Fantasy Art - Didier Graffet

© 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.

Didier Graffet is a French artist, born near Lyon in 1970. He studied art at the Dupere School and at the Cohl School in Lyon. From 1994 Didier Graffet started his career as an independent illustrator and he is one of the top artists of imaginary in France. Throughout his career Didier illustrated role-playing games, adventure books, playing cards, CD covers and posters, but also numerous covers of fantasy and science fiction novels and many editions of Jules Verne’s novels. In recognition of his career he received in 2002 the Grand Prix de l’imaginaire for the Best Illustrator, the public award Visions du Futur in the same year, once again the Grand Prix de l’imaginaire in 2003 for his illustrations of Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” published by Éditions Gründ and the 2010 Ravenheart Award for the Best Cover Art together with Dave Senior for the cover artwork of Joe Abercrombie’s novel, “Best Served Cold”, published by Gollancz. In 2007 Didier Graffet released an art book featuring his works, “Mondes & Voyages”, and in 2009 he took part at the Maison d’ Ailleurs exhibition in Switzerland.

Interview with Didier Graffet

Mihai (Dark Wolf): Didier, thank you very much for the opportunity of this interview.

How did you start to draw? What is your first recollection of art?

Didier Graffet: Early on, I was about 3 years old. I liked to create small universes like The African Savanna with all kind of animals or the Inuit Universes with sea lion hunters as an example. Also child universes like we see in children’s books.When I was growing up, there were a lot of Art books around me. I always liked pictures of any kind.

Mihai (Dark Wolf): Among the painters who influenced you are William Turner, Gustav Klimt and Vincent Van Gogh, but also contemporary artists such as Philippe Druillet, John Howe and Alan Lee. How did your favorite painters influence your career? Are you more attracted by the classical art or by the contemporary one?

Didier Graffet: I don’t have any favorites. I love them all for different reasons: Turner for the power of skies and drama. Klimt for his symbolism. Van Gogh for his honesty as a painter, his naiveté touches a part of me. I discovered the comic strip work of Philippe Druillet when I was a teenager, and appreciated afterward the variety of his work. I like John Howe for his strong illustrations and Alan Lee for the sensitive nature of his drawings.

Mihai (Dark Wolf): Speaking of classical and contemporary art what techniques do you prefer, the classical ones (acrylics, pencil, ink) or the modern ones (digital tools)? Do you start an art piece in a technique and finish it in another?

Didier Graffet: The technique I prefer is traditional paint. It’s much more sensitive than digital media. The support, wood board, cardboard or paper doesn’t always react in the same way and that can create some interesting “accidents”.

M(DW): You have studied at the Dupere School and specialized in the abstract, but that wasn’t your area of interest. However, how did your studies at the Dupere School help in your artist career? Did this experience help you improve your art technique?

DG: In fact, I only stayed three weeks at the Dupere School. The curriculum was too conceptual, too abstract for me. As the school year started, I chose to work at an advertising agency for the rest of the year, and then I matriculated to another school, the Emile Cohl School. It is a school of illustration, cartoons and comics. It was there where I learned the acrylic painting technique, the one I prefer today.

M(DW): What role does an art school have in artist development? Do you consider that a self-taught artist can have the same technique as an artist that attended an art school?

DG: A school of art gives one the opportunity to test many techniques and to compare different points of view, without risk. When you start in active life you must be efficient immediately. It must be successful, for if not, you will have no job!I had the opportunity to start many years ago, and was fortunate the publishers took an interest in me. Today you must be very good right away in order to garner the success you can build upon...

M(DW): You started your career as an independent illustrator in 1994. How difficult was to start as an independent artist? With your present experience and if it were possible what would you change in the beginning of your career?

DG: When you start, you have a few handicaps. You lack confidence in your technique, and when you are young, your experience is a bit on the short side. I would approach a project from my own point of view and sometimes that would eclipse the actual text you have to illustrate. Sometimes you’re right, but it’s rare in the beginning. The secret is to work again and again, to accumulate experience with different themes, and never refuse work, even if you don’t know if you can visualize it! Many times I accepted some work from just a ring of the phone. Afterwards, I would wonder how I was going to create the illustration! I always like the challenge. Of course this is my own experience, and with communication changing, it is now easier to find projects that fit one’s expertise… It makes me who I am today as an illustrator. I have no regrets.

