Tim Bradstreet on his Influences and Artistic Process – Part 2

By Richard Serrao and Jason Thibault

In part one of this interview Tim Bradstreet opened up his artistic tool box and went through it in detail. In part 2 we get a look inside his process and his artistic (and cultural) influences.

Tim, which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are YOUR masters of ink?

Great question as I am all about the influences, especially when I need to recharge the battery. Guys that get me all fucking girly are (in no specific order) -
Bernie Wrightson, Gary Gianni, Danijel Zezelj, Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Alex Nino, Jim Steranko, Mark Shultz, Richard Corben, Timothy Truman, Franklin Booth, Jim Daly, Darwyn Cooke, Serpieri, Quique Alcatena, Gene Day, Jean Giraud, William Stout, Mike Mignola, Dave Stevens, Michael Wm. Kaluta, George Pratt, Tom Yeates, Joe Kubert, Reed Crandall, Doug Wildey, Wow, God I love Doug Wildey’s work.

That’s the main list off the top of my head. I’m leaving important one’s off but you can never absolutely DEFINE the list. I discover artist’s work I love and appreciate all the time. With most all of the artists listed it’s based off the body of work, entire careers. There are also a lot of exciting and bold artists really happening in the now, a lot of folks who deserve a wider audience.

But the thing now too is that with digital there are so many really wonderful artists that work in multiple styles. That’s great, that kind of flexibility is amazing and I’m awed by it, but with varying styles it’s more difficult to define them. I’m drawn mostly to artists who’ve really defined themselves with that one-of-a-kind look, “It couldn’t possible be anyone else’s work but so and so . . .” etc.

A cover for SCALPED, an ongoing DC Vertigo series.

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job. Could you give us a quick overview of your process?

Awww, c’mon, that’s boring! It’s sometimes different based off the job requirements but my normal M.O. begins by executing a photo rough or ‘key art’. Normally I start out focusing on the main figure (s), getting that right, the idea of it . . . what pose, what position, what props, how to present this character dynamically, iconically. All of that is an automatic flow that begins with the feeling/vibe I get from what the character is, what he/she does, what actions define them.

Then it’s all about composition, telling a story in a single frame, whether that’s a more ambiguous ‘mood’ shot where the tone defines the moment, or it’s an actual scene. Sometimes it’s a superdoodle with multiple iconic elements combining to create a pastiche. I try to get inside the character’s head and then step out and move my eye/camera around. That’s all in my head as I begin to form an idea of what I want to photograph.

Pencils for a BLADE cover

Sometimes I sketch it out, sometimes I go directly to the shoot and riff the idea. Sometimes I’m using reference that wasn’t originally intended for the job in hand – and that’s even more ambitious in many ways because you are creating the actual figure like a Frankenstein, pieces and parts, a bit from this a bit from that, a complete jam. Then it’s all about creating an environment that compliments the human element. It’s ALL composition.

When I complete that photorough to my or my client’s satisfaction then I take it to the light box and translate (over vellum). Once my pencils are finished I flip the vellum over (I print everything backwards) and dry transfer it to my Bristol board. That’s when the real fun begins. Ink, glorious ink.

The cover CRIMINAL MACABRE issue 1.

Then I work the color myself or indicate the color treatment I’d like for my colorist/partner, Grant Goleash, then sit back while he does his magic. Generally after Grant has done his bit I edit and tweak the color again and then deliver.

The cover for PUNISHER MAX issue 27.

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

It’s an iTunes DJ playlist taken from my (Scores Only) playlist. It just runs and runs and runs my favorite scores. I’ve got about a week’s worth of music in there with no repeats. It helps create a mood. I love working to film scores. Right now it’s Jerry Goldsmith – “Jerry in Japan“, a live recording of Goldsmith’s film music conducted by Charles Fox. As we speak I’m listening to a most bombastic kickass version of the Title Track from The Wind And The Lion. Next track up in the que is Merlin’s Spell, by Trevor Jones from the score to Excalibur. This is some sweet stuff.

A piece used for the animated Kuwait sequence in the PUNISHER film.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

I actually don’t have a lot of art hanging in my studio because I lack the wall space. There is so much I’d LOVE to hang in here to inspire me but it’s all windows and bookshelves. I have Bernie Wrightson’s “Momentos“, hanging in my bar. To my left is a gorgeous black and white original by Jim Daly. It’s incredible, a neat as shit scene of a dragon rider, framed by a tunnel of darkness, part of some kind of twisted hulk of a structure. In the background are other riders off in the distance, flapping winged leather for some unknown destination. It’s so cool.

