DAN MUMFORD BLEACHED INK EYE RUPTURE GODMACHINE AND MORE...
Foreword
Hello and welcome to what I hope is the first of many issues of Twisted Plastic, the magazine dedicated to showcasing the latest names in the creative industry. This whole concept spawned from the idea of collating a vast array of artwork across many mediums and give them all a platform to showcase their work, my ultimate dream for Twisted Plastic is for anyone to show their work, regardless of level of professionalism or confidence. I have made a point of leaving my own work out of this first issue as this project is not about promoting myself but more the art and artists that I love and inspire me, I might include it in later issues but for now ive left some links at the bottom of this page. Im incredibly excited to see how the first issue if recieved, I can only hope that it generates enough of a buzz to bring in enough artists to keep the subsequent issues as fun to create and edit as this one has been. -Iwazaru-Marionette About the Author:
Iwazaru-Marionette is a contemporary illustrator originally from Hereford, England. He works majoritivly in Paint tool Sai and Photoshop and is currently trying to expand his creative portfolio and client base. You can find his work on the following sites: http://www.iwazaru-marionette.daportfolio.com/ http://iwazaru-marionette.tumblr.com/ http://www.behance.net/iwazaru-marionette
Contents Interviews Bleached Ink Jamie Neilson Godmachine LightTrap Films Jordan Debney Deacon Felix Colgrave Comic Stripper Lee Court
Spotlights
Liam Wood VLCERS Feline Zegers Vincent Vernacatola Matthew Bailey Ally Burke Jack Wilson
Contacting Twisted Plastic Magazine:
If for any reason you would like to get in touch with us here, be it artwork submissions, reccomending artists for us to scope out or just general critique of the first issue our email is: twistedplasticmagazine@gmail.com Twitter and Tumblr can be found on these links: @TwistedPlasticM http://twistedplasticmagazine.tumblr.com/
Interview Bleached Ink
Welcome to the vivid world of up and coming illustrator
I had the good fortune of working with Bleached Ink during my brief stint at uni, He’s a lovely chap with a fine eye for killer linework, Here for Twisted Plastic I managed to get back in touch and ask him a few questions about his artwork.
“We must be open to all forms of artistic influence”
Hello and welcome to the very first issue of Twisted Plastic! Who is Bleached Ink and how would you describe your work?
Out of all of the work to date, which of your pieces have been your favourite and the most fun to work on?
Hey! I’m James Feakins and I come from a small town in South East Wales called Monmouth, I moved to Swansea a few years ago to study illustration at university. My work is all about positive vibes, I feel there’s enough negativity in day to day life so I work with punchy colours and bold lines. If my art makes you smile or say ‘awesome’ I’ve done my job.
My most recent piece ‘Old Sea Dog’ has to be my favourite, I took my time with adding small details and had a blast putting in those tiny tattoos! Even though the colours are muted for that piece I feel it has a great charm to it. Needless to say I was very pleased with how it turned out!
What originally inspired you as Bleached Ink to pick up a pencil and create?
For the longest time I’ve been a huge fan of Teo Skaffa, he was the first artist that made me break away from just drawing anime dudes with too much hair and belts. Drew Millward’s colours and slick line work are always at the front of my inspiration research. The most recent addition to my huge list of artist heroes is Seattle based comic artist Corey Lewis, his comic Sharknife is utterly insane and bursting with energy, I’m always flicking through it when looking for awesome poses. The list is long but those are some of my main influences right now!
I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil (go figure) but what really spurred my interest was seeing a Daft Punk music video on a family holiday when I was about 10 years old. It was the music video of Digital Love, my interest in music and art was piqued that day. As time went on I looked into doing illustration seriously as a career, I was first inspired by TokiDoki, I’d like to have my own clothing brand someday.
Which artists currently working in the industry inspire your work?
We noticed your occasional bold work with POSCA markers, what are your thoughts and feelings on the discussion of Tradition Vs. Digital artwork?
I believe they go hand in hand, I’ve never understood the argument “digital is killing traditional, etc” as with all things, there is a balance and we should embrace all the tools available to us. Of course people will always have a preference but you can’t beat getting your hands dirty once in a while. I love using digital but I could never exclusively stick to my tablet, there’s nothing like scratching on a fresh piece of paper with a brand new pencil.
If you could go back in time and tell little Bleached Ink anything what advice would you give him?
“Don’t let anime ruin your perspective!” If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, is that we must be open to all forms of artistic influence and not just marking either, books, films even nature is a great springboard for creativity and inspiration I was very narrow minded and regrettably ‘that anime kid’ in class, it was all I wanted to know and all I wanted
Interview Bleached Ink to develop and in the long run it’s hindered me more than I’d like but coming to university and seeing new ways of working and new styles opened me up to bigger and better things!
What are your thoughts on crossover or collaborative artwork? If you could work with any current artist who would it be?
I’m currently in talks with IwazaruMarionette for a potential collaborative piece so I’m really looking forward to that. As for a dream collaboration, I’d love to work with Skaffa, his work just blows me away! Collaborative art is a great way to produce some really original pieces and I recommend everyone try it at least once.
Last but not least, what does the year 2013 have in store for Bleached Ink, what can we expect to see from you?
Hopefully a lot! I’ll be done with university this year so I’ll finally be able to stretch out and try get my dream clothing label off the ground. I’m an avid gamer and want to produce some gaming themed prints too, especially some for Monster Hunter so keep an eye on my Tumblr for those. I feel 2013 could be the year for Bleached Ink and I hope you enjoy my artwork in the coming months! Also I have to say a huge thank you to Twisted Plastic for this opportunity, you guys rock!
You can find more of Bleached Ink’s work at: Tumblr: www.bleached-ink.tumblr.com/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/bleachedink Facebook: www.facebook.com/ BleachedInkillustration
“My work is all about positive vibes” -Bleached Ink
Interview Jamie Neilson
Jamie Neilson We probe into the mad mind of Animation/ Model Making maestro
Hey Jamie! Would you like to introduce yourself and describe your work for us? Helloooo! My name is Jamie and I am a 22 year old freelance sculptor/ animator who makes wee little plasticine puppets (like Wallace and Gromit and that) then makes them move a tiny bit, takes a picture and repeats. Over and over and over again. It’s incredibly tedious, drives you mad and takes ages, and I absolutely love it.
What first got you into model making and animating? Is it as simple as to just say Aardman or is there more than just that? Well Aardman were definitely a huge inspiration for me, I grew up watching Wallace and Gromit and loved it as much as the next person, but it was never my intention to pursue animation as a career. I used to draw a lot, all the time actually, until one day I wanted to try my hand at sculpting, so I just started making stuff out of plasticine when I was about 14, with no real goal, I just wanted to... make shit. I was crap when I started, but it never bothered me as I wasn’t really trying to achieve anything in particular. Then, 4 years later, I had become kind of good at it (apparently, I look back at my old stuff and I can’t stop laughing, which will hopefully happen again in another 4 years) and I decided to do something about it. Back then I didn’t have a bastard clue about animating or model making (in a professional sense, not to sell myself completely short...) I was completely self taught and had learned everything I knew through trial and error. I didn’t even know that there were model making courses I could do, so I went for an animation route instead, discovered this world where the normally relatively useless skill of being able to make little people out of clay is actually valued! I started reading and researching everything about this amazing world as I possibly could, (still do) did an animation course, learned all about armatures and the 12 basic principles of animation and the like, graduated a year ago and here I am, I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I’m on my way.
Stop frame animation is fraught with difficulties as it is, is there anything in particular that you still struggle with when it comes to sculpture and animation?
