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Interview with Anneth Lagamo
Featured Artist for April 2003
Interviewed by Socar Myles
Let's start with a bit about you: where are you from, what are your interests, do you like green eggs and ham?
I was born and raised on the island of Oahu in a small community located on the leeward side. My parents immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines, and my siblings and I were raised in a very overly protective environment. Of course, this didn't stop us from raising havoc around the house, and we'd usually make up games to keep ourselves entertained. The area that I grew up in didn't help my parents as far as distractions were concerned; the small urban area was surrounded with sugarcane fields, and at the time, the closest town was about 10 miles away. Reading and drawing helped pass the time, and are the only two interests I've hung on to. Since then, I've become a movie nut, a chocolate/cheesecake addict, and developed a growing passion for world and new age music. I also collect comics and occasionally drive around the island, just taking pictures of Oahu's natural beauty (one of many favorite spots is traveling through the Pali mountains). When I'm not getting high on sugar or joy riding, I'm usually leeching ideas into my sketchbook. It helps me relax.
Oh yeah, I love green eggs and ham. Doesn't everyone?
When did you first realize you were interested in art? Who (or what) were your earliest influences?
I think it all began when I was about four or five. My mother distinctly reminds me that I was a little terror when I was a kid (can't imagine why) and decided to whisk me off to the library. I called it a strategic diversion, but it worked. Although I was too young to read, I was immediately sucked into the magical worlds of storybooks, and it was here that I was introduced to my first book "Sleeping Beauty." I remember the raw, possessive sense of delight I felt when I took it home and pored over the fantastic pictures. They so were visually different than anything I was told about or shown, and the idea of being whisked away from boring Mundania into a land of fairy godmothers and evil villains stuck with me until I grew older. Eventually I went from children's books to comic books, especially the Byrne/Claremont and Jim Lee/Claremont runs, which I thought were just fantastic. I went through the obligatory "I want to be the next [insert popular comic artist here]" phase, though my heart always returned to my original passions: fantasy and fairytales.
Are you self-taught, or did you have some artistic training?
I primarily began as a self-taught artist, though I didn't receive formal training until I began my second year in college. I went through several semesters of rudimentary art classes and took one year of intense life drawing with the Yida Wang, a gifted artist and teacher who influenced me in the areas of classical drawing. After three years of college in Hawaii, I took the next step and transferred to the Academy of Art College in San Francisco where I received my formal training in illustration.
Who are your favorite artists these days?
It's hard to exactly say whom, since I've recently discovered so many wonderful artists. Right now it's a three-way tie between The Brothers Hildebrandt, Brian Froud, and Michael Whelan. I consider them visionary masters; they're so capable of successfully capturing their passions and creative dreams that you can't help but feel inspired. Every image is a new discovery, and I never tire of looking at their work.
Artists get their inspiration from sorts of weird and wonderful places. Where do you get yours?
Many of my ideas derive from spur-of-the-moment things; a tune on the radio, or a witty phrase from a good book. This fuels my imagination into full art mode. Sometimes I'll have images of people in my head and I'd have to get them on paper. I'll look at it go "Hm, now that has some possibilities," and go on to create an entire piece centering around a particular character. Dreams have also been known to sneak their way into some of my pieces. Generally, my dreams are very vivid and detailed, and the ones that have the most impact are jotted down in a little journal I keep at my bedside.
Can you talk us through the process you go through in creating one of your marvelous pictures-how do you develop the idea into a finished work?
I have a weakness for painting beautiful things, though once in a while I like to do something totally opposite of what I normally do, just to give my imagination some breathing space. For me, storytelling is one of several key elements I use when I create something; I love telling stories, and it's a great way for an artist to communicate with the viewer. But oftentimes, I'll take an idea and see what I can do to it to make it even more interesting, both visually and emotionally. If I'm not satisfied or indecisive about the idea I have, I'll usually sketch it out until the idea becomes coherent. Once this is done, I'll sketch it directly on the surface, or do a transfer if it's an intricate composition. Then I'll go ahead and begin with the actual finishing process. Unless the piece is done for a client with specific requests, I'll usually think about which medium will enhance the idea of the image, and vice versa. I've found that forcing the artwork to fit in a particular medium doesn't work-you sort of have to "go with the flow" or the image won't feel right, so following your instincts is an invaluable tool when it comes to bringing an idea to fruition.
Your art has a beautiful fairytale feel to it-do you read a lot of fairytale books/fantasy literature? Who are your favorite authors?
Most definitely, especially classical fairytales, since a chunk of my childhood was spent reading as many stories as I could. I think my favorite authors would have to be the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. To me, their stories spoke more than the simplistic way in which they were written; they not only drove my imagination insane, they also gave me second thoughts before I delved into another round of trouble making. But most of all, I enjoyed their tales because of its escapism. If I didn't want to deal with reality, all I had to do was open a book.
If you could illustrate a book of your choice-any book-what would it be?
Sleeping Beauty. Definitely Sleeping Beauty. It was the first book I ever picked up. It was my initial introduction to classical fairytales and magic. When I think of all the creative possibilities and ideas to bring it to life, I just drool.
What are your dreams/aspirations, as far as your art is concerned?
Professionally I would like to get into publishing, particularly in the areas of children's books, Hawaiian and [maybe] comics, which would be a childhood dream come true. I love telling stories, and I think giving kids the message of "It's ok to be creative" and "Let loose your imagination" through my artwork would help them feel more self confident about themselves and their perceptions about reading. I think becoming an art instructor would be also be a fun challenge to teach children about art and art appreciation. I'm a kid at heart, and I remember how much fun it was when my teachers would let us go crazy with a few tubs of
finger-paint and a blank sheet of paper.
