Interview with Mike Thompson

Best known for his portraits of entertainers and celebrities, Mike Thompson has built a name for himself in the world of art.  His paintings have been featured on television, and in print and web campaigns. Mike began his career working as both Designer and Art Director in the fashion industry.  After creating top selling designs for companies such as Timberland, Ecko and Nike, the artist left the corporate world to become a full-time illustrator.

Over the past decade, his artwork has been featured in magazines, video game covers, movie posters and toy packaging.  Some of his clients include: Marvel, Hasbro, Warner Bros, Dimension Films, and Cartoon Network.

One of Corel’s featured 'Painter Masters,' Mike has hosted several webinars for the company. His art and techniques have appeared in many international publications, as well as the books: Digital Collage and Painting, by Susan Ruddick Bloom, and Secrets of Corel Painter Experts, by Darryl Wise and Linda Hellfritsch.

1. Tell us about your work.

I am a professional illustrator. Over the past 15 years I’ve worked on pieces for the music, fashion, video game, television and movie industries.

2. What aspects of your childhood inspired your artistic creativity?

I grew up reading comics and watching cartoons, which proved to be a constant source of inspiration. I was always a big fan of music, especially hip-hop, so I started my career painting rappers for magazines. I am also a very big sci-fi and videogame nerd, so later I transitioned into package design for action figures, and console games.

3. Tell us about your artistic training, learning process, and particularly how your work evolved as a result of it.

Drawing and painting has pretty much been a constant for me since I was a child. I can’t really remember not doing it. So, naturally, I majored in graphic design in college. I am a fan of great art, so I look at other artists’ work to improve my own. I still use books, and tutorial videos, to learn new techniques. I am a big believer that you are never done learning. That and a desire to always improve is what motivate me.

4. Tell us about your various creative roles and any important lessons you learned.

Over the years I have been a staff artist, art director, creative director and consultant. I’ve enjoyed and learned a lot from each position. Most importantly, the more people you need to direct, the less time you have to create. I like to create.

5. What advice would you give to someone considering making a transition from traditional drawing and painting to digital?

Too many artists jump right into digital work with no foundation in traditional techniques. I think it is important to start with the basics before moving to digital work. Where should they start - what equipment and software do they need? Very simple; paper and pencil. Master that and your paintings will look infinitely better. As far as equipment for digital work, any PC with decent specs and enough memory will work. I would definitely suggest buying a drawing tablet, trying to paint with a mouse is not really an option.

6. Corel Painter is an integral tool in your most recent work. What is Corel Painter and how does it help you to create your stunning images?

Painter is a natural media painting application. It mimics traditional drawing and painting very convincingly. One thing I am not a fan of in digital painting is the traditional “digitally painted” look. I think leaving in brush strokes makes your work less sterile and far more interesting. I also use Photoshop, usually for its transformation tools and color correction.

7. Traditional artistic training or computer aptitude? What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in commercial illustration?

I believe you have to have some form of traditional training in order to succeed - even if you are learning from videos, books or online, that training is very important. Computer aptitude helps, but I know digital artists who know very little and are successful.

8. Your image of the Joker, as portrayed by Heath Ledger, is truly iconic. Tell us about it.

Thank you. I painted that piece for Warner Bros. around the time that the Dark Knight was released. It was used for promotion of the movie and is still one of my favourite pieces. That is one of those pieces of art I mentioned earlier where leaving in all the strokes added to the impact of the painting. Unfortunately, it is also one of my most bootlegged paintings, but I guess that just means people like it.

9. What do you find most rewarding in the creative process, and how do you overcome that which you find challenging?

The most rewarding part of the process to me is, stepping away from a finished painting and knowing I have accomplished what I set out to do. I’d like to say it happens more often than it does, but when you nail it on the first pass, I have to admit, it feels good. The challenging thing is going back to something that could be done better and reworking it. Over the years, it’s become less of a chore, or even an option. It doesn’t matter how much good work I’ve put out, the paintings people don’t forget are the ones that aren’t.

10. Tell us about your contributions to the Verizon Interactive Fan Wall at the Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey.

That was a really fun project. The concept was pitched to me as kind of Tom Cruise in Minority Report. The ad agency had me paint full sized versions of the Verizon actors for a 10’ x 30’ wall. They then mounted three HD touch screen monitors vertically on rails in front of my painting. As you slide the monitor over my painting, it appears on the monitor then transitions from a black and white static image into a live action feed talking about the service. Very cool! As a tech nut, I was all over this project.

11. You have worked on animated television series such as Green Lantern and Beware the Batman. You have also created posters and iconic images for the film industry. What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding the continuing application of your work to film and television?

My aspirations are to continue doing it as long as possible, hah. I am a tremendous comic fan, so working with DC and now Marvel has always been a dream of mine. I don’t really have any reservations, what is not to like about superheroes and movies? Working on the Guardians before the movie came out was fantastic, so I couldn’t be happier.

