Profile: Marc Scheff – Concept Artist

This guy gives me new appreciation for everything Big Phamaceutical has done for us ;-) Don’t miss Mr. Scheff’s book- Alchemy – available thru Blurb.com. Oh and the iphone portraits. Visit his online portfolio for a look at his wonderful iPhone portraits.

::: Artist(s) Name:::
Marc Scheff

::: Clients/Employers :::
EA, Breakthru Films, Zynga Games, Large Animal games, Mothership Pictures, other Freelance work.

::: Website:::
http://www.dangermarc.com

::: 1 ::: Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up? What’s your favorite color? When did you first realize you were an artist? Did you draw as a kid? Color outside the lines?
I grew up in Boston, and I owe my artistic ability to both my mother and the pharmaceutical industry. My mother is an incredible chef, and was constantly experimenting with new techniques and presentation ideas. I learned a lot in that kitchen about how to be creative. My wife and I joke that I can take half an onion, a piece of tape, and a toothpick and make a four-course meal. I definitely use these MacGyver skills as an artist. For me, it’s important to have ideas and be willing to experiment, as much or more than extreme proficiency at just one thing.

As for big pharma, my dad is a pediatrician and when he’d take me to work he’d sit me down with the stacks of free pads and pens every drug salesman left in his office, and I’d just draw and draw and draw. Thanks to the marketing efforts of tylenol, immodium, and other Rx drugs, I got my first crack as an artist, a serious taste of the work-at-home lifestyle.

::: 2 ::: What comic book genres interest you the most? Who is your favorite comic book artist and/or writer? How have they influenced your work

I love fresh takes on the familar.

My favorite graphic novel of all-time is Arkham Asylum. Grant Morrison tells a well-woven tale, and Dave McKean’s illustrations are nothing short of visionary. The way McKean blends his collage, digital, and illustration work fits perfectly with the slightly shattered psyches of the Arkham crew, and of Batman himself. It’s a great story with great art, and they show that you can approach an old story in new ways, and you can combine ideas and styles visually with an ever greater impact that a single style.

I’ll also say that the original Hellboy books that Mike Mignola put out are amazing. More old stories with a new angle, and he keeps them simple with extremely tight sequential layouts. Look at some of his pages and you start to see that the panels don’t even just follow from the previous frame, but the work with the frame before and the frame above, and the one above that. Each page is truly a cohesive piece, and each frame cohesive unto itself.

Generally, I pick up my comics based on the art. I go to the shop a few times a year and just stock up on whatever I think looks pretty on the inside, occasionally noting a great cover artist to google when I get home. I don’t stick to a genre, but have been fairly faithful to Marvel, DC, and Image (and their sub-publications) over the years. I also collect annuals like Spectrum for inspiration.

::: 4 ::: What is your favorite story you’ve ever drawn? Favorite character?
I’ve always loved making up new characters, especially as a combination of characters and creatures. I think my favorite thus far is the Tiger-Octopus-Snake I currently have up in my portfolio. It’s a fairly straightforward mix of features, and I just loved the process of painting it. Every decision along the way seemed to come fairly effortlessly and I really enjoyed the result.

My favorite story is actually a book I’m working on now. It’s a kids’ book, but one that adults will enjoy. It will be about 30 full pages of full color illustrations. What I love about this project is that I’m using a lot of my broad knowledge from fine art, character design, illustration, and environment design. I also just did a reference photo shoot with my wife, which was very fun to do. It’s a big project and I’m really excited about not just getting it done, but about the process. If I’m not excited about the process, it’s probably not going to make my favorite list.

::: 5 ::: How did you come up with the concept for your creatures? How did you come up with the idea for the book?

I believe that creativity is all around us, we just have to be open to seeing it. I practice this in different ways, and a lot of them are what I’d call idea games, games where I give myself a few variables and create inside of those boundaries. For example, the Element creatures on my site were all created by asking friends to tell me their favorite animals, and I’d combine three in each portrait. After the first two, I decided to make it a series of 4, one for each of the 4 Elements. Playing the idea game around how to mash up animals, opened my thinking and the concept for the series was a continuation of that same brainstorm.

