Wednesday 17 April 2013

Questions for Creators #3 - Santiago Valez Alfonso

Questions for Creators #3 - Santiago Valez Alfonso


By Kevin Muzzell


*Santiago Alfonso is part of Fine Line Ink's illustrator team, currently working on 'Glimm's Fables'!

Question #1;

Santiago, you've been a part of Fine Line Ink since the very start of 'Glimm's Fables', which has gotten nothing but positive reception. What inspires you to draw such colorful, vibrant characters the way you do in 'Glimm's Fables'?

Well, Glimm is being a nice experience for me, when I’m drawing the scripts I just try not to think about accurate details, such as colors or placements. The most important aim (from my point of view) is the creation of emotions and feelings in the readers. Depending on how I want to transmit it, I develop the drawings, always trying to obtain the best way of capture and present these emotions.

Question #2;

Aside from 'Glimm's Fables', what other styles of artistry do you enjoy doing? Is there a style that you've maybe been experimenting with?


I have no doubts here: I really like drawing and animating cartoons. This is because I enjoy creating non-realistic environments and situations, trying to show imaginary worlds, where you don’t have to follow strict nor real patterns: perspectives, colors… The farther I go away from this, the more comfortable I feel with a pencil and a piece of paper. Cartoons have no rules; you just need to offer a good result. It gives you freedom so it’s easy to set your own style. I have always thought that your job has to make you happy, to make you enjoy. This is the reason why I prefer cartoons.

Question #3;

I'm always curious to know what each artist's studio is like. What kind of environment are you most comfortable in bringing creations to life?


In my opinion, it should be as the environment of a sportsman. I like to be surrounded by people older than me, so I can get an objective, a goal, and always learn from them. But at the same time, it’s also important to be accompanied by partners that are following the same path. In this way you can solve doubts together and cooperate with new ideas. My environment needs to be like a team, not something individualistic. The place where I work has to be exclusively dedicated to this task, without any other kind of distractions that could interfere with the creation process. I always have a great mess of colored pencils on the desk. This is because I prefer the classic technique consisting just in a pencil and a piece of paper, than the most recent technologies. And the last important thing is being surrounded by special elements that provide me motivation or make me feel inspirited, so I can go ahead with my job.

Question #4;

What sparked your interest in wanting to draw?

Well, looking back, there wasn't’t a moment where I propounded that question. It’s just a part of me, so it has never appeared in my life as a question. I had the opportunity of dedicating my passion for drawing in a professional way, and this is what I’m doing. There weren't’t too many differences before and after this point. I keep drawing as I always have been doing.
I have never thought about my job as an obligation (meaning something systematical, boring…).When I was younger I knew that art would be an important part of me in my future.

Question #5;

Can you name some of your creative influences?

Of course! I feel inspirited by Glen Keane, James Baxter or Jim Lee. These are three of my favorite artists, and in some way, I have been influenced by them in my current style. There have been other influences as long as my career was improving and depending on the step I was. So it’s difficult for me to choose only one.

Question #6;

Growing up, what kinds of comics, or reading/visual material, were you interested in?

Mainly comics and animation movies: specially Disney and Japanese animations. For example studio’s Ghibli productions (and of course Disney) have always caught my attention. When I was a child, everytime I watched that movies, even if I had saw them 100 times, I felt like they were new for me, a new discovery. Today, I still watch them and the same emotions come to my mind. Comic is also something that has helped me to improve my style and imagination. Spiderman is the most important one for me, it was the first comic that I had and the one that changed my mind.

Question #7;

Any big projects planned for the future? And where can fans keep up to date with 'Santiago News'?

Yes! I’m currently working on ESDIP: an Art School in Madrid. I work as animation teacher. We are now creating a new animation project, but it’s still not finished. And also an individual comic project done in watercolors whose publication is planned for next summer. I will let you know!
Well, I’m thinking in other ways you can see my creations… but I actually don’t have too many ways of show them. I have a blog that I upload sometimes: http://xantiak.blogspot.com.es/
This blog contains all kind of drawings and pictures for comics and animations. Finally, you can find on internet (youtube or whatever…) my last animation project video called "Miserere"

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