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Friday Fan Art!

My assistant, Will, comes in twice a week to help me answer my fan mail and scan sketches, archive art, etc. He and I have a little favorite custom that we do in the studio every Friday.

We take our favorite fan sketch sent in that week, and post it on my bulletin board for all to see who come and visit the studio. We decided it would be cool to start a virtual bulletin of the “Fan Sketch of the Week” here. So, without further ado, here is our “Fan Sketch of the Week” courtesy of Madison from Minnesota.

..and here are some past favorites…

I was the kid who copied out of books all the time. It was how I learned to render with sense of artistic style. So, it always melts my heart when I receive a drawing, or work of art, inspired from my stuff…so keep’em coming!

Drawin' Dinos

I’ve been thinking a bit about dinosaurs since the last post, and how much I do love drawing them.

Like many boys, I was a rabid fan of all things prehistoric. Movies like One Million Years B.C., television shows like Land of the Lost, toys and models like the Aurora Prehistoric kits, and (of course) books on dinos peppered my bedroom as a kid growing up.

I was gonna post some of the dino art from a book I illustrated back in ’96 titled Dinosaur Summer since there is only one or two images on my site. Instead, I found my preparatory sketches done at New York’s Museum of Natural History. Here, I did life drawings of the preserved fossils and envisioned muscles and skin on top.

Though the book is now out of print, it was a serious stepping-stone in my career.

I was contacted by the publisher based on a recommendation from Bill Stout(!) He was their original choice to render the cover for Greg Bear’s homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World. I was absolutely ecstatic to be a part of the project, though having been submerged in the world of children’s books, I could see that these adult publishers didn’t quite get how to make the book properly for younger readers…anyways, I digress.

I received a flat fee for my part paid from Greg out of his advance. Not receiving any royalty of my own, one would think this was a foolish move on my part, however; I saw it as a golden opportunity to have an awesome printed sample of my work. I felt it was crucial as I continued to make the rounds to the other houses in the city trying to find just the right editor or art director to help me publish my children’s book ideas.

Originally I was asked to provide a color wrap-around cover, a few color plates, and a couple of interior pen & ink flourishes. Instead, I pushed for as many color plates possible, and black & white illustrations throughout – to my joy, the publisher went for it.

I remember I worked long and hard to do the best job I could within the deadline. At the time, I was quite proud of the final result (even though the publisher removed my name from the front jacket despite all this extra work). Now, of course I see technical weaknesses, but the general layouts and tone are precursors for the execution done in the Spiderwick chapter books.

I am not sure how much longer I would have toiled to break into the elusive world of children’s publishing without a book like Dinosaur Summer in my portfolio. Ambitious as I was, at least it demonstrated that I had a basic understanding of book design and illustrating the story within. I suppose that is exactly what I needed at the time.

I’ve a couple of dino projects on the back burners. Hopefully they’ll get shuffled forward, and I’ll have an excuse to paint lots of prehistoric pretties soon.

BOOKS: Dinotopia

The older I get, the more I am convinced life is but a series of circular motions. But each time your orbit returns to a pivotal point in your life, your journey affects it in such a way that you now see things in a slightly different perspective. I swear. I don’t know…I am certainly no student of philosophy, but I can’t be the only one who thinks this.

Consider the CURIOUS and AMAZING interaction I have had with Dinotopia deity James Gurney. Actually he goes by Jim…I am not sure if he has any other nicknames like “Jimbo”, “J-Dog” or “The Gurnster…I’ll have to find out.

1992: I am 2 years away from art school graduation, and in the school library, I spy a tome which is wonderful to behold. Just like the time I found William Stout’s Dinosaurs in high school, once again the little boy in me is giddy with renderings of prehistoric pretties realistically rendered in a Jules Verne-esque world.

On top of that, I have the cursory knowledge to recognize the influence of Sir Alma Tadema (and perhaps a sliver of John Waterhouse?) combined with the observational design so prevalent in books by the late Dutch master, Rien Poortvliet. In short, the combination is somewhat familiar and comfy, while being presented in a completely new fashion. Not since Brian Froud and Alan Lee’s Faeries had I been so blown away by a book.

