Interview with Ciruelo Cabral

Argentinean-born artist Ciruelo Cabral has worked for some of the most important publishing and gaming labels, and for a good reason. His artwork is absolutely amazing and makes the viewers believe that dragons are real. Ciruelo is not only incredibly talented, he is also an example of humility. He always has time to talk to a fan and his friendly demeanor makes him incredibly accessible.

It has been some time since the first time I talked to him. I couldn’t believe that someone I had admired for so long was so willing to chat to a (back then) young girl that he didn’t know. Interviewing him now also feels surreal. I was surprised, though, to see that so many artists did not know him: they are familiar with his art, particularly his dragons, but they didn’t know the artist. I hope this interview brings more attention to him, an attention that he amply deserves.

How did you realize you wanted to be an artist?

Ever since I was a small child, I expressed myself through drawing, as everybody else. I just never stopped, and when I was 16, while I was listening to Yes records and was looking at cover art done by Roger Dean, I had already decided this was my profession.

How did you come to the conclusion of leaving your country and emigrating to Spain? Was it a hard decision?

I had to leave because in Argentina I couldn’t do what I liked, which was “fantasy art”, because there were no editors in that style. I was working very well as a publicity illustrator but I needed very much to do more creative things. So I had to go out and search those editors in the world.

Spain was a logical choice because of the language. Besides I had friends there. It was 1987 and I was 23 so it was a hard decision on one hand but full of adventure and illusions on the other hand.

(C) Ciruelo Cabral

Some of your earlier work includes commissions for magazines like Fierro®, who kept the originals. When did you get to the point in which you were in the position of naming the rules of the game? How did you realize it was the right moment?

It is all a matter of time and to earn a certain position based on the work’s quality. It is a slow progression.

Your style is very “classic fantasy“, who do you think were your influences? How did your style evolve to be your own?

In a way, each person has their own style that needs to be discovered first and built up later. That is why the influences by other artists help to enlighten the way. Some of my masters are: Frank Frazetta, Roger Dean, Alan Lee, Brian Froud, Juan Gimenez, Moebius and a lot of classic painters. Currently my style is still evolving and that is what I like most about my job.

You paint the best dragons I’ve ever seen, they are extremely believable. How do you achieve that believability?

For a painting to be realistic, it is needed to dominate the pictorial technique, and that is more or less easy to achieve. Regarding to achieve realism on something that does not exist, I achieve that by visualizing the figure in my head before painting it. I have stored in my memory the texture of crocodile’s skin, or a snake’s, the wings of a bat, etc. All that helps me to achieve realism in the figure of a dragon, for example. After that there is the issue of ‘atmosphere’ or the ’emotion’ that a painting transmits… and that belongs to a field that it is not possible to be explained.

(c) Ciruelo Cabral

Why do you find dragons so special?

I always liked all mythological figures, but when I came to live to Barcelona, in 1987, I found the figure of the dragon was predominant since Barcelona is the dragon city for historical and traditional issues. Soon after, I published the Book of the Dragon, published in England and Spain and distributed to the rest of the world very successfully. In USA I was known as a dragon artist since 1990 and I started to be hired as such.

The dragon always has a very special place in most ancestral world cultures, which intrigues me and fascinates me at the same time. My dragon paintings transmit magic and power to people that I cannot explain; I just have to use my brush as an instrument for the magic to continue.

Looking through your work, most of it is what could be defined as “high fantasy”, why do you do mostly stick to that?

I always was interested in the fantasy world. As a child I was attracted to fantasy movies and books, so it was very natural to dedicate myself to draw that kind of things. When I became a professional, that tendency became a basic necessity. Big part of my career shows epic fantasy, of a medieval European style. Now I am trying to reflect more of an atemporal universe, with elements from ancestral cultures as Maya, Inca and Mapuche.

(c) Ciruelo Cabral

For being color blind, you have a great management of colors. What is your way of bypassing this problem? Did you ever feel that you were “handicapped?”

My daltonism gave me serious trouble when I was working for publicity companies, and I had to find a way for it not to be a paralyzing problem in my career. I achieved that working in fantasy art, where I find a great freedom to use colors. Now I take it as a quirk and I don’t worry about it.
I do not know how others see my illustrations, I know they see them different than I do. I can’t identify colors when they are too light: greens, beiges, pinks, grays, browns, and also when they are too dark: blues, violets, grays, reds, etc. I also have a hard time with certain oranges and greens and ochres. I tend to “value” the colors, that is, I perceive the value in the grayscale more than the color itself.

In the past, this used to make me feel uncomfortable, but with time I got used to it and I learned to take advantage of it. Since I have a good management of values I can manage well volume. This give me the skill of seeing shapes in rocks and this is how I developed my technique in Petropictos.

Can you tell our readers about petropictos? Do you still work on that?

Petropictos was born from my passion for rocks, which is nothing more than my passion for nature. I am attracted both to the textures and shapes int he rocks, and I take advantage of those to achieve a tri-dimensional figure just through painting. With this technique I achieve a sculpture through painting. many think that it is impossible that I have not sculpted the rocks due to the compenetration of my work and the preexistent shapes. It is something very magical. When I do this I feel it like a dialogue.

You have tried many media, oils, pens, acrylics and rocks in petropictos. Have you ever tried digital? Why do you decide to stick to traditional?

I do sometimes use digital technology to create images and I find it very stimulating since I have not to worry about technique, or materials, I just face the creation and the process is faster than with traditional art. However, I will still be a traditional painter, since there is something in the exercise of painting that gets impregnated in the original and the public receives when they are facing it.

(c) Ciruelo Cabral

Not only you work as a visual artist, you also compose music. How did that start? Do you feel both your paintings and music complement each other?

Yes, music and painting empower each other. I also must mention that other art perform is writing, which, as well as the former two, I’ve been practicing forever. There are just different languages to express the same ideas in different ways.

Steve Vai?

My relationship with Steve was born from the admiration I feel for him since I was dreaming to be a guitar player. I had the luck of meeting him in 1992 and started a friendship that has been growing since then. He is a very special guy, a great master. I collaborated with him in two of his albums doing the cover art and his work is still a great source of inspiration for me.

What are your current projects?

(c) Ciruelo Cabral

Recently I made a painting for George Lucas, with whom I collaborated several times since 1993. This new project includes publishing a book and an exhibit with other artists. Also I have just writen a new books: Cuaderno de Sueños (Dreams Notebook), which is a continuation to Cuaderno de Viajes (Travels Notebook). And I am working in several other projects simultaneously.

Where can our readers find your art?
My art is distributed through the world as books, calendars, book and records covers, posters and all kinds of merchandising. You can find it all over internet, but my official site is is: DAC Editions

What Others Say

Michael Cross:

His dragons have a distinctive look to them – regal, serpentine, yet their appearance hint at hidden deviousness, like a snake ready to strike at appropriate moment. I would say that he is one of the top dragon artists, and even though I was not previously familiar with his name, he has inspired me in many ways.

Todd Lockwood:

Ciruelo is not only one of the premiere artists working in fantasy today, he is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. I have the privilege of sharing an end-cap with him at Comic Con again this year, which is always one of the highlights for me of Convention season.

Aaron Pocock:

The guy’s amazing. He’s versatile, his technique is flawless and he’s a walking, talking expert on how dragons should be painted. His work just keeps getting better and better.

Uwe Jarling:

Can’t say much about Ciruelo, I only meet him two times quite some years back: first at “Spiele Essen” and in the same year at Book-fair Frankfurt. It was great talking to him, he’s a very nice and gentle guy.

First time I got into contact with his art was when I bought the book “Dragons.” I was blown away by his dragon illustrations at the moment, the book still has a special place on my bookshelf. What I especially like about Ciruelo’s art is the diversity; he does high quality illustrations for publication purpose as well as stunning artwork with his Petropictos (paintings on stone). I love it when artists try several techniques and styles and Ciruelo masters so many several techniques. Maybe I love this so much cause I myself try to experiment with new techniques all the time.

So what shall I say, I’m a huge fan of Ciruelo, his art is awe inspiring to me!

*this interview was conducted in Spanish and later translated by me. Please, forgive the clumsiness of it, it is by no means Ciruelo’s fault but all mine.

