Y is for Yeowell... Steve Yeowell

I first became aware of Steve Yeowell's work when I started reading 2000AD in the early nineties. (I know, I was a late starter.) The most vivid memory I have from that time was of his work on Zenith and I was later to enjoy it in the long-running Devlin Waugh six-month story-arc that was comprised of Chasing Herod, Reign of Frogs and Sirius Rising in 1999.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I discovered in 2004 that Steve would be illustrating my comic strip The Tale of the Hound (part of the Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat series published in Inferno! and Warhammer Monthly).

Steve's currently hard at work on more Red Seas for 2000AD but he kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions for this blog.

1. How did you start out as a professional artist?
I started writing and drawing a strip for small press SF stripzine “Totally Alien”, moving on to drawing episodes of “Lieutenant Fl’FF” in “Swiftsure” for Harrier Comics, all the while sending out samples.

2. What was it that gave you your big break and led to what you are doing now?

I helped out John Higgins on a half-page strip he was producing for a music/lifestyle mag called “The Street”. That led to a cover for “Spider Man And Zoids” at Marvel UK then a fill in on the Zoids strip. When regular penciller Kev Hopgood moved on to “Action Force” I was offered the strip full time.

3. What is your preferred method of working? Which medium suits your style best?

I work traditionally, pencilling and then inking the pages. I use Photoshop for minor corrections and deliver files of the pages digitally.

4. You have created and illustrated all manner of famous comic book characters. Which are your favourites?

My favourites are the characters I grew up with – my very favourite American title being the Fantastic Four. However, I found when I had the opportunity to draw an appearance by them in “Skrull Kill Krew” that I didn’t want it to be me drawing them – I wanted it to be Jack Kirby...

5. How does working for 2000AD compare to working for Black Library?

Apart from the invoicing procedure, pretty much the same!

6. What is the appeal of working creatively within the Warhammer setting?

It is its own unique and internally consistent self-contained world.

7. How did you find the process of illustrating The Tale of the Hound for Warhammer Monthly?

Clear and straightforward – nice work, Jon!

8. Of which piece of work are you most proud?

“67 seconds” – a graphic novel James Robinson and I produced for Epic. James gave me a script like a screenplay so I had more freedom than with a normal full script.

9. Is there anything you haven’t illustrated that you would still like to?

I’d like to draw a straight historical adventure.

10. What are you working on at the moment?

The last series of “The Red Seas”.

11. What advice would you give to any aspiring artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Keep a sketchbook of real things – not an ideas book – it’ll give you a feel for what looks right when you have to make them up. And be persistent!

Thanks again to Steve for taking the time to answer my questions, and remember to keep an eye out for his work in forthcoming issues of 2000AD.

X is for the eXtremely eXcellent eXtinct art of John Sibbick

Tenuous, I know, but I interviewed dinosaur artist extraordinaire John Sibbick for the piece I wrote for SFX magazine about the history of Fighting Fantasy. And John has very kindly agreed to me posting the interview here for your delectation...

1. Which was the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook you read?

This was Deathtrap Dungeon, illustrated by Ian McCaig – it was sent to me when I started my first FF cover Masks of Mayhem. I loved the illustrations and the set pieces in the story. I decided then that I would take on interior drawings for future titles if asked.

2. Did you read FF before illustrating it?

I knew of the series before illustrating them but had never read them as a punter.

3. Which is your favourite gamebook?

I don't have a favourite gamebook – I respond to the imagery and drama – the more visual elements. That was the thing with McCaig’s work – loads of movement and eerie stuff going on, and he could frame each scene like a scene in a movie.

4. How did you find the process of illustrating FF books? Was it an enjoyable experience? How did it compare to other illustration jobs? How did your work on Dungeoneer and the covers for the AFF series compare to illustrating a normal gamebook like Midnight Rogue?

I found it quite easy to create a style for the interior drawings – more than I expected really – and enjoyed the process of creating on-going characters for Dungeoneer*. I had to design their armour/clothes and general 'look' in a 360 degree viewpoint – including above and below.  Some worked better than others. Midnight Rogue had a different approach. The reader became the thief character and their/your hands were seen manipulating locks and purses.  I enjoyed doing this story as they were claustrophobic – more shadowy and closed in. I felt I inhabited this world while drawing them.

