~GarouKabushi asks "Hey Genzo, do you have any tips on how to start practicing in
background concepts, like the best type of sceneries to start with? And did you ever watch
Saint Seiya/Knights of the Zodiac?"
Im a BIG fan of Saint Seiya!!! indeed part of my love for the mythological topic comes from here
since them i start to draw almost every myth chara with some kind of armor. XD The show was very
popular in South America.
About backgrounds: Depends on the type of background you need to do. I usually try to avoid the
excess of detail and focus in just some elements like the floor or the near objects. This was used by
old painters from the romantic and neoclassic period, but also by one of the most influential modern
fantasy art, like Frank Frazetta. I recommend you to try to do a priority range based in light
if a object is closer to the light, it has more details, if it is far, less. : )
~AnthonyTehAwesone asks "Hey Genzo, what are your first steps in coming up with the basic
pose of the piece you are working on?"
I usually got requested to do pin-ups more than narrative work, so the pin-up haves somewhat of
restrictions about how to show a character. When I say how to show a character, I mean to not do a
difficult perspective to not lose the design or affect how the reader can read it. So I try to look for
some poses that can be read easy even in a far view (like a thumbnail).
I try to always break lines. For example, I try to avoid shoulders in the same line or legs in the same
position, if the body is pointing to the right, the head is pointing to left. The idea is look for more
directions in order to make it more dynamic, even if the pose is a bit stiff. I do usually 5 or 6 sketches
before go to the final sketch where I try to play with another dynamic parts, like the fabric/cloth or
hair. :)
~JohnTheImaginative asks "Hey Genzoman, how did you get your start doing art?"
I start like everyone else: This was a hobby for me in the school. I wasn’t the best guy in the class,
but i like to draw because it was fun. Then I had to choose something to study in college and I chose
design. I used to live in a little town called Arica, in the north of Chile.
~Kiltwearer asks "Genzo...What were you 5 most influential reason you picked up your
artwork and began drawing in the first place. How long ago was that?"
Oh the question of Kiltwearer. Hummm. This was back in time when I was a 19 year old guy...
My main reason to start drawing was that I really want to draw, because it was more fun for me than
everything. The second reason is because I used to live alone and I wanted to have regular work. By
that time I started to show some of my work and some editorials offered me some little jobs. The
third reason was that well... I really like to be a teacher, but here in Chile the pay is really bad
so you know... I have to eat!! The fourth reason is that I really love the games and comics... in
someway I wanted to be part of that. I know it sounds like a bad anime script, but I agree: If you
really have a dream you have to follow it. The fifth reason is I was young and when you are young
you can make mistakes and recover from it later so I can gamble a bit with my life and take the
chance to try to live as a illustrator before real life caught me.
The first years were difficult, but then you realize you can make a life off art and it becomes a work
like any other working 8 hours daily or more! You are your own boss. :P So you can be the boss of
your own worker (myself : D).
~SlimeAttackk asks "What was the most inspirational thing that has been said to you?" and
*Youko-MJ asks "What's some of the best advice anyone's given you concerning art?"
The most inspirational thing was something that a Spanish painter told me years ago when I went to
an art convention, invited by my university. He asked us for our names. One of the aspiring artists
there was a guy called "JESUS CRUZ" (jesus cross) and the Spanish guy said "SEE? This man has a
REAL NAME for an artist!” Then another aspiring artist said: "My name is Salvador
Iglesias" (something like Savior church). The spanish guy said "Another man with a good name for
an artist!!” Then he looked to me and asked me, "And your name?" "Gonzalo Ordo?ez," I said.
"YOUR NAME IS TERRIBLE!!! You never will be an artist with that name!" Then I started to use
the Genzo nickname for everything. :D I think that was the most inspirational thing
(Hahahaha). Why? because... it make me realize that sometimes you need to liberate from yourself
from your own name, and from the expectations you have on yourself. Then I realized I don’t need to
be Gonzalo Ordo?ez. I can be Genzo who is an invention of myself, a guy who can be a painter and
IS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING. :P
lol. The best advice was from my former design teacher, "You know, you are a cartoonist... you need
to quit study design.” XD I think that was the best advice because I was a bit afraid to live as a
freelancer. I visualized myself working in a company or an office with a job from 8 AM to 5 PM.