The cover for PUNISHER MAX issue 33.

Next to that I have an original Martin Emond page from the Heavy Metal story White Trash. Tom Jane got it framed for me for my birthday last year. It’s one of my prized possessions cause Martin traded me for it years ago. He tragically passed away a few years ago so this one is mighty special. In front of me hangs my 4 year old daughter’s artwork. She draws and paints like crazy. I’m fairly sure she’s going to be in the creative field when she grows up

In my Bar hangs a picture of Chief Dan George as Lone Watie from The Outlaw Josey Wales. I have no idea who the artist is, my dad bought it for me at an antique shop a few years back. It’s just damn cool. I’d really like to get my Doug Wildey page from Creepy hung up in here. I have a Paul Gulacy grey-toned page from a Black Widow story originally published in one of the old black and white Marvel mags . . . Bizarre Adventures maybe? Can’t remember. I’ve got a couple Wrightson’s, Lee Bermejo, Truman originals . . . Geez, there is just so much. I may have to brick over my windows.

The badass cover for PUNISHER MAX issue 45.

What’s the last novel you read and last movie that you saw that you’d recommend? Which movies and books do you always return to?

I just re-read Frank Herbert’s Dune for about the 6th or 7th time. It’s definitely my favorite sci-fi/fantasy novel if not my favorite all-around novel. I guess that also answers the last part of your question because I seem always to return to Dune, as well as the rest of the Dune series. Have to re-read them all every time.

Other books I rotate back to all the time are the Master And Commander series of books by Patrick O’Brian, The Name Of The Rose, by Umberto Eco, Conan, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and El Borak, all by Robert E. Howard. There are others too.

Tim Bradstreet’s character Manfred Gallows from his Red Sky Diaries saga.

Last movie I saw that I would recommend . . . Edge Of Darkness. I’m a HUGE fan of the 1985 original BBC mini-series starring Bob Peck (a tour de force performance) and directed by Martin Campbell. I was drawn to the film adaptation for two reasons, 1. Because Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) himself was back in the director’s chair remaking his own film! and 2. Because I’m a huge Mel Gibson fan. Whatever people think about his personal issues I don’t really have any problem putting that aside to watch the fucking Road Warrior when he’s back on the screen after a 5-6 year absence.

I thought it was condensed (the original was 6 hours) decently enough and enjoyed watching a film that wasn’t assaulting me with ridiculous, over-the-top action and flimsy dialogue. Ray Winstone too, is fun to watch as Jedburgh. There is a fun role reversal from the BBC version, the original is based in England so the Gibson character is English and Jedburgh is American. The character’s nationalities are flipped with the remake taking place in America. Also, just really love the story by Troy Kennedy-Martin.

The original pen and ink cover for the PUNISHER DVD comic.

Current and upcoming projects?

That’s always such a loaded question, primarily because at any given time I may be working on something that is a bit far down the road, like Red Sky Diary. I’m co-writing a novelization and in between working on other stuff I write, edit, work on this massive glossary of terms, do illustrations, etc.

But it’s still going to be a year before this thing comes out. I’m also working on a mondo cool personal project, a book of illustrations which are anything the fuck I feel like drawing. I’ll end up with 15 or so. They run the gambit from ambiguously interesting character pieces, to actual scenes, to montage stuff. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, post apocalyptic, combinations of all of that. Each illustration will be handed off to a writer like Warren Ellis, Bruce Jones, or David J. Schow.

The cover for SCALPED issue 19

The writers will come from many different areas of expertise, comic writers, screenwriters, novelists, etc. They will get carte blanch to write about whatever they want to as long as it pertains to that image I hand to them. It’s the normal creative process in reverse. They will each be limited to around 3 to 4000 words. When they finish the story I’ll add a spot illustration or two in order to round things out. My plan is to print it oversized (like 9″ x 12″) and do it as a hardcover. All the illustrations will be in glorious black and white.

Aside from those “in the works” projects, I’m keeping busy working on a new comic series by Garth Ennis that Dynamic Forces is publishing. Also getting set to provide covers for a new Clive Barker series at Boom! I’m always busy with Rogue Angel, it’s a line of novels that I’ve been doing covers for over the last few years. Seriously I’m looking for something “regular” to do again like I did with Hellblazer and Punisher. I was LOVING doing Criminal Macabre with Steve Niles but it’s been on hiatus for like 8 months now.