The idea alone was novel enough: turn-of-the-century father and son travelers explore an island inhabited by humans happily co-existing with civilized dinosaurs. But the combination of Jim’s quick oil-wash sketches contrasted against majestically realized vistas – not to mention his wonderful calligraphy, made this book an instant classic with kids and adults alike. And it certainly was in my mind when I designed Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide.

Many years later, I got to meet Jim at a picnic-party he was holding at his home in upstate New York. Michael Kaluta had invited me to join him on what was a bit of tradition among the Hudson Valley artists (like Stephen Hickman, Jeffrey Jones and Berni Wrightson) where there was food, music, and lots of art show-and-tell. Needless to say, I was seriously intimidated by that talent pool as we drove up from the city. However, all fears were washed away after I met Jim and all of his friends – they were a warm and inviting bunch.

From then on, Jim and I kept in touch either by phone or by mail. I’d send him my books for his library; he’d do the same with his later installments of Dinotopia. I even coerced him into supplying a blurb for Dinosaur Summer, a (now out of print) book I illustrated for Greg Bear. Here’s what Jim had to say:

“Tony DiTerlizzi has given a labor-of-love treatment to the artwork, with evocative illustrations throughout.”

Wow. A quote for me from a guy who redefined dinosaurs. I barely knew how to paint when I received this praise.

It gets better – earlier this year, Jim asked me to blurb his new Dinotopia book, Journey to Chandra. Here’s what I had to say:

“With lush settings reminiscent of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, colorful characters cast from Norman Rockwell, and vivacious dinosaurs conjured from the spirit of Charles Knight, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara is a window into this modern master’s mind. Children and adults alike will enjoy exploring this rich world of Jurassic proportions.”

Yesterday, Ang, Sophia and I went to see Jim speak and sign at the Eric Carle museum. He and his wife, Jeanette, were so happy for all of our successes and our new family. I had to pause at one point and just soak in the moment – it was really cool.

See? Life + continual reoccurrences = Tony’s “Circles” theory! I can’t wait to see where it goes from here…

PS – Jim’s joined the blogosphere as well. Check it out!

1987

1987 – I am playing records of U2′s Joshua Tree, and The Cure’s Standing on the Beach, wearing acid-washed knee-torn jeans, thrift shop sports jackets, and graduating high school down in South Florida.

High school was a strange time for me. Middle school was horrible, and the first couple of years at South Fork high weren’t much better. I was all of 120 pounds, with large aviator glasses, had a sometimes-running-rust-and-primer Toyota, and secretly was still a little boy who liked playing Star Wars with my younger brother, and spending time copying pictures out of Brian Froud & Alan Lee’s Faeries – line it up ladies, there’s plenty of TD to go around.

Being an avid rock-n-roll lover, I was also in band for my first two years. I played the saxophone in middle school, and enjoyed it (all songs in the 80′s had a sax solo – just ask Huey Lewis). High school; however, was all about marching band and football games…not really my cup of tea, so I finally quit my junior year and filled my band slots with all things art.

By that time, people around school knew me for my drawing skills, and I came out of my shell a bit. I tried to be funny and goof off hoping the laughs in class would earn me some acceptance around school: it did. I dated here and there, and even had a couple of girlfriends, but most girls were happy “just being friends”. Drawing pictures just doesn’t compare to surfing or kicking total butt at some sport. Or having chest hair. Or muscles. Or shaving. Or a cool hairstyle. Or hairy legs. Or hair anywhere.

I do remember my art teachers very well. Mr. (Tom) Wetzl taught all my high school art classes. By the time I was a senior, I had pretty much taken everything the school had to offer. But Tom liked me, saw my talent, and made an offer, “I have a planning period where you could come in and work on a solitary project for an entire semester. It could be a centerpiece in your portfolio as you apply to art schools. If you did this, what sort of project would you do?”

I thought about it for some time. We started reading Beowulf in Lit. class. I did a drawing of Grendel and wondered how many hit points he had. Then I went home and started going through the old kid’s classics that I had enjoyed. House at Pooh Corner, The Great Brain, Lang’s Rainbow Fairy books, and then I found it: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

I went back to Mr.Wetzl and told him I would like to re-illustrate Lewis Carroll’s classic. He agreed. My assignment was to have the entire story illustrated by the end of the semester. We started with character design sketches and moved onto scenes from the text. I pulled inspiration from all sorts of things – anime, Muppets, and even Elton John as the Mad Hatter.

