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Interview with Socar Myles
Featured Artist for June 2002
Would you introduce yourself and give a little personal background?
Man, this question is the worst! I never know how to answer it--do I stick to "just the facts, ma'am", or do I tell some funny story to get everyone's attention? Or do I get into gory details, right down to my weight at birth, my favourite colour, and the name of my first pet? (Six pounds, red, and Mitzi). No, seriously, though--I'm Socar Myles, born in London, England, currently living in Umeå, Sweden. My first ambition, as a little kid, was to be a soldier. Fortunately for me (and probably for the world), I changed my mind somewhere in the process of growing up, there, and decided to get into the art field instead. Now, I plan to take over the world with an army of elegant rats, rather than with a rifle or a bazooka.
How long have you been an artist? How long have you been creating fantasy art?
Well, I didn't start drawing seriously till I was sixteen. That's when I went off to university, and suddenly found myself with a lot more freedom on my hands. I wasn't too brilliant to start with, however, and it was years before I could make the big jump to art school. Within a year of starting to draw and paint, I knew I wanted to do something with it. At first, I drew mostly dogs and rats, because I had both in the house, and I'd heard life drawing was the best way to learn. As anyone who knows my work can see, this trend has persisted, although I have branched out into fantasy illustration as well in the last couple of years. I got into the fantasy deal just under a year ago, when I decided to go fully professional. There's a huge market for fantasy art out there--more jobs to be done than there are artists to do them--so it's the easiest way to break into professional illustration. It's also one of the most fun and educational things I've ever done: to do well in fantasy art, you've got to be able to draw ANYTHING, because you'll be asked to draw some pretty weird stuff! I've learned more since I started working in the fantasy field than I did in four years of art school.
Have you had any formal training in the fine arts?
Yes, I went to Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, Canada. I think the most valuable lessons I learned came from experience, though, not from instruction. Anyone who wants to learn to draw just has to keep trying. Unless you're practicing every single day, no amount of art school is going to help you. Things like composition, dynamic use of colour, and confidence of line can only be learned through experience.
What are your biggest artistic influences and inspirations?
I can get inspired by anything--a line from a book, a good tune, a painting by another artist, and so forth. As far as influences go, the answer's probably the same as for the question about favourite artists, below.
Can you describe your creative process - how you come up with ideas for a new drawing and how you take those ideas and create a finished piece of art.
Well, usually I have a list of pictures I either want to do or have to do for work, and I think about them all the time. Whenever I get a good idea, I note it down on the list, sometimes in the form of a sketch, but more often just in a few words. When these little notes cement themselves into a firm notion of where I'm going, I just start painting. Sometimes, if the painting is for work, and the description is ambiguous, I do a line drawing for the art director to look at first. When I get to the painting stage, I put in the main areas of colour, light, and shadow first, then I build up highlights and shadows until they form themselves into...well...a painting. That's a bit of an oversimplification, but it's tough to describe how I work just in words.
Do you have a favorite fantasy artist or an artist you admire?
Well, I've got to give Albrecht Durer the place of honour, in that regard. It was his work that first got me started drawing, and it does contain a lot of fantastical elements. I used to stare at "Knight, Death, and the Devil" and "Melancholia" for hours. Next up is Frank Miller, comic-book artist extraordinaire. As I always say, Frank Miller is the MAN! Post-impressionism, especially in the style of Vincent Van Gogh, is also a big inspiration for me. As far as contemporary artists (other than Frank Miller) go, I've got to cite the usual suspects--Craig Mullins, Giger, Manara, et cetera.
What advice would you give to young artists who are just starting out?
Keep at it. That's the only way you can improve. There are going to be jerks out there who will tell you that your work is dreadful, and you'll never amount to anything, but you have to ignore them. And be confident--ANYBODY can learn to draw and paint. If you've got great ideas, and you want to get them out there through painting, then just do it, no matter what it takes. If you've got the passion, and you've got an original, interesting vision, that will shine through, and you'll make it just fine in the art world. If you want to break into professional art, make sure you advertise yourself a lot--once your name is out there, the work will come looking for YOU.
If you could be a character from a fantasy novel, movie or game, who would you be?
Good question. I would be either Mr. Flay from the "Gormenghast" trilogy, because a) my knees pop, too, and b) I admire his dedication; or Dwight from "Sin City", because revenge is good.
Finally, what cartoons did you watch as a kid?
I didn't have a TV as a kid, so I didn't watch too many. But I do remember being at my grandma's house and watching...you know, I don't remember what it was called, but it had these guys called "Noggin the Nog" and "Olaf the Lofty" in it, and there was a bird called "Graculus". The baddie was called "Nogbad the Bad". Years later, many people made fun of me for having watched this show...ha, ha!
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