The cover for PUNISHER NOIR Issue 2

I’m looking for a gig, someone help and old saddle bum out here! What I’m really looking forward to is production designing this awesome period western-style revenge film set in colonial New Zealand that my pal Andrew McKenzie wrote and will direct. It’s an incredible script. I brought it to Tom Jane and we’re co-producing as well. It’s very close to green light status. It’s called Sweetwater.

Read Part One of this Tim Bradstreet interview.

Come back on Monday, March 22nd for the third and final installment.

For more info you can visit Tim Bradstreet’s website or head on over to his company page for RAW Studios.

HELLBLAZER Issue 188 cover

Tim Bradstreet; A Master Class in Pen and Ink Realism

By Richard Serrao and Jason Thibault

*Note* this is part one of an epic 3-part interview. Here is part two.

Tim Bradstreet. What can I say about this awesome artist that hasn’t yet been said by people much more talented than myself? Quite a lot actually. There have been a lot of artists in my lifetime that have influenced me in so many ways BUT overall Mr. Bradstreet has been the single biggest influence on how I work and draw. The first time that I saw his work I was already heading in that same artistic direction. He just helped to take all of the other artists that I loved from my teenage years such as Paul Gulacy, Gene Day and Al Williamson and smack me in the face with the outright bodacity that he was incorporating into his work while still retaining the qualities that I had loved about these other artists but had forgotten.

I have heard from a lot of people that seeing his work for the first time is so powerful that words cannot it describe or do it justice. So, without further babbling on my part I’ll let HIS artwork and words seer into your brain like it did mine. He truly is a MASTER of INK.

Tim, what inspired you to first start drawing? Did you struggle in your formative years or did it come easy to you?

I’ve drawn as far back as I can remember, even pre-Kindergarten. I’m not exactly sure what inspired it or sparked it. I know that I loved to draw dinosaurs and cars, airplanes, battles, little stick-men wars with explosions – arms, heads, and legs flying every which way. You know, the kind of thing that today would likely result in your teacher calling in your parents to inform them they’re ‘concerned’ about you, heheh.

Concept art from The Punisher movie.

I loved to draw hovercraft and other things fantastic, very likely a result of watching Johnny Quest and Star Trek. I was 10 years old when Star Wars came out so at that point all bets were off. I was always a science fiction and horror fan although the horror stuff purely fascinated me at the time, I wasn’t permitted to watch much ’serious’ horror. But I did absorb a lot of it through magazines, Famous Monsters Of Filmland, Star Log, and then Fangoria. Comics too, inspired me but it wasn’t just superheroes. I used to pour over issues of Creepy Magazine on the news stands at the grocery store.

A sketch of actor Ron Perlman from the film Blade 2.

Heavy Metal Magazine blew me away, mostly Moebius and the “Incal” stories. I don’t know if drawing always came easy to me, I didn’t think about it too much until I got serious, around the time I was 14 or 15. Then it seemed very difficult because I was trying to emulate the work of all these fantastic illustrators from Jack Kirby to Frank Frazetta. I had no real concept of the tools these artists used. My choice of weapon was the “Tech Pen”. Talk about a brutal initiation. Obviously you can’t make thick to thin ‘feathered’ lines with a fucking tech pen, so I just drew the outline of the shape and filled it in.

A cover from the Criminal Macabre series

I wasn’t aware of an easier way. Bit by bit I figured it out. I believe I was maybe 19-20 years old before I retired my tech pens and picked up the brush. Wow, that was a whole new world. It was daunting at first. I didn’t feel like I could have the control that a tech pen gave me. But all you really need when using a new tool is a little bit of confidence, and that quickly followed because I drew ALL the time. Those muscles developed with some alacrity because I was using them on a daily basis. I wanted to get better, I made it my religion.

Concept art for a motion graphics sequence in The Punisher movie

What was your first professional work and maybe a quick story behind it?

First real professional work was two illustrations for Game Designers Workshop, a Role Playing Game company. The work appeared in Traveller’s Digest, a support supplement for GDW’s Traveller, sci-fi game system. The year was 1986, not long after I’d graduated from high school. The images were very Star Wars – like, vacuum cleaner droids on a starship, nothing spectacular trust me. They were done in a pencil style drawn on vellum, the same style I employed on the game Twilight 2000, which I became regular artist of on the heels of having done the Traveller tryout.

Cover for Hellblazer issue 211

I was basically taking over that job from an artist named Steve Venters, who had taken me under his wing. He was the interior artist on Twilight 2000 as well as the cover painter and he wanted to spend more time focusing on cover work. I did a few tryout pieces for him trying to clone his style. He was impressed enough to push me to GDW and my entire career began there . . . 24 years ago. It still seems like yesterday.