Stop motion is absolutely FULL of difficulties, especially when you’re working on a tight budget, figuring out a solution can be infuriating, but when you get there it is very satisfying to say the least. There are lots of aspects that I still struggle with, walk cycles for example, but i like to throw myself head on into a problem until I solve the crap out of it. Lately I’ve had a lot of trouble with rigging puppets to the set (A rig is basically a ‘crane’ of sorts that supports the puppet during action shots and is edited out in post production), as it’s a relatively new practice to me, and due to the tight budget, I’m currently working with home made armatures (the movable ‘skeleton’ inside the puppet), which are less than ideal, but they cost about £1.50 to make instead of the hundreds of pounds that professional armatures cost. They do the trick, but they don’t always have a proper rigging point to connect to the rig, so I have to do a lot of improvising and hope it all goes well, otherwise I’m going to have a lot more work to do... As for sculpting, I’ve picked up a lot working in studios, but I still primarily learn everything through trial and error, if I can’t sculpt something I just keep at it until it becomes naturally easy. Takes a loooooooong time!
You recently completed a work experience placement at Aardman Animations, was this a dream come true? To what extent do you think it has effected your work method? Working at Aardman was absolutely incredible, it was everything I expected it to be, and then some, like a tit full of beer. It was the first time I had ever worked in an actual studio since graduating 5 months prior, and watching the masters at work made my fucking head spin, it was fascinating to see how the process can go so smoothly, sure there are always difficulties, but with such a diverse team of experienced professionals, any problem is solved in minutes. It was quite a big leap, going from animating in my own bedroom to being at one of the best studios in the world, and I can honestly say I learned more in the 4 weeks I was there than in the last 3 years. I definitely picked up a few tips and tricks working in the model making department, and got to advance my animation skills by doing test shots with a proper fancy professional Aardman puppet. I loved every second of it, and was extremely lucky to get such a great opportunity, great bunch of people too, I’d love to work there again down the line.
Interview Jamie Neilson Is there anyone currently working in the industry who you would jump at the chance to work with? To be honest, I don’t think there’s anyone currently working in the industry that I wouldn’t jump at the chance to work with, from seasoned professionals to relative beginners like myself, everyone has their own unique way of working, solving problems and finding inspiration. After working on my own stuff for so long, it really is great to see how other people tackle the same challenges, and to pick up tips or share knowledge.
Before working professionally you made several animations and put them up onto Youtube, how did working for yourself compare to working to a brief? Working for myself was a hell of a lot more stressful, but came with the benefit of total creative control over my own work, which was great, but I do quite enjoy being given a structure to work to, it allows me to concentrate fully on a single aspect, such as model making. Instead of obsessing over everything from story to post production, which aren’t really my strengths, you’re surrounded by other people whose strengths make up for your weaknesses and vice versa.
Makes everything easier, and ultimately, better. It’s a hell of a lot more fun too, working in a team, being shut alone in a dark room animating a puppet for hours on end does drive you batshit mad after a few weeks, best to have SOME social contact or the puppets start talking to you...
What advice would you pass on to anyone hoping to get into either sculpting or animating, what should they be doing to further a career in that path? If you’re not a patient person, this is not a job for you. Sounds harsh, but making and animating puppets, sets, props and planning it all out, takes an insanely long time. So assuming you are a patient person I would start by buying some plasticine, some cheap animation software and a web cam, and just experiment with morphing the clay from one random shape to another, keep doing it until you feel confident enough to actually make things, then make short films with your characters. Or you could try www. stopmotionanimation.com, great site for advice. And while I have personally found that people seem to care a lot more about your portfolio/showreel than
your qualifications, doing a course in animation/modelmaking is a good way to show people that you are determined, you also learn a fair bit as well i suppose...
And finally, what has been your favourite creation so far and why? My puppets usually don’t survive the animation process, they deteriorate as they are posed and moved around, and once the film’s done, I don’t really need them anymore, so I either destroy them and salvage valuable parts, or give them away. Even though they take so long to make, I don’t get attached to them, as long as I have photos I’m happy. Having said that, I’m not sure why, but I’m quite happy with the hippy/sunflower puppet, it was the first puppet I’d made months after graduating, I had no intention of animating them, I spent bloody ages on them and experimented with a slightly more detailed style, and it’s just a really stupid pair of models that make me smile whenever I see them. Although I do have lots of photos of them, so if they get destroyed (which plasticine so often does) I think I’ll get over it. Or cry hysterically, depends on the weather.
Find more of Jamies work on his blog: http://neilsonanimations.blogspot.co.uk/
Interview Godmachine
THE ART OF
GODMACHINE
If you follow contemporary illustration there is no doubt in my mind that you’ve come across the work of cardiff based artist: godmachine, we managed to catch hold of him for an interview
Evening Brother! First and foremost thank you for agreeing to be a part of the very first issue of Twisted Plastic. For the few left out in there who don’t know of your work, Who is Godmachine? Tell us about yourself and your work. I am an artist from South Wales Uk. I chose the name Godmachine after the band The God Machine and it seemed popular at the time that people had cool names and my peers were Hydro74, Horsebites, Palehorse etc. I draw for merchandise companies, skateboards, record covers, posters and films and more. I love cats and coffee.
I noticed in my research that a great deal of other interviews seem to make a point of the fact that you are from Wales. With the rise of internet and emails allowing artists to work from all corners of the world, do you feel location still holds much relevance to an artist? I think we have no excuse anymore. Still, you have to admit that a lot of it still works on who you know not what you know and smoozing doesn’t hurt, but you can do that on the web too. I don’t think location means anything anymore. We are now global and timeless.
Digital artwork has risen to the forefront of the creative industry over the last decade however there are some out there that equate digital artwork to cheating, how do you feel about this? I remember when Bob Dylans fans were upset that he started using an electric guitar. I think it happens all the time with the advent of new technology. I don’t mind so much, just because anyone can use a pen doesn’t make them a writer, and for the most part no matter what comes along that makes it easier, or seemingly easier the talented few still rise to the top. It also says a lot about people that oppose technology or new tools about how they forget the amount of hard work that goes into learning new skills and new tools. If it was as easy as buying a computer and photoshop......
Did you ever have a defining point in your life where you thought “Art is what I’m going to do with my life” or was it a slow transition from hobby to profession? It was when I started selling paintings and then my friend gave me a computer and I started seeing this whole world of art and art communities I didn’t know existed. I started
studying everything about this new world, I was amazed and in awe of it all. It was just at the time that illustration was becoming noticed as a new style for tees. I remember all the cut and paste artists getting quite upset that people were drawing on tees and I remember a few saying it wouldn’t last.
I have always admired your artwork that crosses over to other mediums and ways of working, such as the knitted eyeballs and the hammered leather pieces. Do you have anything else planned for future endeavours? I didn’t knit the eyeballs, I had some girl make them. I saw them at a fair as just some fluffy toy and thought how cool would it be to see my cat wandering round with this eye ball in his mouth so I asked if she would make me some for Godmachine store. I added the catnip later and it worked out well. As for the leather watch strap; I’d had the same watch strap for about 8 years and it finally started to wear out. I was introduced to Imperial Wolfs work online and I knew whatever it cost I wanted a hand made watch strap by this guy. He is an awesome guy and I hope to work with him again
Interview Godmachine someday. I guess being an artist means you see things all the time that make your juices run, not just drawing but all sorts of things. It always amazes me that people like to hem them selves in to one way of working or indeed thinking. For the future I hope to do some more etchings and some more paintings, maybe some film too.
I’m just being logical. But most people don’t think things through that way.
You talk often of the more ‘interesting’ clients, You know the sort, “We don’t have much money, yadda yadda yadda” Without naming names would you care to showcase the best of the worst?
I would love to work with David Lynch, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Chris Isaak, Haxan Cloak, Lustmord and a bunch of directors.