12. Tell us about your work exhibited at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

I painted an illustration I called the 4 Elements. The concept was four legendary figures of hip-hop: a graffiti artist (Lady Pink), a break dancer (Crazy Legs), a turntablist (Grandmaster Flash) and a rapper (Jay Z). I chose to unify them with the colour orange. Since my origins were with hip-hop, this piece meant a lot to me.

13. What other interests do you have?

I’ve always been a big gamer, so in what little free time I have I’ll jump on one of my consoles or watch a movie.

14. Tell us a little about any good art you’ve seen recently or good books you’ve read.

I see fantastic art every day. Pinterest has proven to be both the best and worst thing ever. I spend way too much time there… “Do you like this awesome painting? Well here are a thousand more you might like!” I have to set limits or I will blow my entire day. The last book I read isn’t new, but it was awesome, Ready Player One. And, I just heard Spielberg will be directing the movie!

15. Where can we find you and your work?

Everywhere; but my site is a good start: www.miketartworks.com I have links to everything else from there.

Interview with Philip Chen

Philip Chen has been called a renaissance man, just because he can't seem to hold down a career.  In his professional life, Phil has been an ocean research engineer, environmental and energy engineer, a trial attorney, financial securities attorney, investment banker, corporate executive, private equity fund manager in Africa, strategic consultant, cartoonist, website manager, and author; doesn't everybody?  He has degrees from the University of Virginia, Stanford University and the University of Minnesota.

1.     Tell us about ‘Falling Star’.

Falling Star is a highly realistic science fiction thriller about the accidental discovery in 1967 of mysterious, but mute, objects buried deep in the ocean and what happened when they woke up in 1993 and began sending messages to outer space.  Mike, pulled from his opulent office high over Manhattan to finish a job he had started as a young navy ensign decades earlier, is strangely attacked by gangs of what looked like ordinary Americans.  Though conditioned by his years in the clandestine agency to deal with such inexplicable events, Mike is also confronted with the death of a revered friend, an event that shakes him to the core.  Will the death of this friend mean that the secrets of the submerged objects will remain forever buried in the silt and muck of the ocean bottom?

Many readers of this novel often wonder if, "this story might not be fiction at all, but something very real and very disturbing."  Noted book critic Alan Caruba says, "If you read just one novel in 2011, make it Falling Star."

2.     Why did you write this book, and what do you hope to achieve with it?

In 1990, I had a series of very troubling nightmares in which gangs of what looked like ordinary Americans roamed the landscape killing people and burning buildings.  In these vivid dreams, I saw skyscrapers collapse in flames and people dying horrible deaths.  When I wrote this novel in 1991, it was as though a heavy burden was lifted from my shoulders and the dreams stopped.  I tried for twenty years to get this story published, but was resisted at every step by ‘legacy’ literary agents and publishers. 

On September 11, 2001, as I saw the Twin Towers explode and then come crashing down in flames.  I was shocked.  When it came out that the terrorists had lived among us as they trained to attack the very country that had welcomed them, it was chilling.  Some were here for decades as they learned engineering and other subjects from prominent universities.

As Paul Harvey used to say, "Page Two".

For almost six years, during the 1980s, my various offices were on the 100th to 106th floor of Two World Trade Center.  In fact, the office that I described in my novel from which Mike is abruptly pulled back into the clandestine agency is almost an exact replica of my office as a managing director of Lehman Brothers.  Second, my story described terrorists who lived among us for decades as they plotted to attack America.

Following September 11th, I rewrote my novel to take out references to 2 WTC from my novel.  I did not want people to think that I was trying to capitalize on that disaster.  In the original text I had Mike's office on the 100th floor of that tower.  Thereafter, Mike's office was described as being in an unidentified office tower in lower Manhattan. As Paul Harvey always said in concluding his broadcasts, "Now you know the rest of the story."

This is a very realistic story, which uses real events and real science to draw the reader into a tale of intrigue.  By using details, I hoped to have the reader experience the action, not as an observer but as a participant.  Mr. Caruba pointed this out in his strong recommendation: "This novel stands out for the way you are introduced not just to the characters, but the physical reality in which they live, the sights and even the smells."

3.     Is there an underlying message in ‘Falling Star’?

Though classified as a science fiction thriller, there are several messages that are delivered through the pages.  One is that this is a self-discovery book, in which the things that occur to the characters propel them to take actions that they might not have normally chosen.  In this novel, moral dilemmas also play a force in certain characters as they struggle with what they are doing and what will be the outcomes of those actions.

4.     You are an environmental and energy engineer, holding a U.S. Patent for an underwater mooring system. Has this specialist experience and knowledge helped you to create this work, and if so, how?

