The netpaper about Elftowners, by Elftowners, for Elftowners.
Featured member Interview - [deeterhi]
by [windowframe]
You may have seen [deeterhi] around - or more likely, you may have seen some of [deeterhi]'s fabulous work around, her distinctive and captivating style is hard to miss. As many of Elftown's artists dream of doing, [deeterhi] wants to be able to make a living from her art - but she's a bit further along the road to being able to do so that many of the rest of us are. When she very kindly consented to be interviewed, I took the chance to pester her with questions about art school, comics and her latest collaborative project...
Oh, where to start? Your art - it's fantastic. How big a difference do you think going to art college made to your development and improvement as an artist? Do you think there's much chance someone could make it as a professional artist without having gone to an art school?
Thank you ^^ For me, art school was very important, but first, I would like to make it clear that art school is not essential to anyone who wants to become a professional artist. It was just the path I chose. I felt like I could get a lot out of it, personally. There are many artists who go on to become very successful, and have never had any professional training.
Now then...The most important classes for me in art school were my anatomy and figure drawing classes. They helped me improve the most. People like to use photographs to substitute as reference, but the camera tends to sometimes flatten and distort an image. I had this great drawing teacher foundation year. He had us draw from a nude model, but everything would be timed. First, in order to loosen up, he would have us do ten second drawings, trying to capture the essence of a pose. Then it would go to a minute, then five minute poses, and eventually up to thirty minute poses.
If I didn't go to art school, I don't think my work would be at the level that it is now. I think I could probably get to this level eventually, but it would have taken longer than it did. There are a bunch of resources that are at your fingertips when you go to college that you don't normally have (like nude models of all shapes, sizes and ethnicites). You get a nice sense of community that is different than online communities because you're all physically there in the same room and you're forced to give each other constructive criticisms. You get advice from professionals who come in and tell you how they were able to succeed in the industry. You get portfolio days were you can go and meet with editors from the top industries and show them your work and network, basically. I've met editors from DC Comics, Vertigo, Scholastic, and many more.
But the whole experience isn't always for everyone. I've seen many of my classmates drop out, either because of the tuition costs were too much to handle or they realized they weren't as passionate about art as they thought they were or they felt that college wasn't right for them anymore or many other reasons. It's funny because my college loves to name-drop, and whenever one of their graduates becomes successful, they're constantly talking about them when recruiting and at talks at open houses. There's this one artist they talk about who's a big success, but the funny thing is that she dropped out of the college. There's a lot that I still feel I missed out on in college as well. I feel like there were some classes that I should have dropped that were a complete waste of my time and money. But overall, it was a great experience. I'd say I loved 90% of my classes. But again, art school, just like any college, isn't always for everyone.
Yeah...that was a long response ^^
Long is fine! I'm quite envious of you having met editors from DC and Vertigo. I have a question I ask every artist I admire: how to you get consistency of style in your work? And how do you manage to get a character looking recognisable from one drawing to the next? Is it just a case of Practice, practice practice, or are there a few tips you could share?
It really is just: practice, practice, practice. That's the only way to keep characters and drawings consistent. Drawing is all an illusion, and with characters, it's important to understand that they are in many ways supposed to mimic real people. So you have to understand how they would look as three dimensional beings, from all angles, in order to keep them recognizeable in a story. This is why many people create character sheets where you see a character they've created from the front, a profile, and from the back. (Character sheets can be more extensive, but that is just the basics.) Be sure to always practice drawing different kinds of characters, too. You don't want to become stuck, where you can only draw one kind of face.
Okay, back to the comics. You got to talk to editors from DC and Vertigo - would you want to work for them at some point? If not, who would you ideally like to work for instead?
If they hire me, of course I will. They have more name recognition and I'd be able to reach a larger audience than with some of the other more indie companies. Vertigo appeals to me more because my style is much more similar to work that they publish, compared to DC or Marvel. Other companies that interest me are Scholastic, Archaia Studios Press, Image, and IDW. But, I wouldn't rule out any company, if they asked me to work for them.
I'm not too stressed about getting work right away. Most professionals I've talked to tell me that it took them at least ten years for their career to get started (that is, to get name recognition, have a decent fan following, etc.) Right now, I just have to take all the work I can get my hands on, no matter what company it comes from.
Is there a particular genre of comic that you like writing best, or feel most at home with? And what's your favourite comic by another artist?
Recently, I've really gotten into writing fantasy, but I've always loved detective stories. When I was younger, I wrote a lot of murder mysteries. With all my stories though, I loosely base them on my own experiences, things that I've seen and know. As for a favorite comic...hmm. It's hard to pick just one. I love both Sandman Mystery Theater (Guy Davis started and defined the look, but other artists worked on the title as well) and Gotham Central (Michael Lark started and defined the look, but other artists worked on it too). Hands down, Guy Davis is my favorite comic book artist, though. He is a phenominal draftsman.
The Herald's current theme is Steampunk - so how do you feel about that genre? Would you ever be interested in drawing a steampunk comic? (Don't worry, we won't cry if you say you don't like it).
I've never really gotten into Steampunk. I do love the movie SteamBoy, though. And then, I have, in the past, tried my hand at Steampunk illustrations.
..I would need to find some inspiration, first, if I were to make a steampunk comic. I need to find that 'spark' that would ignite my flame, so to speak...
Okay, detective stories then. Which do you prefer: Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie? Or neither? Is there some other detective writer you like instead?