I always wonder what people are thinking when they ask me to ‘do them a deal’ or consider that ‘we are young and haven’t got much money’. I want to ask if that works in the supermarket. One reply of mine is to ask them if I can move in with them seeing as they don’t want to pay me the full amount so obviously I wont be able to pay my bills or rent so is it cool if I come and stay with them, if I can and they can feed me they can have loads of free work. I don’t usually get a reply and I do wonder if they think I am being malicious, i’m not,
You recently had Luc Besson himself give you his blessing on your Leon poster, A mind blowing achievement. Do you have anyone who you would love to work with but haven’t had the chance yet?
Travel back 20 years, what advice would you give a young Godmachine for the future? Work hard, work smart, give lip service to those with terribly large egos and ignore loud mouths.
What has been your favourite piece to work on recently? I love the stuff I am doing with grey and patterns, I am also working on being graphical, trying to fear less the empty spaces and enjoy simplicity. In a world where over detail seems to be popular
I am hoping to learn how to be less so and still maintain impact. I don’t really know, its a study in progress.
What can we expect to see from Godmachine in the coming 2013? Any projects your particularly excited for? I’m hoping to release more film posters, more art work and some tees. Also working on some deals to work with company’s in a fuller capacity.
Last but not least, we are rolling up to May, For a lot of the students across the UK that mean Graduation day, what’s your advice for the next wave of creatives as they make their first steps into the industry? I am used to giving this answer now and I am not tired of it: You will find a way or find an excuse.
See more of Godmachines offical work: http://www.godmachine.co.uk/
Interview LightTrap Films
LIGHT TRAP FILMS Before I even started work on Twisted Plastic I knew I had to get these guys on board. The quality of their productions would leave you in sheer disbelief that they are so new to the industry. I ask them how they do it. Hey guys thank you for agreeing to be a part of the first ever Twisted Plastic, For those who don’t know who are you both and what do you do? Tom:
We run a small video production company called LightTrap Films, based in Cardiff. We met at uni and have been making films together for about three years, and have been trading under LightTrap Films since early January this year. We make a huge variety of different bits and pieces but I’d say our main specialties are producing short web-based films for creative companies – theatre, circus, breweries and carpenters as well as longer documentaries about people and the natural world.
What inspired you both to pick up a camera and start making films? Can you pin point a moment in
your lives where you knew film making was what you wanted to do? Sam:
I probably first started making films back in 2006/2007. I was pretty into free-running and watched a lot of parkour and skate videos online. I used to have one of those really old dv cameras so I bought a dirty fish-eye converter and I’d film me and my mates jumping off stuff. That developed into putting together a few proper videos and a bit of a youtube channel with our free-running stuff on. I knew at the time that film-making was something I really enjoyed doing, but I didn’t know it was what I was going to end up doing as a job, probably not until I met Tom at uni and we started making stuff together.
Tom:
I didn’t really have any experience with film or any kind of media experience
before uni, but the idea of working in a constantly changing environment really appealed to me. Being a cameraman seemed like the best way to put myself into lots of engaging situations. By and large if the situation isn’t interesting or unusual then we probably wouldn’t be filming it. I also decided that if I had to write another essay it would do my nut in, so I decided that I wanted to communicate my ideas through creating images and sound.
Your films have an incredible level of professionalism to them, especially when you consider how new you are to the industry, what’syour secret? Tom:
I think like with any craft theres a kind of continuous learning curve which goes on
indefinitely, and its how you manage the curve thats important. So initially its really helpful to have space to make lots of mistakes and learn from them, making lots and lots of small projects which don’t really have anything riding on them, which is what uni was really great for. After that its really a case of keeping up to date with whats happening with new technology, specifically in the bracket that you can actually afford – so DSLRs and home-made grip and rigs were really important for us. Basically if you don’t know how to do something, make yourself a cup of tea and google it. Combine that with youtube tutorials, wikipedia and open-source software you can get a kind of guerilla polish to your stuff.
Sam:
I think we’ve also been pretty lucky to make films about the things we really care about and people we really enjoy spending time with, and that counts for a lot. When you make a film for someone you have a lot of respect for you really want them to like it and try extra hard to make it as good as it can be. Even projects that have been super quick, 24 hour turnaround jobs, I think we refuse to compromise...Its one of those ‘even if no-one else would notice if we didn’t colour correct this shot, or mix that bit of sound, we would know’. Especially doing web stuff aswell. Once a film is released, you don’t have any control of how many people see it, or how long its used for. In five
years time, the stuff we make now might still be on peoples websites, which means people will still be judging us on it...So it had better be as good as we can make it!
“Initially its really helpful to have space to make lots of mistakes and learn from them” Your films over on your Vimeo channel are documentaries. Do you think in the future LightTrap will move onto other forms of film making, such as narrative fiction and music videos or are you wanting to keep to this genre of film? Sam:
I personally love making docs. I don’t doubt for a minute that we’ll end up doing all sorts of stuff as we go along, but I really do have a passion for real stories. I’d like to progress on to bigger documentaries, maybe feature length and broadcast. Iv’e never particularly been taken with making fiction film...the idea that something from your imagination could possibly be more exciting than what someone is actually doing in real life somewhere...Id much rather go and find them and film
them than try to make up something better...Maybe I just have a crap imagination though!
Tom:
Documentaries are a great way of learning the ropes of film, I’ve found a lot of fiction productions tend to be these huge, slow mechanical filmmaking machines – something which is necessary for the high-gloss finish which you see, but its difficult for individuals to actually get any real experience on-set. The run-and-gun, lowbudget nature of documentaries means that if you’re working on them you’re really involved in the production – more stuff actually gets filmed at the end of the day. Having said that, I really like the level of collaboration which often happens on a fiction set – and something we dabbled in with Idris – having different people to contributing to different aspects of the film - writing poetry, composing music and recording the voice-over, which is maybe something to expand in the future. We really like music in film as well – so a music video or two may well be on the horizon...
Do you share roles within the company such as filming or editing? Or do you each have your own specific job? Tom:
We have quite similar skill-sets, which is quite unusual for a production team. Theres some variation with very specific aspects of production, like
Interview LightTrap Films sound post-production and motion graphics but we both operate cameras and edit footage. It has its advantages – we did a job where we had to shoot an event between 1-3pm and upload the video by 6pm. Because we’re both multi-skilled we could provide two camera operators between 1-3pm and two editors between 3-6pm which traditionally would involve a team of two camera operators, two editors, and a producer to make sure the other four people didn’t step on each others toes. So it enables us to punch slightly above our weight.
Sam:
Yeah, Technically we are quite similar. We have trained on the same cameras, and can both use most of the same software. Tom has slightly more of a musical background, so will tend to handle audio mixing, whereas i’ll do the initial colour grading stuff, but theres always crossover. Having made so much together now, we can just about walk into an environment, designate jobs and pretty much know what the other one is going to shoot. So many times in the edit it I’ll think, “Oh, I wish I’d taken a wide to go with this close” or “I should have got this angle as well” and quite often Tom got that shot at the time. Thats always good.
Your film ‘Idris’ includes some shots with adverse weather conditions, it looks like it was pretty nasty up there! What are you memories of filming Idris ? Sam:
That one was a mission! We made a couple of attempts at camping at the top, the first one we had to turn back. The
fog came down and everything got a bit too sketchy up there. Tom has a fair bit of mountaineering experience and has done a lot before, I haven’t really, so the weather up there really unsettled me a bit. I remember talking about how we were going to make this film about ghosts and dragons, and how the mountain and the weather were going to kill us before we even got the the monsters! Tom did the trek with Colin (the hiker in the film) in January while I was in with my family in Norfolk. He called me on my birthday and was like ‘Guess where I am.’ I remember thinking ‘If he dies up there... thats really gonna ruin my party’.