Personally I am very interested as to where my art will take me, or how it will evolve in the years to come. I know I'm still at a point where I don't feel completely satisfied with what I'm doing, and I know my work will look very different 3 years from now. For me, measuring success isn't a matter of what company you work for or how much a client pays you; it's about personal fulfillment and communication, and I think I'm doing an ok job thus far.
Pencil, digital, watercolours, gouache-it really seems like you can't go wrong! Do you find that your
experiences with different media overlap at all-that is, do you find yourself adapting techniques from one medium to enrich another?
Well, there are times when I'm doing a watercolor painting, and I'll make a mistake and think, "Control Z, Control Z!!" Of course, you can't hit the undo button when you're doing an actual painting, so I've learned to adapt over my past experiences with mixed media. There are some instances where several mediums would work just fantastic on a piece, but in some cases I've had to trash pieces because they weren't working the way I wanted them to. If I want a watercolor piece to look more opaque, I'll use gouache to do some touch ups. If I need to do a quick image, I usually resort to digital. In a way, a lot of my techniques for bringing a piece into fruition inevitably translates into whatever medium I'm working with.
What's your favorite medium to work in?
Watercolor, hands down. There's something organic and beautifully rich about the medium that catches my attention. I've seen some fantastic paintings done in watercolor (David Weisman and Alan Lee come to mind) and it's inspiring to know that there are no limitations when it comes to working with the medium. Plus, it's the only area where I remained almost completely self-taught. Watercolor is such a versatile, yet controlled, medium that you really have to do some exploration and figure out which techniques work best for you.
Your figure drawings are very strong-dynamic and full of life, without being photoreal. Do you do a lot of life drawing?
A lot. I'm the type of person who preaches "practice makes perfect," or at least practice makes improvement. When I'm out of the house, I always remember to take a little sketchbook with me, in case the opportunity to draw pops up. Plus, I love drawing, and if I wasn't into painting, I'd most likely get into professional drafting. Anyway, life drawing is much more than a leisurely hobby; it helps me to think, to get ideas on paper, and more importantly, identify areas of improvement, especially since many of my pieces are done freehand. Doing lots of observational studies pays off, trust me.
Do you have any words of wisdom for artists who are just starting out?
Stay true to yourself, your art, and always be persistent. If you're getting into any type of commercial art, you
have to deal with the business side, which can easily make an artist cynical and jaded. Maintaining a focused and positive attitude is important, and once those jobs start rolling in, just remember to always reserve time to do your own art. A lot of professionals I know become discouraged because their schedules are filled with tight deadlines, leaving no room for them to do personal pieces. You've got to able to do your own art or you'll end up hating it. Also, don't be turned off by rejections; they're a part of the process of becoming a professional, and there's always going to be someone out there who will like your work.
What's the best thing about being an artist?
I like talking to people when they see my work, and I enjoy hearing their opinions and perceptions. Some of it's positive, some of it's not, but just knowing that the artwork has made some emotional impact or connection makes being an artist worthwhile.
And how about the WORST?
Freelancing is a solitary life, and if you don't have anyone around, it can get pretty lonely. That and working pretty erratic hours; sometimes I'll stay up at night to get a piece done, and sleep the rest of the day away. Fortunately it's not a routine that happens often, so I'm able to keep a pretty steady work schedule.
What's your experience been like with having your art displayed on the Internet? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Any funny crazy-people-from-the-Net stories to relate?
For the most part, the Internet has helped generate a generous portion of exposure/advertising that would be difficult (and expensive) to do by traditional means (submitting work in sourcebooks, mailing out postcards, etc). All of my connections have been made via the Internet, and aside from a few rough business bumps, it's been a pretty steady ride. Fortunately, I haven't had any problems as far as copyright infringement goes, which is pretty astounding considering that my art has only been online for just a couple of years. As far as the crazies are concerned-haven't had anything that's been too nuts. I guess I'm too uninteresting to attract an internet stalker,
hehe.
You do a lot of watercolours, so here's a question about those: what do you do if you make a mistake in watercolour-a misplaced brushstroke, an inopportune splatter? Is there any way to "fix" it?
It depends on the mistake; if it's done while the painting is still in the beginning stage, I'll usually find a way to try and lift it out, or attempt to make it look like a deliberate brushstroke. This is where the term "happy accident" comes into play. Many of my watercolor techniques have been a result of accidental mistakes, which I've used on several occasions to achieve a desired effect. But for other mistakes where it's obvious (such as spilling a glob of paint) and covers a large area, I'll scratch the painting and start over.
If there's one thing you'd like to say or express with your art, what would that be?
There's more to fantasy than just dental-floss bikinis, huge barbarians with furry underwear, and the proverbial handsome elves-striking-a-heroic-pose-on-a-treacherous-precipice; to me, it's about taking your perception of fantasy as far as you can go beyond the conventions of reality.
Got anything to say to the lovely folks of Epilogue, which the questions didn't cover?
I'd like to thank Chad and the Epilogue team for letting me be a part of this great community and for giving support to aspiring, talented artists and writers. It's been a great ride, and I can't wait to see the new developments to come. Hana
hou!
Oh yeah-can't forget this one; What cartoons did you watch as a kid?
I'm from the 80's generation, so I grew up watching cartoons like Voltron, Robotech, He-Man, Transformers, Thundercats and such, though my favorites would have to be Robotech and Thundercats. ("Thundercats,
hooooo!!")
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