A ‘rejected’ Bad Planet cover

Were you self-taught or formally educated? Did you have a mentor?

Pretty much self-taught with a mixture of a mentor (namely Venters). I wasn’t really ready for college after high school. I partied like insanely and I blew off getting a portfolio put together to get accelerated courses in college. Subsequently I began in basic courses and was just re-doing stuff I’d already covered in high school. I was bored silly. Hanging out with friends, discovering my burgeoning individuality, and partying seemed much more important to me at the time.

Illustration of Lawrence of Arabia

I ended up dropping out of college not long after I’d hooked up with Venters. I was learning more from him in the course of months than I had in years of art classes. This was also my target field. I regret not having focused more on school but the I don’t regret the reason, it’s territory I had to walk. Growing as an individual, expanding my mind, and truly discovering and embracing pop culture for myself was a necessary evil. In a large way it gave me my edge.

Who’s to say I couldn’t have done both? But everyone has to follow their own path, and I had a helluva lot of fun and life experiences following the path that I did.

Punisher Vietnam cover

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

About two-three years ago I stopped using a brush almost entirely. I NEVER thought I would, but they stopped making my fucking brush! I used a cheap little Loew-Cornell 5-ot liner brush since about 1988. I love that thing. I still have 3 of them and I protect them like they were my children. I break one out every now and then when I HAVE to, to get a required effect where I want it.

What took it’s place is a Hunt #102 – Crowquill nib. A tool I NEVER thought I’d become proficient at. I’d always shied away from pen nibs because I was never very good at controlling them, but again, all I needed was to develop a little confidence. Now I absolutely LOVE using it. I’ve always been a noodler, and you can noodle like a madman with a pen nib. In a way it’s like the tech pen, yet it has this incredible organic quality that technical pens will never posses because of the flexibility of the point, it’s ability to alter line weights with the right pressures applied.

A promotional poster for The Punisher featuring actor Thomas Jane as Frank Castle.

I also use a Raphael #1 from time to time, but it’s mostly the nib. One of my main weapons currently is a Niji Waterbrush. It’s a synthetic brush with a reservoir for ink built into the barrel. I never fill the thing, I dip it. It’s AMAZING as a tool to do dry-brush. You can really batter it and they don’t cost a ton, around $9. They clean easy and they can really last. They have a startlingly decent point on them too, so you can do some really fine work with them if you choose to.

Jim Daly turned me onto them, though they aren’t a whole lot different than the Pentel Color Brush, which was fairly popular in the early to mid 90’s. I remember Mark A. Nelson used to use them exclusively back in the day. I tried them then but it never really took. That’s about it except for a big chisel brush I use for big ink-swash backgrounds. That thing is evil-cool, such a diversity of line, bold as porn star.

Preliminary pencils for a cover

How has your toolbox evolved compared to when you first started out?

It’s basically the same. Different tools but very similar results. My style has evolved a great deal since the early days of professional work, but the vision is essentially the same, just more refined in places and more organic in others. The whole thing is a journey, you have to challenge yourself and not fall into the trap of thinking that you’ve attained some magical power where you no longer need to learn, experiment, or grow as an artist.

The minute you think you have learned it all and you become completely satisfied with your work you’re going to stagnate and become a dinosaur. The process never ends if you have your head in the right place. Resting on laurels of past glory is absolutely the worst thing you can do as an artist, regardless of your area of expertise. The same holds true for musicians, writers, you name it. Times change, people grow and move on, and if your work goes static, technically, compositionally, dynamically, etc . . . Then you’re just old news.

The Punisher

I don’t have to be the best artist, I don’t have to be the most popular artist. I don’t give a shit about that. I draw for myself first, and I love what I get to do for a living. Constant learning, experimenting, even re-inventing is what keeps me refreshed and excited about it. At the end of the day I just strive for my work to have relevance to me, if it does, then I gotta figure it’s finding an audience somewhere among the public. They are my benefactors, bless them every one. I guess that answer qualifies as getting off on a tangent

What’s your favorite brand of ink?

I like about any old brand of waterproof rapidograph ink for paper. I use that with the nibs cause it flows nice and smooth. When I black, I add a couple drops of Japanese Sumi ink to the well. That really charges the black to super black. I like for my originals to stand on their own, I never half-ass it when it comes to blacking.

A pen and ink illustration used as a cover for the French magazine Comic Box

What about papers?