That was pretty much what I expected for my life.
~DushiRox asks "Did you always know you where going to be a artist or did you have another
dream?"
Hehehe, Since I was a kid and I got my first copy for NES of the original Zelda and I read the little
booklet I wanted to work on that. I spent my childhood drawing ninja turtles, Ghostbusters and
Thundercats for my friends. I also would have liked to study astronomy or be a musician (I play the
piano), but I wouldn’t change my life. I really like to paint all the day. :D I’m really happy with the
life I have. : ) I also would like to drive a truck along the country but that is another story. XD
~davidmstokes asks "Hi Genzoman! How often do you use traditional mediums and do you
ever use it as part of your creative process?"
Oh! I think I haven’t used a traditional medium since 2007. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to paint in
acrylic or oils, and I also like to do sketches with pen and paper, but since the editorial process is
very quick, I started to work mostly in digital, because it is quick (you don’t have to wait for it to dry
in paint), and it is also cheaper (usually a painting with oils can cost you a 30% to a 50% of the
payment :S). Also because I’m a green artist... to avoid the deforestation of the woods!! Artists use
too much paper!! And that is not a green option!! (lies, that was bullshit, lol).
~DushiRox, ~SlimeAttackk, and ~BalloonBear ask "How do you deal with art block, if and
when you get it?"
Uff, that’s a difficult question, because art blocks are real when you start to work in a professional
medium. You need to deliver and you cannot depend on the muse to come to inspire you, so you have
to be your own muse. People say that "NEED is the mother of invention."
When you feel a lot of pressure over you, art blocks usually disappear, like with school homework.
Try to make room every day for a session looking at art here on DA or Pixiv. Try to listen a lot to
music, play video games, try to breathe a different form of art/design, so you will always be inspired,
not by others work, but to get used to see how art flows. It is like sports. If you never go outside to
run, you will be tired in a minute, but if you go outside and run everyday, you are ready to run a
marathon. The same happens with art. You need to keep your brain inspired by getting mental
stimulation.
~NyxethNullfire asks "Question from a client perspective: As an artist who does a large
amount of commercial work (for magazines, book covers, so on), what can we (the clients) do to
make your job easier and more enjoyable for the both of us?"
Oh! The Nyxet question: Well. I think that clients and artists need feedback to work together. I
mean : (Sorry, my English is not very good) An artist needs to trust in the client’s vision and also the
client needs to trust in the artist’s vision. Usually a conversation or talking about the project does a
lot more than a very long description, because both can exchange ideas about how the image could
work best (“I want my image to look like this EXAMPLE” and “This is what I’d like to do----EXAMPLE”). If I want to create a character, a quick description is good (“Type of hair, height, kind
of body, eye color, this guy could look like this actor... Oh! And this is a brief about his personal
story, etc”). Characters are always an image that needs to reflect the story behind him/her I think.
*TeenTitansMan asks "So, how long have you been working with Photoshop?" And
~DRACOICE asks "What techniques and brushes do you use in Photoshop when you make
your artwork?"
I started to paint with Corel Paint. It was like the poor cousin of Photoshop, but I really like that
software. Overall, I like the smudge option tool because it was closer to real blending than the
Photoshop tool. Later I was convinced by friends and AGAIN by my girlfriend to move to Photoshop
and the change was really nice. In the beginning I used Corel Paint, because in 1998-1999 I saw a lot
of Japanese artist that used to work on it in TINAMI working in the same technique I use today
(grisaille, you know, works in a greyscale palette and then colors it). I switched to Photoshop in
2002. It took me nearly a year to understand the change, mostly because I still missed a lot of some
Corel Photopaint options. That taught me an important lesson. Some people preach how much better
is Painter, while some people preach how much better is SAI or Photoshop. I think there is not a
thing like the best software, there is the best software for you: The one where you feel most
comfortable. That is the correct software for you: The one where you feel like home, but I encourage
you to check every one of them, in order to find the best one for you.