Tom:
Yeah ‘sketchy’ really sums it up. It was the first time I’ve had to worry about whether my ‘need’ as a filmmaker to get footage would mean that I would act recklessly and endanger myself and Colin whilst we were there. So I had to do some soul searching about what point I would call it off – Colin is too much of a hard bastard to back out if I was up for continuing so it was really down to me. The weather forecast for the ascent was pretty dire – I think it was -4 degrees C during the day, dropping to -20 during the night, which was worrying as we would be spending the night in a stone shack at about 2,900 feet above sea level. There was a met office extreme weather warning for wind that day as well, as it turned out it was the worse storms for twenty years and a few people died when trees fell on their cars or their houses collapsed. Also an experienced hiker on a day-trip up Idris had died two weeks before after becoming lost in the mists and falling down one of the many shear cliffs. The fact that people die every year
on Welsh mountains (the majority are seasoned mountaineers), was one of the things which drew us to the environment in the first place - but that, coupled with the weather forecast was enough for me to shit bricks before we started the ascent. As I remember Colin stayed stoic for the duration.
What has been your favourite film to make so far? Tom:
I think for the sheer amount of awesome people and places we managed to pack into a two week shoot, ‘From Celtic Sea’ comes to mind as a possible favourite of mine, as a production process. As the budget was minuscule we camped in a huge tent which we moved half-way through the shoot from Devon to Cornwall. It was big enough to fit a stolen wooden picnic bench inside and with a power inverter running off the van engine, it became a make-shift edit suite. One of the aims of the project was to get as much production value as we could without spending any money (I think our only costs were food, petrol and campsite fees). But we ended up wrangling so much stuff that it started to feel more like a holiday - bouncing across waves in a speedboat, filming from a plane, filming sunsets on the beach – the people that we filmed with were absolutely fantastic as well, Dan the Fish supplied us with a steady stream of fresh fish (as well as fantastic recipes) and a baker he knew gave us loads of bread. James Otter lent us some wetsuits and a surf board for a few days which was an awesome break from filming! All in all just a really great shoot.
Sam:
Yeah, That was a good one! One of my favourites was a job with a friend of ours from uni. He took me up to Edinburgh to make a bizarre film about a company called ‘21st Century Kilts’. Their thing is that kilts should be made of all sorts, and that tartan is good, but not the be all and end all. They make some awesome stuff ranging from pinstripe kilt suits to kilts made of silver PVC. One of the days we were up there Adam, the producer/ director had secured us access to the factory floor of one of the big Edinburgh tartan mills. I remember going in there, looking around and feeling this rush of excitement. I was like a kid with a massive grin on my face...I couldn’t decide what shot to take first, I just wanted
to film everything! The place was so visual, all different colours of material and threads weaving through these huge ancient machines and a few wizened looking old Scotsmen who looked like they’d been in there for 100 years, just holding the whole place down. It was incredible!
Who in the film making industry do you look up to and learn from? Are there any heroes you’d like to meet or work with? Sam:
I think the Red Bull Media guys are putting out some incredible stuff at the moment. Ive always been into extreme sports film, and those guys have just taken it to the next level. The fact that they are an energy drink company who own a fleet of helicopters, sponsor just about every big name athlete out there and sent a guy to jump out of space...I mean they must be doing something right! I’d love to make some films for them.
Tom:
Theres a production company in Rhode Island called Gnarly Bay – who are quite similar to us in as much as I think theres only two of them. They produce absolutely stunning films using a combination of absolutely inspired camera work and an incredible dexterity with post-production tools, like after-effects, grading software and really good editing. I definitely lie awake at night trying to figure out how they did a certain shot that may only have lasted for a second. I’m also in total awe of some of the stuff that gets released by VBS on vice.com, they seem to be able to release absolutely riveting documentary content about anything – politics, fashion, food, drugs etc. I think any documentary where you can have a drunk American firing a shotgun at empty beer bottles with his Russian mafia guide in the middle of the forest whilst hot on the trail of illegal North Korean labour camps in Siberia definitely has my attention.
“Red Bull Media are putting out incredible stuff at the moment, they have taken it to the next level.”
Soon we will have the next wave of graduate film makers, what’s your advice for the people making their first steps into the industry? Tom:
It really depends on what sort of work you enjoy really, starting off as a runner for a large production company can lead on to steadily more responsibility and freedom over time, or you can take a more direct approach – which is kinda the way we’ve gone where you have loads of responsibility and freedom straight away but its more high risk. Also you need to evaluate the role that you want to have with film, whether you want to do it professionally or not. You are likely to have more creative control, freedom and less pressure over the films you make if you fund them off your own back. We’re trying to take a kind of middle road where we make more commercially attractive films in order to fund the projects that we personally really want to see happen.
Sam:
I think you have to be prepared to make quite a lot of sacrifices too. I remember loads of people saying that to me as I went through uni, but it really is true. Last summer, after we finished uni, everything was pretty tough. It was a balancing act, because we knew we could only keep doing the business start up thing until we completely bankrupted ourselves, but if we got a second job, the whole process would slow down so much. I spent about 3 months...maybe more, living between sofas and air-beds in 4 different cities, with my stuff in the back of my rusty old van. We were getting occasional bits of work, but literally had money for food and nothing else...Those were dark times. I guess my advice would be be prepared for that, but keep
remembering why you’re doing it and how awesome it will be when you pull it off!
Is there anything you are currently working on that you would like to share with us? What does 2013 hold for LightTrap Films? Sam:
We have a few projects in development at the moment. Since we have only just set up there has been all of that to deal with, but we are hoping to hit filming again hard in the next couple of months. We are chatting to a couple of free-running teams about a brand film idea we have been working on. We want to take some guys up to a big abandoned quarry in Mid-Wales and get the whole thing sponsored. That should be fun.
Tom:
At the moment we’re settling into our new offices in Warwick Hall in Cardiff which is shaping up to be a really great base of operations. We’re coming into a really exciting time where our portfolio of work is extensive enough to start pitching ideas to some really great brands, and hopefully get some really dynamic projects off the ground. We’ve got projects in pipeline ranging from a film promoting green energy to an African archaeology documentary and hopefully we can start to work more closely with music labels, maybe swapping music licenses for artist promos and sessions... We’ll let you know how it turns out!
You can follow the LightTrap guys on their Vimeo profile: http://vimeo.com/lighttrapfilms
Interview Jordan Debney
Jordan Debney
Hello Jordan! Thank you for agreeing to be a part of Twisted Plastic’s first issue, would you like to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Eye Rupture? MY name is Jordan Debney and I am a pop surreal monster artist from New Zealand! Eye Rupture is the name of my collective where I present my artworks and shirt designs for the world to see via the internet!
Who or what was it that inspired a young Debney to pick up a pencil and start creating himself? Nothing in particular, I was always a strange child and and too much of an imagination for me to retain it. I watched a lot of mind melting cartoons and comics and drew a lot of my own versions of them. Eventually it developed into an obsession and started to create images of my own with characters i would invent in my imagination.
Most of your work is born straight from imagination rather than life, what is it for you that fuels this imagination? Do you pick up separate ideas that eventually come as one illustration or do you start with a blank canvas and go from there? Many years of brain rotting television and day dreams haha. I honestly don’t know, and I kinda don’t want to. Sometimes ideas will hit me, other times they just happen gradually. I try not to think about it too much to avoid over thinking about it being stumped for ideas. It’s the worst feeling in the world when I realise don’t know what to draw.
I’m interested to find out from artists is their views on the ‘Digital Vs. Traditional’ debate within the world of artwork. A lot of your earlier work was based in Photoshop over scanned pencils however with a lot of your more recent work your working a lot more with traditional methods such as acrylics or even spray paint. Is this a conscious effort to move away from Digital art? Haha good eyes! Somewhat, last year I set a goal for myself to work with more paints and such. So late last year after discovering a cheap and easy way to get a hold of cheap board and frames I decided to break out the paints. Babbling in various techniques and what paints with well with others it became more natural to work with and for filling my set goal. I wasn’t intended to stray away from digital, more or less expanding my ability.
