Interview with J. Edwin Stevens [level20artist] on Whohub

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What is your specialty in illustration?

My preferred genre of illustration is that of fantasy. I love everything from dragons to zombies. My work usually tends to that of cover illustrations and comic books.

Is there a web address where we can see some of your work?

Have you completed formal art studies, or are you self-taught?

I received my BFA from the Ringling School of Art and Design. After my graduation I spent a year teaching for Ringling's Continuing Studies program. Currently I am obtaining my MFA at Syracuse University, where I will soon be teaching a class on Corel Painter.

What past or present day illustrators do you admire most?

There are almost too many illustrators throughout history that have inspired me to name. So here are a list of the ones that I think have been the most influential to me, and to anyone else interested in fantasy illustration.

Past:

Arthur Rackham
Alphonse Mucha
Edmund Dulac
Edward Detmold
Howard Pyle
N. C. Wyeth
Virgil Finlay
Bernie Wrightson
Frank Frazetta
Hildebrandt Brothers

Present:

Scott Fischer
Todd Lockwood
Donato
Aleksi Briclot
Android Jones
Jason Chan
Dan Dos Santos
Daarken
Jon Foster
James Jean
Jo Chen
Justin Sweet
Drew Struzen
Audrey Kawasaki
Kinuko Craft
Linda Brekgvist
Puddin Head

Just a few but definitely very influential artists. I highly recommend looking them up. You should always look to those of the past and learn what you can from them.

How similar are your current drawings to those you did as a child?

Well when I was a kid I did tons and tons of monster drawings. I had school notebooks filled, I think there was about four. Each page had a different monster design. I would take stickers that said "top secret" and place them on the covers. Nowadays I still do some monster concept but I definitely enjoy the human figure much more. Nothing is as enjoyable as taking the human anatomy and changing it fit into fantastic situations.

Do you have a particular style, or does it vary a lot?

My style tends to lean more on the realistic side as opposed to stylized. I do like it though when my pencil work shows through in my finishes, so my work is not photo-realistic but more painterly. I do both traditional work as well as digital. I handle both mediums in the same manner, so both have similar characteristics. For traditional I use oil paints and for digital I primarily use Corel Painter.

What type of music do you listen to while you work?

It varies for me actually. I usually end up having movies I've seen already play on the TV but sometimes I use music. I like to use music that will help me get in the mood for my piece. For example when I was working on this zombie comic piece I listened to a lot of creepy music. A lot were soundtracks from games and movies like; Silent Hill, A Series of Unfortunate Events, American Mcgee's Alice, and Lady in the Water.

This theme does also apply when I watch movies. I was working on this magazine cover. The illustration was about comic books being made into movies. Thus I watched 300, The Dark Knight, and Iron Man many many times.

If I am in crunch time or just trying to work into the late hours though, I listen to a lot of dance music. Lots of trance, techno, and DDR songs.

Usually the music I listen to while I work is not always the music I listen to commonly, but I still do sometimes. Right now I'm listening to a lot of Dragonforce, HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR, Motion City Soundtrack, Paramore, and some random anime music.

What do you do when a client simply says "I don't like it"?

Sometimes you'll get some clients who can just be frustrating. The main thing to remember is don't lose your cool. Start a dialogue with the client. Ask them what is it you do not like about it? They honestly may not understand why they don't like it so nudge them. After awhile they'll start to get ideas. After they start to open up make some suggestions about how to change things. Remember to speak very positively. They'll feel more comfortable with you and will usually agree with the changes you decide. Just remember it's important that they understand your contract and that any changes will have certain charges to them.

So long as they agree to keep paying you for changes things should go fine. You will come across some clients who may be a little shady and try and sucker you out of work. Just remember while you try and make concessions that you also don't get soft. In no way let anyone take advantage of you and your abilities.

What part of your work do you do on paper and what part digitally?

I use both digital and traditional work, but my process is similar in both. For traditional I start out with a pencil drawing. Sometimes grey or blue lead or sometimes even drawings on toned paper with white charcoal. I'll then take the drawing and use matte medium to adhere it to a board. I usually use a comb and scrape it into the wet medium to give it some texture. After that I'll make a flat wash of color in acrylic as an under-painting. Finally I start painting on top with oils.