From a general sense, my technical capabilities helped me in describing the details that I believe make this book unusual and believable.  Specifically, my role as an ocean research engineer, who had worked with deep-sea submergence systems, provided me with a rich background for the scenes that are at the beginning of the story.  In fact, I worked as a test program engineer on a free swimming vehicle very much like the fictional submersible Squid in the story.

5.     Of the characters you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular character?

Mildred.  Mildred is a sweet old Norwegian grandmother who lives in Crookston, Minnesota, on the banks of the prehistoric Lake Agassiz.  She is the proprietor of a very popular Scandinavian hobby store.  Mother to four lovely daughters and countless towheaded grandchildren, Mildred enjoys her retirement from her days as a researcher for the U.S. State Department.  However, Mildred has a secret, something so unnatural that she hides it from everyone, including her long-suffering husband.

6.     How is writing science fiction or fantasy different from writing other genres?

My novel is science fiction, based on science fact.  As such it is not as different from writing in other genres as one might think.

7.     What did you find most rewarding in the writing process?

My nightmares went away.

Eagle Spaceship

8.     What did you find most challenging in the writing process, and how did you overcome it?

The writing process was easy.  It almost seemed that the characters lined up to tell me their stories one-by-one.  The hard part was getting the hide-bound agents and publishers of the legacy ‘Dead Tree Book’ industry to buy my story. 

For twenty years, no one wanted to read my story about foreign spies hiding in plain view for decades in America.  My spies married innocent Americans, raised children, bought homes, held mundane jobs and stole the identities of dead babies.  I could just hear these defenders of literature laughing their heads off about how preposterous my story was.  Spies hiding in plain view in our country? That could never happen; not in America!  Until, of course, it did in June 2010, when Russians were found to have been doing exactly what my fictional spies had done for twenty years.  The only difference was that my spies did not grow hydrangeas.  One of my spies was even a gorgeous female posing as a financial consultant.  That is when I decided to self-publish, which I did on August 4, 2010.

I realize that the foregoing sounds far-fetched and detractors will claim that I wrote my story between June 2010 and August 2010, (would it be that I was so prolific).  If anyone is curious about my claim, please refer to my Scribd.com account where I started posting excerpts from Falling Star in May 2009.

9.     What have you done to promote and market your book, and what advice would you give to other authors?

When I launched my book on August 4, 2010, I knew absolutely nothing about self-publishing.  I had to learn as I went along.  Luckily, I chanced onto a great site called the KindleBoards where they have a forum called the Writers' Café.  The members of the KindleBoards are the most helpful group of people you will find on the web and are always willing to give advice and suggestions.  Through the KindleBoards, you can also learn about review sites and other opportunities to market your book. http://KindleBoards.com

Some of the things that I have done have been to seek out reviewers, participate on various forums, conduct giveaways, support other authors, and generally be a participant in the process.  The toughest part of self-publishing is marketing your book.

Robots Take Over

10.  Who, do you imagine, would be your ideal reader?

My ideal reader is someone, male or female, who likes to participate in the story.  I am truly surprised at the wide range of readers, who have self-identified as not being fans of science fiction thrillers, that genuinely like Falling Star.

11.  What advice would you give to help others build the confidence required to write their first book?

Just do it.  There is no time like the present and the barriers to entry are non-existent.  Do not fear failure.  You will survive and do better the next time around.

12.  Would you like to see your book adapted for the screen? If so, do you have any aspirations, or reservations, regarding this?

Many reviewers have commented on the visual aspects of my book and how they feel that it would be ideal as a movie.  My greatest fear is that once the movie industry gets a hold of your book, what comes out is never what went it. 

13.  Tell us a little about a good science fiction or fantasy book you’ve read recently.

Passengers to Zeta Nine by Peter Salisbury, a British author, is one of those stories that will stand the test of time.  The reason that I say this is my belief that good science fiction will tell you about places to which you can never go.  Great science fiction is when the author tells you how to get there.  Peter's story is of the latter sort.  I highly recommend it to any one who wants to read a story that will be a future classic.

Fuel-Efficient Cars

 14.  What are you doing now?

In addition to Falling Star, I recently released the inaugural collection of cartoons from my cartoon blog, There is Strangeness in the Universe ™.  This cartoon series is based on a real astronomical theory that a parallel universe filled with strange matter must exist in order to maintain cosmic balance in ours.  Without formal art or cartoon training, I started exploring this parallel universe at the tender age of 63.  My cartoons have been favourably compared to Gary Larson's "Far Side".  You can check it out at Amazon.com.

At this moment, my wife and I are moving from New Jersey to Michigan to be closer to my daughter's family.  Once settled, I expect to take up finishing the sequel to Falling Star.

15.  Describe ‘Falling Star’ in one sentence.

Falling Star is a highly realistic science fiction thriller about mysterious objects buried in the ocean and what happens when they wake up.