Each of the three book  interiors were luckily completely different in tone, and although it could be pretty relentless churning out the drawings – and I had no time for any 'rough' sketches – now and again I look at the originals and am amazed at the work and detail involved.

5. What are working on now?

I spend a lot of time reconstructing fossil creatures and environments – dinosaur, pterosaurs, and human evolution – for museums, books and now and again TV. This year I have mostly commissioned paintings, after doing a lot of book illustration last year. I do the occasional fantasy project but there is not much of that out there for me at the moment.

6. How much did FF influence your career and what you are doing today?

FF gave me the opportunity to design a lot of scenarios in each book – you have to be consistent and able to dramatise the subjects listed – over 30 or so in each book plus vignetted text fillers. It gave me the confidence to do this, working fast, sometimes having to produce a drawing a day. I worked for Games Workshop at roughly the same time, and so the FF work helped me there – working on their larger book formats and model characters.

7. What is it that makes FF so special?

I think it is the parallel storylines, scary characters and situations, which is great for encouraging young kids in their reading and competing with friends at the same time. The multiple options and fantastic imagery makes them an original, affordable and quality product. (Sorry, sounds like an ad!)

8. How do you explain the gamebook resurgence of the last couple of years?

There is a lot of looking back in publishing and the generation that first read FF are very big on re-visiting their youth!  The effort and quality put into gamebooks has not dated at all and movies have been influenced by them, especially Harry Potter, with scenes of varying danger and monsters cropping up every other scene!

9. What do you feel was the impact of video games on FF (both negative and positive)?

I'm not a fan of video games – I prefer print, but I can see that the FF imagery involves the viewer and the drama is directed at them in the same way as that on screen.  The whole point is making decisions to avoid death (or worse) and can be re-run over and over to change the outcome.  The difference with FF is the chance outcome with dice instead of skill at the controls.

10. Where is there left for gamebooks/FF to go?

Who knows? The original books are mainly small, with mono interiors to keep down the price. Maybe electronic books, or larger full-colour formats; 3D would take them onto another level.

11. Do you think people will still be talking about FF in another 30 years?

Of course – the concept is universal – safely going into places of danger and with the competitive drama element it cannot fail whatever the medium they are in.

Thanks again to John for taking time out of his schedule to answer my questions. You can find a lot of his work (especially his dinosaur paintings) here at his website.

And remember to check back again tomorrow to see who I'll be interviewing for the letter 'Y'.

* You might be interested to know that it was John's cover painting of Dungeoneer that was the original inspiration behind my first Fighting Fantasy adventure (and consequently my very first published book) Spellbreaker.

W is for the Wonderful Work of Simon 'Pye' Parr

Simon (or as he's known to his friends 'Pye') Parr has collaborated with me on my Pax Britannia novels right from the start. To begin with he was the designer, arranging the text over Mark Harrison's artwork, and creating the various logos and crest motifs for the series. More recently he has started adding internal illustrations until now, with my eighth steampunk novel Time's Arrow he's become fully-fledged cover artist.

Pye has very kindly taken the time to answer my questions whilst in the middle of a house move (kudos there, sir!) which I have pleasure in presenting for you now.

1. Which came first – artist or designer?

Chronologically, artist. It's something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember, but professionally I've been a graphic designer for much longer, and it's still what makes up over half of my work. 

2. What was your big break that led to you doing what you’re doing now?

In 2002 I was recruited by Rebellion as a graphic designer for 2000AD and the Megazine, which was brilliant. Since I've worked there the publishing department has expanded to include all the 2000AD graphic novels and both Solaris and Abaddon Books, plus various projects for the computer games side of things, so the amount work and experience I get has expanded with it, leading me to where I'm at now doing both art and design work. To me it's kind of felt like more of a slow build up than a big break, and I've only started getting projects beyond the stuff I do in-house for Rebellion over the last few years.

3. What is your preferred method of working? Which medium suits your style best?

Erm... I have no idea! I try something for a bit then leave it and try something different. I reckon the best stuff I do is in as many mediums as possible really, all mixed together. Generally I start with something 'real' no matter what I'm doing though, so even for a picture that I'll paint digitally I start with a half-decent pencil drawing or painting or something before scanning it in and going to town on it in Photoshop or Illustrator. I find it much quicker and easier to get ideas down for artwork with a pencil and paper, even though I spend 90% of my time sat at a computer.

