Thursday, April 06, 2006
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE CHARACTER DESIGN BLOGSPOT
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THE INTERVIEW
Tell me a little bit about yourself, about your life? Where did you go to school, and what classes did you study? What helped prepare you to become the artist that you are today?
I was born in Pontevedra (in the northwest of Spain) though I moved to Madrid to study Advertising and Public Relations. Always I liked the art, the cómics, the cinema and the television. On having finished my studies I was employed as Art Director at Contrapunto (an agency of advertising of the BBDO group) and it was there where I initiated my contacts with the illustration, the storyboarding, etc... in a professional way. I am self-taught in this!
It’s funny, because, originally I was the person who was searching illustrators for the agency … and I ended up by being one of them.
Little later I tried to do something in cómic (bacause I am a great fan of these) and I connected a some works that allowed me to turn this one I stand out in my profession.
... A profession in which I am beginning and in which I still have everything for learning.
How do you go about designing a character, and what goes through your mind, from start to end?
Since the first thing is to think about the purpose of the design. The way to which it is destined (animation, cómic, toys, video-game …). This determines the design.
For character design, I normally think in real people, to stamping personality them, later. With the machines, objects or environments it is the same thing … our better reference is what surrounds us. The imagination only helps you to deform this reality, but not to create from nothing.
During the creation of a character you must think about it as a real person, who shows and conceals things, who observes and thinks. It is not important if it is a man, woman, dog or dragon … it has to live. It is the same thing to design a scene or environment. The things have to seem that they move, that are not a set of theatre, which the air crosses across … and your characters can breathe it.
After it, it is necessary to follow a more routine work. To create its proportions, to play with its physicist in relation with its psychology. To contribute to the design the major quantity of indirect information that your personage could give visually.
What do you think really helps you out in designing a character?
Know him... to understand him. If you have this, the character goes out only.
From your own experience and maybe from some people that you know, what should we put in our portfolio and what should we not?
In a portfolio there must be the work that better represents you. It does not import the quantity but YES the quality. To centre what you want to sell of you, and that covers completely better what you can do. Sometimes the mistake is committed of including works to which we have fondness, but they are neither current nor representative …
For a professional contact, we are what we show to be. Nobody looks for internal motivations or if you have improved very much, or if of small you were a genius… you are you in this moment. Nothing more. So your work must show the same thing.
What are some of the things that you have worked on?
I have realized storyboard and illustration for advertising (Canal +, Chrysler, Jeep, Wanadoo, Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Sanitas … many brands to enumerate …) and lately cómic for the French market, as the " El Ojo del Diablo " and " Tuer un fantome " (a book for that I wait that prompt it sees the light).
Is there a character design you have done that you are most proud of?
Yes, though they are slightly antiquated, I like the characters of " Tuer un fantome " (specially Vincent). But really I am charmed with "Alejandro", "Asha" y "Noah" (characters of a project) in his first versions. I have a special fondnessto them, probably because that will never see the light under this appearance …
What are you working on now? (If you can tell us)
Nowadays I am employed at the fourth book of the serie "Marshall" with the scriptwriter Denis-Pierre Filippi, for the french editor Les Humanoids Associes, while I am employed at the preproduction of a juvenile series with Mathieu Mariolle for Soleil.
Where is the place you would like to work if you had a choice?
Where I am now. I would not change anything just now. I adore the cómics, and in this moment I have the enough freedom at the moment of work like not to change it into anything of the world. More things can be wished, but I prefer enjoying those that I have.
Who do you think are the top character designers out there?
Buff! A lot! Impossible to enumerate all now. In addition, I do not know to many of the field about the animation. My experience is more related to the cómic. Coming to my mind now... Sean Galloway, Peter deSeve, Enrique Fernandez, Man Arenas, Santy Gutiérrez, Claire Wendling, Katsuya Terada, Tadahiro Uesugi, John Nevarez, José López, Rodolphe Guenoden, Denis Bodart, Pierre Alary, José Luis Munuera, Javi Montes … and all those who appear in character design blog! It is the best site where everybody could search!
Besides some amazing illustrators and artists of cómics, as Patricia Castelao, Marcos Calo, Sergio Casas, Victor Santos, Kenny Ruiz, Sergio Bleda … (in my blog I have a good number of links very interesting that nobody should get lost).
How do you go about coloring the character, what type of tools or media do you use?
After the pencil sketches (blue pencil), I work with inks or gray pencils to define. Later I use the computer. Wacom and Photoshop.
What part of designing a character is most fun and easy, and what is most hard?
All in general and nothing especially. A design is something complete … and you never know what you is going to turn out to be more complicated. It can be a face in a personage, and a few feet in other one. Yes it is true that I find more enterteining to do expressions, but also I like to design the wardrobe or the body, especially in designs of monsters or beings of fantasy.
What are some of your favorite character designs and least favorite, which you have seen?
I cannot take off from my mind the Galloway’s Hellboy, the Spirou or the Navis of Munuera, the character designs from “the Magician of Oz” of Fernandez … or Yacin's Fauns! There are many characters who transmit the charisma that their designers have could give him (although they are not their creators).
It is clear that the Hellboy de Mignola is a marvelous, in if same, as design. But to rival with him is almost so meritorious. There are many big designs, personal versions and big artists … it would be impossible to enumerate them.
What is your most favorite subject to draw? And why?
I do not have it clear … probably because I have not drawn many things (or I have centred on few ones, for the present time) Before I was charmed with the characters, but now I enjoy more the scenes (stages), the backgrouns and the environments. The story and the setting …
Probably because of that, I like the histories with an epic tone. The adventures (pirates, fantasy, or following Julio Verne's literature …), the science fiction … and lately, the Wild West!
What inspired you to become an Artist?
I can’t specify it. It is something that was happening. When somebody looks for his place, he cannot leave of side his tastes, his interests and his motivations … so you take advantage of the opportunity when it appears … and to do that appears, it is necessary to look for it and try to cross with it.
What are some of the neat things you have learned from other artists that you have worked with or seen?
All! It’s from the people you meet where you take the lessons to grow up as artist.
What wisdom could you give us, about being an Artist? Do you have any tips you could give?
Work a lot (you need spend a lot of hours) and remember that always we still have a lot of things to learn.
I cannot say any more. I still use diapers in this world!
If people would like to contact you, how would you like to be contacted?
mail: tyrsin@yahoo.com
My website is under construction, but you can visit my blogsite where I have some works and sketches.
blog: http://tirsocons.blogspot.com
Finally, do you have any of your art work for sale (sketchbook, prints, or anything) for people that like your work can know where and when to buy it?
Yes. " El Ojo del Diablo " is published in France and Spain. I wait that prompt it is also " Tuer un fantome ". Across my blog I will be giving more news.
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