Your a fairly young artist compared to a lot of the other contemporary artists in the game at the moment, yet despite this you have achieved an amazing level of popularity and some impressive clients, what’s advice could you give to other young illustrators out there at the moment? A lot of people won’t like your work, and a lot of people will. It’s just a matter of filting out all the rubbish people will tell you and to do the artwork for yourself. A lot of people get lost and aim to please others too much, more for the social media hype from each drawing rather than that feeling of self fulfilment you get from finishing a piece of artwork. It’s vital that you do the art for yourself and only for yourself. Set yourself personal challenges and bust all your nuts accomplishing it, it’s all about self-motivation and eventually it will come naturally.
Interview Jordan Debney You design a lot for shirts and skateboards, is there any aspect of design you would love to work in but haven’t had the chance yet? Hmmm not really. I’m in a position where if I wanted to design something bad enough I will just do it. There are a few clothing based ideas I am wanting to work on but will have to wait a couple months for hen I have a couple less commitments. So in the mean time I will continue to paint skateboards and side panels off my desk hahah.
Is there anyone in the industry at the moment that is inspiring you to work harder? Who do you look up to? All artists, the whole lot of them. Anyone that can create something from nothing. I find it the most invigorating thing being able to say I have created something from nothing, even more so to see others do the exact same and even to a way higher extent. I love to see on my news feeds at the end of each day all the artists I admire posting all of their new stuff they spent the day creating, that, is the most inspiring.
Who is your dream client, who would you love to work for? Any coffee company! Holy hell yes! Or even a candy company where I can supply when with endless amounts of candy creatures. I have also always wanted to be able to design patterns for shoes, I have always painted my own designs on shoes even at a young age. So not really any particular brands, I would just like to give it a go!
And last but not least, what does the future hold for Eye Rupture, where do you see your art taking you this year? Recently being hired by ALC Apparel in Wellington NZ I am floating back and forth from my home town to wellington throughout the week making images for ALC, and also for Eye Rupture. So many more clothing based images are to come and a few wall murals I have on the down low which I am also excited for.
The official Eye Rupture Site can be found here: http://eyerupture.com/
Interview Chris O’Keefe
LOOKING FOR A COMIC FEATURING DEMONS AND A BADASS PRIEST? LOOK NO FURTHER AS CHRIS O’KEEFE HAS GOT YOU COVERED WITH HIS NEW COMIC:
DEACON
Hey Chris, thanks for agreeing to be a part of Twisted Plastics first issue! Would you like to introduce yourself and what you do?
No problem, I’m glad to be a part of it! Well, first of all, I’m an Illustrator, comic book creator and character designer from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. I’ve also been a doorman for the past 10 years in and around the South Wales area; stark contrast, I know!
What is the creative process for Deacon?
Believe it or not, Deacon is based on my dad! When I was younger, he was always jetting off to China and Russia with work, so I started imagining he was a secret agent (y’know like in the movie True Lies) with the elaborate ‘front’ of his day job as an accountant. This idea sort of evolved when he became a Deacon within the Catholic Church - ‘what if he was travelling the globe hunting demons for the Vatican..’ And it kind of escalated from there! The concept could have gone one of two ways, and it was interesting deciding whether to go the ‘all-out superhero’ route or go ‘Nolan’s Batman’ and ground it somewhat in reality. Deacon pursues demons that reside in the bodies of criminals and mobsters, so when I write the stories, I research anything from organized crime to Demonology to various military combat uniform and weaponry. Conceptually, there’s influence from comics such as The Punisher and Hellblazer, along with TV shows like Supernatural. There’s a lot of mystery to this character. Deacon is somewhat of a bad-ass and his motivations - why he does what he does - are key factors in the upcoming story-lines. The themes portrayed are not ‘preachy’ in any way That’s something I try to avoid. It’s not a religious comic in any shape or form. The religious aspect is merely a catalyst and takes a back seat to the character and story.
You’re a one man team when it comes to comic creation, what do you feel are the advantages to this? Are there any disadvantages?
Well, it has it’s Pros and Cons. On one hand , I can do things my way at my pace. My story can be told the way I want it to be told, with no unnecessary editing, and there are no strict guidelines to abide by (unlike when working on an established character such as Superman or Batman). This is also a negative though. Sometimes, without constraints, it’s easy to over-do your character and lose track of what makes it ‘work’. It’s tough work going solo, but to start off, I find it better to rely on yourself to get the job done. However, it always helps to have people you can ask for advice, be it on the way the story is developing or ideas for the characters or dialogue. If I’m stuck or unsure of a certain plot element, I will seek the opinion of a select group of friends for creative criticism. You should never be afraid or embarrassed to ask for opinions or seek advice. Brainstorming with a few mates can be remarkably beneficial! Sometimes, you might think you have a fantastic scene planned out, but after airing it with someone, you might realize it’s not that great after all and be glad you didn’t go through with it in the end.
“You should never be afraid or embarrassed to ask for opinions or advice”
Interview Chris O’Keefe As someone who is primarily an illustrator did you find it at all difficult when it came to writing the script?
I found it no trouble at all, if I’m honest. I have always been a keen writer. English Language was my second favourite class in high school, next to Art of course. Personally, I’ve never had a problem putting pen to paper and creating dialogue and narrative. I really enjoy it. My brain is constantly producing story-lines for whatever I draw - 9 times out of 10 a two minute doodle will have it’s own basic biography! In fact, I find it difficult to draw something without giving it some sort of character background! Sometimes, I have too many ideas, all at once, and tend to over-think certain elements, so I have to sit down and have a word with myself before it gets out of hand.
Do you have an end in sight for the project, like a set number of issues, or will it go on as long as you have fresh ideas for it?
At the moment, I’m working on a fourpart story-line, which I want to release, firstly as individual issues, then as a collected graphic novel. It’s a pretty epic tale, and really ‘fills out’ who Deacon is and what he’s all about. But it won’t end with that, no. I see this character continuing his hunt for the demonic foes of Mankind for quite some time. There’s a lot I want to do with this guy! He’s got big things to come that I haven’t even begun to touch on yet.. Stay tuned!
You distributed the first issue of Deacon via Graphicly, an online comic book reader, what are your thoughts on the fact that now virtually anyone can get their work and stories up on a global stage? Do you think its an entirely good thing? Oh I think it’s an extremely good thing! There are so many people out there with really great ideas but, until recently, they’ve had no real outlet or them. I mean, how difficult is it to get into the comic book industry! Ten years ago, what were the odds of someone getting their own idea seen by a potentially worldwide reader base?
Even if you were ridiculously talented, you’d still have to strike some sort of unholy bargain involving souls to even get a foot in the door! Online publishers such as Graphicly offer a tremendous opportunity for talented individuals to get their work actually ‘out there’ and seen by a broad reader base. Graphicly offers the option of charging a cover price for your work, or putting it on there as a free-to-read comic. Initially, this is a great way of getting your name noticed, as many people browse the free comics for a taster of what you can produce. I’d highly recommend using this sort of service , especially when starting off and trying to get noticed.
“Never give up and things will soon start to fall into place.”
The artwork we see in issue #1 seems heavily inspired by both Mike Mignola and Frank Miller. Was this the case? Who else in the comic book industry inspires you to work the way that you do? Yes, I looked at the work of both artists when I was beginning to create my first issue. I felt a dark, high-contrast style would suit the gritty theme of the story, and what better way to achieve this than in black & white! There’s a lot of really dramatic lighting in my comic, which saw influence from vintage Film Noir, along with comic books like Sin City and Hellboy. I like how Frank Miller uses bold splashes of colour for key things in Sin City. I felt that really worked well, so took that into account quite early into the draft of my first issue. I’m a massive Dan Abnett fan and his writing style is really inspiring. It’s exciting and fast paced, and he creates characters you can relate to and want to read more about. This is a key factor in making your characters interesting and likable. I’m also a big Geoff Johns fan, that guy is just great. Comic book artists like Ivan Reis and Jim Lee are guys I particularly like. They have a good solid style. I’m into Kenneth Rocafort’s work too, he’s pretty phenomenal.
