Post by /\/\att on May 26, 2004 17:13:27 GMT -5
Loston Wallace is the amazing artist behind a number of Batman / DC related coloring books!
BATMAN: DEEP FREEZE
BATMAN: GUARDIAN OF JUSTICE
BATMAN: CRIME SOLVER
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT
ROBIN: TO THE RESCUE
DCU SUPERVILLAIN ROUND UP
SUPERMAN: STOP THE PRESSES
SUPERMAN: ON THE LOOSE
ULTIMATE COLOR/ACTIVITY BOOK
His interpretation of the animated style has a lot of life...he takes the stiffness out of the characters and really puts them into action!
Enjoy these samples of Loston's work:
www.lostonwallace.com/creeper.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/Batpage1a.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/batpage2a.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/batpage3a.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/robin.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/batjoke300.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/Batman.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/freeze2pgspread.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/clayfacebw.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/scarecrow.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/supestoy.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/ivyharleyinks.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/BatmanGravesLarge.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/justiceleague100.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/Batgirl.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/charltons.jpg
LoG: We're a big fan of your work in various past Batman / DC coloring books. What influences did you draw upon when working on the books? Did you
simply use character models, or were you a fan of the animated series at the time?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Yes to both questions. I loved the show, but had actually never attempteddrawing in the animated, Bruce Timm style prior to seeking work at DC. My friend, John Trumbull, had shown some animated samples to one of the DC licenses editors, and was granted a second follow-up interview with the editor. Being the nice fellow that he is, John made mention of me to this editor, and asked if he could bring me in with him to meet the editor and
show sample work. The editor said it was okay, so I found myself having to work up some samples in the animated style. I didn't have any model sheets
or previous experience drawing in the Timm-style. My usual approach to drawing is very realistic. Much more like a John Buscema, Neal Adams or Wally Wood, so the Timm animated style was something altogether
different for me. I sort of winged it. Anyway, the editor liked both my work and John's, so we were hired to do freelance work for the license department at the same time, and were given the new style model sheets and style guides.
Btw, here's one of the sample images I drew to get the job:
www.lostonwallace.com/batcat.jpg
--------------------------------
LoG: Your work is a flawless continuation of the art from the Batman cartoons. How long does it take you to complete a coloring/activity book on average?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Wow--thanks for the compliment! To answer your question 64 pencilled pages in 4 weeks. That's a lot of work, but the toughest thing was every page having to be approved by the editor. All the details had to be just right, so I'd have to fax roughs of every page and await the editor's response.
That slows down the process, but I always made the deadlines without feeling rushed.
--------------------------------
LoG: After doing so many Batman / DC projects, is there any pressure or difficulty in keeping things fresh? How do you decide on the various poses and characters to be included?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Keeping things fresh..hmm. I never had to worry about that. The animated style had just had a make-over. It took a while to get a hang of the new look, which hadn't even aired on television at that point. I found it a fun challenge. As far as poses and characters, well that depended on the situation. DC would provide descriptions of what was happening on a
page, and then I drew an image based on that. For instance, with the Batman/Catwoman image above, the description might have been:
"Inside the Gotham Museum, Batman ensnares Catwoman using his batarang
batline, causing the feline fatale to drop a very large diamond."
Using a description like that, I'd determine what poses I thought worked, and DC would have the final word on whether it did or not. Lucky for me, it almost always worked. Heh.
--------------------------------
LoG: Why do you think DC hasn't utilized you in any of their titles yet? Legions of Gotham is ready to petition DC to let them know we want to see you involved in a monthly book!
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] It's a question I have no answers for. I've shown my stuff to DC editors, and always they love my samples, but no sequential work has come from
it so far. My last batch of samples was for the JUSTICE LEAGUE animated comic, and they were well received. I came away from the DC office with a JUSTICE LEAGUE style guide and felt like I'd get work, but that didn't happen. The reality is this: There are only a limited number of jobs in the industry, and most editors already have talent they are comfortable with--talent
they know that fans like--who can meet deadlines, etc. It's very tough to break-in as a new guy in the business today. VERY TOUGH. I feel like I'll
eventually get work though, should I pursue it more.
Here's a sample page from my recent JUSTICE LEAGUE DC samples. This isn't even available on my web site:
www.lostonwallace.com/justiceleague2.jpg
--------------------------------
LoG: Do you have any Dc / Batman related proejcts on the horizon? If not, what other projects can we expect from you?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Sadly, I don't. Currently, I'm busy doing commission work, and I'm working on my own pulp comic with Micah Harris, who wrote the graphic novel HEAVEN'S WAR for Image. It's called STRANGE PASSAGES. Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales) is doing the cover to the first issue, and Robin Riggs (Supergirl) will
be inking it. Matt Webb (JB'S NEXT MEN) may be coloring the book. I'm pencilling and co-plotting. I'm very excited about this project, but it's not in the animated style though. It's more in a Dave Stevens
direction.