M(DW): On your biography you say that among your favorite themes are imaginary travels. Where does this attraction come from? How do your personal travels influence your art representations?

DG: I think the power of imagination has no limits. You can go anywhere in your head. You can create a world with just pen and paper. I always like to look to the sea. It contains the promise of future travels, the first one begins in my mind. I went to Scotland on three different occasions, and I like this country because of its mystery. The fog there obscures visibility and allows the imagination to work, and a window may open a world of fantasy in one’s mind…

M(DW): You are attracted by the places you cannot see, that leave much to the imagination. Do you tend to keep that mystery in your paintings too? Do you want to leave much on the imagination of the viewer in your paintings?

DG: It’s the most important part of the picture, to stir one’s imagination, to give the keys to open this door. I try to let a part of the picture open on somewhere else. I’d like to go to abstract painting, with less details, more free, but I must do that in parallel with my job.

M(DW): With such a passion for travels do you have a passion for maps too? Would you like to work on a commission involving the drawing of a map?

DG: No, the only maps I draw are about Fantasy Worlds, the ones I prefer.

M(DW): With such an attraction for the imaginary, do you feel that your works in the fantasy genre comes natural? Do you prefer to work on illustrating fantasy worlds?

DG: I like when the stories begin in reality, or else have a connection with reality. For example, a story with an historical base that the author distorts and makes fantastic. I like to mix real things and make something else with it.

M(DW): May I ask if you have a favorite fantasy author? Would you like to illustrate a novel in particular in the future?

DG: I think the most popular and the best was Frank Frazetta. I and many other illustrators are indebted to him, myself included.

M(DW): Among my favorite cover illustrations made by you are the ones made for K.J. Parker’s “Fencer” trilogy (La Trilogie Loredan). Do you have an attraction for armory and weaponry too? Is the painting of such items heavily documented or do you use your imagination more?

DG: I like medieval weapons, more than weapons that use ammunition. You give your enemy a chance! I also like to render a steel aspect through painting various objects. Before I begin an illustration of a weapon or armor, I research much more now than when I first started working. I want to learn as much as I can about each subject I work on. It gives a new interest to my work, every time. After I digest the information, I attempt to create my own interpretation.

M(DW): Another wonderful work of yours is the sketch of Nautilus, but also the cardboard model of the submarine. How did you make such detailed sketches of Nautilus? Where did the idea of cardboard model come from?

DG: The sketch was created with a fine pen, from the Jules Verne’s description. If you read the book, you will see that I attempted to incorporate all descriptions about the vessel, but I added some new details to render the Nautilus more fantastic. Working on “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” was my most satisfying experience, a fantastic voyage each day. When I finished illustrating the book, I wanted to stay in this universe and I built the model of the Nautilus in cardboard.

M(DW): I’ve seen that you are very passionate about your works and you love to work with passionate people, book editors included. May I ask if it happened to refuse to illustrate a cover or a book because it didn’t brought a personal implication from your part? If you don’t like a script would you refuse the commission?

DG: When I refuse a demand it’s either I don’t have time or because the theme is too far from what I want to follow, especially in the case of an illustrated book (with inside illustrations). For a book cover, to like or dislike the story is not the issue. The publisher who edits the text is a professional. After he asks me to create an eye-catching illustration for the cover to market the book, it is my hope that my illustration makes one desire to read the story.

M(DW): With such a praiseworthy passion and dedication for your work how important is to have freedom of creativity on your commissioned works?

DG: I like working on commissioned works because it’s always different, but in fact in this restrictive frame, I find my liberty. It is a challenge each time, a challenge against myself, to make each project interesting.

M(DW): You published a personal art book in 2007 “Mondes & Voyages” (Worlds & Voyages). How difficult was to create a voyage through your personal art work for the book? Was it difficult to select the works that are featured in “Mondes & Voyages” (Worlds & Voyages)?