Interview with Patrick McEvoy

Fantasy artist Patrick McEvoy is not only extremely accomplished but also a greatly generous person that invests part of his limited time to help others improve. His art is highly energetic and interesting. Let’s have a look into Patrick’s world!

Patrick give us a little background information about you. How did you become interested in art?
I was always reading comics from a young age, and drew characters from there. I just loved it all from a young age. Then when I was around 11 I started discovering some of the great fantasy/genre illustrators from the 60’s and 70’s, such as Bama, Frazetta and Steranko (and of course I’d already seen Steranko’s comics).  They inspired me to want to learn more about this “art” stuff!

Dirty work (c) Patrick McEvoy

You have worked in different areas in the art industry, what attracted you to become a full time illustrator?
My first long-term career was as a programmer, believe it or not!  But at some point I realized I was wasting my time in a job I didn’t care for and I got back into art, pretty much teaching myself everything I needed to know about the craft of illustration.

Since I was getting into professional art rather late, I approached it very logically. I already knew computers and programming, so I concentrated on doing art with the computer, and also learning “Director”, which was a program used a lot back in those days for computer animation and interactivity. (Basically like Flash, but without the vectors and much more solid).

This paid off pretty quickly, as I got jobs working in the game animation industry right off the bat. My very first big professional gig was as an assistant storyboard artist for Lee Marrs, a wonderful comics artist/writer who at the time was an A.D. for game company 3DO.  Then I landed a few jobs as a freelance animator and I was off and running!

After that I became an Art Director, working at a couple of different companies that specialized in educational games (“Edutainment” they used to call it), and I did that for several years.

Finally, about 5 years ago, I decided that I should really go back to my first love, illustration. I had been doing some illustration work on the side for a few years before that, and at some point I just said “it’s now or never” and took the leap!

Rising (c) Patrick McEvoy

How did you land in your first jobs for great companies as Wizards or Marvel?

Well, with all of the companies I’ve gotten to work for (also Sony, Blizzard, and many others!) it’s largely been a matter of putting together good portfolio pieces, tailoring my submission to what I think the company will need, and (very importantly) being professional and timely when I do get the job, so I have more of an opportunity to do work for them in the future!

But I can’t rule out networking! I think at least 75% of my jobs (including my long-term gig with Marvel) have come about because I have contacts with other artists, either personally or through online art groups. Taking Marvel as an example, I knew Scott Johnson through Gutterzombie and Ninja Mountain, and I’d also met up with him at the Chicago Comic-con one year. So when his A.D. at Marvel said they needed more artists in the marketing group, he knew me, knew that I could do the work, and had seen my track record. So he was confident in passing my name along.

That sort of thing happens all the time. You NEVER know when a contact will come through, so make as many as you can.  Of course, it helps that I really like to talk to people, so it’s maybe easy for me to get to know other artists. But even if you’re shy or don’t easily talk to strangers, it’s a good thing to try to overcome that. Networking is key!

Once you have your sketches approved, how do you choose the palette to set the mood for each piece? Do you think about this before starting your sketches, during, after?

This is different for every piece. Sometimes I know the colors almost first thing when reading the brief, and sometimes I’ll play with colors after the entire drawing is done and I’m in Photoshop. Or somewhere in the middle!  I just let it happen and it usually works out.

But I DO always like to start with one main color, which I roughly slop in over the entire background with slight hue and value variations. That way the entire picture has one mood and temperature to start with.

What do you think are your greatest strengths in your artwork? And your weakness?

Strength – probably my ability to come up with a good story, and an interesting point of view for my compositions.

Weakness? That’s hard to narrow down, I have so many!  Probably dynamic figure poses – I always feel my characters are a bit too stiff.

You give art seminars in MacWorld, would you mind explaining a little bit what are they about for those of us that cannot go?

Well, I did the one at MacWorld Expo this year, which was kind of expensive to attend (they charge a lot for the seminar track), but I’ve also done them at comics conventions, including San Diego Comic-Con last year. And in a few weeks (April 3, 2010) I’ll be doing it at WonderCon in San Francisco,  and it’s free with the regular admission to the con. So that’s a little easier to attend!

I describe the seminars as a “cooking show”.  That is, I show a piece being created from the ground up – sketching, drawing, color blocking and rendering. But I’ll do just a few minutes on every step, then “put it in the oven” so to speak, and skip to the next step.  That way I can concentrate on big ideas and important techniques, rather than too much time just rendering.

As an ex-art director, what attracts you to a piece? What should an artist do to impress you?

Really, it all comes down to the job you are hiring for. If an artist has what’s needed for THAT SPECIFIC job, then he or she will have an important advantage. And that’s something you never really know as an artist when you send in your submission. That’s why it’s good to remember that a lot of getting jobs is just luck – do you have what’s needed right then?  But the important part is to always be ready to do great at a job when it is assigned to you.

After a job is assigned, the main thing is professionalism. That’s what keeps an AD coming back for more work from you. And that professionalism encompasses many areas: hitting deadlines, good communication, and living up to the quality of work in your portfolio. It’s all important.

Tell me about Ninja Mountain, what is it? How did it evolve?

That came out of a group of artists who all knew each other online, mostly through RPG.net. They just decided to put together a private forum where they could share ideas and information without the prying eyes of the outside world! I was invited in a year or so after they began it.

You can find out a lot about the early days of NM on the interview show we did for Escape From Illustration Island.

What about Ninja Mountain Podcasts?
Well, I started that, pretty much. I just decided I wanted to do a podcast, and  here I was chatting with folks on Ninja Mountain all the time, and it seemed perfect for a show! A bunch of really good artists, from all over the world, who already get along well, and have a lot to say about art. As it turned out, we’ve had a pretty good run (over a year now!)

For more info on the subject, check out the blog post I wrote about the origins of the podcast here.

Tell us about your graphic novel.

Starkweather: Immortal, coming this July from Archaia. Written and created by David Rodriguez, and one story in the book is written by fantasy legend Piers Anthony.  It’s going to be a hardcover graphic novel, with 138 pages of comics story and some other art, as well as Piers Anthony’s original prose story.

This book started as a standard comic book, with a story set to run for five issues and then be collected. But after we did issues 0, 1, and 2, the company took a hiatus to reorganize (one of the partners left) and there was a year and a half break in the series.

By the time we came back, it didn’t really make sense to do the last 2 issues of the story arc as newsstand comics, because no one would remember they were reading it (we feared), so we decided just to finish up for the collected edition and skip the comic book versions.  That also freed us up to change the story a bit, and add a few more pages.

I’m very happy with how it’s come out, and I’m really looking forward to its release in July! Find out more, and see an excerpt from issue 0, here.

Starkweather Immortal (c) Patrick McEvoy

Why the name Megaflow? And Ninja Mountain?

Ninja Mountain I have no idea at all… Megaflow is a term my favorite sci-fi/fantasy author Michael Moorcock uses for the space between all the alternate realities in his multiverse. I liked the sound and meaning of that so … there we go!

How do you find the time to do it all!? Please, let us know!!

Not much sleep. Not much at all…

Where can your fans find you? Will you be doing conventions?

Please find me at
http://www.megaflowgraphics.com,
or my blog at
http://megaflowgraphics.blogspot.com.
Also I have galleries at http://megaflow.epilogue.net and http://patrickmcevoy.deviantart.com/

Also, you can hear new episodes of Ninja Mountain almost every week here:
http://ninjamountain.blogspot.com
Or find it on itunes and subscribe.

Melissa Findley

Patrick is an amazing artist, always willing to go the extra mile to help newer artists get a step up. I’ve found his advice invaluable and I’m honored to have been able to meet him in person and see how he works first hand. Also, his fashion sense is fantastic. 😉

Chris Malidore
Years ago when I first began to freelance I ran into Patrick on the Epilogue gallery and recognized his name from a product that we were both in – I said hi, and ever since then he’s remained a person that I not only look up to, but love to speak with. He’s helpful and has great artistic insight. Even to this day, I refer back to wisdom and knowledge that Patrick taught me in those early years. I owe him a great deal of thanks!

Jon Hodgson
Patrick McEvoy is a machine. An art making machine. Not a coffee machine or Xerox machine. More seriously, Patrick is one of those really well grounded people who it has been a pleasure to work with, and one day I’d like to buy him a pony.

