Victor Kalvachev first came to my attention with his Graphic Novel Pherone. It seemed that he just appeared fully formed in the comics world and started banging out a crime story that resonated on many levels. A quick little intro of Viktor’s past credentials: A graduate from the National Academy of Art with an MFA and has worked in the video game industry for a while. His latest work can be seen in a virtual world game called VIE.
BLUE ESTATE #1 has a Diamond order code of FEB110384 so go out and order it from your retailer now and support crime comics. The FOB is 3/14/11 so head on over to your retailer and support crime comics by ordering it.
VK: Thanks for having me on OpWound. I really appreciate the invitation.
RS: You’re welcome Viktor, it’s an honour to to do an interview with you. It’s always a pleasure to interview another creative type like yourself who is so open to sharing with our audience your incredible talent.
RS: What was your first professional work (piece / year) and maybe a quick story behind it?
VK: Well, I’ve been doing art professionally for a very long time, but may be the very first piece I did on my own and got paid for was this mural in front of a small candy store. I don’t remember the name of it, but they wanted a cute girl standing in a sexy pose with a giant heart-shaped candy behind her. I was 18 and very excited to have a paid gig. This was back in my home town – Varna, Bulgaria. The guys who owned the store were two 25 year old students from the local University and they wanted a long legged girl you can’t resist. I might have the drawing for it somewhere back in my parents’ house. I am curious to see it now.
VK: My first mentors were 2 great Bulgarian artists – Ventzi Antonov and Stoimen Stoilov (his work is also exposed in the Louvre). They managed to keep me away from teachers and helped me grow very independently, finding out what really drives me and what I want to do, rather then learning to be like everyone else.
A great deal of influence was the French comic magazine “PIF Gadget”, which arrived every Wednesday and it was like Christmas for me. This and the German caricaturist Herluf Bidstrup shaped me to become absolutely in loved with visual storytelling and characters.
I graduated the High School of Art in Varna and then got my M.F.A. from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. I specialized in print, which is a very black and messy inky situation. I’ve done pretty much all printing techniques – from simple linoleum and woodcut to complicated multi-layer mezzotinto, aquatinto, dry point and lithography. I have to admit though that this wasn’t my thing. The materials I used back then were mainly German brands, but I can’t remember their names.
RS: Tools of the trade: Taking a quick glance over at your pens, brushes, favourite brand of ink and type of paper, etc…what tools have you mainly been using over the last few years?
VK: I will combine all these question and hopefully won’t disappoint you, because I haven’t been using real ink and paper for many years now. I discovered Wacom tablets somewhere in 1992 and became really attached to digital art. The entire book PHERONE is done digitally, using Corel Painter’s Scratchboard Tool. For me, by now, this is hands down THE BEST digital representation of a classic pen and ink. Most of my drawing and inking happens in Painter and I only use the standard tools.
RS: Which artists or creators do you return to for a quick boost of inspiration? Who are the masters of ink?
VK: It’s a long list, but here are a few names in no particular order that I associated with Black & White: Nicola Mari, Bidstrup, Bernet, Mignola, Baru … As for inspiration in general, it’s a crazy long list and I don’t even know where to start. I am a sucker for good art and thanks to the Internet I discover new inspirations everyday. May be a good start is to check the LINKS section on my web site, but that barely touches the surface.
RS: Once a client has handed off an illustration job to you, how do you first tackle the job. Couls you give us a quick overview of your process?
VK: – Well, first I need to understand exactly what has been asked of me, know my limitation and opportunities. I go back and forth clearing all that out.
- Then I come up with a basic plan and have my internal deadlines I know I have to meet if I want to make the client’s deadline.
- Next step is reference – this is KEY! If you are drawing an M16, you better know what it looks like to the smallest detail even if you don’t need to draw every single screw. I’ve seen so many badly drawn guns I still find it hard to understand why, given the fact there is so much available reference online.
Know what you draw!
RS: I completely agree with you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen an artist draw a block and try to pass it off as a gun or when the story actually mentions a specific type and the artist just wings it and completely botches all of the details. This burns me a lot….. Sorry, please continue.