DG: This book is like a voyage I was on for fifteen years, the date of my first commissioned work. In this book you will see many different illustrations, with the technique evolving year by year, with several Fantasy themes. The variety of those Fantasy worlds, given by the publisher and imagined by the writers is a voyage itself. Concerning the selection of pictures, I chose some, and my publisher, les Editions Bragelonne, chose others. Having a good publisher helped me to make objective choices regarding which illustrations were finally chosen.

M(DW): You also have a fantasy calendar for 2010 published. Would you like to repeat such an experience in the future and publish another art book or calendar?

DG: Yes, of course. A new calendar is on the way for 2011, published by the same editor, “Le Pré aux Clercs”. I do not have a new art book in the works at the present time. I will wait a few years to have some really new images to present.

M(DW): At what are you working at the moment and what future projects do you have?

DG: I am working on many projects currently. Paintings, books and character designs for movies, following my inspiration and making new voyages. Actually I’m creating images for a personal book, but it’s a secret! I can only say that it’s a book about travel!

Thank you very much for your time and answers. It has been a pleasure.

For more information about Didier Graffet and a comprehensive portfolio, please visit his website, didiergraffet.com, and the site dedicated to his art book, Mondes & Voyages.

© 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.

Cover art - "The Gathering Storm" by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

Tor Books releases the ebook editions of Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time” and each book benefits from a new cover, designed by a different artist. Since October 27th, 2009, each month, Tor Books surprised us with some beautiful artworks for the cover of these ebook editions. The impressive list of artists who worked on these covers includes David Grove, Kekai Kotaki, Donato Giancola, Sam Weber, Dan Dos Santos, Greg Manchess, Mélanie Delon, Julie Bell, Scott M. Fischer, Greg Ruth, Michael Komarck and continues this month with Todd Lockwood. With a great career and exceptional artworks behind him Todd Lockwood is one of the masters of fantasy art. His high standards of work can be easily seen in the cover art Todd Lockwood made for Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s “The Gathering Storm”. He made an amazing scene and one of the best covers of these ebook editions. It is difficult to choose one of them as the best one, because Tor Books did a great job with all the covers, but Todd Lockwood’s artwork stands out. As with each cover, on Tor.com we can take a look on the process of creation of this artwork with the help of a great video.

"City of Ruin" by Mark Charan Newton

"City of Ruin"

by Mark Charan Newton

Format: Hardback, 480 pages

Publisher: Tor UK

Review copy received through the courtesy of the publisher, Tor UK

Villiren: a city of sin that is being torn apart from the inside. Hybrid creatures shamble through shadows and barely human gangs fight turf wars for control of the streets.

Amidst this chaos, Commander Brynd Lathraea, commander of the Night Guard, must plan the defence of Viliren against a race that has broken through from some other realm and already slaughtered hundreds of thousands of the Empire’s people.

When a Night Guard soldier goes missing, Brynd requests help from the recently arrived Inqusitor Jeryd. He discovers this is not the only disapearance the streets of Villiren. It seems that a serial killer of the most horrific kind is on the loose, taking hundreds of people from their own homes. A killer that cannot possibly be human.

The entire population of Villiren must unite to face an impossible surge of violent and unnatural enemies or the city will fall. But how can anyone save a city that is already a ruin?

With a constantly growing pile of books that I wish to read the choice for the next reading doesn’t come always easily. This situation leads to another aspect, the titles I most eagerly await to be published eventually end in the same pile and are read later then I would like. One such title is the “City of Ruin”, the second novel in the “Legends of the Red Sun” series of Mark Charan Newton, which although found its way on my pile of books for some time now, it took its place on the reading desk later then I hoped.

“Nights of Villjamur”, the first novel in Mark Charan Newton’s series, introduced the reader to a world in the brink of its collapse and focused mainly on the city of Villjamur, the capital of the mighty Jamur Empire. “City of Ruin” reflects the same collapsing world, crumbling from the inside, but focusing a bit more on the outside threats that excite further pressure on the world. Standing in front of this menace is Villiren, a city that is the smaller image of the world from which is a part, facing its downfall from the inside as much as from the outside.