~BLGSobione asks "How many projects do you generally work on at once, and how do you
manage your time to meet deliverables?" and ~dhu-jv asks "Genzo, how do you manage the
time for a commission. I mean, how much of the time do you take on them?"
Depends. When you see an image posted in DA, it’s usually past a year or more. Usually a
client will give you permission to post the image when the product is released to the market.
In that time you can usually work on 3 or 4 projects at the same time without problem. This year to
me was nearly a catastrophe. I moved to a new city to heal my kid of his illness and my wife spent a
lot of time in the hospital So pretty much i was like Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happiness" with
my kid from the doctor to hospital, working with my laptop on McDonalds or waiting in the therapy
room. He wasn’t able to talk and if I didn’t give medical attention, he could be mute forever. Thanks
to the doctors, everything is okay now. He started to talk and looks like things will be better. : ) It was
really difficult. This year I also had my second son, Leonardo. : ) I am still trying to meet some lost
deadlines because of these events, but everything is better now. : )
*TwoTigerMoon asks "What art pieces or artwork (or artist) do you turn to for inspiration?"
I spent a lot of years when I was in secondary reading this manga and trying to draw his characters:
I’m a big fan of haggier. Some of my designs are very influenced by him. Another of my favorite
artists is Enrique Alcatena, a comic book artist from Argentina. He has a very dreamlike kind of
drawing and inking. I really invite you to know his work. Another artist of Argentina that I like is
Ruben Meriggi. There is also Cascioli. Altuna, and Juan Zanotto. Then there are Japanese influences,
like Yoshiyuki Sadamoto or Mazakazu Katsura, Bengus, Akiman, and Kinu Nishimura.
Oh! AndGlenn Rane, the guy from Warcraft was a big influence for me in the last years.
I was a big fan of World of Warcraft and his style really caught me.
~Chess-no-1 asks "Genzo, do you plan to work with any professional gaming companies (such
as WoW)?"
Right now I’m working for WOW. Since 2006 I’ve done some images in games (like the Blood Elf
mage girl in the load screen for the burning crusade) and the TCG, and I have been working with
Wayforward for Double Dragon Neon.
~EternalSurvivor asks "If you could work for any animation studio in the world, which one
would it be and why?"
Ugh, IT’S DIFFICULT!!! I love so many of them. <3
My favorites are of course, Ghibli, Gainax, Madhouse, 4C and Nippon animation... I liked Topcraft a
lot, but sadly they were dissolved in the 80’s. :c
~sergio-quijada asks "Genzo, if you would have the chance to pick up your client, what would
be your choice? What is the brand/game/comic you would love to draw or work sometime
before you're old and you're hand can't hold your Wacom pencil?"
BTW, Sergio is a long time friend of mine. XD He lives in the same block as me and he is a GREAT
artist, so please check his DA.
I have two brands I would love to work for. One is, OF COURSE ZELDA or anything with nintendo!
My other favorite franchise is Castlevania. I FUCKING LOVE CASTLEVANIA!! Since the first
game... sometimes I think my favorite game is Super Castlevania IV, but then there is Majora’s Mask.
Agh, so difficult to pick one.... oh, maybe do the next U2 cover album ?
=JaezX asks "Genzoman: What kinds of things are reflected in your style?"
Maybe that I’m an eclectic guy... My main problem with my style is that I’m sometimes “too
Japanese” for the American market, and sometimes I’m “too American” for the Japanese market.
At least that is the problem I had with my work since I can remember: "Hey dude, can you make this
looks less like manga?" vs "Hey dude, can you make this look more like manga?" In some ways I
think that our style reflects our own tastes in art and the kind of themes we like. Sometimes it is hard
to not show your preferences, because it is what makes you be yourself. I had a lot of friends who are
illustrators too, and we share the same influences, but we had a different approach because of the
proportion of how much we like something had a variation.
It is pretty much like when you make a mojito. Every bar has a different proportion of each
ingredient based on the preferences of the bartender. That makes the difference I think, and that
makes you have a signature: The variation or the proportion of the things you like. Sometimes it is
easy to read the preferences of someone: "Hey, you like Naruto!" or "Hey, you are a big fan of
Evangelion," and I think that is okay.