What’s your advice for those out there that would like to start their own comics?
The best piece of advice I could give would be get it started! Put something down on paper and go for it! It’s easy to say that you have an awesome idea, but, until you actually start to realize it on paper, all it’ll be is an awesome idea. It’s not going to fall on to your lap; you have to work your A-doublesnakes off for it! Don’t be afraid to empty your head into a sketchbook; some ideas might work, some might not, but don’t let it put you off. I’ve got a list of story ideas on my phone that I just add to whenever they pop into my head. I’m always doodling too - some of my best work is done on lined paper, in biro, when I should be doing something else! Always ask for advice and input. Never take creative criticism to heart, but see it as a means to improve what already is probably a great concept. Believe you can do it and believe in your ability and ideas. Never give up and things will soon start to fall into place.
What can we expect to see from Chris O’Keefe in 2013? Do you have any other projects you’re currently working on?
I always have a few things on the go! There are a couple of projects that I’m keeping close to my chest at the moment. But I can tell you that I’m working on an illustrated short story about two whiskey-drinking, chain-smoking private detectives in the 1930’s. I’m also looking to develop a character I’ve been working on for some time, who is vastly different to Deacon - a galaxy away! But we’ll save that for another day.
You can find the first issue of Deacon over at Graphicly.com: http://graphicly.com/chris-o-keefe/deacon/1
Interview Felix Colgrave
FELIX COLGRAVE
Hey there felix, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for Twisted Plastic! Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself and what you do? Well, I’d say that I’m a hairy and confused man, who enjoys drawing the same thing over and over until it moves. Most of my life has been spent in rural Tasmania, playing with dead animals and doing art with other hairy confused men. Nowadays however I’m in Melbourne, Australia, which I came to in an attempt to find other animators. I found them, which is nice, only now in a city full of bright lights and loud noises and other things that do nothing but make me more confused.
What was it that inspired you to start animating? Has it been something you have done since you were young or did you move into it from another creative area? Animation is definitely what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve been saying so ever since I could talk, which scares me a bit. The decision was therefore made some time between ‘first words’ and ‘birth’. Obviously I didn’t really have the means to animate at that stage, so half my childhood drawings were storyboards and model sheets for shows I aspired to make once I ‘grew up’. Child-me will be sad to know that all of his ideas were shit and will never be made. It’s hard to say what the reasoning behind the decision to become an animator was, what with being a
baby and all at the time. But for some reason, there’s never been any doubt. It was just decided at some point in time that I can’t remember, and has absolutely never been questioned. It’s weird how much I don’t question it. The whole thing feels like some weird prophecy and I try not to think about it.
Without beating around the bush, your work has a dark but crazy cool surrealist vibe to it, where does all this come from? Well, the surrealist vibe probably just comes from actual surrealism. I travelled a lot as a child, and I was dragged through what seems like hundreds of art galleries. And all the
surrealist stuff just really grabbed me. I had a massive boner over Dali as a kid. And I still do over Heironymus Bosch (whose obviously from long before the surrealist movement, but undeniably surreal). Seeing Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights in the flesh, having no knowledge of it prior to that moment, was a bit of a religious experience for 13-year old me. I stood in front of it for about 40 minutes until my parents had finished looking at the rest of the gallery and dragged me back to the hotel. As for the ‘dark’ stuff: I was a pretty sensitive and terrified kid, and my work was quite friendly up until about age 15. Unusual, but friendly. And eventually I just got a bit fed up with being unable to deal with shit. I was missing out on being able to appreciate all the interesting art and ideas that were on the dark end of the scale. So, I spent a while exposing myself to as much horrible gross things as pos-
sible to desensitise myself. It worked a treat, and afterwards I overindulged and went on a bender of drawing fucked-up shit. I had 15 years worth of mangled-dick-drawings to get out of my system, and that’s also around the time I started putting my shit online. I managed to make a bit of a name for myself on all that stuff, however I’d say now at age 20, my dark bender has pretty much come to an end. A lot of my ideas will probably still lean that way, or indeed be miles that way if I see an idea I like down that road. But I feel that how nice or nasty something is, is incidental to how much it interests me artistically. So don’t be surprised if I turn around and do something pretty. The ‘surreal vibe’ though, I have no interest in swaying
away from any time soon.
After doing a bit of research on your work and videos, I can’t help but notice a great deal of people comparing your work to that of Dave Firth’s, how does this make you feel? I’m completely fine with it, David Firth is a cool guy in my book. I especially dig his films Health Reminder and Crooked Rot. I don’t really think of our work as being that similiar, however when people make the connection, they’re thinking in terms of “Flash cartoons on Youtube.” In that context then yeah, I can definitely see the connection. Most internet cartoons are satirical and explicitly comedy, whereas David Firth and I probably fall into a different category called “a bunch of stuff happens that’s kind of funny but mostly just a bit fucked”. Cyriak (who I’m compared to a lot as well), would
Interview Felix Colgrave also belong in that category. It’s a good category, I like it.
One thing that stood out to me, your short: “Paperfluck” Is a hand drawn paper animation, you don’t see a lot of flash animators doing that these days, Why do you think that is? Do you think digital animation will ever fully eclipse traditional animation? Whether or not an animator has any interest in playing around with different mediums, entirely depends on why they’re an animator to begin with, and their personal preferences and philosophies. Animation overlaps a lot of different art forms, and everyone seems to be in it for a different reason. Also Flash animators are, by definition, people who’ve consciously chosen Flash over working on paper, because it suits them more. And while independent artists will work in any medium they please, I believe digital animation will ultimately take over within the industry. And I’m happy about that. There’s many traditionalists in the animation world who completely disregard digital, but I think it’s the best thing ever. All the potential ‘shortucts’ it provides us with have resulted in some very cheap, ugly animation, and as such it has a bit of a stigma. But it just puts so many animation techniques into the same place, so you can switch between them and mix
them up depending on what ultimately suits each moving part you’re animating. There’s a lot of potential there which people are only just beginning to tap into. The only thing that traditional 2D has over digital 2D, is that unless you have a Wacom Cintiq, or other screen device you can draw onto, then your art is going through the shitty filter of working with a graphics tablet. Digital doesn’t quite compete if it means less command over your drawing, and so if you don’t have access to the necessary equipment, then there’s still definite benefits to working on paper. But I would say, that once somebody has an ideal setup, with good software and a screen they can draw on, they’re in a better position than almost any animator in history. I’m in that position myself, and so now the challenge is to make work which demonstrates that.