As with Villjamur, Mark Charan Newton works his best on building a vibrant and dynamic city. More so, Villiren pulsates life from its every vein and every aspect of this life making the foundation of the city stronger. It is very true that not every prospect of Villiren molds a pleasant feature of the city, I even think that these are in preponderance, creating a rather similar image with the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but that makes the image even more powerful. The underground is entangled with the local authority each one in its personal interest, interests applied often through brute force, the rich tend to become richer and the poor poorer and the ethnic and sexual racism a constant presence. In fact, in many occasions Villiren seems to import the political, economical and social problems of our world, making the reader less comfortable and to reflect on the state of our reality.

With a new location “City of Ruin” introduces new characters, but without cutting from the presence of those with an important role in “Nights of Villjamur”. Brynd Lathraea, Rumex Jeryd, Randur Estevu or Eir Jamur will find their steps drawn towards Villiren and their destinies tied to that of the city, with Malum, Nelum Valore, Lupus Bel and Beami brining new threads and stories. Once again the reader will have a few storylines to follow, but every single one makes the general concept advance through its unique feature. Military elements make their presence felt, with invading forces, elite troupes, tactical decisions and battles. Mystery brings elements of surprise and tension, but also grotesque images in a strange mix that reminded me of the surreal song of The Cure, “Lullaby”. Romance is not forgotten, lovers rediscovering each other or continuing their sentimental relationship in different and personal ways. Adventure, quests, religion, magic and relics complete the entire image of “City of Ruin”.

I have to say though that “City of Ruin” not only follows the same approach as “Nights of Villjamur”, but also suffers at the same chapter. Like in “Nights of Villjamur” the storylines are intertwined, but once again some of the stories lie forgotten in the background for the span of a few chapters only to pop up again when the reader starts to ask where they disappeared. The rhythm of “City of Ruin” is slow, but I cannot make a complain here, because it can be seen that Mark Charan Newton allows his novel to grow in a natural way, without jumping over stages and therefore reaching the climax of the novel at its end. The final part offers plenty of action and fighting scenes, but nothing is taken for granted, situations shift, characters disappear and plenty of surprises await the reader.

Although “City of Ruin” is obviously connected to the first novel in the “Legends of the Red Sun” series, “Nights of Villjamur”, it can be read as a stand-alone novel without a problem. However, “City of Ruin” proves that Mark Charan Newton is growing fast as a writer, his prose, story and philosophical approach making his work more robust. I am certain that in this cadence Mark Charan Newton’s series can turn to be one of the landmarks of modern fantasy.

2010 Hugo Awards winners

Also at Melbourne, Australia, at AussieCon 4 the winners of the 2010 Hugo Awards have been announced yesterday. It gives me great joy to see China Miéville’s “The City & The City” winning yet another award. Also again on the list of winners we can find another novel that received a lot of recognition this year, Paolo Bacigalupi’s “The Windup Girl”.

Best Novel: TIE - “The City & The City” by China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK) & “The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)

Best Novella: “Palimpsest” by Charles Stross (Wireless; Ace, Orbit)

Best Novelette: “The Island” by Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2; Eos)

Best Short Story: “Bridesicle” by Will McIntosh (Asimov’s 1/09)

Best Related Book: “This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is “I”)” by Jack Vance (Subterranean)

Best Graphic Story: “Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm” written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; art by Phil Foglio; colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: “Moon” screenplay by Nathan Parker; story by Duncan Jones; directed by Duncan Jones (Liberty Films)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: “Doctor Who”: “The Waters of Mars” written by Russell T Davies & Phil Ford; directed by Graeme Harper (BBC Wales)

Best Editor Long Form: Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Best Editor Short Form: Ellen Datlow

Best Professional Artist: Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine: “Clarkesworld” edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan

Best Fan Writer: Frederik Pohl

Best Fanzine: “StarShipSofa” edited by Tony C. Smith

Best Fan Artist: Brad W. Foster

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines): Seanan McGuire

Congratulations to all the winners!