Scott Purdy
”Patrick is one of the friendliest and talented illustrators that I’ve bumped into since Ninja Mountain set it’s roots deep into the core of the earth. His vast knowledge and unwavering humour keep me listening to the NMS podcast week after week.. now, what did he say to me the other day.. oh that’s it.. he’s the ”idol of millions and Emperor of Awesome!!”
Go Patrick!”

Book Review: Draw and Paint Fantasy Females by Tom Fleming.

Tom Fleming has worked as a comic artist for years, and he has recently started to explore fine arts with stunning results!

Draw and Paint Fantasy Females by Tom Fleming.

I had the luck of getting to talk to him at Pittsburgh’s Comicon, and I so wanted to buy one of his wonderful canvases! But I cannot afford it yet, and I did not want to leave without something of his, not only because I wanted something his, but also because I wanted to support somehow this great and humble artist. So I had to settle for the economic version of support and bought his new book: Draw and Paint Fantasy Females.

The book covers the basics of doing sexy fantasy females. It goes through basics of anatomy, body and face construction, expressions, pencil and watercolor techniques. It is a basic book, if you are already doing this it probably will not open your eyes to anything unexpected, if you are wanting to get started this is an easy read with understandable directions. The anatomy section is a little brief, but then, this is a very general book, not an anatomy book. There is no mention to composition either, which I find it can either make a piece succeed or ruin it.

I enjoyed very much the tutorials section, Tom walks you through a few pieces that he has done in the past and shows the techniques he uses. Some of them are a little unorthodox and I love it! I really enjoyed taking a look into his personal technique  like the use of white opaque watercolors.

I recommend this book for beginners and for those that would like to have a glimpse into this artist’s techniques. Also you cannot miss some of the photos in the book that show this fit strong armed man posing as a fantasy girl to get references of poses! 😀

Interview to Stephanie Pui Mun Law

Stephanie Pui Mun Law is a watercolor artist of Chinese descent. Her watercolors are characterized by a vibrancy that is not usually associated to the medium, plus elegance, flow and a lovely mix of Asian and Celtic motifs. Stephanie was a great inspiration for me, I discovered her through a friend around 1998 and I realized that a fantasy artist with a very feminine style could earn a living and be successful. She has inspired me an many others, and her amiable personality is evident in how accessible she is.

Stephanie, what is your formal education and how did you get started in art? What was your first big gig?

I got a BA in art at UC Berkeley, though at the time it was secondary for me to studying Computer Science.  I was just taking so many art classes anyway that I figured I might as well get a degree in it while I was there. However, the art that I did there was entirely different from what I do now, as it was a Fine Art program, and focused more on abstract expressionism and conceptual installations. The few illustration-relevant courses I took were forays into the architecture and theater departments where I managed to squeeze in some classes like computer graphics, and costume design. For the most part I did my paint-throwing-and-splashing in class, and then when home at night to work on fantasy themed pieces for myself, and for various fanzines I started getting involved with at the time. My first big gig was with Wizards of the Coast, illustrating some Magic: the Gathering cards.

Dark phoenix (c) Stephanie Pui Mun Law

You favor watercolors over other media even when watercolors are not the easiest of them at all, why is that?

I had worked with acrylics in the past.  The technique I liked to employ involved laboriously prepping a canvas with many layers of gesso and sanding in between each layer. It took hours just to have the surface ready and smooth enough to my liking. Then when I finally started to paint on it, I was thinning the paints out with acrylic medium, and painting with many thin layers of glazing.

It took a while for me to realize that this technique was much more suited for watercolors! Part of the delay in coming to that realization was that watercolors were frowned on in the college classes I was taking at the time. It was looked down on as “an illustrator’s medium” and not something for serious art; and in fact the painting classes specified “any painting medium of your choice, except watercolors.” By which it meant, “oils or acrylics”.
Once I tried watercolors seriously, it was an easy switch. The technique I was using for acrylics worked so much easier and better with watercolors, and I didn’t have to spend time arduously preparing the canvas (or storing huge wooden frames for that matter!) The layering of thing glazes brings out a luminous quality that I loved.

You used to do some digital in the past but now we see none of it, why did you abandon digital art?

Well as I mentioned before, my first big gig came a few months after I graduated.  I had spent much of the previous four years starting to really enjoy working digitally in Photoshop and Painter. I did some research on various gaming companies, and sent out my portfolio to the art directors, among which was Wizards of the Coast.  I was surprised and excited when the art director for Magic: the Gathering responded. He told me that my portfolio looked pretty good, but that they didn’t really take digital art. It’s ironic and funny to hear that now isn’t it, when most art done for games seems to be digital!  He told me to send him more work when I had some traditionally painted pieces in my portfolio.

I had just started playing with watercolors, and I had a few older acrylic pieces lying around. So within a few months I whipped up enough to resubmit a portfolio of watercolor and acrylic artwork. Which resulted in getting three Magic card assignments.

By then they were accepting digital art, but I was already really starting to enjoy watercolors. So while it seems everyone else was drifting towards digital, I was swimming the other way!

I discovered your art in 1998 through a friend, besides the obvious focus on only watercolors, how do you think your art has evolved in the last 10 years? Where do you think it is going?

I like to think it’s gotten more sophisticated. I’m more conscious of what I’m doing, and so things happen more by purpose rather than accident. Anatomy has improved vastly. I’ve become more confident professionally, and so I don’t feel the need to take on every project that gets offered.  This results in a higher quality of work, because I’m picking and choosing the work that strikes a chord with me. When you feel inspired by the concept, the resulting artwork is much better! I have no idea where it’s headed, but I try to make every piece that I work on The Best. If too much time ever elapses and my favorite is still something I did a year ago, it’s time to shake things up!

Gemini (c) Stephanie Pui Mun Law

What do you find advantageous of using stylized images instead of realistic? How does the public react to that?

I’ve always preferred to take a photograph if my goal was for realism. And since I’m an awful photographer, I stick to my stylized painting! Although, it wasn’t such a deliberate thing from the start. It’s like I always tell new artists who come to me asking how they can make a style.  My answer is you don’t set out to create a style. A style is what happens to your artwork when you just draw and paint every day the subject and in the way that you like. It’s like your fingerprint. It eventually makes itself apparent in the lines and colors and compositions that appeal to you. If you try to consciously force a style, then you’re just copying someone else’s fingerprint and not finding your own voice. As for how the public reacts, it’s nice that people can see a piece of mine and instantly recognize it as mine!

Tell us about your Tarot project.

I started on the tarot art in June 2004 and finished the last painting January 2009, so it was quite a long journey!  I started on it because for years before that people had been suggesting it to me, and I felt also that it would be the perfect way to explore archetypes. The Major Arcana especially is really built around these basic archetypal characters found in so many stories.  It was a way to create my own mythos through an interface that was familiar to people. Prior to 2004 I had attempted taking part in several multi-artist decks that just didn’t find any interest from publishers for being too nebulous in focus, but the prospect of doing 78 cards entirely on my own seemed a daunting task! Eventually I decided to just dive in, and I do not regret having done so. It was a very rewarding path and though I am happy that there is cohesion from the start to the end of the project (four and a half years is quite a stretch of time and much room for the art to evolve!) I found I was still happy with the first cards by the time I finished the last.  When I look at them I can see how my work has changed but it still works as a whole.

And after the Tarot, what will be next?

The Lovers (c) Stephanie Pui Mun Law

Well I’ve been taking things at a bit of a slower pace lately. I’ve just had my first baby a few months ago and so I want to be sure my life and art are balanced. As my artist friend James Browne pointed out, you can only snuggle with the baby for a short period, but there are decades of art still waiting and ready to be painted when there’s time again. And this lull may be a time of inspiration for that future artwork.

This doesn’t mean I’m not creating art right now. I don’t think in the past 10 years I’ve ever spent more than a week without drawing of some kind.  Even when I go on vacations I look on those as opportunities to fill my travel sketchbook with some on-site drawings.

These days I’ve been doing a lot of ink drawing. Inks are nice and portable. I can start and stop easily. And flailing baby-hands won’t knock over cups of paint-water! I’m working on putting together another self-published book as a companion to “The Art of Shadowscapes Tarot: Major Arcana” that I put out last year. This one is for the Minor Arcana. And though it’s mostly featuring the color tarot artwork I already created, I supplement it with a whole lot of new ink drawings and sketches as well. It’s a fun project, and something that I can work on in my own time since there are no art directors looming over me.