I really love DC’s regular surface 2-ply Bristol (I believe it’s Strathmore). It’s got a touch of tooth and ink dries very quickly so smudging is less of a nuisance. I just flip it over and draw on the back, blue lines really annoy me. I use that when I can get a friendly editor to hook me up. I used to really love a Rising 3-ply Bristol with a regular finish but I can’t find it anywhere in San Diego. Right now I really dig this 3-ply Strathmore Bristol with a vellum finish. I thought ‘vellum’ would be too smooth but it’s more like a regular surface, just enough tooth to give it some guts, and just smooth enough so that my pen nib doesn’t betray me and get snagged. That does truly suck when it happens.

Cover for Marvel’s Luke Cage Noir

I purchase all of my non-comic company supplied paper in large sheet form and have it cut down to 11″ X 17″ boards. You can get 3 boards from a large sheet. I have no idea if it’s cheaper to do it that way, that doesn’t confront me. It’s just that I have never found a paper worth a shit in tablet form. Of course that’s mainly from a lack of searching to any great extent I don’t really populate message boards or confer with others about the subject too often unless I’m at a convention and talk turns professional with a peer. Regardless, I’m sure it seems obvious that I prefer a heavier paper. I’m not a fan of flimsy originals.

Read part two of this interview. Come back on Monday, March 22nd for the third and final installment.

For more info you can visit Tim Bradstreet’s website or head on over to his company page for RAW Studios.

A Quick Talk with Comics Legend Tony DeZuniga

Tony DeZuniga is a comics legend who has been working in the industry since the age of 16 or in 1957 if you prefer. In the 60’s and 70’s he moved back and forth between the Philippines (his native country) and New York City working for both Marvel and DC Comics. That means he’s forgotten more about comics than you or I will probably ever learn. Later on he worked as a conceptual designer in video games and now in retirement he does commissioned paintings and teaches art. In 2010 he’s still at the top of his artistic game and it’s a big year for him with the upcoming release of the Jonah Hex movie.

First professional work (piece / year) and maybe a quick story behind it.

My first work was that House of Mystery, it’s about a Pharaoh and his son, Joe Orlando wanted to try me if my work is as good as my portfolio because he was impressed when I show him my portfolio.

Self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

I was just self taught with the help of Filipino comic illustrators like Coching and Redondo and a few more that’s ahead of me. Always try to ask and make room for improvement. And you have to memorize your anatomy, that’s very important.

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

Actually I use everything, and try to be good with everything. But I think pencil is my forte. I started doing fine arts too and I love acrylic and gouache.

Favorite brand of ink:

I am using this sable pen brushes, they’re expensive but I love it they’re so think and so smooth to use.

Type of paper:

I like the vellum kind , the one with tooth, I’m a pencil person so I want something that sticks on the paper.

Which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are the masters of ink?

I love the works of Hal Foster and Alex Raymond, they’re my inspiration growing up and starting as an artist and I know I’m not alone, a lot of artist feels the same.

Tony DeZuniga Art Exhibit Opening

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job? Could you provide a quick overview of your process?

Doing a commission is very tricky, I wish all customers would tell you that “do whatever you want , as long as I get my character” but the thing doing commissions are, they’re paying you so they want certain things, certain poses, with another character, they want an evil witch…etc. But customer is always right…

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

I love jazz music and Frank Sinatra, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Michael Bubble.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

I love a Joe Kubert spread he gave me long time ago; a picture of me and Bill Gaines in the 70’s; a San Julian pencil and Maroto colored illustration with lots of appreciation and story behind it.

Last novel you read and last movie that you saw (that you’d recommend)?

I don’t really read novels but I love watching movies. I love the Avatar movie. I used to be a conceptual designer of SEGA and how I miss that job.

Current and upcoming projects?

My upcoming project is the Graphic Novel of Jonah Hex. The movie is coming out in June 16, 2010 and Paul Levitz, DC President wrote us a letter that they will give me a credit on the movie and we were invited at the red carpet.

What would you tell an aspiring artist who is working his ass off but still needs and wants to break through to the next level?

Just keep on trying, and most important is you have to have your own style, all new artists wanted to be like Jim Lee or Todd Macfarlane, no you have to develop your own style to get there and of course you have to be really good and sometimes….luck.

Read more about Tony at alanguilan.com

Video Interview with TONY DeZUNIGA

Wesley Allsbrook; An Interview with an Accomplished Illustrator

by Jason Thibault

Wesley Allsbrook is a very skilled illustrator who has worked with magazines, newspapers and in the comics medium. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and became a freelance artist after graduation.

