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Interview with Stan Wisniewski
Featured Artist for March 2003
Interviewed by Patrick McEvoy
Stan, thank you for your time in doing this interview. Ever since you came onto the Epilogue scene last year, many of us have been fascinated by your style, technique and endless creativity.
So, first things first: Who is Stan Wisniewski? Where are you from, where do you live now? What can you tell us about yourself?
First of all, I want to thank Epilogue (and Patrick) for inviting me to do this interview.
I was born in 1955 on the south side of Chicago. Currently, I live in Geneva, Illinois with my wife Susan. I have made a living the last 17 years as a computer systems analyst. I was laid-off about a year ago -- that is the bad news. The good news is that I have done 30 paintings in that time.
Did you know from a young age that you wanted to be an artist?
At an early age I was able to take a photograph and do a reasonable drawing from it. I would get praise from adults. To me, that was great and it made me unique, at least in my own little world. So, like Pavlov's dog, I was conditioned ... drawing=praise. From a young age I thought that was what an artist did. Yes, I wanted to be an artist.
Who were your earliest artistic influences?
Before I started taken professional art lessons, my early influences were comic books and pictures of museum paintings. I just found the ones I liked and copied them. I wasn't doing anything original.
It seems a lot of us started out as comics fans. Do you remember some of your favorites from back then, either in comics or museums?
My earliest comic influences were Marvel and DC super heroes of the early 1960's. There was also Mort Drucker who did movie satires for Mad magazines. His caricatures still inspire me today. Jack Davis also did classic drawing for Mad. Berni Wrightson had a unique, realistic comic book style.
What sort of formal artistic training did you have?
I spent 2 years at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. I went from a 'big fish in a very small pond' to a 'small fish in a very big lake'. It was a devastating shock to find out that I didn't know how to draw. I could take a flat 2-dimensional picture and copy it, but put a live model in front of me and I was lost. The praise I thought I was entitled to turned to criticism. My work there was undistinguished, but I learned how to struggle and develop. Almost 30 years later, I am still following that path.
What or who are your most recent influences -- the artists or movements that are of most interest to you now?
When I was at the American Academy of Art, I saw Frazetta's work for the first time. This was a gigantic influence. I realized that art did not have to be so academic and unimaginative. I started to come up with original ideas and compositions. I began to draw without using references. Now I had to study anatomy seriously. It gave me a direction. Frazetta was my biggest influence the first 20 years. In the last 10 years, I have studied Waterhouse, Rubens, Escher and N.C. Wyeth. I'm most influenced by the artists that are "story tellers".
Do you aspire to be a full-time artist someday?
I would like the financial security to paint and study full-time. The trick for every artist is how to achieve a personalized definition of financial security. The definition changes in different stages of your life.
You seem to do a lot of preparatory sketches for your paintings. Do you enjoy drawing as much as painting?
Actually, I would prefer to just draw. To me, that is where the most potential for talent is. For example, it's not just copying a photograph of a horse. It is studying the anatomy, exaggerating the pose and giving it a style. You can't fake that with technique. Drawing is the backbone of painting. This is especially true in Sci-Fi/Fantasy. You should be drawing dreams, not costumed models.
What do you use to draw with - do you have a favorite paper, pencil, charcoal, etc.?
I usually start with soft charcoal and newsprint and just play with it. Once I know what I want, I use cotton, colored charcoal paper. I lightly resketch the drawing in soft charcoal. Then I use charcoal pencil to finish the drawing. Finally I add highlights with white charcoal stick.
Your figure drawing in particular is quite strong. It seems you must have studied quite a bit of life drawing.
Yes, I go to life drawing classes about every 4-5 years, for the last 30 years. It really sharpens your ability to concentrate. The ability to focus your thoughts is accumulative. It is something you have to work on.
What method do you use to transfer your drawings to the painting surface?
I do a preparatory sketch if there is a complex composition or drawing. For those, I draw on heavy art paper. I then trace the outline with tracing paper. I rub the back of the tracing paper with graphite, place the tracing paper over a canvas board and retrace, pressing heavily. You can also use transfer paper, which is really glorified carbon paper. Just place the transfer paper between your drawing and the canvas board. Retrace the drawing, pressing heavily.
For simpler drawings, I just redraw directly onto the canvas using a brush and acrylic wash.
Do you use models or photos of models as reference for the characters you paint?
First, I come up with an idea. Then I start to make sketches, trying to come up with a composition. After that, I start to look for references and will use several for a single figure. About 50% of the final drawing is done without references. Sometimes I'll take a photo of myself, my wife, or a friend for a pose.
On a rare occasion, I see a photo that inspires a composition. In that case, about 75% of the figure drawing comes from that photo. I particularly like to use old photographs (1840-1920). There is more authenticity in them. An example is a painting I did called "Gypsy".
About 70% of my background rendering is done without references.
All the painted work you have on Epilogue is Acrylic. Have you worked in other painting mediums, and if so what made you decide on this one as your artistic "home"?
My early work was in oil. Acrylic allows me to 'repaint' areas quickly. Since I do mostly fantasy, I am working a lot from imagination. I have to rework a lot of parts that just don't look right. Unfortunately, much of this is pure trial and error. The drying properties of acrylics allow me more attempts at 'fixing' things. In a worse case scenario, I can gesso out sections and start from scratch.
Acrylic can be a frustrating medium for many artists. Do you have any quick tips for those trying to work with them?