I plan on some other self published projects as well in the future, perhaps pairing some of my short stories with illustrations.

I’ve also got another technique book due out this year from Impact Books.  It’s tentatively titled Dreamscapes: Myth & Magic at this time. I have been poring over the manuscript these past weeks, proofreading and making edits before sending it back to the publisher.

You are a successful artist that sells her products regularly and has a good following public, what advice can you give to people that would like to do art for a living?
This is something that is really hard for many people, how do you price your work?

It’s tough, and a combination of many things. Primary is how long the piece took me to create. Work and effort have to be paid off at least to make it worthwhile to sell.  If nothing else, you can just decide what your hourly rate is and figure your materials and time spent, and come to a price calculation that way.  I’m usually much more casual about deciding though, and it’s an estimation that combines the size and complexity of a piece.

And then there are several more nebulous things I take into consideration.  Sometimes I know a piece just won’t really sell easily — usually because it’s a game commission and of a subject matter that may have been really fun for me to create, and great for the game, but just not something that people really want to have hanging on their walls.

Pieces that I know will have a high demand for (again due to the subject matter) can command a higher price. If I’m posting artwork on my site that 3 people simultaneously try to purchase before I can even check my email in order to update the sale status, I know it’s priced too low and can accordingly adjust when I create similar work in the future.  If on the other hand it just sits around for years, then I know I need to lower the price. Sometimes I’ll lower prices just because I’m tired of seeing a piece, and I want to be able to move on from it completely (which means selling it and removing it from my website as well!) so that I can get on with the newer (and better) work.

Occasionally there are pieces that I really don’t want to part with, and they’ll have a higher price because then it becomes a matter of my effort gone into it, as well as my personal attachment.

Neither Collar nor Crown (c) Stephanie Pui Mun Law

There had been some events in the past that made you take radical turns in your career. Were you keeping a hopeful attitude in those moments or you were freaking out?

Actually I was pretty deliberate about it all. Aside from the familial strife it initially caused, things went mostly according to plan. So I guess let me back up and explain what The Plan was!

As I mentioned, I was studying Computer Science in college. My senior year I went to a career fair, getting ready for that not too distant graduation. After spending hours wandering the stalls and handing my resume to numerous tech companies, I headed back to my apartment. I was glum, but not sure why.

After taking a moment to examine my own frame of mind, I realized it was because though I did enjoy programming, the thought of doing that and not art as my career made me profoundly depressed. So I started thinking about what I could do about it. Three   options seemed logical.

I could take a job with a computer game company. I had a few offers, both as either a programmer, or as an artist. But neither was really what I wanted. It would be a compromise to attempt to find some middle ground of art and my technical schooling.  I wanted to paint, not write heavily mathematical programs to render, or create textures and models. What I really enjoy is telling my own story in a painted scene.

I could see about going to art school to do the type of artwork I wanted to (instead of a degree in paint splattering that I had). The Academy of Art was conveniently in San Francisco. After a tour of the campus, I was excited, but also aghast to hear that it would cost as much per year for a MA there as I could get by taking one of the software jobs being offered me.

Or I could go ahead and accept one of the programmer jobs, and burn the midnight oil to make my own way.  I would have income to spend on attending conventions and exploring different avenues. I would have to seriously submit my portfolio to companies, and make my very amateur looking website into something polished. I gave myself a two year deadline if I were to follow this route, because even then I realized it might be far too easy just to stay in a comfortable software job once I got started.

Three years later, after following the third path, some events in my personal life conspired to take me to Japan for a short stint. A side effect being that I took an extended leave of absence from my software job. I probably could have left Plumtree Software at my original two year deadline.  By then my website was doing quite well for selling prints, and I had some regular clients I was doing illustration work for, as well as a steady stream of private commissions. At any rate, I took my leave of absence, and then never went back to software, even though I came back to the US six weeks later.

On Hopeful Wings (c) Stephanie Pui Mun Law

What drives you to go on during hard times?

I hope I don’t jinx it by saying so, but I have been blessed so far not to really experience any hard times! I feel that I have been very lucky because I create the art that I want to create — I do it for myself. And I am

very fortunate that for some reason people actually want to buy these creations that I do for love.

Has motherhood changed things?

It has in that my production level has slowed for the time being, and I’ve been doing a lot more pen and ink work rather than watercolors.  But I have also been greatly inspired by the whole experience, and already it has made its mark in many of the personal pieces I’ve created in the past year.

Do you realize that you inspire a lot of people (including me) to take art more seriously and to try to make it as fantasy artists?

Thank you!  It’s an honor to hear that. I have been inspired by many artists as well, and just as so many of them were extremely helpful and friendly and encouraging to me when I was starting out, I hope to be able to do that for others as well.

Liiga Smilshkalne
Stephanie is easily one of my favorite artists out there. She has a very distinct style, that manages to combine a beautiful flow with many interesting details. And of course she mostly draws natury stuff, which is major brownie points in my book.

Jessica Douglas
Steph is so utterly charming. She is one of the sweetest ladies out there and when you couple that with her amazing artistic skills… well she’s pretty incredible. I don’t know her as well as I would like to, but I do know that she’s a delightful person, with incredible depths to her personality.

Suzanne Gyseman
Hi there! I admire Stephanie’s work immensely. It is very graceful and flowing, with a wonderful use of colour and medium.

2009-2010: the year in review

Hi! I know it is rather late to make a ‘year in review’ post. But this last year and a half has been really intense, with a wedding and two part time jobs (plus art) so there has not been a lot of art done in the second part of 2009 and also not much time to analyze things. Besides, I live in the academia calendar, so my year finishes in May 😉

Longing for Spring (c) Constanza Ehrenhaus.

So, how has this year treated me? Rather well, I must say. My blog visits grew consistently and I am hitting 1500+ views per month, which is not bat at all! Last year in April I had 334 views and I was happy 🙂 Given that I do not write about politics or sex I would say that it is a very healthy increment, and I am hoping to keep publishing at least one post per week to keep the viewers happy.

I also started writing interviews for the Artist Spotlight column in EMG-zine, which I consider awesome! You guys have no idea how nice it feels to be able to interview great artists! So far it has been great, everybody has been super nice and accepted to answer my questions. This also gives me a very good opportunity for networking, since a have a good excuse to approach artists worldwide 😉

Also, with Ellen Million, I became an editor for Fantastic Portfolios (FP), a great place not only to showcase your awesome fantasy art, but also to get great critiques and push yourself to improve your artwork. The premise of FP is that there is always room for improvement. So come over and join us!

Earlier this year I took for the second time the Creative Direction Workshop. The workshop is mainly aimed to cover artists, but the incredible people teaching it know so much that they are a source of  knowledge and inspiration regardless of what your artistic area is. I did learn much, and have been implementing techniques learned there not only to improve my art but also to make my work faster.

I feel that my art has been improving slowly but surely through 2009-2010, I am very pleased with some of my images and I have not started to hate them the next day after publishing them. Commissions have been slowly building up, which is nice, and this year I got the first commissions coming my way on their own. I usually put a lot of time into finding people who want art to be done for them, it’s the way this works. But it feels really good when someone knocks at *your* door instead! 😀 Those two commissions came to me because of this blog. So people, if you have a blog, keep it updated!

And, oh, yes! I sold my first print through DA this week! Ain’t it awesome? I am so giddy about that! Whoever did it has made me so happy! I send my buyer a big hug!!

That is all for right now, I hope next year I can also give you a load of positive improvements. Thank you very much for accompanying me in this journey, people, there is no way I could do this without you and your wonderful support!

The making of a tattoo

As you might know one of the things I really enjoy doing is designing tattoos. I enjoy the process and the close interaction with the client. My last tattoo design was done for this beautiful lady and I want to share the process with you.