It doesn’t have to be so involved. Sometimes I draw what’s in front of me, and I’ll make it a creature, or a building, like laptop monsters and halogen-lamp lofts. Through constant improvisation, both with ideas and materials, I think you can become a much better conceptual artist.

The book I’m working on was actually someone else’s idea. He approached me with a story he had, and I liked it. His skills complement mine, he has more contacts in the publishing world, and so we decided to do the project as a partnership.

::: 6 ::: What was the hardest part of creating your upcoming book? What hardware (computer, scanner, printer, etc) do you use? What software?

I use Corel Painter XI, Photoshop, and the large Wacom Intuos 4. I have a laptop and a 24" montor on my desk, and the wacom is on a music stand on my right. I like to work with my left hand on the laptop and tablet on my right, I feel kind of like I’m flying a spaceship. I have a scanner too, an old epson 1200.

The hardest part of all of my work is constantly realizing how much more I want to learn. It’s also the most rewarding part. This book is challenging me to approach my illustration with a whole list of new variables. I like to tell stories in my images, and now I’ve got about 30 that tell the story. This means I can slow down and tell less of the whole story in each image. It also means each image has to fit the style and pacing of the previous illustration. The book has basically taken my typical single-image approach to a sequential world. It’s been challenging, for sure, but watching the project coalesce is an incredibly rewarding process.

::: 7 ::: How have you handled the business side of being an artist? How do you promote your book/website/comic? What’s the best and worst parts of being a full time, working artist?
The hardest part is the business side, definitely. I always carry cards on me, I always follow up with contacts. I send out a bi-monthly newsletter with news and new images. I go to figure drawing sessions in my area and meet other artists.

Aside from that, the truth is I’ve found most of my success simply through changing my speech around what I do. Speaking confidently about what you do inspires confidence in potential colleagues and clients. If you put up your work and start in with, "Oh, I want to change that, .. oh, that one isn’t my best piece" you immediately tell your audience that your work is not inspiring and they tune out. If you tell the story of the piece in a way that is inspiring to you, people will get that, and be attracted to your work. They can do their own critique for themselves, no need for you to help them!

I also believe that we, artists, have to work in the world in ways that support each other. We have to share ideas and resources. I open my home studio to a figure drawing group, there are other artists who do online tutorials, and still more who run big workshops all over the world. The more you share, the more genuine connections you’ll have in your network, and the more people will offer for you to learn. Being an artist, for me, is a constant learning process. Through speaking clearly about my work and sharing ideas freely, I’ve found that the learning process has only accelerated, and thus my own technical abilities and successes have followed.

::: 8 ::: Has the Internet helped your career as an artist? If so, how?

Hell yes. I use Cooliris, a Firefox plugin, to do LOTS of image research. If I don’t know what something is, or want to know what objects belong in a 17th century pirate scene, I’ve got dictionaries, wikipedia, and google/flickr image searches to find almost everything I need. I still take my own photos for larger-scale projects, but I’ll always hit the internet first.

Aside from that I’ve LEARNED a lot from the internet. There are thousands of tutorials and videos out there, and I’ve learned from so many. You could spend a decade learning all there is to know from your couch. Some of my favorites are the simple and quick drawings from idrawgirls.com.

::: 9 ::: What is one stereotype about comic book writers/artists that is absolutely wrong?

I think the romanticized starving artist is a myth, or the artist as anarchist. You don’t have to be a shrouded in negativity or "tortured" to create great art. You don’t have to draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa to make an impact or be important. David Lynch wrote a great piece summarizing this. He says,

"It’s common sense: The more the artist is suffering, the less creative he is going to be. It’s less likely that he is going to enjoy doing his work and less likely that he will be able to do really good work."

I wear jeans and a t-shirt most days. I smile a lot and like to run outside. I love my wife, my family, my friends, my awesome dog and I’m not afraid to tell you that I love my life. I think that living a fairly organized and compassionate life makes it easier for me to relax and tap into my creative energy when I sit down to work.

::: 10 ::: What one stereotype is dead on?

I have to draw and paint. If I go a few days without it, I start to go a little stir-crazy.

Oh, and the secret handshake and initiation rites. That’s all true.