BATMAN: DEEP FREEZE
BATMAN: GUARDIAN OF JUSTICE
BATMAN: CRIME SOLVER
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT
ROBIN: TO THE RESCUE
DCU SUPERVILLAIN ROUND UP
SUPERMAN: STOP THE PRESSES
SUPERMAN: ON THE LOOSE
ULTIMATE COLOR/ACTIVITY BOOK
His interpretation of the animated style has a lot of life...he takes the stiffness out of the characters and really puts them into action!
Enjoy these samples of Loston's work:
www.lostonwallace.com/creeper.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/Batpage1a.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/batpage2a.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/batpage3a.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/robin.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/batjoke300.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/Batman.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/freeze2pgspread.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/clayfacebw.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/scarecrow.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/supestoy.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/ivyharleyinks.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/BatmanGravesLarge.jpg
www.lostonwallace.com/images/justiceleague100.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/Batgirl.gif
www.lostonwallace.com/images/charltons.jpg
LoG: We're a big fan of your work in various past Batman / DC coloring books. What influences did you draw upon when working on the books? Did you
simply use character models, or were you a fan of the animated series at the time?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Yes to both questions. I loved the show, but had actually never attempteddrawing in the animated, Bruce Timm style prior to seeking work at DC. My friend, John Trumbull, had shown some animated samples to one of the DC licenses editors, and was granted a second follow-up interview with the editor. Being the nice fellow that he is, John made mention of me to this editor, and asked if he could bring me in with him to meet the editor and
show sample work. The editor said it was okay, so I found myself having to work up some samples in the animated style. I didn't have any model sheets
or previous experience drawing in the Timm-style. My usual approach to drawing is very realistic. Much more like a John Buscema, Neal Adams or Wally Wood, so the Timm animated style was something altogether
different for me. I sort of winged it. Anyway, the editor liked both my work and John's, so we were hired to do freelance work for the license department at the same time, and were given the new style model sheets and style guides.
Btw, here's one of the sample images I drew to get the job:
www.lostonwallace.com/batcat.jpg
--------------------------------
LoG: Your work is a flawless continuation of the art from the Batman cartoons. How long does it take you to complete a coloring/activity book on average?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Wow--thanks for the compliment! To answer your question 64 pencilled pages in 4 weeks. That's a lot of work, but the toughest thing was every page having to be approved by the editor. All the details had to be just right, so I'd have to fax roughs of every page and await the editor's response.
That slows down the process, but I always made the deadlines without feeling rushed.
--------------------------------
LoG: After doing so many Batman / DC projects, is there any pressure or difficulty in keeping things fresh? How do you decide on the various poses and characters to be included?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Keeping things fresh..hmm. I never had to worry about that. The animated style had just had a make-over. It took a while to get a hang of the new look, which hadn't even aired on television at that point. I found it a fun challenge. As far as poses and characters, well that depended on the situation. DC would provide descriptions of what was happening on a
page, and then I drew an image based on that. For instance, with the Batman/Catwoman image above, the description might have been:
"Inside the Gotham Museum, Batman ensnares Catwoman using his batarang
batline, causing the feline fatale to drop a very large diamond."
Using a description like that, I'd determine what poses I thought worked, and DC would have the final word on whether it did or not. Lucky for me, it almost always worked. Heh.
--------------------------------
LoG: Why do you think DC hasn't utilized you in any of their titles yet? Legions of Gotham is ready to petition DC to let them know we want to see you involved in a monthly book!
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] It's a question I have no answers for. I've shown my stuff to DC editors, and always they love my samples, but no sequential work has come from
it so far. My last batch of samples was for the JUSTICE LEAGUE animated comic, and they were well received. I came away from the DC office with a JUSTICE LEAGUE style guide and felt like I'd get work, but that didn't happen. The reality is this: There are only a limited number of jobs in the industry, and most editors already have talent they are comfortable with--talent
they know that fans like--who can meet deadlines, etc. It's very tough to break-in as a new guy in the business today. VERY TOUGH. I feel like I'll
eventually get work though, should I pursue it more.
Here's a sample page from my recent JUSTICE LEAGUE DC samples. This isn't even available on my web site:
www.lostonwallace.com/justiceleague2.jpg
--------------------------------
LoG: Do you have any Dc / Batman related proejcts on the horizon? If not, what other projects can we expect from you?
[glow=red,2,300]Loston Wallace:[/glow] Sadly, I don't. Currently, I'm busy doing commission work, and I'm working on my own pulp comic with Micah Harris, who wrote the graphic novel HEAVEN'S WAR for Image. It's called STRANGE PASSAGES. Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales) is doing the cover to the first issue, and Robin Riggs (Supergirl) will
be inking it. Matt Webb (JB'S NEXT MEN) may be coloring the book. I'm pencilling and co-plotting. I'm very excited about this project, but it's not in the animated style though. It's more in a Dave Stevens
direction.