On your animation The PigPen You mention that people over analysed it, and counter it by saying “it’s mainly about piggies”. Are there ever deeper themes in your animations or are they just off the wall ideas you’ve ran with? I wouldn’t say they over analyse it at all. I love it when people analyse things. I’d just say they’re arriving at conclusions about it which I wasn’t intending when I made it, but that’s not a bad thing. And when I say “it’s mainly
about piggies”, I’m just trying to fuck with people. I avoid getting into my intentions with the film, since everyone reads such different things into it, and I don’t want to come along and say “you’re all wrong”. I’m not sure if my films have deeper meanings. It depends on what ‘deeper meanings’ means. I think that my films should be taken at face value- there’s no metaphors in there. Pigpen, for instance, isn’t about some real life scenario that I’ve gone and dressed up. The pigs don’t represent any group of people (hence I say they’re “just piggies”). If you look at it at face value, you’ve got these pigs who are seriously addicted to these drugs, and they can only get them in exchange for pork. They’re only options are to kill each other, or to cut bits of themselves off. That’s not what it ‘represents’ either, that’s what’s actually happening. It’s what you’re looking at when you look at the film. When I made the film I wasn’t saying “this is effectively how capitalism works” or communism, or the class system, or the American healthcare system, or the stock market, or the hundreds of other things I’ve seen people say. It’s me saying “hey guys, imagine for a second how fucked it would be if these pigs were getting drugs in exchange for pork. It’d probably go like this”. It sounds like a pretty clumsy idea when I say it, but hey, I made the damn thing when I was 16. But yeah, that’s still how all my films work. I’m never implying anything, I’m proposing the idea of whatever I’m showing you. It makes the experience a lot more real, I think. Saying “it’s not actually about giant ducks, it’s actually a metaphor for my angsty political opinions” is like when movies end with “but it was all a dream”. Animation can make the impossible, and by pulling that shit you’re sending the impossible further away from the viewer. You’re putting a big sheet of frosted glass in front of it with “this isn’t real” scratched onto it. I want my work to be a lot more literal than that. So, I dunno if that counts as having a ‘deeper meaning’ or not. Possibly not. Either way, I like to think my films explore interesting concepts and get people thinking.
Animators who work in darker themes usually get a ridiculous amount of hate mail and negative comments, have you received any? What was the best or worst and what’s your advice on dealing with it? I can’t think of much hate mail, actually. Maybe my work doesn’t get around enough to be seen by the sorts of people who would take offense, but generally the reception to my work is usually quite friendly. I’d say at worst my work just confuses people. I always read all of the comments, and
the two things I probably find myself reading the most are “what the fuck did I just watch?” and “what drugs are you on?” I recieved a whole lot of mail from people who like my work, but that can quite often be an intense thing to deal with. Occasionally I get mail from people who’ve been affected by my work to such a degree that they decide to confide things to me. Very heavy, moving things. I’ve read stories from fans about sexual confusion, abusive parents, clinical depression... I’ve even had one from a fan telling me how they were shot and left in a gutter, thinking they were going to die. It’s an incredibly touching but scary thing, these people you’ve never met, trusting you enough to tell you these things. I always get pretty emotional when it happens, and it changes my whole day. It’s not something you realise you’re signing up for when you become an artist. I don’t really know how to deal with it, but I’m happy that it happens.
What has been your favourite video to make so far and why? The experience of actually making the animation doesn’t vary that much. It involves sitting in a room by myself, drawing at the computer for obscene amounts of hours, and undereating until I get quite sick. I think my favourite animating experience so far would be my most recent film, Man Spaghetti. I animated 123 hours a week for 7 weeks. So that’s 14 hours a day, plus two allnighters a week. 861 hours in total. The finished film goes for 1 minute and 30 seconds. It was one of the most exhausting, horrible things I’ve ever done. But hey, I got 861 hours of work done in 7 weeks. If I gave myself more sensible work hours, I would’ve been stuck making that shit for something like 30 weeks. There’s just something really fun about smashing it full-body hard, and then suddenly having this thing done which should’ve taken ages.
And finally, what does the rest of 2013 have in store for the subscribers of Felix Colgrave? I’ll probably be pretty quiet most of this year- I’m working on quite a big project, which will be done either late this year or early next. I daresay the internet beast will have to go unfed for a little while. But hopefully the wait will be worth it!
Felix has both a Youtube channel and a personal Tumblr: http://www.youtube.com/user/MasterAardvark http://feeldix.tumblr.com/
Interview The Comic Stripper
Known for his work on comics such as Judge Dredd, Spiderman and x-men (to name only a few) it is no doubt to anyone that Anthony Williams is a man who has gotten his hands dirty in the comics industry over the years, so it is with great pleasure that i bring you an interview from the man who came to be known as the:
COMIC STRIPPER! Welcome to Twisted Plastic. Could you give us a brief introduction into who the Comic Stripper is and what you do? Briefly, the Comic Stripper is my alter ego. I, in my civilian identity as Anthony Williams, comic book artist, drew comic books for Marvel and DC for the thick end of 15 years. Around 10 years ago, I decided to broaden my horizons and work the broader illustration world and use my many other drawing styles under the umbrella title of the Comic Stripper. Even though I now work in a far broader market, my work is still primarily comic book flavoured.
What are you current tools of the trade when it comes to the creation of a comic page? Im still a pencil and paper guy for initial stages including pencils and inks and the the work moves into photoshop for colours and lettering. I’m in the process of shifting to using a cintiq and the plan is I’ll be fully digital in a couple of months.
Which artists originally drew you into wanting to become a comic artist in yourself? I was a massive Marvel fan way back in the 70s and 80s and my main influences then were artists like John Buscema and Neal Adams. As a working pro I started looking at both contemporary artists and artists from previous generations who I had been unaware of , ranging from Eduardo Risso to Alex Toth to Will Eisner. I’m constantly influenced and inspired by artists who impress me with they’re draftsmanship and craft as opposed to flashy tricks.
What was your first ‘big’ comic job? Who did you draw and who did you work for? I got my first work from the UK office of Marvel drawing licensed comics, which was fantastic but for me my big break was getting my first Dredd strip for 2000AD
With the rise of digital artwork and distribution to what extent do you think it has effected the comic book industry? We live in interesting times. Artists have always been beholden to the publishers and have worked for what is pretty much crap money considering how labour intensive comic book work is, but that was the only game in town. Now, with the rise of digital platforms we can get our work out to our audience without print and distribution costs and with time, we will get our just
rewards for our work without selling our souls to the big publishers. I think there is going to be an amazing explosion of creativity.
Do you think that we one day may see traditional paper comics dying out? Nope, it will just become a niche collectable market, similar to the constant appeal of vinyl.
“I’m inspired by artist’s draftsmanship as opposed to flashy tricks”
Interview The Comic Stripper
Do you think that we one day may see traditional paper comics dying out? Nope, it will just become a niche collectable market, similar to the constant appeal of vinyl.
Your portfolio of work and clients is incredibly broad extending further than just comics, even as far as companies such as Google and McDonalds. Who would you say has been your favourite client to work with? They are all equally lovely, so long as they pay on time!
With a large client base comes the occasional ‘troublesome’ client. What advice do you have for young creatives in the industry when it comes to dealing with these sorts of situations? To be honest, over my 25 odd years, I’ve had very little trouble. Occasionally you have to chase someone for payment but it usually works out okay. I generally find
that if you go the extra mile for a client and respect them, they treat you with respect back.
Are there any characters out there in the comics universe that you haven’t had a chance to draw and work with yet that you would love to put your spin on? I have drawn pretty much every character I grew up with. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any. Now I’m in a position to create my own characters, which is way more satisfying.
And finally, who is your all time favourite comic character and why? Batman, cos he’s fuckin’ hard as nails.
Check out the official Comic Stripper site: http://www.comicstripper.co.uk/
Interview Dan Mumford
DAN MUMFORD
As one of my artistic heroes and inspirations it brings me great pleasure to present you with an interview with the one and only Dan Mumford
Hey there Dan, let me start by saying thank you for being a part of the first Twisted Plastic. Would you mind introducing us to yourself and telling us a little bit about your work? No problem at all, its a pleasure. I am an illustrator based out of my studio in central London where i work mainly within the Alternative music industry creating record covers, tees.
Could you give us an overview of your background in Art from initial inspiration to education to freelance illustrator? What has brought you to this point today? I started out being interested in illustration from a young age I suppose, through comics and various 90’s cartoons while I was growing up.
“It progressed onwards over the years to the point where I can colour a piece quite easily without much thought. Like many things it becomes natural.” It was quite a natural progression from there to move into something creative, and illustration at university as a course in Brighton seemed like the most appropriate place to explore some of the ideas and thoughts i had.
