Behind the Legends of Sam & Max Fanart, Part 2: light_rises
A few weeks ago, I presented to the readers of Cultural Zest an interview with one amazing Sam & Max Fanartist, Ginny N. Today, it is my pleasure to bring to you another interview with an equally talented artist, known only to us as light_rises…
CZ: What tools do you use to create your masterpieces?
LR: I’m going to get into a bit of pre-Sam & Max history here, if that’s okay …
In the Before Times (i.e. prior to owning my first Wacom tablet), I pretty much used whatever I could get my hands on. Most of it was dry media of some sort since I favored sketchbook paper, even for more involved pieces.
Then Photoshop and a graphics tablet arrived in my life. Their promise of a faster, all-digital workflow as well as the allure of Ctrl/Cmd+Z made my pruney little heart sing like a treefrog.
The rest is more or less history, although I always keep a sketchbook, pencils, and kneaded erasers on standby. Even Cintiqs, fantastic tools that they are, can’t quite match the feel of pencil on paper (although they’re getting closer!). And there’s still a certain reassurance in knowing I can hold some part of whatever I’m working on in my hands that I can’t quite get with making a good-quality print out of a .psd file.
CZ: How long does it take you, on average, to complete a work of art?
LR: Ooh, that varies a lot. Mostly because Real Life isn’t on its best behavior often enough to lend me the time, alas. But on a good day, I can get a simpler, full-color piece hammered out in a few hours. And on a good streak of days, something complex within about a week or two.
CZ: Have you ever had a poster made of your art or considered making it into a poster?
LR: Not fan art, no, but there was one character I created when I was going through a (very brief) “I SHALL DRAW LIKE BLEEDMAN” stage years ago. It was one of the very first sketches I scanned into Photoshop for clean-up and color, and my parents decided it would be our Christmas card. More relevant to the question at hand, my dad had it blown up and printed as a poster, which was cool at the time. I’m afraid to even look at it now, wherever that poster has ended up.
CZ: Is it difficult to do Max’s head?
Not too bad, although at first it was harder for me to pin down than I’d thought, casaba-shaped or not. (Or could it have been because it’s casaba-shaped? I’ve never really liked casabas. Ah, the intrigue … ) Getting the face right can be a challenge too, but it’s also the funnest part. His ears are usually the easiest.
One thing I’ve noticed is that Max is one of those rare characters who looks just as good from a full-on view as he does at three-quarters. (Curse that pinchable, iconic noggin of his!) But he seems to have sacrificed a non-weird looking profile in the process. Seriously; I’ve tried it. Steve Purcell even brought that up one of the sketchbooks. It seems even sociopathic bunnies with psychic powers can’t have everything.
5. What about Sam’s body?
LR: It’s easiest when I think of his torso as a pear-shaped, half-filled sack of flour. A very large, plump half-filled sack of flour.
( … And now I’ll take a moment to appreciate the fact that it’s impossible for me to incur the wrath of a fictional character equipped with sociopathic tendencies and a big gun. Whew … )
Anyway, Sam’s really fun to draw. It took awhile to get a handle on him, but it helps that his design has very little by the way of sharp angles — a feature that works well with my drawing style. His head and fedora still have ways of perplexing me, but hey, they’re the hazards that come with wanting to draw one of my very favorite characters. And of course it figures that I’d end up preferring the one half of the Freelance Police duo who’s harder to draw, huh?
CZ: How long does it take to think up a concept for an artwork?
LR: It depends. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to do from the start and have a good idea as to how I’ll go about it. Other times I only have the first part figured out and have to wrestle with the drawing for an hour or so to get the “how” end of the deal pinned down. Other other times, a vague concept and sheer determination are all I have to my name, and diving in somewhat — sometimes completely — blind is the only way to get the ball rolling towards anything at all. Something between the two extremes are the most common in my experience.
CZ: Did you teach yourself to draw, or did you get taught, or both?
LR: Both. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, but started taking art classes as soon as it was possible. I can’t imagine having done one without the other, myself.
CZ: What is your honest personal opinion of most of your works?
LR: Heh … and here I thought you were going to ask hard questions!
In all honesty, though, I look at most of what I’ve done and yearn for more expressiveness. More fluidity. I have The Illusion of Life open next to me right now (because I’m a dork like that). The gestural mastery in there makes me ache for a hand and mind that can just coordinate with each other and behave and lay down sketches with such confident, emphatic finesse.
It actually isn’t too far off from what I’ve learned (am still learning) as a writer: you have to be willing to roll your sleeves up and dig in to the mess of not knowing just exactly where and how you’re going to render every single line. Because you don’t know what you’re missing if you pursue tunnel-visioned perfectionism from the get-go.
When I grow up, I hope to have the guts to embrace that notion fully.
CZ: Do you prefer cake or pie, and why?
LR: Hey, that’s not fair! I really, really love both!
… Well, okay. In lieu of arm-twisting, I’ll admit I like cake a bit more. Something about the texture. Especially combined with a delicious, not-overly-sweet frosting. And the filling. With berries. Mmm.
CZ: How old were you when you started drawing, and were these early “artworks” any good?
LR: As I mentioned before, I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. It’s been ages since I’ve seen any of my earliest stuff, but I would probably think an orangutan dropped a bunch of pencils on paper from ten feet up, figured out what to do with them after poking holes with the lead, then proceeded to scribble something that might or might not be a dog with six legs. Then again, that would be an insult towards orangutans.
Which is to say, we are always our own worst critics. But it’s still fun to look at those old sketches and doodles, to think about the progress from way, waaay back then till now. No, it gets harder when looking back at more recent work. There, I have to remember that with the cringes comes those little twinges of, “Hey, I’ve gotten better.” Maybe I’m not as far along as I’d like, but progress is progress, and like it or not we all improve at our own pace. It’s an invaluable recognition, especially on the bad days.
CZ: Are you currently working on anything?
LR: Yup! Digital from start-to-finish this time. It shall find its way into the wild as soon as it’s ready.
CZ: You have very interesting styles, would you ever part in search of a new style?
LR: To try out something new and expand my horizons a bit, sure! It’s good to learn (and maybe even master) a variety of styles whenever possible. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to become a stylistic nomad. At least not to the point of lacking a “voice” of my own. The way I draw will continue to evolve, but it should remain distinctly its own in some way or another.
CZ: Finally, can you tell me what your favourite artwork of yours is?
LR: For Sam & Max, I’m really happy with how the Tomb of Sammun-Mak poster turned out. I hadn’t tried my hand at art nouveau yet (somehow; I’m pretty sure I was one of the two people who hadn’t), but it was something I’d been wanting to do and it suited the era most of the game took place in, so I figured, “Hell, why not?” Also, all the art I’d done for Sam & Max so far was pretty simple. It was time to knuckle down on a bigger project.
Even taking into account some of the headaches along the way, the poster was a pleasure to work on. Further big projects — of a more fan-comicy ilk — should be on their way in the near-ish future as a result.
Thank you light_rises, and one again this wraps up our latest installment in this serial. Hopefully we can get more artists to join us later for more in-depth interview! Goodbye for now, everyone!
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