What inspired you to first start drawing? Did you struggle in your formative years or did it come easy to you?

I always drew. I wasn’t always good with it, but I cannot remember ever not wanting to draw. I used it, at first, to see the things that I imagined, and to make a better world for myself. Later, I drew photo real copies of the models in the Coldwater Creek catalog to impress people in middle school. There was another girl who could really throw down, Molly Carlson. North Chatham wasn’t big enough for the both of us.

First professional work (piece / year) and maybe a quick story behind it.

I got my very first jobs from my professor’s wife while still in school. In Chris Buzelli’s classes, there was always at least one assignment that would be published, though every assignment was a competition with a definite victor and loser (we voted during crit). I got second place for the Bells and Whistles job (a half page that appears consistently in PLANSPONSOR Magazine), and then I got hired. At the time I was still doing everything with screen printing, so the revises were kind of difficult for me…

Were you self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

Both. I taught myself how to draw up through high school, but RISD really helped me do something with my aptitude. I had a foundations teacher called Brice Hobbs. Always questing after the most volumetric of blacks and the most visceral mark making, He’d put one of our skeletons through a tire swing, give her a sunbonnet, and address the class: “I want to FEEL this tire RUNNING OVER MY FACE.” If my drawings have any feeling of physicality, it’s because of Brice. Him and Tony Janello. Tony taught me all about the value of pentimenti as drawing tools. We’d use crayola crayons to make a literal neural net of marks around the model before drawing the figure out of the fray. After that I never looked for the outline of a thing straight away. I still draw like this every day. Helps me to see space.

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

I love the Windsor and Newton Series 7 brushes (0, 1, 2) and the fountain brush pens (Pentel, Kaimei, etc), cheap sumi brushes for dry effects and toothbrushes, foam paint brushes, sharpened chopsticks… And drop-lead pencils for drawing, usually no softer than a 2B. Vellum Bristol for drawing. My boyfriend and I are deadlocked in the debate on the merits of kneaded vs. white erasers, though neither of us like the gums. For mistakes, I like casein.

How has your toolbox evolved compared to when you first started out?

When I began I wanted to use everything. I made my own oil paints from scratch (way less hazardous to your health than making pastels), and found a way to layer inks between oil varnishes (really awkward). I inked over screen prints. I even tried collage. There was not a material by which I was not at one time seduced. The smells, the textures, the line qualities… But I was always a person who thought more in lines than in volumes, so gradually, as my style became more specific my “toolbox” got smaller. The screen printing did help me to understand how to use Photoshop to my advantage.

Favorite brand of ink:

I don’t discriminate, and I buy cheap. No waterproof.

Type of paper:

Vellum Bristol.

Which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are the masters of ink?

I love Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates, and the later Steve Canyon), Noel Sickles (emphasis on the Scorchy Smith), Alex Raymond ( Flash Gordon ), Will Eisner, Kurtzman, Kirby… But for your modern influences you’ve got Paul Pope, Nathan Fox… There’s more blood and guts (you know, in a good way) in those inks than maybe I’ll ever got to do. All these guys can draw, and that’s what I love.

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job. Could you give us a quick overview of your process?

I sketch, get approval. Then I scale up the print size by a quarter or a half and start penciling. I don’t transfer directly from the sketch because I don’t have the patience for the light box, and often I’ll like the idea of the sketch, but feel that the composition needs some tweaking. Once the pencil is done and a few quick thumbnails for me to figure out the value structure I want to pursue, I ink. Then I scan my ink along with some textures and perhaps some color swatches that I want to select from, and the rest, as they say, is Photoshop.

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything that Happens.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

Has to be my boyfriend’s drawings. He inks like a man. And my friend Ze’s prints.

What’s the last novel you read and last movie that you saw that you’d recommend? Which movies and books do you always return to?

The last book I read was Peter Carey’s His Illegal Self. Le Deuxieme Souffle–The Second Wind, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (or Le Samourai directed by the same guy) for my movie recommendation. And I just saw The Third Man! Talk about great compositions and absolute blacks…. Peter Carey is a very pleasant and familiar place to return to for reading materials. I also love Keri Hulme. Whether it’s her short stories or novels, I’ve never felt closer to written characters–and her commitment to descriptive food details really resonates with me. And anything by Calrice Lispector. And comics.

Current and upcoming projects?

My Comic, Mountains and Valleys, about the tragedy of the love between parent and child, and Nkisi Dolls. I’m hoping I can eventually self-publish. We’ll see.