I first do an underpainting in a red or blue wash. I work this underpainting like charcoal. I smear it, use a wet cloth to remove paint and use a medium/large brush to fill in dark areas. I then start to add color by using washes. I keep playing with it until I can 'see' where it is going. Then I start to go into detail using a translucent wash (glaze) mixed with matte drying medium. Eventually, I'll use opaque paint to fill in large dark areas and for highlights. A lot of the painting starts out as a 'slop' painting. I use whatever I can (sponge, paper towel, hand, etc.) To me, it's the best way to attack a blank canvas.
It would be interesting to learn a bit about your studio environment.
I have a room in my house that is a permanent studio. It makes it very convenient to stop/start paintings. It is a small converted bedroom. I have a homemade easel, a flat topped cabinet with multiple drawers, a swivel chair and a small kitchen table. I have a standing lamp and window with north light.
You have done a number of fascinating pictures wherein you evoke the mood or the style of a great artist, while doing an original subject. What got you started with these?
I think the key to keep painting is to stay motivated. Trying to emulate a master gives me a direction to get started. For example, Waterhouse did a painting called "Mermaid". I did one called "Mermaid's Dowry". I started out using his color scheme, especially his flesh tones and the way he handled the mermaid's scales. The more I worked it, the more I began to rely on my own instincts. Waterhouse became the seed to get me started.
I tried to do a Frazetta type woman in my "Bear Priestess". Again, his work inspired me to draw a woman in his style. I tried to think of a setting that was my own, but in his storytelling vein. That's where the bears came from. Instead of using big cats, I substituted bears.
Studying great paintings is a time proven way to add to your problem solving repertoire. I often study the Hudson River School for backgrounds.
Do you plan which artist you will study in advance, or just as the mood strikes? (And which artist can we expect next?)
So far, I've been rotating between Waterhouse, Frazetta and Rubens. Mostly I follow the great drawers. I would like to do some paintings on Don Quixote, influenced by the great French illustrator Dore. Also some unique drawings derived from M.C. Escher's work. My "Peace on Earth" was my first attempt. I have plans for another called "Unconditional".
How long do you generally take from beginning to end on a completed painting?
The painting itself takes 3-5 days; the drawing about 1-2 days. I actually spend more time trying to find references and struggling with sketches to get an unformulated composition. The ideas themselves vary. Some are thoughts I've had for years that are just now ripening. Others are on the spot inspiration. The ideas are subconscious and intuitive; fleshing them out is very cerebral.
Are there any subjects that you have ever had a particularly hard time rendering or drawing?
Horses. Gold. Close up of tree bark and leaves. Animals in motion. I purposely try to make paintings of these things. I used to struggle with hands, but it is now one of the things I am proudest of.
And well you should be! Of course, you know as well as anyone that there is no "secret" to drawing hands or any other difficult piece of anatomy, other than lots of practice and observation. But that being said, do you have any tips for the beginner on how to approach the study of this subject?
I guess the key word is 'study'. The biggest problem most beginners have is always trying to do a finished piece. If you are studying horses, for example, play with soft charcoal on newsprint. Use the broad side of the charcoal, pulling broad strokes. Forget the detail, the horse's head is a long rectangular box shoved into a square box.
Put a smudge where the eye should be; another for the nostrils. Be messy and make adjustments. It is fun and there is no pressure to polish it as a showpiece. You can do the same by sculpting with a piece of clay.
Eventually, try doing the same thing by copying a master's painting. Again, don't do outlines. Use charcoal or black wash on canvas. Get the big shapes and don't worry about finishing it. You are there to experiment and learn new things. Practice does not have to be drudgery.
I love how you weave mythological influences into your work, much like the old masters. And yet, you have some straight Fantasy and Science Fiction work, too. Do you have a particular favorite subject genre, or are you happy to move around as the mood strikes you?
I love to move around. The challenge motivates me. My goal is to have an eclectic mix in my portfolio. I want people to look forward to seeing my next piece, not to be bored.
What would be the most important advice you could give to young artists to strengthen their skills?
My biggest regret was not learning to draw when I was younger. I copied photographs. That is a natural talent, to take a 2 dimensional image and translate it into another 2 dimensional image. Real drawing starts when you use a 3 dimensional object (i.e. a live person) and your brain has to interpret onto a paper. There are a million decisions to make. Try to put in anatomy and it becomes more complex. You have to start to develop your problem solving skills, not just your hand/eye coordination. You have to concentrate in different ways. It is no longer intuitive.
I believe it is the quality of time you spend practicing, not just the time. A good analogy is athletics. I could spend decades lifting weights, but if I use only 10 pounds, I'm really not training. If all you want is praise, you'll play it safe and never experiment. Experimenting (and failing) is the base for drawing. If you are not doing this you are not growing and you are not getting better.
The other thing is being objective about your work. We tend to judge our work on potential, but we judge others on what they have accomplished. You cannot fully get away from this, but you have to try.
Do you have any shows or exhibits coming up where we might see your work in person?
In the summer of 2002 I mailed-in paintings to World Con and Dragon Con. Dragon Con will be juried in 2003 and they pre-approved me, so I'll mail-in again. I'll do research and mail-in to other juried cons, entering in the amateur division.
Finally, the question you are asked so you know that this is, indeed an official (and nigh legendary) Epilogue interview: What cartoons did you watch as a kid?
Bullwinkle, Road Runner (I am a big Chuck Jones fan).
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