~Locke3k asks "Hi Genzo. Hope you're doing good. I wanted to ask: How do you avoid the
"shakey lines" problem (when the tremble on your drawing hand is clearly visible in the
linework)?"
Most people think that illustration is a mental thing, but I think it is also a physical thing. It’s like
sports: You need to train your hand to be confident with each movement. I was sick and spent a lot of
time in the hospital back in 2009 with pancreatitis. For 3 months I had nearly no movement, and
stayed in a bed. My full body had wires coming from here to there. I just had my right arm free. I
asked to my wife to bring my laptop and bamboo tablet to keep working. So I spent months in the
hospital working. I did a whole set of Legend of the 5 Rings there and some Warcraft arts, and the
Soul Caliber set of images for UFS. The doctor said: "You need to rest! You cannot work!!" I replied
to him, "If I don’t work, I can’t pay you,” and then he let me work.
The point is: When I was able to leave the hospital, I wasn’t able to walk because I hadn’t walked in
months. It took me weeks to walk again and near to 2 months to run again. I needed to learn to walk
again and to breathe so as to not get tired. I think the same happens with the hand and your drawing
ability. If you draw everyday, your hand will be confident and your lines will be stronger (That's a
really good, meaningful story).
Try to practice everyday. Do one right line and then another straight line on the side, trying to keep
the same distance, and make circles and curves. Your hand becomes stronger with practice, and your
arm, too. See if you are the kind of guy who draws with the elbow, the shoulder, or the fingers, and
be comfortable.
~davidmstokes asks "Being a game artist, how often do you actually play video games?"
A LOT!! Almost one time at day, for some 20 minutes to relax a bit I love beat em ups, action RPG
right now my kid becomes a big fan of sonic
so I revisited the whole saga from the first one
right now playing with him Sonic & Sega All Star Racing transformed
for all of you who are afraid to have kids in the future because they will mess with your consoles
let me give you an advice:
your kids will have all your games and you will be happy to share with them the joy of gaming
~Ai-Nee asks "What encouraged you to continue being an artist and what struggles did you go
through to remain one?" and ~GarouKobushi asks "Does being an artist offer good enough
(financial) support for your own daily life?'
Ai-nee:The sad part of being an artist is the time. You see, when i was a kid I used to read Bastard!!
from Kazushi hagiwara... he always have a little comic in the last page where he talked about his life.
He usually rants about how little time he had outside paint and work... I thought he was joking but is
true XD
Sometimes your friends will be reunited to do something fun and you will miss it because you will be
in a deadline
or you will lost a family reunion because a client need someting this night
for me this is complicated part of the editorial work, you are tied no to the normal worker times you
are tied to a project time and this could be a bit stressing sometimes
but, Hey! is fun
sometimes pressure gives extra flavor and challenge to your creativity
Garou:yeah, to be honest, it can be good, but you need to work a lot
because is proportional to your work
if you do an small amount of work, it can be dificult but if you do a lot, you can have good life, i
mean, not to buy a ferrari and eat lobster, but at least to dont have worries
~SlimeAttackk asks "What are your favorite past times when you're not drawing?"
hahaha, more drawing XD
games, movies, music and read a lot right now hearing the last Muse Album and Espers last album
music inspired me a lot is like sound landscapes
you hear some stuff and you can imagine characters, stories, etc I like a lot to take a walk and talk
with old people, they have some interesting stories too
or go to the downtown to see how street artist work grafitti, street painting, etc
you can learn a lot from them and the techniques they use to produce wonderfull images in small
time
but maybe my favorite thing is play with my kid and his sonic figures XD
the bad thing is right now im forever the bad guy
~Aya-Creuset asks "What do the people around you think of your work and how do you feel
about the feedback that we Chileans give you? Thank you."
hahaha, some friends think im a perv to draw girls to often XD
I remember a convention time ago
as you know I dont use photos and I only use the chihuahua pic
I meet in a contention a guy who told me: "you dont look like I imagined you by your drawings"
I reply: "well, Im not a muscle warrior and I dont have boobs"
(Hahahaha)
~AnthonyTehAwesome asks "What would be one recommendation (besides being a good artist)
at getting more people to follow your artwork? I've seen some really talented artists who have
receive little to no support or watchers and wonder why."