What would you tell an aspiring artist who is working his ass off but still needs and wants to break through to the next level?

Keep working, but don’t do it in the dark. Let people know that you exist, and don’t lose your commitment to making the work that you love (as opposed to what you believe your clients want you to make). As a student, Jon Foster told me that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Truer and more axiomatic words were never said, especially when it comes to illustration. A good part of this job is exposing yourself. As a shut-in, I get shaky every time I’m in a room with more than a couple of people. Its worth it to promote yourself, though.

Find out more about Wesley at her website and her blog.

Arik Roper’s Mind-Altering Art and Illustrations

By Jason Thibault

Arik Roper is an artist who transcends time. You stumble across his art and you think you’ve found some long-lost illustrations from the late 60’s to mid 1970’s era. Yet somehow his work perfectly complements the various album covers and concert posters of modern-day rock and metal groups. He is endlessly toiling with new materials and techniques it is of no surprise that his art is growing in popularity.

What inspired you to first start drawing? Did you struggle in your formative years or did it come easy to you?

I started drawing around age 3. Both my parents were artists. My mother was an illustrator and graphic designer and my father was a painter and sculptor, so the influence came from them and the environment in which I was grew up. They always encouraged me. There was never a question as to what I wanted to pursue – it was always art. My formative years, when I was trying out different styles and emulating things I liked, progressed fairly smoothly. In retrospect I can see different phases I went I went through as I learned. I started out on the 1960s Mad magazines, and underground comix ( my father’s collection). Later it was Heavy Metal mag, Iron Maiden covers, Vaughn Bode, some skateboard art and so on. At first I somewhat emulated my favorite art as most people do when they’re young, but over the years I think I’ve distilled it into a more unique thing although some of the early influences are so deep that they show at times.

First professional work (piece / year) and maybe a quick story behind it.

I’m not sure if this would be considered “professional” since I didn’t actually get paid for it but one of my first published pieces of work was a comic in the third issue of Grand Royal magazine in 1994. I met the editor Bob Mack when he visiting New York through some friends. We hung out one night, went to bars , acted crazy, had a blast and ended up staying in touch for a time after that. He asked me to contribute to the magazine, so I submitted a primitive one panel comic which was used. I later did another for the next issue ( I think it was the next issue) but some others at the magazine weren’t into it because it was insulting to owners of pit bulls- it was basically just a parody strip about how people who own pit bulls as a status symbol are idiots. I think the magazine folded soon after, for different reasons I assume.

Were you self-taught or formally educated? (or mixture of both, mentors etc…)

I learned a lot from my mother. She started as a fashion illustrator then became a commercial illustrator in the 1970s, when they had to actually draw advertisements and do it all manually. She was good at creating anything. Her style definitely influenced mine. I picked up a lot of technique from her and started using her markers and paper. She also had volumes of art books laying around the house for reference which I was exposed to. By the time I got to The School of Visual Arts I had been into drawing and coloring for many years and was well on my way. In school I was exposed to other mediums like painting, figure and life drawing, silk-screening, etc, so in that sense school helped but most of what I learned happened when I was younger.

Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?

These days I use a crow quill pen, Micron markers, various watercolor and acrylic paint brushes, plus other watercolor pattern making tools like sponges.

How has your toolbox evolved compared to when you first started out?

I used to work with permanent markers like Prismacolor, sharpies, etc., but the fumes were too much, plus they’re limited in regards to what you can achieve. Now I’m into permanent inks, watercolors and gouache. These give me the effect I was looking for with markers- deeply saturated but much more versatile. I’ve been moving more into painting lately too.

Favorite brand of ink:

Dr Ph Martins Radiant Concentrated and Transparent water color inks are what I’ve been into lately. I’ve been also using various brands of gouache for some opacity.

Type of paper:

I use primarily Arches Cold Press 300 lb paper. Sometimes the 140 lb Hot Press also. The Cold Press heavyweight type works best for me because I use a lot of layering, I mix the colors into the paper and do washes so I need the paper to hold up. The Arches is good at this, it gets soaked and dries into a nice deep tone. If I’m doing a sharper illustration in which there’s a black outline for example, then the smooth Hot Press is better. If it’s a single sheet, I get it wet then iron it out to keep it from warping and tape it down on a board.

Which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are the masters of ink?

