Weekly Fantasy Art - Uwe Jarling

© The artwork presented on this post is used with the permission of its author. All the artwork is copyrighted. Please do not use the images without the permission of the artist or owner.

Uwe Jarling is a German artist born in 1968. He graduated with a diploma degree in graphic design in 1991. He worked as an illustrator and graphic designer and among his first works were many covers for videos and books. From 2003 his works are made almost totally using the digital tools and they are mainly in the Fantasy genre. His works won several awards from the communities of digital arts. Also some of his works were featured in published collections such as “Exposé” and “Fantasy Art Now”. Uwe lives and works in a little village in the south of Germany.

Interview Uwe Jarling

Dark Wolf: Uwe thank you for the opportunity of this interview and for taking the time to answer my questions.

What attracted you towards art and do you have a recollection of your first attempt of drawing?

Uwe Jarling: Well, I think you’ll get the same answer from every artist out there, something like I drew since I was able to hold a pencil. This may sound like kind of a standard answer but it really is the truth. I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t interested in drawing and painting. I read loads of comics when I was a child and I knew I wanted to do something similar like drawing comics when I grow up. Well I didn’t become a comic artist, but at least I already did some comic covers, so somehow the dream of my childhood came true.

Dark Wolf: What made you chose Fantasy as your main working theme? Is it a professional choice or a more personal one?

Uwe Jarling: Definitely a personal one, I worked many years as an illustrator without doing any fantasy art, you know video-box illustrations and lots of illustrations for kids, technical stuff and many other things. As this was not what I really wanted to paint I decided to quit doing illustrations like that, took a regular job at an advertising agency which pays the bills and started to paint what I always wanted to – fantasy art.

Dark Wolf: I was delighted by a great number of Horror pieces in your portfolio. Is it more engaging to work on a Horror piece than a Fantasy art? Which one do you think that has a more emotional impact on the viewer?

Uwe Jarling: This it always depends on the viewer whether he or she is more into fantasy art or dark art. I for me enjoy doing both, most of my darker pieces are for metal bands, this is much fun to do as you really can go wild with your imagination.

DW: Which are the main sources of inspiration? What process suffers the image that inspired you to the finalized work?

UJ: To be honest I don’t need much inspiration I have such a lot of pictures in mind that still needs to be done, I just don’t find the time to do them all.

DW: I saw some wonderful works on your portfolio which reminded me of Luis Royo’s works. Did Luis Royo or other artists inspire you? Who do you consider to have the greatest influence on your career so far?

UJ: Hey glad you liked them :-). But to be true the reason some of my pieces look a little Royo is not cause I try to copy Luis, it more the technique I used to paint them. I don’t really have something like an own style I think, I always love to experiment with other techniques. The pieces you mean are painted in glazes without using much opaque colors, more a colored drawing than a painting, this leads to the Royo effect if you want it to name that way :-).

As for the influences, well this wouldn’t make sense to even start to name them as there are just too many. I’m not only a guy drawing fantasy art I love to look at other artists work as well and all of them are most inspiring to me.

DW: I’ve seen that recently you worked almost exclusively using the digital tools. What influenced this change and do you think that the digital tools helped you improve your work? Do you prefer the traditional method or the digital one?

UJ: Yes today I almost paint everything using the computer, I started to paint on the computer in 2003 or a bit earlier. The main reason to change to digital painting definitely the time aspect. You are faster using digital tools than traditional, not that the painting process itself will be faster but you don’t need drying times, changes can be made much easier and best is, when you are done you just send the finished piece via e-mail or sever upload to your client, this definitely saves a lot of time.

Well I remember me saying as soon as I need to earn my money using a computer I quit doing art, well as you see things became very different, as I got my first computer I fell immediately in love with it, it really has endless possibilities for creating art, a very creative tool. I really underestimated the possibility a computer can give you. BUT at the end the artist does the art not the computer, it is just another tool, not more or less than a pencil, just with endless more possibilities.

Today I really prefer to work digital than traditional, I don’t have to clean the brushes anymore, lol.

DW: You worked for several advertising agencies. Can you tell me please how was working in the advertising field? Do you consider that the freedom of creation in this domain is more restricted than in other domains which use art?

UJ: Well, I still work in the advertising industries, just only less people know it, haha. I still have my regular job as an graphic designer in an advertising agency and so my illustration at evenings and weekends. I probably could jump into freelancing again but I’m just to chicken-hearted at the moment, well having a family and kids things become more complicated ;-). Now working in the advertising field sure is different than doing wired fantasy illustrations but at the end you are restricted at by both. In both field you have an art description or a briefing which you have to follow, well the client is the king :-).

DW: Your work on many numbers of covers for videos, music, books. Which one of this was more challenging and which one did you enjoyed making the most?

UJ: I enjoy everything, really. A video-box sure has other challenges than a book cover or a album cover but all are very interesting to do. I really can’t tell what I like the most.

DW: You were awarded in several times for your work. Which one did you receive with more pleasure and which one surprised you the most? Besides these awards which one do you consider to be the most rewarding time in your career?

UJ: Well every award or recognition is fantastic I don’t received one with more pleasure than another. Always fantastic when people recognize your work. But if a should name a special one it would be the publication in the book “Fantasy Art Now – the very best in contemporary fantasy art & illustration”. Being published in this book together with names like Boris Vallejo, Donato Giancola, J.P. Targete, Matt Stawicki, and many of my artist friends was really cool, especially as it is one of the best fantasy art books in a long time, and I don’t just say that cause I’m in, it’s really a wonderful book filled with pure magic.

As for the most rewarding time in my career, well what shall I say currently things went pretty well ;-).

DW: I know that you had a personal exhibition featuring your works. What brought new this experience and how different is this exhibition from an online gallery for example? Is the interaction with the visitors and the lovers of your works different?

UJ: Sure a real exhibition where you can talk to the people is something completely different than to show your work in an online gallery. It’s definitely cool to have an exhibition but sadly I don’t had much as I just don’t have the time for things like that at the moment.

DW: Did you thought about some changes in your career? I mean trying new experiences in your line of work, for example gaming concept art, movie concept art or comics industry?

UJ: Well I do from time to time stuff for the gaming industry as well as I do comic covers from time to time. Now I just need to do something for the movie industries (except the video covers), than I would have done something for the whole range :-)). No I don’t think I will change much in the near future as I do very varied jobs anyway.

The only thing I really want to do more in future is to work more with 3d applications and see if I can use that anyhow for my illustrations.

DW: What should the fans expect from Uwe Jarling in the future? Do you have any immediate projects in mind?

UJ: Well, I have nothing special in mind at the moment so I think they can expect not much more as I do now. But one never can know ;-)…

Thank you very much for your answers. It has been a pleasure :)

Definitely my pleasure :-)

For much more information about Uwe Jarling and for a more extanded portfolio please visit his website, Jarling-arts.

© The artwork presented on this post is used with the permission of its author. All the artwork is copyrighted. Please do not use the images without the permission of the artist or owner.