Medusa by Kimberly Crick

V. contacted me because she had seen my Goddess Tattoo and wanted something in the same style, but unique. She knew very much what she wanted and was very specific about it which made my life

easier because it got me designing with a very clear direction in mind. She showed me an image by artist Kimberly Crick that she really liked and wanted it to be the basis for my illustration. She also mentioned she wanted a moon, a Celtic knot, maybe a star and three flowers in the illustration: Marigold, rose and lotus. So I searched for references of those images both as illustrations and as photos:

Samples of references used in the making of Flowers Goddess tattoo. The image showing la Catrina in "Dia de los Muertos" belongs to artist Kiriko Moth http://kiriko-moth.com/blog/ and has been used to study the flow of marigold petals only.

I did a few sketches and send them to her. For her to choose from. At this point the sketches are unrefined but they show the placement of different objects we could use in the final composition.

Rough preliminary sketches. (c) Constanza Ehrenhaus.

This is the moment in which my adrenaline is running high. I always fear that I completely missed the point and the client will not want any of the sketches, that I will be sent back to the drawing board with empty hands trying to reinvent the concept. Luckily, V. was happy with the images and we got to mix and match sketches 1,2 and 3.

Flowers Goddess sketch for V (c) Constanza Erenhaus 2010

I reorganized the parts and inked the sketch we arrived to. I think the vines on her hair are lost in the strands of hair.  My client wanted the Goddess to have a rhinoplasty and lips enhancement 🙂 and to have the lotus to look more real, since the flowers were a crucial part of the tattoo.

I reworked the image and offered her two options for the lotus. Finally we got to the final image, which I am very proud of 🙂

Flowers Goddess tattoo (c) Constanza Ehrenhaus.

Now the next step is completely not in my hands, which is to find a good tattoo artist. The election of a good (as opposed to cheap) tattoo artist not only takes into consideration hygiene but also the fact that you will not end in World Ugliest Tattoos (NSFW). Fortunately V. found an excellent artist and now she has a beautiful rendition of this design.

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This is all for now! Enjoy the lovely Spring weather!

tattoo on V's skin. I love it!

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Medusa image by Kimberly Crick

Dia de los Muertos image by Kiriko Moth

Interview to Jessica Douglas

Sin by Jessica Douglas

Jessica Douglas is a traditional artist owner of a very particular style both as a person and an artist. Her flowy and delicate images sometimes contrast with her blunt and sincere opinions about artists‘ rights, though both her art and her mind possess a wonderful energy and passion that are transmitted with all honesty through the screen.
Let me invite you to read this very interesting interview to Jess.

Do you have any formal training in art?
Yes. I studied at the Visual Arts Institute in Utah, every art class my elementary/secondary and high school classes could give me, and several years at the Orange Coast community college. However the majority of my growth came from taking private lessons from mentors such as Arthur Roberg and Mike Dringenburg. Without them, I wouldn’t be nearly as far in my art studies as I am now.

How long did you start to work as a professional artist?
Mmm… It kind of varies. I’m one of those people who work for a while, and then go on hiatus to study new things, before going back to work. At one point I stopped art all together to learn custom framing (a skill EVERY artist should not only learn, but master). I was first published when I was twelve, and had working artistic gigs on and off from that point on. Usually building sets, doing commissions, building props, etc. Unfortunately it was never -steady- work, so I can’t say ‘since I was twelve’.  I officially started to list myself as a professional artist when I was twenty two.

What would you say have been your biggest success? And your most rewarding project?
My successes are few and far between, to be honest. I prefer little things, like remembering to get out of bed on time in the morning so I’m not flying out the door with two minutes to get the kids to school. That’s a big success. The day I managed to break through a two year long art block to actually do art, that was another success. I’ll feel pretty successful if I can get off my butt and get my house clean.
The problem is, I’m not real in touch with the things most people consider important. When I illustrated a Garth Nix story, it took about a year before I found out it’d won all kinds of awards/acclaim. And all I could say was ‘who’s Garth Nix?’ Some people would say doing that illustration project was a ‘big success’ but for me it was… just another job. The things closer to home are what really make me smile. The first time I won an award at an art show (as an adult, not including high school things) I was overjoyed and grinning for WEEKS. It was for best fiber art, and it was even more important to me because one of my mentors had been one of the judges. That was sort of… an affirmation that he felt I truly had come a long way from the girl he first took in to learn anatomy. To anyone else it wouldn’t be an important award, but for me it validated everything I’ve done.
To date, my most rewarding project is my ongoing project to illustrate my children’s hopes and dreams. And the project I’m working on with my father, to do a collaborative book/illustration set together. He’s a great writer, and it’s an honor to work with him.

Peacock Butterfly by Jessica Douglas

Why are watercolors your medium of choice?
They’re actually not. Prismacolor pencils are. I am a bit of a texture phobe. I dislike the feel of clay on my hands, I don’t like the grit of charcoal, pastels make me shudder the way nails on chalkboards get to people. So do erasers. Oil paint makes me nauseous and acrylics make me think of slime. Watercolors are gritty and irritate me but at least they wash off easily. So basically my own irritation at the textures of all these mediums caused me to stay isolated as a pencil artist. I have learned how to USE those mediums, don’t get me wrong, and I have an intense appreciation for artists who can use them well. They just drive me up the wall.
My mentor, Mike, eventually told me I had to get over it, because he was sick of grainy backgrounds in a lot of my pieces, and he wanted to see my work larger. So I bowed down to his skill and knowledge and tried my hands at watercolors. The texture still makes me very frowny in the face, but I do like how it blends with pencils, so I stick with it.

Usually people associate watercolors with vague, splotchy, mild colored-landscapes. How do you achieve such vibrancy and definition in your work?
Uh. I don’t suck? Ahah… no, I’m sorry that was a terrible answer. Well first off, I really really really hate doing landscapes. I can’t express that enough. I dislike landscape art, landscapes in general and wide open vistas. They’re just so… blah… to me. So that’s why you don’t get landscapes out of me.
As for the vibrancy, watercolors are paint, like any other paint. They use the same pigments, just a different binding item so it’s not waterfast. The only reason why you see so many pastel watercolors is because too many people use pastel colors and -cheap- cake watercolors, then water them down like crazy. I use tube watercolors and try to dilute the pigment as little as possible. There are also mediums you can use that do the same thing as water does, but doesn’t dilute the pigment. There’s no REASON for a watercolor to be pastelly, unless you intentionally want it to be.

The themes in your artwork are varied: from flower faeries to apocalypse warriors. What inspires you?
Whatever’s around me? Also a lot of times my commissioner dictates what I draw. Right now I’m working on a Mecha commission. Bet you didn’t see that coming. I’ve got a huge list in my house of anything that popped into my head as ‘oh hey that’s a cool idea!’ eventually I’ll get to it all. It’d be pretty sad if I was only inspired by one thing, at least I think so.

Aopcalypse: War by Jessica Douglas

Love seems to be always present, either as romantic love or friendship, why is love so important in your work?
No clue. I’m not a particularly romantic person. I don’t like romances, I’m not fond of romance movies. My movie of choice is a good old fashioned zombie flick. But it shows up quite a bit. I’ve yet to figure it out.

What is your favourite series to work on?
Currently? Or in the past? My past series that I liked the most was my apocalypse one. I’m currently working on doing the same thing, but deifying the plagues of Egypt. I’m also working on the book with my father, which is creepy fairy tales, and THAT is fun.

Despite being an atheist person, your work shows a lot of religious imagery, why is this?
I was a religious studies major at one point. I find religion absolutely fascinating. Do I believe in it? No. Do I think it’s some of the most amazing sources for visual inspiration ever? Yes. I like looking at it and seeing the way religion moves people, the way symbols affect how someone thinks about a society.
Take a look at the Mormon Church sometime. There’s a TON of controversy over the symbols around it. For the people in that church, they have profound, spiritual meaning. For others, they are signs of occultism and witchcraft, as well as Masonic leanings. Or look at the swastika. Hitler has claimed that sign rather well, but for the culture it came from, it had deep meaning.
Angels are another thing that fascinate me, why sticking wings on something is universally accepted as ‘a messenger of god’. Not just human type angels, but other bird messengers like crows, owls, etc. I usually wonder WHY it moves people and what would happen if I drew something… this way. Would it offend everyone? Would it convey the same message I think it would? What would happen? And can a piece of art, done by someone who has no religious preferences, still be significant to someone who’s deeply religious? Would it be possible to do ONE piece of art that actually has meaning across… all the religions?
It all comes down to me going ‘what if’, and wondering what would happen. Religion just seems to be my ‘what if’ trigger point.