16.  Where can we find you and your book?

Falling Star is available as a Kindle and a Nook book, as well as a paperback. 

Summer Clam Bake

Links:

Falling Star - Kindle Edition

There is Strangeness in the Universe - Kindle Edition

Falling Star - Blog

Puget Sound Speaks (Home of the Independent Authors Forum)

There is Strangeness in the Universe - Blog

Zazzle

Scribd

Book Trailer

Interview with Johannes Roussel

Johannes Roussel was born in 1963. He has been a project designer, working in the research and development department of companies that manufactured home appliances. Later, he moved to marketing, within this industry, as a product manager. He published his first comic book in 1989, but only started his career as a comic book artist in 2003. His early work, in this field, was set in the British navy at the end of the 18th century. He describes it as being of the same genre as the movie ‘Master and Commander’, and the novels the movie is adapted from. His latest comics are about car racing in the 1960s.

1. Tell us about your latest album.

My last album is always my next album. I used to issue a new album every two years but my last album is from 2006. I am working on a new project, and as I composed I found out there were some tracks with a strong vintage flavour. So I decided to split the project in two albums, with the vintage one that will be called ‘Time’. I hope to polish all the tracks and release this vintage project before the end of this year. I recently uploaded a track from this new project, entitled 'Steps', on Soundclick.

2. Why did you choose to create ambient electronic music, and what do you hope to give to your listeners?

I didn’t choose to create ambient electronic music, it just came naturally; I was always attracted to electronic music. This began in the seventies when I first listened to Pink Floyd, Klaus Schulze, Kraftwerk, Tomita, Terry Riley and others.

3. Of the music you’ve created, do you have a favourite? If so, why this particular work?

Art is somehow very frustrating. I am not very satisfied with what I have created so far, and I think creation is a race to an unreachable perfection.  When I work on a piece, I spend a lot of time polishing, mixing and perfecting; but eventually, I must give up and let the baby go as it is.

4. How is creating electronic music different from creating acoustic forms?

I have no experience in creating acoustic music. I once played in a band where I had the only electronic instrument, but I was not involved in composing the music we played. I think electronic music, as it is now made with the help of the computer, gives you an incredible flexibility and the ability to make mistakes and experiment. Composing and producing electronic music was always a dream. The equipment was very expensive. Instruments were high priced and not very versatile, and you also had to buy the recording equipment and the effects. Now you can have all the equipment you need, included on your computer, almost for free. I started to compose when Soundblaster provided Midi compatible soundcards with integrated virtual synths. They started to promote their own sample format called ‘soundfonts’. I started to play with those soundfonts and created a lot of my own. I still have them on my webpage available for download. But this technology had some flaws. Midi was not a very versatile technology, soundfonts had their problems too, and computer performance was very often an issue. For me, it really started when SynapseAudio released their first version of Orion. I downloaded the demo version, and after a few hours I had composed my first track; and it was far better than everything I had composed before. The software is so intuitive that I felt it had been programmed just for me. For the first time, you had a virtual all-equipped studio. Recording, mixing, effects and synths, all included in a cheap package.

5. What have you done to promote and market your music, and what advice would you give to other artists?

I began composing my music at a time when the Internet was just beginning to provide music in the new mp3 format. I began promoting my music on mp3.com. A few months later, I was the most listened to French artist, and in the top 10, in electronic music. I had 1.2 million plays and downloads on mp3.com, before the website closed in 2003. Now I have reached 170000 plays on Soundclick, where I have my music hosted. It was easier to promote your music ten years ago. There were very few community sites, and enthusiasts hosted them. Now there are so many sites available, for you to listen to free music that your chances of being listened to are close to zero. If you want to promote your music today, I would suggest that you play your music live, and create a dedicated channel on YouTube.

6. What aspirations, or reservations, do you have regarding your music being used in film and television?

I was asked a few times to have my music used for free in small productions. I always accepted, that’s not a problem for me.

7. Tell us a little about any good electronic music you’ve heard recently.

I can suggest some artists I discovered recently:

Thomas Dvorak and the awesome soundtrack he composed for the game, ‘Machinarium’.

Ulrich Schnauss composes very dreamy music. He has a very distinctive style.

Muadhib is a French musician I discovered recently. I also discovered that he lives in the same region as I do.

Cameron Lasswell. Not only electronic but also jazzy.

Monkeybacon. Half electronic and half acoustic, with vintage textures.

I have two electronic stations on Soundclick where you can listen to music I have selected:

X-eption 1

X-eption 2 

8. What do you do when you’re not creating electronic music?

I am a comic book artist; when I don’t compose, I draw.

9. Where can we find you, and your work?

You can listen to my tracks on Soundclick. And you can purchase my albums on my webpage: http://johannes.fr