Just to name a few: Edmund Dulac, Ivan Bilibin, Augustus Knapp, Gustave Dore, Theodor Kittelsen, Heath Robinson, Robert Pepper, Richard Corben, Frazetta, Berni Wrightson, Jeff Jones, Ian Miler, Julek Heller, Rodney Matthews, Roger Dean, Greg Irons, Gerald Scarfe, Peter Dickinson, Giger, Ernst Fuchs, Rick Griffin, Barney Bubbles, R Cobb, Bruce Pennington, George Hardie, Phillipe Druillet, V Courtlandt Johnson, William Stout. There are many contemporaries who I admire as well, too many to get into here.

Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job. Could you give us a quick overview of your process?

Fortunately I get to be creative with a lot of my work, meaning that I get to come up with the imagery on my own. Sometimes brainstorming can take a while. I spend some time thinking about the concept or client and what I want to represent with it. I try to take cues from the client, a band for example, I’ll use the music to guide me. Sometimes I’ll get into researching ideas or themes, I’ll read about the history of some theme that I’m working on. I sketch out ideas for a while until I get something I like then go to the final. The rest of the process varies depending on the project and style. I’ve lately been working in a style in which I don’t draw the image in black line, I use only inks to make the scene a more realistic style. That’s a whole other way of thinking for me, because I have to think about the order in which I lay down the colors, and use the ink and water to create effects. It requires a little more patience and consideration.

What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?

On the turntable sits The End of the Game, by Peter Green.

What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?

I can’t say it’s necessarily my favorite but it ranks high on my list, it’s a poster print of a painting titled A Walk Through the World of Drugs by John Pitre. A friend gave it to me from his collection. It’s a scene of some naked shaggy looking young men and women basking in a world made of phantasmagorical oversized pills, mushrooms, cocaine and pot leaves. It’s really a beautifully done oil painting with incredible detail and amazing psychedelic renderings plus it’s insane in concept, which I like of course. I’d never heard of Pitre but after researching him, I discovered he’s a huge talent.

I also have a screen printed poster which is apparently from the 70s by an Israeli artist named Shoher ( it’s in the fine print ) that depicts Jesus on the cross wearing a gas mask and all kinds of demonic post apocalyptic chaos surrounding him , and the words “And Then Came Smoke”.

What’s the last novel you read and last movie that you saw that you’d recommend? Which movies and books do you always return to?

Most of my life I’ve been reading nonfiction (except for Philip K Dick) but over a year ago I read Dune for the first time. I never got around to reading it when I was younger, and I’m glad I didn’t because it blew me away after reading it at this age. I think I related to it more and had some reference points for it that made it all the more outstanding to me. It’s so incredibly psychedelic, I can’t believe no one told me before. I heard from a firsthand source that Frank Herbert created the story from his psilocybin experiences and that certain characters and the overall vibe of the story are directly influenced by the mushroom lore and biology – and it shows. Dune has some of the most spot-on altered state descriptions I’ve ever read, it’s a heavyweight masterpiece to be sure. I saw the David Lynch film version as a kid, I liked it but didn’t quite get it. It’s an interesting film but of course it’s hugely abbreviated and a bit frustrating because of it.

Another inspiring book is the Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly Hall, the giant tome of occult and secret sciences through history. That stuff get’s my mind on its’ feet.

Solaris by Tarkovsky is one of my favorite movies and it’s always inspiring. Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain and El Topo are classics in my world as well, the symbolism and humor are amazing.

Current and upcoming projects?

I’m currently working on art for my show which opens in late October at the Fuse Gallery here in New York. After that I start thinking about the new High on Fire album art, and some other projects including a graphic novel idea that a friend and I are developing. I’d like to get into animation but since I don’t yet have the skills to do it alone, I think I’d need to collaborate with someone.

What would you tell an aspiring artist who is working his ass off but still needs and wants to break through to the next level?

You gotta be good at what you do. Keep making art, looking for inspiration, and refining your craft. I suggest looking at art through the ages for inspiration, not just modern trends. In terms of getting to the “next level”, it’s often a matter of just getting yourself seen and then letting it grow from there. It’s easier now than ever. You can show your work online , you can make your own prints or shirts, etc., you can self publish with those print on demand books. You can do work for bands which is like an advertising circuit unto itself. Build a world around you, make your personal aesthetic universe for your art. Then, if you want, you can send it out to potential clients or agencies to get some work. But you have to be good at what you do of course. It may take time. You may not feel like you’re reaching your goal yet, but that’s alright because time is on your side as an artist. If you keep doing it you’ll presumably evolve and by the time it starts reaching people it will be even better. Don’t rush it, develop it.

Keep up with Arik at his website.

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