The people of chile give me always an awesome feedback, Im really thankfull with people for be
kind with me and my work
Anthony: You know this is a great question because is true, there is a lot of awesome artist that recibe
little support
I think this is in part two problems: there is two kind of art
the art who is targeted for the public and the art targeted for another artist.
I love Francis Bacon art but i can understan why some guy in the street could like a lot more the last
batman issue than bacon art
same happens with music or writting
there is diferent messages and diferent codes
is not about technique is about how your comunicate with your audience
and how clear is the message you are sending not only in colors also in choice or compositions A
quick example I used to have a friend who was a musician he phe used to be in a band but not a rock
band he was at a classical symphonic orchestra the guy was a trully master in several instruments
some day (and nobody expected it) he started a punk band
and he started to cacth more attention over his work why? it was not for the change
or for how popular was the genre it was because now he had a THEME
something to tell to the people art is just a vehicle for what you want to tell I love Mythology so I
talk about mythology you see?
=Nalusa asks "Genzo, I see on alot of your work that you typically list your tools of choice as
being a Bamboo.What is it about the Bamboo that you use it over a more ‘high end’ tablet like
a Cintiq? Also, what line of bamboo do you use? Wacom seems to have so many out these
days…” and ~AntthonyTehAwesome asks "Hey Genzo, would you have any specific
preferences for tablets or tools to do your work? I'm just working off the free version of
Sketchbook on my mac and need to scan pencil drawings in. If I were to get something tablet-y/
program wise (besides photoshop) what would you recommend?"
I love my old little bambooI know is not as great as intuos line or cintiq but i feel a lot more
confortable there
since im more used to draw in little spaces like a little book or papers
~Narunovi asks "Genzo, do you plan to come to the US to any convention or make any
workshop? You have many fans over here, and we would love to meet you!"
its because im more used to draw moving my hands and fingers instear to my arm
also bamboo is a little tablet so i can carry it along my laptop in my bag and start to paint in the bank,
or waiting in the doctor, etc
I never get used to the cintiq because i dont like the sensation of paint over glass
let me tell you a secret if you paint in your bamboo or intuos try to put a paper over the tablet
you will feel the same feelling that when you draw in traditional mediums because the papper will
give you the same friction
it help me a lot and also will give you more confidence and is more nice than move the pencil over
plastic
~AnthonyTehAwesome asks "Hey Genzo, have you ever been asked to do art with something
you didn't know how to draw (i.e like a plane or something), and if so how much, if any,
research did you do for it or did you just say 'idk how to draw that'?"
I try to be honest if I dont know how to draw something. Time ago i was involved with a film
prouction
theys asked me to do the draw of a CG character that wasnt fully modeled at this time
as you know or if you read the marvel star wars adaption of 70’s there is a big danger of screw it if
you draw without knowing the source material. So I try to ask the client every detail posible to avoid
any error of course if you need to draw something from real life you need to study your subject and
do a reseach research+
~Narunovi asks "Genzo, do you plan to come to the US to any convention or make any
workshop? You have many fans over here, and we would love to meet you!"
oh; I will love to travel there to a convention
sadly chile is too far and is a bit expensive to me to travel there XD I hope to be invited to USA
someday
I will be in europe this 2013 in an event
~BalloonBear asks "As an artist, when you finish an artwork what do you feel/think about it?
Do you have special feelings for your art and how do you view them?"
at Polymanga Event I hate my work when I finished it XD maybe because when is prited you start to
niptick about how you could make it better or you think how good it could be to habe a couple more
od hours to make changes but is later
thats why sometimes i try to make some changes of them if I can
the George Lucas syndrome that is from a technical point you know and you keep discovering things
when you are painting, you have a relationship that ends when the image is finished then the image
dont belongs you anymore belongs to the viewer from a sentimental point humm images are the way
I count hours i can rememner wich music i was listening or what movie i was watching when i saw a
pic
but to be honest The images are mine when I’m working on them
is like take care of a kid but when you finish it is like when kids leave home
you give them a kiss and say goodbye, you can visite them sometimes and remember good times but
life continues and you need to move quick to the next one