- Then I do my first sketch and submit it along with a bunch of comments and question that got raised in the process of creating the sketch – it’s always a good idea to keep your client informed of what you are doing to avoid unnecessary fixes. The earlier you catch a potential fix, the better for everyone.
- After it’s approved (and signed with blood) I move on to the final phase of actually finishing the piece. I like to have a bit of time so I can step away from my work for a day or two. It helps me to see it with fresh eyes and find what I can do better.
- Then comes the “suggestion” from the client that changes what you’ve been working so far and it’s really important to not get bitchy about it, because just like you, they were also in a creative process and thought of better ways to convey the idea. Hopefully it’s not setting you back too much and you are able to stay on schedule. My advice to young artists – always plan for fixes when you ask your price! There will always be some and if there aren’t any, then good – use the money for the client with more fixes then you planned for.
RS: What’s currently sitting in your mp3 / CD player / turntable?
VK: I listen to Groovera.com and a couple of stations on Pandora. I like mainly Chill, Acid Jazz and a bunch of modern oriental jazz (I don’t know how it’s called exactly). A few names are Dzihan and Kamien; Adam Shaikh; Badmarsh and Shri.
RS: What’s hanging on your walls and what is your favorite piece of art that you own (not created by you)?
VK: I have an original from Stoimen Stoilov which is priceless for me. Also a few prints from Loisel I bought in France; 2 posters from Nathan Fox and Tommy Lee Edwards. I have to admit that my favorite piece though is “Pushing Buttons” from my good friend Bruno (a.k.a. Nox at Massive Black). I just love this piece too much and I can’t explain why.
RS: Last novel you read and last movie that you saw (that you’d recommend)?
VK: I recently saw The Air I Breathe and I really liked it. A great movie!
Lately I’ve been reading old Raymond Chandler books, I don’t know why. Maybe they make me feel like I am 16 again (that’s when I first discovered Philip Marlowe and he became my hero.
RS: Current and upcoming projects?
VK: BLUE ESTATE. I’ll be working on it for the next year and have 12 amazing issues slated for production. It’s by far my most favorite project of all times and I am really excited to work on it. The first issue is coming up on April 6, but we’ll have in time for Wonder Con, so whoever can make it, stop by the Image booth and you can have your copy before everyone else. I am working on this with 3 good friends of mine – Toby Cypress, Nathan Fox and Robert Valley. Amazing ink artists, one of them you had already interviewed here (Nathan Fox).
Check out the web site for a lot of info and FREEBIES:
www.BlueEstateComic.com
RS: 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?
VK: – To begin with, never think you are working too much. There is no such thing if you really love what you do. If you have the urge to do it – go, use your body while you are young, because as you get older you can’t stay up all night and then keep going the next day.
- Know what you draw! This has several meanings – know why and who are you making this for. If it’s for you and you are just having fun – explore the hell out of yourself and don’t care. If it’s for a client – make sure you understand exactly what they need, because that’s what matters!
Second – know what it is. If you are drawing people – learn anatomy. So many artists these days get away with cool effects and shiny details, but are missing the big picture. Use reference if you need to, but stay true to the body and how everything works.
- Communicate with your clients and keep your deadlines! If you are afraid you are not going to make a deadline, don’t hide and hope for the best – tell your client in advance and get help or time.
- The last and VERY important advice is – be easy to work with! Be nice and listen to your clients. Don’t bitch when they want you to change something. This means that either you didn’t do it right the first time, or you didn’t plan enough for fixes in your price.
VK: Thanks again for having me.
RS: It has been a pleasure sir. I’m really looking forward to reading Blue Estate when it comes out. I loved Pherone and highly recommend it to everyone reading this interview.
There’s even a behind the scenes section that I’ve included a sneak peek of in this interview AND a bonus story. Awesome stuff.
Blue Estate – Blue Estate – issue #1 – The Rachel Situation – April 6
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
About Richard Serrao
Recent Comments