the dreamlike breakdown that occurs when we do not sweep our loved ones into the visual shorthand of our binocular view.
I particularly like the sculptures that are unemotional, casual, and affectless. They have the grim, squeamish, pixelated demeanor of a Sims character. The horror of The Sims, to me, comes from its morbid boredom and routine. It is the sense that these dumb, blocky sculptures have grasped a basic idea that underpins human existence: that of routine, and mindnumbing boredom.
Osang’s sculptures express our inability to comprehend that we contain multitudes, that we are also creatures of light, that our bodies extend in angles and break into fractals. Even his mutant-bodies, with two heads, small heads, and duck heads, seem strangely accurate and proportional. It is hard to put the same visual boundaries and apply the same laws to creatures composed of light as it is to creatures of flesh and blood.
Read more here.
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Portland based illustrator Nas Chompas commits bright, cartoony, cozy & pastoral scenarios to paper.
It makes you want to play with (fake, cartoon) bears in the great outdoors. Wrestling in the (post-processed, saturated) clear blue water, stripping naked and flailing bloodied monster knuckles, rolling your animal body into the (curved, pen-marked) thistle and starving through the (glitter and glue starred) night, your only food the pheasants you’ve strangled to death and eaten raw. (not really.)
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