I worked on the project all the time. Not just in class – in other classes, at home, on weekends. I was obsessed. Needless to say, I completed it on time and passed the class with an “A”. On top of that, many of my friends really liked the book. My bound copy made the rounds often at lunch or during class. I was validated for just being me, and doing what I loved amidst the social pressure and anxiety of the microcosm known as high school. It still didn’t get me any dates, or grow me any chest hair. Or muscles. Or fix the rusty acne on my ’72 Toyota Celica.

But I realized what I wanted to be when I grew up (if you can even call it that): I wanted to make imaginative books for children and kids at heart. I was 17 years old, and I knew then what I had to do. Whoa.

I just attended my 20-year high school reunion. 20 years. Gone in a snap, with a million memories jammed in-between. Things like that make you pause for reflection.

I still listen to U2, The Cure, and Elton John. I still wear beat-up jeans (no acid wash) and funky glasses and weird jackets.

I have a wonderful house, 2 nice cars, a personal trainer, and the best art studio a geek could hope for. And I got all of this from drawing the same stuff I was drawing over 20 years ago. I just draw it a little better now.

But the best is I have an awesome wife who likes “to be more than just friends”. And she’s given us a beautiful daughter. Oh, and I have lots of hair. Although now it is starting to fall out…

Evolution of a GOBLIN (epilogue)

My brother, Adam, has pointed out one very important element in this discussion of all things goblin. I would be remiss to not talk about a certain four-legged muse of mine aptly named “Goblin”.

Visually, as an artist, I get my inspiration from so many places. I remember one art school instructor telling me that all characters we render will have physical aspects of ourselves within them, because that is the face and body that we see multiple times every day – and I do think it is true.

The same could be said of our environment: our homes, yards, children, spouses and even our pets. And to say that our dog Goblin inspired and influenced my art would be an understatement.

Her pug proportions, mashed-up face, and lovable demeanor, creeped into characters like Ted, Hogsqueal and yes, the Spiderwick goblins (especially the “Bull Goblin”). And there are 2 gargoyles in the Arthur’s Field Guide that are inspired by pets – one is Goblin, the other Chamberlain, Holly’s greyhound.

We lost Goblin last fall to cancer. Because it had spread, I had to put her down, and it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Angela and I were devastated. All I wanted was for my daughter to get meet this little dog who inspired me, and been our faithful companion for 13 years. She moved with us from Florida to New York City with stars in our eyes, and on to Massachusetts where we could all settle down and be a family. She is but a memory, but by being this artist’s muse, her influence will live on in the images inspired by her.

I guess there really are little goblins out there in the world after all.

We miss you Gob, and we’ll never forget you.

Evolution of a GOBLIN (conclusion)

Part 4 – Goblins in a Natural World
In Katharine Briggs’ “Faeries 101″ book, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, she describes goblins as:

“A general name for evil and malicious spirits, usually small and grotesque in appearance…”

Using what few visual descriptions I could find, I began thinking and designing. From the start, I made them less human and more animal-like. As I’ve said before, there were plenty of great examples of humanoid goblins, and my designs would break no new ground down that path. Besides, I wanted my designs to speak to readers who may not be fans of fantasy. So I attempted to create for a broader audience and I tapped into more primal and instinctive imagery based on general ideas about goblins.

General Goblin Belief #1:
“Goblins are usually active at night”

Okay, so what animals do we know of are active at night? I could give them large ominous eyes like a bush-baby, or I could give them pale, pupil-less eyes like those found on deep-sea fish. That’s much spookier. In fact, anglerfish in general are creepy looking. Their fleshy skin tags and patterning are ideal for camouflage- something a goblin would need to use to avoid detection. I bet they can change this pattern like a flounder to blend in seamlessly with their background so they can’t be spotted easily even with a seeing stone.

General Goblin Belief #2:
“Goblins are ugly creatures”

Hmmmm. As are toads and frogs (at least by most human standards – think of the cursed Frog Prince), so that was a good starting point. Bat’s faces are usually grotesque and conjure up images of nocturnal activity, plus they’ve plenty of extra-sensory whiskers which may prove handy – especially if these guys are blind. How about extra simple eyes for motion detection like those found on insects and spiders? That would be creepy.