2010 Ditmar Awards winners

In a ceremony held on 3rd of September at AussieCon 4, the winners of the 2010 Ditmar Awards have been announced. The Ditmar Awards recognize the achievement in Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror and are awarded annually since 1969.

Best Novel: “Slights” by Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot Books)

Best Novella or Novelette: “Wives” by Paul Haines (X6/Couer de Lion)

Best Short Story: “Seventeen” by Cat Sparks (Masques, CSFG)

Best Collected Work: “Slice Of Life, Paul Haines” edited by Geoffrey Maloney (The Mayne Press)

Best Artwork: Lewis Morley - Cover art, “Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #42”

Best Fan Writer: Robert Hood for “Undead Backbrain” (roberthood.net/blog)

Best Fan Artist: Dick Jenssen for body of work

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium: “Steam Engine Time” edited by Bruce Gillespie and Janine Stinson

Best Achievement: Gillian Polack et al for the Southern Gothic banquet at Conflux

Best New Talent: Peter M. Ball

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review: Helen Merrick for “The Secret Feminist Cabal: a cultural history of science fiction feminisms” (Aqueduct Press)

Congratulations to all the winners!

"The Abbey" (Abația) by Dan Doboș available in English

Last year I read and reviewed with pleasure a Romanian SF novel, “The Abbey” (Abația) by Dan Doboș. “The Abbey” is the first novel in a trilogy, “The Trilogy of the Abbey”, published in 2002, named the Best Romanian Science-Fiction Novel of 2002 and with the entire trilogy awarded the Vladimir Colin Award in 2006. I am not certain if the first editions of the novels are still available, but I personally read a revised and added edition of “The Abbey”, released in 2008, and I am hoping that Millennium Press, the publishing house that republished the novel, will make the following two novels available soon, because like I said in my review “The Abbey” is an interesting novel and sets the premises for a captivating trilogy. Until then though I was very happy to find that Dan Doboș’s novel, “The Abbey” (Abația) is available in English since the end of July this year, published by Better Karma, an independent publishing house. I am happy because “The Abbey” truly deserves to reach the English market and that now more readers can explore the Romanian Science Fiction with the help of Dan Doboș’s “The Abbey”. As far as I could see the novel is available on Amazon and The Book Depository, with the following synopsis on the Amazon page:

Saint Augustine defined six periods of human life with the last being the Armageddon - when the armies of humans, lead by a Messiah who has again come down on Earth, will have to defeat the forces of evil. More than three thousand years after this prophecy was made, the Abbey is the only religious entity still standing. Radoslav, the Abbot who rules the Augustinian Order, knows that the Armageddon is about to break out soon but he can't decide what will trigger it. It might be the first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization; it is possible that the attempt of imperial administration to replace the clones from the Agricultural Worlds with aliens will degenerate into a cosmic conflict; and the super-soldier sent to spy on the Abbey is also a great worry. As this fascinating, complex plot develops, it becomes clear that the final fight is not between good and evil, but between those who believe in God and those who decline Him. The Abbey offers a unique perspective on how religion could develop and evolve in a far-away future. Is humanity's real purpose to protect God from reaching His own limits? The author offers daring hypotheses and original thinking in this multi-layered fantasy filled with spirituality and insight.

Cover art - "Caledor" by Gav Thorpe

Jon Sullivan is one of the best fantasy art artists and this is proved with each new work he makes. Such an example is the cover artwork Jon Sullivan made for Gav Thorpe’s “Caledor”, the final book of the author’s “The Sundering” trilogy. The image is impressive, the depth of the scene, the contrast between the colors and the excellent made dragon that dominates the center of the picture make for an admiring artwork. Unfortunately I have to say that I regret the choice of The Black Library for the final version of the cover. Although I do love the artwork, to feature only a detail of the scene drawn by Jon Sullivan takes away too much from the entire artwork and it is a loss since it is such a great scene. I personally would have chosen the entire scene unfolded on the both front and back covers, but maybe the art department of The Black Library had its reasons for its choice. On the publisher’s blog you can find Jon Sullivan’s artwork in full and also a close up on the detail featured on the cover. Gav Thorpe’s “Caledor” will be released by The Black Library on May 2011.