You seem to draw a lot of your strength from your friends, how do you feel that internet friendship is different from real life friendship?
Well considering I know almost all of my internet friends in real life as well, I don’t see them as separate at all. I’ve been very blessed in having met quite a few people who are honest about who they are online, and in person. So it’s more like… being able to talk to your friends all the time, instead of only on the rare times I leave my house. We all meet up in person now and again, and… nothing’s changed. We’re the same people online that we are offline.

Your relationship with DA seems to be turbulent. What are the things that bother you about it?
Woo that’s putting it mildly. I’ve actually expressed myself, in detail, to the administration of Deviantart about exactly what upsets me. I don’t think that they’re out to ‘OMFG steal my art’, but I do think there are certain policies and ways of speaking that they need to change. Having an administrator call people who disagree with them ‘tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists’ is insulting to say the least, as well as completely unprofessional.
To date my only real issue with them is the tracing policy. Deviantart likes to style itself as a place of learning, and wants to take some of the fair use rights granted to educators to put into their policies. The only way I will agree with that, is if DA stops being a business, and gets their education licensing. Until THAT happens, I will continue to disagree with them. The fair use rights given to pop artists? Now that I actually agree with Deviantart on, and think it IS in their rights to protect the pop artists (though if a court rules against them on a particular piece, it’s still going to have to go). It’s just… you can’t take educators rights of use if you’re a business. I’m sorry. You can’t. It even says so in the fair use act.

What is the good that you find in DA as to still remain there?
The people. Not so much the administration. I think the admins have gotten a little out of touch with reality. But the people who watch over my gallery, my fan base if you will, are really important to me. They make me smile, they make me laugh. They bring me up when I’m feeling like my work has no merit. When I have something random to say, and I want to share it, I know that somewhere in my watchers is someone who’ll laugh with me. And that’s what keeps me there.

Jess by Adri
Jess has been a good friend of mine for a few years now, and I don’t think there’s been a time within those years that I wasn’t thankful to have her as a friend. She is a very talented artist, quite imaginative with her composition and ideas, and knows how to wrangle her media to the point that I believe it’s all second nature. Jess is always ready to help, or to give bits of advice and critique if asked as well. I can testify to that, mostly because whenever I personally have stumbled or struggled with something art-wise, she’s always been happy to redline for me or offer suggestion. All in all Jess is a wonderful person, and a spectacular artist whom I am fortunate enough to call my friend.

Jess by Kyme-chan
I “met” Jess by chance by reading one of her journals: I had known her work for a while, but there I discovered someone genuinely honest, straight-forward and enthusiastic at many levels. Jess is not only talented but she’s always ready to help others, share her experience, give tips and advice to beginners and professional artists alike, and she’s an inspiration to many of us!

Happy St. Patrick’s day!

Hi there!

With St. Patrick’s day around the corner and all of us ready to celebrate (yes, I know it is frivolous, but it’s fun too!) I wanted to give you as a present this little Irish wench. Her name is Rosie, she is bringing you delicious beer,  and she is a flirt!

Rosie by Constanza Ehrenhaus (c) 2010. Click for full view.

Rosie is part of a traditional portfolio I’m putting together to go to a con later this year. She is made in watercolors, watercolor pencils and India ink.

If you like Rosie, you can pass by my newly made zazzle store, where she is sharing the beer bonanza with Greta, the German wench 🙂 there are also prints being offered in my DA account.

Happy St. Patrick’s day people! Enjoy and drink responsibly!

Interview to Tiziano Baracchi

Tiziano Baracchi is a young Italian artist that in a very short time established himself in the fantasy illustration world by means of life like characters and a wonderful technical skill. He is not only a terrific artist but he is very amiable and approachable and everybody that interacts with him seems to love him.

Topia World: Zamanta by Tiziano Baracchi

How did you get started?
In art? I don’t really remember when I started painting, but I remember drawing hundreds of robots and spaceships all through elementary school, then the cartoon version of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ made me fall in love with elves, and my focus shifted to fantasy.

Much later, in the fourth year of high school, I went from rapidograph and colored pencils to acrylics. At that time I was also heavily into role playing games (a passion I still have) and the illustrations on manuals and modules by the likes of Larry Elmore and Jeff Easley totally captivated me. I studied and analyzed them to no end, my biggest wish and dream was to become, at some point, good enough to have works of mine on the covers of RPG products.

Even though my very first industry works, back in 1997, weren’t fantasy at all. Back then I worked with an Italian Egyptologist on a serialized publication and 2 CD-ROMs about ancient Egypt.

How has your mother’s artistic inclinations affected you? What have you learned from her? What has she learned from you?
I grew up in a home where both parents painted (even though my father soon moved on to photography), so I can say that the smell of colors and solvents is among my earliest memories. My mother (then an art history teacher) thought me the fundamentals of figurative art (sorry, I haven’t really warmed up to abstract art yet): perspective, color theory, anatomy…

When mother went back seriously to doing her own art, around 1990, she devoted herself to landscapes, while I, just starting, was heavily focused on the human or humanoid figure. Each of us has somehow helped the other in shifting a bit towards the middle. Now she often inserts figures in her landscapes, and I, while still in awe of the depth and richness of her gardens and woods, give more importance to a character’s surroundings than I used to do.

Moreover, starting with acrylics at the same time, we helped each other in learning this new medium, each experimenting and trying out new things and then sharing with the other one.

Having started as a traditional illustrator, why did you change to digital? Do you still do traditional art?
As a traditional illustrator it would have been very difficult for me to break into the industry. Nowadays there are still people working in traditional: Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Alan Lee and John Howe come to mind, but those are giants that have already earned their high position and can afford the time it takes to paint traditionally and the expense of top-level tools to scan and photograph their works so that they don’t lose quality in the process.
The industry usually doesn’t want originals; they want print-quality files. Moreover one has to deal with deadlines, which can be very tight. It is way faster to change a composition, re-scale some elements, or experiment with color schemes working in digital than in traditional.

Another element is that ‘real’ colors, in particular acrylics, my traditional medium of choice, are temperamental. Before going digital, summers were a real problem. It was the season where, with holidays, I had the freest time to paint, but with the hot, damp weather we have here everything was a struggle. Colors didn’t mix well, and often dried on the brush before touching the canvas.

There is also the ‘set-up time’ factor. With traditional media I didn’t even start if I didn’t have the possibility of a few hours of uninterrupted work; it wasn’t worth it. With digital I’ve only to turn on my computer and I’m set. I can work even just half an hour during lunch break.

I miss the feel of an original in my hands and would love to go back to paint some personal pieces in traditional, if only because I’m also curious to see how digital has influenced my way to use physical media. My problem at the moment is finding the time to do it. I need to work reasonably big, otherwise I feel cramped (even my digital files are most of the time European UNI A3 size), and such a piece would need time I don’t have at the moment.

Why did you follow the fantasy path?
Because it’s fun (laugh). It’s a field I feel a strong affinity for, even more so than my first love, science fiction.

As I said earlier, it is a life-long attraction; a part of me is still a child fascinated by fairy tales and epic legends, and starting off in the fantasy industry was literally a dream come true.

What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of fantasy art?
Interesting question. I think it is striking the balance between ‘classical’ elements and novelty. Fantasy has a whole lot of canon elements from subjects (fairy-folks, knights in armor, dragons, orcs and so on) to styles (pre-Raphaelite or Rakham inspired for instance), To not to lose him or herself in the crowd an illustrator needs to be able to treat these canon elements in a very personal way, while still keeping them recognizable and appealing to the public (and Art Directors, of course), within the boundaries of the genre.
It is a though balancing act, and one has to accept in advance the risk of a few falls from the high-walking rope.

Xava Mischief by Tiziano Baracchi

Your textures are amazing! How is your technique to get those textures to be so real?
When I started working in digital three years ago, for a short while I was enchanted by the possibilities offered by photographic textures. After a while, though, I realized that in that way my works looked artificial very ‘plastic-like’, something I really didn’t want them to be.

So I started again, in the other direction, drawing upon my experience in traditional media, with the added bonus of the specific capabilities of the digital medium.