Sometimes though if I need to make my drawing bigger or edit it in some way I will scan it into the computer. While in there I will enlarge it and even use Photoshop to place a flat color behind the drawing, similar to the acrylics. Then print it out and adhere it to the board, then follow the same steps.

When I use digital I start the same way. I will do a drawing in the same manner. I will then scan it in and again, and use Photoshop for the flat color. I then take the psd file and open it in Corel Painter and treat it as if it was a traditional painting.

What research do you do for your illustrations?

Research is the most important aspect to an illustrator. Everything we do is based off of research. No matter what my assignment is I do extensive extensive research. If you don't check every aspect of what your doing a die-hard fan will see it and point bout your mistakes. Whether its the proper fire mechanism on a gun or how many points are on Batman's cape. A good illustrator knows they can not slack on the research.

I remember I did this drawing of Cinderella but with a twist. It was the same story but placed in a different culture, in Japan actually. For the illustration I wanted to have Cinderella cleaning the floor while she's being visited by her fairy godmother. When I started my research I made sure I knew that the floors of the house would have the proper mats, as well as whether or not she would have a wooden bucket and what the bucket would look like. I actually found images of what wooden buckets that were commonly made in feudal era Kyoto, Japan looked like.

Where the research really came into play was with the design of the godmother. At first I thought a beautiful woman like spirit might work. But then I realized that most female spirits in Japan represent evil spirits so that was not a good option. At this time I went to the library and took out about eight books on Japanese folktales. After some extensive reading and advice from other illustrators I seemed to have found the best idea. Ho-oh the Japanese phoenix. Ho-oh was a symbol of wisdom, rebirth, nurture, luck and was the feminine counter part to the dragon. This made it the perfect choice for the story.

Without this extensive research my illustration would have been flat, boring, and typical. It's this dedication to research that truly brings an illustration to life. And nothing feels more gratifying that that.

Do you have colleagues with whom you share techniques, tricks, ideas, etc.?

Colleagues as well as professionals. I find that most illustrators are really great and caring people. If you are curious what technique someone is using just contact and ask. There is no secret recipe on how to make an illustration or any good art. All you really need to do is understand the basic principles of art. Any artist who says differently is usually trying to pander to their own ego and make themselves feel more important than they are.

So yes I know many people whom share techniques. I myself love to share knowledge. That is why I love it when I get teaching gigs. And in the tight nit community of illustrators we love to assist one another, cause we all were in the same boat at one point or another.

Do you have any specific goals as an illustrator?

I want to get some work for Wizards of the Coast. I would love to illustrate for D&D and Magic cards at some point. I also want to take some of the many stories I have and get some comics going. Perhaps even collaborating with some fellow illustrators. If I can get some of those published that would be great.

What illustration web sites do you frequent?

Usually cgsociety.org and conceptart.org I visit. As well as illustrators' personal sites and blogs to see their latest work.

What advice do you have for someone who likes to draw and would like to make a living from it?

Well I would like to share a few pieces of advice.

First and foremost DRAW. Draw a lot and often. You will always get better if you practice. Draw from life, draw from photos, draw from everything.

Also, study other artists. Some artists think they are an island unto themselves and this just isn't true. The best way to learn is from those who have done it before and those who are doing it now. Also contact current artists ask them questions, most are kind and will share advice.

Also don't grow an ego. No matter how good you are you can always learn something new and improve on something. The minute you think your the best you have forever stopped yourself from becoming a true success.

Finally, I would like to comment on how illustrators relate to the economy. As I'm sure you know the country is going through some bad times. Normally people are iffy about becoming professional artists for we have the image of the starving artist in our minds. And in these rough times that may scare you even more. However, during times like these people look to entertainment to get through the day. As an illustrator you are an entertainer. In times like these it is the creative individuals who truly shine.

So keep your head up march forward and realize if you work hard enough you can become a truly great artist.

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