4. Having worked on numerous book covers, advertisements and comic strips, which do you prefer and why? Is there anything you’d particularly like to do more of?

Creating any kind of artwork is a satisfying process (eventually), so I try to do as much of that as possible, but one the things I like most about my work is that I have to switch between loads of different jobs, so I never have a chance to get bored of anything. I think for example if I spent all month sat at my drawing board on my own I'd go mental, so it’s nice to break it up each week with graphic design work in the office, which I find a bit more calming to work on. 

5. How much do you work with an author when it comes to designing a cover for their book?

It varies. Obviously I'll always try as hard as I can to do something the author can be proud of, but they've all had differing levels of input. For design-led covers I generally have more free reign than with the illustrative ones. This is mainly because the final images are more suggestive and they don’t really need to show actual things in the story, more convey a mood or feeling that will suit the book. I'll come up with loads of options (I think I ended up with almost 20 different concepts for Lou Morgan's Blood and Feathers cover for example) after reading the rough synopsis, then together with the author and editor we choose one (or part of one) that works. After that I'll do whatever I think is best to get the effect I want.

A lot the time the books aren't finished when I start the cover art, so for more illustrative covers I rely heavily on the author to give me ideas or scenes from the story as a starting point for a sketch and we go from there.

6. What is it about the Pax Britannia setting that appeals to you creatively?

I just love old stuff. The way it looks and sounds and smells. Big rivets, pistons, chrome dials, brass, etc. There's something very appealing to me about nicely machined parts, and there's plenty of stuff like that in any steampunk setting. Plus Pax Britannia is full of genetic monstrosities, cars, freaky old weirdoes and all sorts of other things that are fun to play about with.

7. Of which piece of work are you most proud?

If it went well, whatever I finished last! I tend to go off my own art very quickly, and the more I look at stuff the more problems I can see with it. I have maybe a 1-2 week grace period when I'm happy with something, then the doubting starts... That said, I'm still quite happy with the cover I did for DEATH PLANET! that went in the Megazine recently and the cover for Regicide by Nicholas Royle.

8. Is there anything you haven’t illustrated yet that you would still like to?

I'd like to try some sequential comics stuff really, but they're just so time-consuming to do!

9. You are also a fan of Warhammer 40,000 and a skilled miniature painter. What is it about this dystopian far future medieval universe that appeals to you?

All the amazing art and design that goes into their stuff. When I was about 12 Warhammer (along with 2000AD) was my first exposure to all these weird stories and unique artwork that I'd never seen anything like before, and I still love both today. Painting Warhammer models requires this strange mixture of creativity and obsessive organisational behaviour which I find particularly satisfying for some reason.

10. What are you working on at the moment?

Absolutely nothing! Last Friday I finished the last three 2000 AD 'They are coming' teaser posters for CBR. You can see all 12 here:http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38316 

I went right up to the wire on that one, which was a bit of a stress as I had to get them all done before I take 2 weeks off to move house (this laptop is one of the few things not in a box!). When I start up again I've got to get the third eBook cover for Time's Arrow to do – you might have heard something about that? – and the design work for the rest of the Blood and Feathers book (like the spine and back cover layout, etc, plus the actual guts of the book). After that I really need to get on with the cover for the third volume of No Man's World; The Alleyman which I started bloody ages ago but had to ditch halfway through to get more urgent stuff finished (this happens a lot).

11. What advice would you give to any aspiring artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Don't give up. Even when you hear nothing back from every one of 3 million portfolios you send out. Just keep going and going and you'll get better and better with time. It’s taken me years and years of this and I still feel like I'm only just starting to make some progress.

12. Last question – do you have a favourite font for your design work? ;-)

Ha! There are plenty of fonts I hate – that'd be a bit easier to tell you about. There's every designers favourite moans like Comic Sans and Papyrus, but currently I'm filled with utter loathing for Nedian, which I've been forced into using so something can match an old series' cover designs (that I didn’t do). I'm also sick of seeing Trajan used absolutely bloody everywhere. I drive my wife mental by sitting watching TV adverts and barking out the names of fonts they use like some kind of typographic rain man.

On a slight tangent I've been badgering work to get me copy of Fontographer for ages so I can try and make some of my own, which if I ever get round to I'll put up as freeware somewhere.

You can see more examples of Pye's painting and design work (some of which is private or unpublished) over on his blog here, as well as weekly in the pages of 2000AD.