Nowadays all my textures are fully painted. In all my works I mix Painter and Photoshop, the first color base is invariably in Painter and I find it helps much in giving a more natural feel to the image. Then I start to differentiate the materials with a large use of custom brushes, often playing and fiddling with them for quite a time, experimenting and taking advantage of ‘happy accidents’ (for instance one of my favorite brushes for skin textures was originally made to produce cracks in arid ground).

In my opinion textures most of the time need to be perceived, not seen, and careful observation of the real material and its behavior under different conditions is an absolute must.

Besides having an impeccable technique, you achieve something really hard, which is to load your illustrations with character, how do you give so much life to them?
You are very kind (smile).

One thing I discovered I really need, when painting, is to know the character I’m working on. If it is a private commission, I’d much rather have a detailed bio or extracts from a role-playing session or a full psychological description than a very detailed physical one : a lot of characters can be 20-year old, black-haired and brown-eyed, slim, with an heart-shaped face, straight nose, freckles, and a star tattoo on the left shoulder, but is she a shy, late-come student in a magic school, a tomboyish aspiring paladin, a caravan guard with a lot of experience for her years, a runaway slave, an orphan raised in a gang of city thieves? What does she aspire to? How did she arrive at this point in her history?

Each answer will give me something more to work with, to give her the right attitude and personality, hopefully to make the viewer feel like he or she is meeting a real person.
For personal pieces, of course, I make up the story myself (quite often with the input of my wife, who loves story-building). For industry pieces we either delve into source materials or make up the story ourselves (for instance when dealing with generic non-named characters).

Kativa by Tiziano Baracchi

How did you enter the professional arena? What advice you have for those artists that are just beginning and would like to work for publishing houses?
For quite a while I painted only for myself and for the occasional private client. When I started looking for professional gigs in the fantasy field I discovered that in my country the market was nearly non-existent. My real opening with fantasy came through the Internet, with EMG and (a little later) Portrait Adoption. Through these two venues I discovered that there was a market for what I did. The growing number of commissions spurred me on and gave me confidence enough to start proposing my works to art
directors of companies active in the fantasy/SF market.

Advice? I’m still looking for it myself… I’ve learned a few things though: be persistent, never stop studying and never stop promoting yourself. Be realistic: evaluate honestly your strengths and your weaknesses and work on them; then use this to choose how and to whom propose your portfolio.

Be polite. It feels silly to say it, but quite a few Art Directors’ blogs have me wondering at the huge sense of entitlement or basic lack of social graces of many aspiring illustrators. No one with half a choice gives work to people they don’t feel at least comfortable dealing with.

One’s reputation is what brings jobs in. Producing at a consistent level of quality and respecting deadlines are absolute necessities. When in doubt about anything regarding an assignment, ask.

Keep informed: know the field and the industry, keep track of Art Directors and product lines the best you can.

Who have been your most important clients?

The most well established in the field up to now is also my very first and a recurring client: Fantasy Flight Games, for whom I do work for the ‘A Game of Thrones’ and ‘Call of Chthulu’ Living Card Games.

Recently I’ve signed a contract with Imagine Publishing (a UK company) as a columnist for their ‘Corel Painter Official Magazine’

Quite a few of the other clients, for now, are new companies in the field, both in the USA and in Europe, that appear to be off to a good start. That’s quite exciting too.

Having among my works the very first cover of a company that could in time become the new TSR, helping to shape the visual identity of a new line of games, it’s a real thrill.

Take 20 by Tiziano Baracchi

You seem to be soaring! Tell us about your recent successes.
Thank you.

I don’t know if I’m really soaring, but I count as successes both when a client keeps coming back and when a new one arrives on its own, without me proposing myself, and that has happened quite often in the last couple of years.

The most recent big surprise was being offered a feature in Corel Painter Official Magazine (that was big enough) and immediately after also a freelance contract as a columnist; thankfully I was seated when that e-mail arrived.

Do you still have time for personal art projects?
Less and less. Often when I have some time I use it to paint images that, I feel, are needed to steer my portfolio in a specific direction, or to fill a void, or correct an imbalance, rather than painting purely what I feel like. The ideal, of course, is when what I need and what I feel like are one and the same.

Besides art, what is there in your life?
First and foremost my family, both by birth and by choice (I’ve been married ten years, we live the floor above my in-laws and I often feel like I’ve been adopted by them); then my friends, both those living nearby which we can see often and those I know only via the net, but are nonetheless very near in spirit.

I don’t have much time for regular free-time activities, having a full-time non-art related job (a blessing in times such as these, and a way to be free to build my career as an illustrator on my own terms), when I have illustration work my evenings and week-ends are devoted to painting (thankfully my wife is as enthusiastic about my illustration job as I am), but I enjoy music, games (tabletop, cards and RPGs), the company of our animals (three cats and a dog) and long walks in our beautiful countryside as often as possible.

Where can our readers find your art?
At the moment my two main galleries are on Deviant Art and GCSociety (on the Net I often go by ‘Thaldir’).

I don’t have a personal site right now, but one is in the works.

Saber McConnell
The first thing I noticed about Tiziano is his artwork. (Who wouldn’t?) All I could do was stare at the realism of his pictures, from convincing textures to minute details and vibrant colors.

But aside from being an awesome artist, he’s also a really nice guy. He’s always been encouraging and friendly — and with all that skill, he manages to be modest, too. 😀

Miguel Couto
Tiziano is a great artist; he makes incredible work with his colors forming a great composition. His beautiful art inspires other artists. Have a look into his gallery, and you will know what I mean.

Cris Griffin
I’ve know Tiziano for several years, on-line. I consider him a compatriot and competitor! His attention to detail and soft touch is without compare. He has a brilliant facility for believability. I always look forward to his handiwork! Keeps me running…

Jenny Heidewald
Tiziano is an artist who just blows me away with his fabulous talent. His work truly is a feast for the eyes. One of the most amazing things was when he switched from traditional mediums to digital. There are pieces where I literally can not tell if they are traditionally or digitally created! To me, the way he has kept his traditional style in digital medium speaks much of his artistic mastery. I am eternally grateful to know Tiziano, to benefit from him sharing his knowledge, and art. The main lesson he taught me: “Less saturation in the background!” 🙂

Laura Mori
I remember Tiziano started scribbling before being able to walk steadily. As a child he used to start a drawing with one hand and finish it with the other one. His characters have always been lively, curious, always involved in the war between light and darkness. His art worlds have always been science-fiction and fantasy ones, it’s a joy to be able to see his art grow, mature and be recognized.

Interview to Louisa Gallie.

**Edit. Louisa is holding up an auction to help Haiti victims here***

Louisa Gallie is a Scottish artist, recently graduated from college, with a huge love for Labyrinth. Although she is very young her talent and skills are amazing, showing the work of a mature artist. Louisa is very kind and warm, and has gained the love of all that know her.

Louisa, tell me about your formal training?
Well, I took art as a subject right until the bitter end of high school, plus life drawing classes.  When I was seventeen I started university, studying a four year Computer Arts course at Abertay Dundee.  I went into it with the ambition to work in games and film.  Although the first year included a life drawing module, it wasn’t so much a traditional art course as it was a smörgåsbord of different digital art disciplines – working in Photoshop, 3D modelling, web design, interactive design, game design, film making, all kinds of animation and even a smattering of programming here and there.  I also took a course in screenwriting and a year and a bit of Japanese language lessons on top of the main course, and in our final Honours year we had free reign to choose our own project.  I focused on character concept art and the role of women in the games industry.

Thirteen o'clock by Louisa Gallie

How did it help you to become the artist you are today?
Well it did, and it didn’t.  As you can imagine it was quite a technical course, low on traditional art education, with a lot of time dedicated to learning new programs.  The tutors were also (understandably) sick to death of sci-fi, fantasy and anime and often steered us towards modern and abstract art and away from traditional illustration styles altogether.  I found this pretty frustrating and felt like I was torn between producing work I liked and work the lecturers would like – and as a result, I wound up half-assing both aspects.  However, packing so many different kinds of classes and disciplines into a relatively short time (three or four different radically different subjects in six to twelve week periods) meant I was learning FAST.  When I compare what I was doing in first year to the work I was doing in my final project, I’m shocked at the difference.  I also had the opportunity to learn more about the games industry and gained a lot of practical insight that really helped to guide me in life after graduation.

