Maurizio Meets John Picacio!

Occasionally my publishers ask for something different from a 'simple' illustration, so I take a brief pause from the canvas for chatting with overseas colleagues. After Michel Whelan and Kynuko Craft, here's another star in the firmament of the fantastic illustrators: John Picacio!
The Article/Gallery - coupled with a striking cover from his vast production - appears in the 50th issue of the Italian Robot magazine coming out just these days. Enjoy!


MM: Talk to us about your recently released art book COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO. What your fans will find inside the volume? What about your personal feelings when you touched this milestone with your own hands?

JP: I'm really proud of it. It's my first art book, and it means a lot to me to see it on shelves everywhere. It's a 200-page hardcover of the best of my book and magazine work over the last several years. It includes lots of sketches and thoughts about the making of my illustrations. I actually designed the book myself as well, which is unusual for most artists' monographs. There's also an extensive interview in the book, where I talk about process and problem-solving in art. MonkeyBrain Books published the book and I'm glad to see the book selling so well.

MM: You have worked for Del Rey, Penguin, Tor Books, among many publishing houses. Can you tell us about your experience in working with publishing companies and art directors?

JP: I've been very fortunate. I think most of my publishing clients hire me just as much for what's in my head as what comes out of my hands. The best clients recognize that. There's a mutual respect between me and the art directors I work for. I try to make life as easy I can for them by producing the best work I can, and produce it on-schedule. In turn, they tend to give me a lot of space to create. I like the ultimate challenge of producing art that’s true to itself, but doing it in an open, competitive marketplace, and communicating with a smart and sophisticated audience. It’s very challenging, and I think that it’s much more interesting to me than just doing personal paintings for myself and sticking them up on a lonely wall in a gallery. I like challenging audiences with my work. I think I've been treated very well so far.

MM: What is your advice for a talented European artist wishing to enter the American editorial market?

JP: When I first started out, I mailed big postcards to all of the books and magazines I wanted to work with. I sent the cards to their art directors and it helped me get some early work. Even if an artist has a good website, it's a good idea to send out a physical reminder of their art so that art directors can keep it around. Annuals are a good way of getting noticed as well. SPECTRUM is a great one for any artist competing for work in the sf/fantasy field.

MM: Do you think Internet is essential to your business contacts? Do you receive feedback from your website?

I do receive feedback from my site, from both art directors, fans, and collectors. My website has a gallery, with many of my book and magazine covers. I also have a blog that I update frequently with updates about my work. My website is www.johnpicacio.com and my blog is http://johnpicacio.com/blog.html

MM: How do you do a book cover? Tell us about your creation process…

Well, I think the process always starts with reading the book. The book is God to me. I do my best to understand it on its own terms. No matter what though, it’s going to filter through my brain and that’s when interesting connections happen. So I make notes and little sketches, and eventually an image bubbles to the surface. Once that image is approved by the art director, I’ll do a full pencil drawing of the idea, and then I’ll seal the drawing with spray fixative. I then paint all of the darkest areas with black acrylic. Once that’s dry, I’ll do a full greyscale oil painting of the full composition. This is where all of the values of the painting happen. I’ll seal this painting and wait for it to dry. Then I’ll either build up my final color glazes directly onto this painting or I can also go a different direction. I can scan the greyscale painting into the computer. Then I can paint big abstract swatches of color on separate boards and scan those in, and then composite these color swatches over the greyscale painting and these layerings and juxtapositions can create unexpected and powerful results. It’s always a new journey with each new cover. One thing to remember is that this isn’t the only way I work. I’ve been known to do shadowbox assemblages, collages, and many other mixed-media approaches. I don’t limit myself. I try to do what I think best communicates the idea. I would say that I consistently enjoy drawing and painting with traditional media though. The computer is most fun to me when I use it to composite and layer things that I’ve done with my hands.

MM: When you are creating a cover do you use live models or your imagination?

JP: I use both. I think drawing from life helps me imagine in fresh ways. I don't actually paint specifically from live models in my studio, but I'll photograph friends or relatives with very rough photographs to provide a starting point. Sometimes I'll make my own costumes and props to give me more information when I paint. No matter how much or how little reference material I use though, my imagination will always be adding or subtracting visual information to make the best illustration I can.

MM: You have illustrated many book covers and magazines short stories. Can you tell us which illustrations have been the most rewarding?

JP: That's a tough question. There are a few I did in the last year that really stand out for me. I'm proud of the cover for Walter M. Miller Jr.'s classic A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ. It's the cover of the HarperCollins/Eos American trade paperback release. It meant a lot to me to do a cover for a book that's so important that it literally transcends the genre. I did the wraparound cover for Jeffrey Ford's THE EMPIRE OF ICE CREAM, and I like that one a lot because I thought I made some personal breakthroughs in my overall drawing and painting abilities. Even more recently, I did the wraparound cover for an anthology called FAST FORWARD 1. It's a fresh new annual sf anthology that will debut in America from Pyr in spring 2007. I really like the abstractions in that cover, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more of that in my future work. Of course, I'd have to say that I'm still fond of the cover for James Tiptree Jr.'s HER SMOKE ROSE UP FOREVER. That one won the 2005 Chesley Award for Best Paperback Cover.

MM: Have you met any of the writers whose book covers or short stories you have illustrated? Any anecdote you would like to share?

JP: Sure. I usually meet them at the conventions, and it's always good to connect with them. My first cover was for the 30th Anniversary Edition of Michael Moorcock's BEHOLD THE MAN. The editor of the book took me to Mike's house. I asked Mike what he wanted me to illustrate, and he said, "I trust you. You'll do what's best for the book." An amazing gesture, when you think about it. I had never done a book cover to that point and Mike was (and still is) one of the all-time literary legends. He could have used the opportunity to assert his control over what I did, but he put his trust in me, and I've always respected that. It gave me confidence at the time and I've believed in my abilities ever since. It set a tone for my career that continues to this day.

MM: Can you tell us which medium do you feel more comfortable with lately? Has the computer medium had an impact on your way of realizing an artwork?

JP: I think drawing and painting with traditional media will always be what I love the most. I enjoy getting my hands dirty every day, and that will never change. As I said before, I love the conceptual possibilities of the digital world, and it's an important part of some of my work. The main thing is that the elements I bring to the computer are all created by my own hands in the "real world,” and the making of those elements is the most fun part to me.

MM: Do you have any dream about your art that you would like to accomplish? What are your plans for the immediate future?

JP: In many ways, I think I’m living my dream right now. I have the opportunity every day to push the limits of myself and my art, and hopefully sometimes, my audience. It doesn’t get much better than that. I love doing book covers. I’m working on more of them right now. I’m working on a triptych cover for new editions of Jeffrey Ford’s Well-Built City trilogy. It would be fun to do an illustrated book for all ages someday. Right now, I’m about to begin the biggest illustration project of my life. Ballantine Books has just hired me to illustrate the first of their brand-new trade paperback editions of Michael Moorcock’s ELRIC. The first book will release in the USA in late 2007/early 2008, and I’m doing the cover and interior illustrations. Elric is one of the greatest characters in the history of fantasy literature so I’m very honored to be a part of his legacy. Life is good right now!

This article appears in my Blog with the consent of the Publisher
© 2007, Delos Books