After you’ve received and agreed upon a brief with a client what’s your working process? How do you go from concept to final print?
Generally I take what they have given me as far as ideas go and work up a quick sketch, from there we go back and forth until the client is happy with the sketch and then we get working on the final piece! its a fairly straight forward process, but it works well!
Your use of colour across all the work in your portfolio is insane, what advice would you give to other artists in regards to colour theory? Well, start in black and white. I used to be completely useless with colour, I only worked in black and white because i just didn’t understand how colour worked really or what colour should sit next to another. From there I would start putting colour in my pieces sparingly, and it progressed onwards over the years to the point where I can colour a piece quite easily without much thought. Like many things it becomes natural.
Your artwork usually ends up as a screen printed piece, Do you think that having to prepare your artwork for this manner of printing has affected the way you produce your work overall? Yes, i produce nearly all my work, even when it is for digital printing in the same manner, with colour underneath a black and white image, its how i learnt to compose and create, so its the easiest way for me to create images.
A theme I’m touching upon in this issue is the debate between digital and traditional artwork. To what extent has the rise of digital artwork changed your creative process? What’s your take on the argument? I love working in digital, i made the move from working in pen and ink to digital completely around 3 years ago, since then i pretty much always work in digital alone. It makes things quicker and smoother and I can pretty much replicate exactly what i used to do in pen and ink but with a tablet. At the same time i do still like to work in pen when I can, but I reserve that for special projects normally!
Interview Dan Mumford
Interview Dan Mumford You produce a lot of work for bands in the form of clothing and album covers, Who have been some of your favourites to work with and why? Who would you love to work with in the future? Ive loved working with a ton of my clients, i’ve had a strong relationship with The Black Dahlia murder over the last few years, and they have allowed me to create some amazing horror based pieces for them, around 25 or so at the moment i think. I would love to work with one of the big guys like Metallica or Slayer.
Who are some of your favourite artists working in the industry at the moment?
I admire all and anyone working in the industry alongside me at the moment, its a strange industry to be involved in, so props to all of them!
What can we expect to see from you in the coming year? Any big projects you would like to talk about? More prints, more work and hopefully a show at some point!
You can find more of Dan Mumford’s work here: http://www.dan-mumford.com/
Interview Lee Court
LEE COURT
Hello Lee! Thank you for joining us on issue 1 of Twisted Plastic! Care to take a moment to introduce yourself and describe your work? Hi, thanks for having me. My name is Lee Court, I’m currently a third year illustration student studying at Swansea Met. I love using my art as a way of exploring my own creativity through process and medium. Despite studying illustration my work is very personal and is often raw aesthetic with a loose motif to tie it together.
Take us through step by step the creative process of a piece of your artwork. I like to let my work grow organically, I never really have an idea of where a project is going to end up or what the final outcome is going to be. I have a romantic outlook on the creative process often approaching work with a ‘whatever happens, happens’ mentality. Typically I like to digitally paint but recently I’m finding more traditional print making and painting methods very exciting!
I see influences from artists such as Audrey Kawasaki in your work, who else do you look to for inspiration? Audrey’s work is brilliant! I also love the work of James Jean, Jon Foster, Sam Weber and Joao Ruas. They are all part of what I see as the current ‘Art movement’. It’s a sort of amalgamation between Art Nouveau and traditional Baroque techniques. They combine decorative patterns and designs with traditional art theory and practices. I also find it very inspiring to look back in time and see the roots of these motifs and interpret them in my own way
Your work is very painterly however you are predominantly a digital artist, what are your views on digital art over traditional art? This comes up a lot, traditional versus digital. I personally think it does not matter; they are both tools an artist can use to form their ideas. I try not to worry too much about the luddites who bash digital painting and just get on and create the work I want to make. Ultimately digital methods derive from traditional practices so its good to have a foundation of those before moving to digital, but like I said before, it’s just a tool. Each artist is different and their process will be unique regardless of what tools they use!
Looking through your site I notice that some of your work is edging towards animation, what’s the story behind that? Will you be developing this style of work further? I love to learn and discover new technology and process so earlier this year I tried my hand at Adobe After Effects. It’s a great way of pushing my work further into the digital realm in the
Interview Lee Court
form of animation. With the digital environment for illustration to occupy booming, I took it upon myself to learn the technology that dictates it. I think I’ll definitely keep this option open but right now I still see myself as a newbie!
Do you have any plans to apply your particular brand of illustration to other mediums such as sculpture? Creating things that I can hold and touch has always been appealing to me. I like to make trinkets and experiment with surfaces. Right now I’m experimenting with resin, gold leaf and wood, which is great! It’s getting me back to my traditional roots and I feel that I’m making more tactile art.
You are coming to the end of your time in University, what would be your advice to young illustrators wanting to attend higher education come September? From personal experience I found being a ‘go-getter’ very rewarding, if you want something, go get it! If you study any creative subject it’s definitely worth keeping an open mind,
there’s no reason you have to limit yourself to one process or practice. Be welcoming of criticism (no matter how brutal it is), you have to be stone skinned and a fighter as well as respectful and friendly! And finally, love what you do and draw every-single-day.
What are your next steps in your artistic career upon graduation? That’s a tough one, I think a lot of illustrators and artist these days become self-authorial and make their own work - almost becoming a brand. I think I’ll try to do something similar whilst keeping my mind open to any opportunity that may pop up, be that editorial work or a children’s book, who know, that’s why its both exciting and terrifying! Thanks again for having me!
To find more of Lee’s work you can check out his Tumblr: http://leecourt.tumblr.com/
Future letters page
Obviously there isn’t much to put on a letters page of a first issue of a magazine but in future this is where you will be able to voice your opinions on art issues or discuss shows and opportunities coming up! Email us at: twistedplasticmagazine@gmail.com or tweet us at: @TwistedPlasticM
Cover Contest
The whole point of this publication is to focus on your art, so it wouldn’t make much sense in the same artist doing every cover on every issue, So I’m thinking we open this up to you guys. Send us in an 8”x11” image you have created, in any medium to twistedplasticmagazine@gmail.com with ‘Cover Contest’ in the subject bar and the best of them will take pride of place on the cover of Twisted Plastic Issue #2 and any runners up will have their work displayed inside the magazine.
Artists Spotlights
If you would like to be featured in the Artist Spotlights of future issues of Twisted Plastic send a selection of your work to twistedplasticmagazine@gmail.com with ‘Spotlight Submission’ in the subject bar.
Spotlight Liam Wood
Liam Wood Seasick XXX http://www.seasickxxx.com/
Spotlight Matthew Fieldhouse AKA: VLCERS
Matthew Fieldhouse VLCERS
http://iheartvlcers.tumblr.com/ @IHEARTVLCERS
Spotlight Matthew Fieldhouse AKA: VLCERS
Spotlight Feline Zegers
Feline Zegers http://www.felinezegers.com/
Spotlight Feline Zegers
Spotlight Vincent Vernacatola
Vincent Vernacatola http://superpuppet.tumblr.com/
Spotlight Vincent Vernacatola
Spotlight Matthew Bailey
Matthew Bailey Roogaboo
http://roogaboo.com/
Spotlight Matthew Bailey
Spotlight Ally Burke
Ally Burke
Burkevscience
http://www.deadspiderhands.net/
Spotlight Ally Burke
Spotlight Jack Wilson
Jack Wilson http://jackawilsonillustration.tumblr.com/
Spotlight Jack Wilson
I want to say a personal thank you to everyone who got involved and helped me get this idea off of the ground and keep me motivated to produce something I hope inspires young creatives wanting to move into this industry. All the best, Iwazaru-Marionette
TWISTED PLASTIC twistedplasticmagazine@gmail.com @TwistedPlasticM