Since there was little to no focus on fundamental art skills (beyond “keep a sketchbook”), students had to rely on ourselves and each other to keep our basic art skills sharp and our enthusiasm up, and I learned a LOT outside of class, especially when it came to sharing ideas, criticism, finding online communities and professionals that inspired me.  As a form of distraction/relaxation, I also started doing fanart again which kept me more active in the art community outside of university.  I never would have met the friends and artists who inspire, help, and encourage me today if I hadn’t had that escape!

What do you do as a day job?
I work for a small games developer in my hometown, Hunted Cow Studios.  At the moment we have quite a few 2D MMOs out, but I came onto the team to work on our first 3D MMORPG, Eldevin (www.eldevin.com).  I work on 2D graphics for the game, which ranges from loading screens to teeny tiny icons to graphics for the game interface to website design.  I also work on promotional material from time to time and do the odd bit of concept art.  It varies.  I’ve always got a full task list at the moment but eventually, theoretically, I’ll get to work on worldbuilding and 3D aspects too!  We’re a small team, so everybody multi-tasks.

How do you manage to work as a freelance artist after long hours of work?
By only taking jobs from good friends and family who I can’t turn down!  I have been gradually reducing the number of commissions I do – at university I needed any extra income so the hours on top of coursework and my part time job were worth it.  Right now though, I’m pulling in a steady wage.  That’s not to say I don’t have time to paint – I ALWAYS have time to paint.  I get home, make dinner, and get right back in front of my tablet.  It’s my life.  But since the bills are taken care of, I want to spend my time working on my own art right now.  As for how I do that – well, it helps that I’m single, don’t have kids, and get my exercise every day just by walking to work!  So I don’t have many demands on my time except for the demands of my brush, and the bajillion ideas in my head that want OUT.

Years ago you made this image for a friend’s story. Today that story is an emerging popular book… tell me how do you feel about that?
I’m SO thrilled for her.  She’s such a talented writer, and she deserves to have been published a dozen times over by now.  I feel pretty honoured to have a friend so skilled with words, and it’s a privilege to get to illustrate those words for her.  I fully expect her to take over the world, become famous and I will get to crow that I worked for her way back when!

Beyond Neith by Louisa Gallie

I have seen your evolution time line, how do you think your art has evolved? What have you achieved as of lately, and what would you like to improve in the near future?
Well…I’m a lot slower than I used to be?  I’m not kidding, but I’ll explain why in a second.  Achievement first, right?  My last few paintings (Eil Ton and Goblin Nights in particular, plus a few WIPS), I feel I have just nailed them.  I don’t mean they are technically flawless.  I mean I had a vision of what I wanted those paintings to be and I nailed that vision on the canvas.  I feel like I’m finally learning how to be brave with colour and light in a way that gives me that “wow” feeling, that satisfaction where a piece just clicks.  It’s really thrilling after having quite a long period of feeling burned out and tired last year, and then awkward and rusty when I started painting again, to get the flow going again.

However, I AM getting slower because I’m also starting to realise I’ve reached a point where my inspiration is getting ahead of my abilities.  Every time I start something new, I want to push myself to the next level and I do, but I spend longer and longer studying references and trying to correct mistakes without quite knowing how.  It feels like I’m climbing higher and higher on a tower I’m building myself, but I’m not spending the time making sure the bricks under my feet are solid enough.  I know that I need to go back to basics and do more studies, more work on light and form and anatomy, and keep building that foundation so it can keep up with my ambition!

What do you think are your best assets in your artwork?
I love colour, and I think it shows.  I try to use colour schemes that feel vivid and beautiful, although colour in a more local sense – in skintones and hair for example – is something I’m always trying to study more.  Something else I love is playing dress up with my characters and I will spend a lot of time designing clothing, unusual jewelry and accessories.

Goblin Nights, Faery Bites by Louisa Gallie

You have a lot of fan art in your gallery. Some people feel strongly about fan art, what is your take on it?
For me, fanart has always been a form of escapism.  When I might feel like all my originality is being poured into other projects but I still want to paint, I’ll turn to fanart.  I’m a voracious reader, a major daydreamer and get very attached to settings and characters.  It’s the same with films (my Labyrinth obsession is hardly a secret now, is it?) Fanart is a way to keep those worlds alive when the book is finished or the movie is over.  What can I say? I love stories, and sometimes that includes borrowing from someone else’s story and running away with it for a little while!  However, I won’t sell prints or take commissions for fanart.  I have taken one or two fanart commissions is the past.  I know others who do.  But over time I’ve come to the decision that it’s just not for me.

One of your projects, together with artist Melissa Findley is a blog called the Artemisia, could you tell me about it?
Artemisia was an idea Melissa and I came up with while I was staying with her for a few weeks back in March.  I happened to be there around the time that Expose 7 entries were being accepted. It occurred to us when flipping through her collection of Ballistic books and other art collections that almost all of the accepted entries were of young, sexy women (and that most of the characters that could be described as male were hideous monsters or demons).  Out of our circle of artist friends, most of whom had been published in at least one art book, almost all of their accepted works were of women too, even if they had also submitted men of the same quality. We had a hunch and looked up the judging panel for Expose 7 – and yep, the entire panel was male.

It was no surprise to either of us that we work in a male dominated field, but rather than just accept it we decided it was high time that women in the industry had their views put out there. We wanted to find a way to showcase art that celebrated our tastes in fantasy and sci-fi art, and so we created Artemisia as a resource for female artists (or just women who love fantasy art in general).

Have you ever felt mistreated in the art industry for being a woman?
No, never.  I’ve dealt with a few biased comments on the subject of women in fantasy, and made my arguments against them, but I’ve never dealt with any outright misogyny.  Most guys seem to think it’s cool (and that working in video games would make an awesome pick-up line)!  I was the first woman to be hired by Hunted Cow and I can’t say I felt out of place at all.  I work with some very cool, laid back guys who never treated me, or the other women who were later hired, any differently.

Eil Ton by Louisa Gallie

Why do you think there is such a gender bias in the fantasy art industry?
Digital art is so connected with the video game industry, fantasy/ sci-fi/ horror films and books, and graphic novels – all of which are things that we’re taught are for boys, not girls.  Even when we grow up and should know better, there’s this prevailing attitude that if a girl is in the comic book store or looking at video games, she must be lost or shopping for her boyfriend.  And of course, girls can’t use computers, so we clearly don’t belong in this industry! Girls who want to be artists are generally expected to go and paint portraits of pets, or sell pretty watercolour fairies.  We’re steered away from the industries that digital art has the strongest presence in, so most girls don’t realise the opportunities they have.

Jareth?
One of my first crushes, made me partial to villains for life, and set some very unreasonable standards for my future boyfriends.

Sexy guys and strong women?
More of both, please!

Zoe Radha

“Louisa Gallie is probably the third best thing to be produced by Scotland, after deep-fried Mars Bars and blokes in skirts. She’s an awesome artist, with a wicked sense of humour which I adore. It’s also thanks to her that I started taking digital art seriously, and I hope she’ll continue to be a huge inspiration of mine for a great deal longer. Plus, she makes great crepes.”

Melissa Findley
Louisa is one of the sweetest, most generous people I’ve ever known. Plus she has a really subtly sly sense of humor that can catch you off guard. Her work is amazing, the colors and the amount of detail she works into backgrounds always astound me. Additionally, she has an innate sense of texture that really shines in her digital work. She’s one of my best friends, practically a sister, and there are very few people on this planet who I’d rather spend time with.

Rebecca Morse
I know Louisa principally in her quality of a member of the “Goblin Court”, a small, dedicated and deranged chat group of Labyrinth fanartists and ficwriters.
She is a very focused, meticulous digital artist, but her attention to details doesn’t lessen the creative energy and overall flair of her pieces. She has Vision and the skill and patience to get there.
I admire and approve of what her and =Mercuralis are doing with their Artemisia blog.
I admire her craftsmanship, enjoy picking her brain and bouncing ideas off her, and hope to have the chance to meet her in RL some day.

Liiga Smilshkalne
I think that Louisa is a person with her own strong outlook in life and ability to stick to her values that inspires. It shows in her art as well through strong and determined characters.