General Goblin Belief #3:
” Goblins are mischief makers”

To indicate that they weren’t just ignorant bipedal frogs, I showed that they knew how to fashion tools and weapons and even understood artifacts gathered from humankind’s wake of refuse – hence the discarded scarf which I thought added a somewhat humorous contrast to such a gnarly critter.

Lastly, I wanted to add something interesting to the folklore. Nowhere did I read that goblins are born without teeth. In fact, it would probably make more sense if they were born with teeth, perhaps even shedding them like a shark. But, I wanted to create an unusual and memorable natural feature to them…Besides, glass, bone, and metal shards were much more gruesome than just plain old teeth.

Part 5 – I Finally Add Something to Goblindom

Some day the Spiderwick goblins may be remembered in the annals of faerie lore, perhaps not from my book illustrations, but from the film adaptation – I suppose only time will tell.

However, to see my designs brought to life in the hands of master animators who understands how muscle, fat, and bone should move in a convincing manner is a dream-come-true for me. And I think the fact that Phil Tippett used a literal translation of my goblin designs is the highest praise this movie FX Jedi could give me. I know the 12 year-old Tony would be very happy indeed.

Evolution of a GOBLIN (part 3)

Part 3 – Designing Between the Lines

Living in New York City, and contributing regularly to Magic cards, I was working hard to expand myself on becoming a “more painterly” illustrator and not just be bound by pen & ink.

That in mind, I took a lot of life-drawing classes, and frequented the Museum of Natural History where I copied many of the mounted animal specimens. It was here that I began to seriously think about goblins and fairies viewed through the eye of a naturalist as my next big book.

The idea was not new to me: As I’ve mentioned before, I created a field guide to fantastical creatures when I was 13. I returned to that idea in my Planscape heyday and thought of selling the idea to TSR (who published the games). I continued doodling on the idea and began the list of creatures I would like to attempt rendering with John James Audubon-like detail…but I still was not satisfied with my technical ability, and the project was re-shelved until my children’s book career began to take off and I was feeling more confident with my drawing and painting skills.

But another aspect had been added to my problem solving which would prove to be integral to arriving at my final gobliny designs. During my years of illustrating for D&D, I had learned how to use the art descriptions that were assigned to me, yet re-invent them in a novel sort of way.

I started by isolating the exact points that were stated in the art descriptions. For instance: “this creature is large, blue skinned, and has yellow eyes”, and then exploit what was not said, what was between the lines of text – so its large, but is it obese large? Or muscular large? Okay its blue, but is it a subtle de-saturated blue like a faded flower? Or brilliant like a tropical fish? You get the idea…and I always attempted the unexpected.

This thinking worked great – it allowed me to exercise myself creatively while still satisfying the game designers who really had rules and technical aspects in mind more than neat designs. After all, these images were aspects for a game.

In prepping for Spiderwick, I took that same thinking and applied it to whatever folklore I could find. You see, I didn’t want the Spiderwick goblins (or any creatures for that matter) to be contrary to the rich stories and tales that had preceded them, but contribute to the long-running folklore.

The project slowly came into focus and I set a challenge for myself: Could I take a bunch of well-known, hackneyed, and trite fantasy creatures (many of which I had already illustrated) and redesign them to be fresh and exciting to the savvy CGI-movie-watching-video-game-playing 10 year-old of today?

Evolution of a GOBLIN (part 2)

Part 2 – I Contribute to Goblindom

Well, not really. My early work for Dungeons & Dragons and even my work on the card game Magic the Gathering is just a regurgitation of goblins I had seen before. Simple, iconic images intended to be instantly recognized for what they were.

In the case of the illustration for 1994′s Monstrous Manual, I (very crudely) re-interpreted Trampier’s goblin, however mine fails by lacking any action or movement of its inspiration.

Goblins also made infrequent appearances in the Planescape role-playing game. Though they were pretty close in appearance to their D&D cousins. I think the only difference here is that my technical skill was clearly improving.

By the late 90′s, I started contributing regularly to the Magic the Gathering card game. There, goblins seemed to abound, and I was assigned to create them myself…

…or use pre-existing designs from the team of conceptual artists. In all cases, I felt the design needed to be simple and immediate due to the function of the art: “This is a goblin and it can cause X to your opponent’s hand”.

At this time I was also seriously working on my first children’s books and my sketchbooks began to fill with doodles for kid’s book characters right alongside my fantastical Magic sketches.