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This interview was done through emails in April 2004
( All
Illustrations by Aaron Lopresti)
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Matthieu-David:
Which artists influenced you the
most ? And what are your influences in general ?
Aaron Lopresti:
The
artist's that have influenced me the most are: Frank
Frazetta, Berni Wrightson, Neal Adams, Brian Bolland,
Michael Golden, Steranko and a variety of others
to a lesser degree. I am always looking at current
popular artists so I can keep my own style marketable.
I have several influences from the field of illustration
as well. James Bama, JC Leyendecker, Scott
Gustafson, William Stout, Brian Froud, and Robert
McGinnis.
Not all of these people have directly influenced my
style but they have all had a profound affect on the way
I approach art and illustration.
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M-D:
Is there an artist you would you love to work with ?
(penciler, inker or colourist )
A.L.:
I
am always interested in working with writers that
understand how to write good comics. I
am always looking for a good inker. I would
love to work with Danny Miki, Matt Ryan, or Mark
Morales again. I would also like to work
with Batt, Joe Weems, Mark Farmer, and probably
some others I am forgetting.
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M-D: On which comic book would you like to work or is there a specific
character that you would like to work on (
can even be a dream project )?
A.L.:
I
would like to draw Captain America, Spiderman,
Thor, Sub-Mariner and Man-Thing. I also have
story ideas for X-men, Justice League, and
Deathlok. Really, any traditional character
would be fun.
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M-D:
Could you describe your typical day ?
A.L.:
When
I was full-time at CrossGen (which was only about a year
of my entire professional life) I would get up at 6:30
am be to work by 8:30 and work until 5:00 pm. As a
freelancer, I am up at 7:00. I take my son to
school and then try to work while my 2 year old daughter
runs around screaming. I will usually work until
5:00 pm take some time with the family and then when the
kids go to bed, I will work until midnight. When I
am not drawing comics I am usually sketching or planning
an independent project. I usually end up working
at least one day on the weekends.
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M-D:
If you were a comic book character, who would you be ?
and why ?
A.L.:
Superman.
Because I could do just about anything.
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M-D:
If you hadn’t worked in comics, what would you have done
for a living ?
A.L.:
I
went to film school at USC, so I imagine I would be either
in film or still trying to break in. I also enjoy
writing.
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M-D:
What’s your favourite movie ?
A.L.:
Jaws.
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M-D
: you said you went to film school at USC, what attracts
you the most in the film industry : Directing, lighting,
Editing ?
A.L.: My main focus was writing and directing. Directing
requires so much time it is nearly impossible to maintain
a happy family life and be a successful director.
Writing is still of great interest to me, however.
Infact, I am currently writing and illustrating a
book on monsters for Watson-Guptil publishing in New York.
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M-D
: Do you see common grounds between your work in comics and
for exemple the work of a Director of Photographie in movies
?
A.L.: There is common ground both with the Director of
Photography and the Director. Although, colorists
today take a larger part in creating the "atmosphere"
in a comic (even if you don't want them to). I think
the closer comparison is with the director, As an
artist, it is your responsibility to take a script and
visually tell the story in the most interesting and dynamic
way possible. Even if that means altering the script. You
are also in charge of the "acting " of the
characters. All of this is Very similar to what a film
director would do.
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M-D:
do you listen to music when you draw ?
A.L.:
No.
I find it too distracting most of the time.
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M-D:
Did you have some hard times in your career ? which ones
and how did you deal with those ?
A.L.:
I
had a difficult time breaking in to the business and my
career has been over at least twice since then.
The most important thing for me during times
when I couldn't get work was to remain confident in my
abilities. To succeed in this business you must
constantly be growing as an artist. If something you
are doing is not working, you must be willing change and
adapt your style. You must also be able to see the
faults in your work and improve them.
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M-D:
What is your best achievement so far ?
A.L.:In
comics, my best work would have to be Mystic #'s 36-39.
I think my two issues of Gen 13 Bootleg #'s 11-12 (which
I also plotted and co-wrote with Walt and Louise Simonson )
hold up really well. I have done several illustrations
outside of comics that I am proud of. Most of which is
posted on my website. (www.aaronlopresti.com)
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M-D: What's your
favourite type of scripts ? very detailled or not ?
A.L.:
Well
written scripts. I have come to prefer scripts
with dialogue. I still believe it is the artist's
job to visually interpret the script. Often times
that means changing things slightly in the script.
The process is very similar to how a film director
would alter a script so that the finished project works
visually.
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M-D: What material do
you use for your art ? What type of pencils do you use ?
A.L.:
I
use a 0.3 mechanical pencil with HB lead. I use a number
2 Rafael brush and a mixture of Higgins ink and black acrylic
ink for inking. I also will use micron pens. I
paint with both watercolors and oils.
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M-D:
Personnaly, as an artist, which is more challenging or satifying
: Pencil art, oil paintings or water-colors paintings ?
A.L.:
I still feel that I have the farthest to go as an oil
painter. Mastering oil painting in my mind is the mark of
a truly great illustrator. Any time I complete a good oil
painting I am really excited.
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M-D:
How
do you look back at your past work ? Are you still happy with
your past pages ? Or do you critizise your work a lot ?
A.L.:
I
am very critical of my work. I have a couple of past
projects that I am happy with and that's it. I
feel that every job I do should be better than the last one or
I am regressing as an artist. That's why my work
seems to be constantly evolving. I am always trying to
improve my drawing and my stylistic approach.
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M-D:
What’s the weirdest drawing a fan asked you ?
A.L.:
One guy wanted 40 plus drawings of Supergirl leaning back
looking defenseless. Needless to say, I passed on that one.
Oh, and one guy wanted Connie Chung (news reporter)
shrinking out of her clothes!
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M-D:
Have you ever been to Paris ? And if so, what surprised you the
most when you arrived ?
A.L.:I
have only been to Australia and Mexico. I loved Australia!
I am hoping to do a European tour before too long.
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M-D:
And since my website is focused on Dr Doom and you drew
him in the "X-men/ Dr Doom" one shot, how would you
describe this character ?
A.L.:
He is probably the greatest and most important of all
the Marvel villains. I think the original Green Goblin is
a close second.
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M-D:
Who do you think wrote Dr Doom the best ?
A.L.: Probably Stan Lee. You can't go wrong
with the original.
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M-D:
What is the trickiest thing to draw about him ?
A.L.: The
mask. Trying to make sure it looks cool all of the time
and not stupid. By the way, on the 1st page of the X-men/Dr.Doom
one-shot you can see the reflection of Onslaught on Doom's mask
if you look for it. It was supposed to be colored
differently so it would stand out more, oh well,...
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M-D
: To draw Dr Doom, did you get influenced by other artist¹s
visions of the character or not ?
A.L.: It
is hard to remember, but I probably looked at what Jim Lee did
on his FF relaunch for Marvel. Jim certainly knows how
to make comics look "cool".
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Thanks
a lot Aaron !
Check
Aaron's website at : http://www.aaronlopresti.com/
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