Truth be told...I've never read either of them. Horrible, I know. I'm most familiar with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his stories from the old t.v. show called Wishbone. A show where a dog would re-enact famous stories...*hides head in shame*
I enjoy detective comics (not like Batman) but like Sandman Mystery Theatre, where the main character, Wesley Dodds, is haunted by dreams of crimes and criminals, and must solve the mysteries or let himself be driven mad. I also loved Sam and Twitch. That one was about two detectives in NY. Unfortunately that book never really came out on time and was cancelled some years ago. Sandman Mystery Theatre stopped publishing too. They tried to make a mini-series with it a while ago, bringing the characters to Afghanistan, but I didn't find this series nearly as interesting as the original. Gotham Central was about detectives and cops in Gotham City. The superheroes can't deal with all the criminals, themselves, so Gotham's finest step in. That book ended too. I was so upset.
I haven't been reading much recently. The last few books I picked up were The Alchemyst, The Legend of Drizzt: Homeland, and The Color of Magic. The last few comics I read was the final issue to Batman:R.I.P., and two Spiderman titles that I can't quite remember at the moment. (All of these comics belong to my fiance.) Before those, I was reading his copies of Secret Invasion. Those darn Skrulls. The last few issues of that series has been painful. The writing is pretty much non-existent. The book mostly contains far too many splash pages of gigantic battle scenes that all look the same in every issue. The last issue already came out of that series but my fiance hasn't gotten around to buying it, so I don't know how that whole 'invasion' ends. He'll be picking that up this Friday, along with a copy of Beedle the Bard which he said he would buy for me, and I am very excited to get my hands on :)
If you could make a comic out of one book that hasn't already had a graphic-novel version made, which book would you choose, and why?
Ooh, that is a good question.
Technically, that Harry Potter books haven't had a graphic novel version of them made, as far as I know, though there are many fan-comics about, and I'd love to work on translating that into comic form. It's an all around great series about love and friendship. One of the things that really draws me into those books is the hope and optimism, and the good times that the friends share, and how no matter what gets thrown at the trio, they don't get too down because they have each other. Of course, being able to get to go to a school to learn magic is also what intrigues me. :)
Another option would be "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett. I really enjoyed reading that play, and when I get around to it, I should pick up more of his work. Usually the bookstore I go to doesn't carry hardly any of his plays, and I have to order it in advance but I always forget to.
This was the only story that I had read in college that really stuck in my mind. My teacher had also showed us the movie of the play. I don't think it's been made into a graphic novel. It's very surreal, the story, that is. In some ways sad, too. The two main characters are perpetually waiting. Waiting for what? For God? For death? For life to begin? Nevertheless, there is always hope. And the way that Beckett writes is so compelling.
Either of those two would make a fascinating comic.
Since it's Christmas: What have you asked Santa to bring you this year?
There are a few things on my wish list. Seeing as I'm not spending my Christmas with my fiance, but rather my father and his side of the family, I already exchanged gifts with him and I got pretty much what I wanted. I asked for a new inking brush. Brushes wear out like anything and I have been switching between using only two for the last two or so years. I was told in art school, it's actually best to buy a new brush every six months. What happens is the hair looses it's ability to hold a point, and obviously it's difficult to draw one straight line when your brush keeps forming three little lines instead. I, also, got a new bottle of ink and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. That was all I really asked for. If I can get more books and supplies from when I spend it with the rest of my family, great. If not, I'm still happy.
Are you planning any New Year's resolutions? And if so, how long do you expect they'll last?
I never plan New Year's resolutions, not since middle school, when we were all forced to write some. I do have goals, some long-term and some short-term, but I've never been one to make them specifically for or because of a new year. People see a new year as a fresh start, but I see every day as a new beginning. You don't have to wait for New Years to make a change in your life.
So what are some of those goals of yours, then?
The big one is to be able to make a living doing what I love- creating art (comics specifically). I don't care about fame, I just want to be able to make a living off of my passion. I know too many people who complain about their lives because they aren't doing what they love.
I have another goal which is to sit down and create a script for my Jane comic. I put down lots of ideas on scraps of paper and I keep lots of notes in my head. My senior thesis project in college was her story. I've made one-page stories involving her. I even tried to make it into a children's book, but I change the story too often. I need to settle on something. That's that goal.
An immediate goal is to finish up working on this comic I'm creating with [Yncke]. I'm basically half way through it. I've got 18 pages pencilled and 15 of them are inked. The story is somewhere around 32 pages long at the moment, though the script is still being worked on by [Yncke] so that 32 pages isn't the official count just yet.
Another goal is to get around to setting up my own website, which I keep putting off. It's not very high on my priorities list though because I have my work on sites like DA and ET and blogspot, but eventually, I should set up my own site.
Those are just some of my goals :)
I'm really looking forward to this collaboration between you and [Yncke] - I can imagine you working very well together and I think your art compliments her writing very well - can you tell us anything at all about the project or is everything completely hush-hush?
I think we work very well together. I like collaboration. I've worked with writers in the past, and she is definitely one of the best writers I've had the chance to work with.
I'm sorry to say, but the story is all wrapped up at the moment. After I've inked the whole thing though is when I plan on starting to propose it to the editors and agents that I know, and eventually a preview of it will be posted online, just not quite yet ;) I'll definitely let everyone know though when that time will come around :)
To see more of [deeterhi]'s art, visit deeterhi's comic, or, for more recent work, visit www.opelaez.blogspot.com . If you're thinking of commissioning [deeterhi] (and we really think you should!) then you can contact her at: oliviapelaez@yahoo.com
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