Artist Ben Templesmith
By: R. O'Donnell |
Sunday January 28, 2007 |
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Capable of being deathly scary, strangely funny, and unique all at the same time, Templesmith's style is unmistakeable. |
| 30 Days of Night takes the withering vampire story and ferociously pumps new blood into it. The story is inspired - the sinister "look", seductiveness, and some things new. What stroke of luck brought you and Steve Niles together? That'd be Todd McFarlane and his editorial for originally pairing us together on their Hellspawn title basically. It went from there. Sparking a true graphic renaissance, 30 Days of Night changed the face of horror comics forever. Did you see that coming? I think I'd have to be delusional to say " yeah, I saw it coming." All I was concerned about was doing a decent book in a visual style that reminded me of John Carpenter's The Thing. That's the initial reason I wanted to do it all. I just got that vibe from it and it's one of my favourites. Your art is deliciously dark, emotional, almost temperamental, a character unto itself. Enlighten us. Well, it's all in the eye of the beholder really. Others would say my work is a jumbled sketchy smeared mess on the page and they can't made head nor tails of it. I guess I'm in the group of artists that don't have a traditional "comic book" style to the art. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I think the style appeals to some people outside comics just as much inside them. At least that's the feedback I've had. Talk about your use of texture to generate the disposition of the story, the overall mood of the characters? Textures are usually just something I put on last, over the top to give a little layer of grit. I guess I wouldn't do it quite so much were I illustrating superheroes, but it seems to work for vampire and zombie books. In books like that, if you want to even attempt them to be horror, you need to go for mood. The real world is usually a dirty place. That's my view anyway. Coloring is one of your fortes, another flawless storytelling devise. Where did that skill originate? No idea. I just do what I think is right. I can't claim I studied anything. I also can't claim it works all the time, but I like what I do. I'll keep doing the colours that way for that style and genre. If you could radically alter an existing comic book, which one would get the Templesmith blowtorch? Damn, that's a question...I'd say something X-Men related. You're a mouse instead of a tablet kinda guy. True? Still yeah. I'm using the tablet on things a little now, but nothing much in my regular work yet. I don't actually draw on computer so I can still get away with it. But drawing on computer is mighty interesting these days. Do you dream about your art? It's a very very rare night that I actually dream. I don't dream much at all. Never really have about my art. What music do you like, and what CDs usually play when you're creating what you do? These days I alternate between music and silence when working. Sometimes no noise just works. When I want music though, there's a lot - Sigur Ros, Radiohead/Thom Yorke and God Speed you Black Emperor in there. Celluloid influences many artists, what films inspire you? Luc Besson films do. Joan of Arc, Leon, 5th Element. He can bring a vibe to his films. I usually just like bits and pieces of films though, be they the story telling, the visuals and costumes or what not. I love some horrible crap too, not because I like the stories, just the visuals I can draw from.  Well, one I can, and would do, on it's own. The other, writing, I would only ever do in conjunction to drawing it myself. I don't see the writing as separate from the other things I do really. I just enjoy the control and complete freedom it gives me. But when you get the chance to work with the likes of Warren Ellis, it's just as nice to sit back and let them do the controlling and just be the art monkey. Which brings me to Singularity 7 - Brilliant stuff. What's it like to do it all? Cheers. Well, that was my first real writing experience. It is probably a good thing, since I learned a lot that I could apply to the real thing I had been developing since before I was in the biz - Wormwood:Gentleman Corpse. It's definitely more work doing both the writing and art. You and Ashley Wood are true contemporaries - your art is so uniquely different from one another, yet you could easily mount a showing in the same art gallery. Comments? Ash has a few years on me, but he was one of my main inspirations to getting into the biz really. He's had a couple gallery showings. I've had a minor one years ago. I'd love to do more, but only with some dedicated large format art for such a thing. Most people still tend to think Ash and I look the same. I can't see it myself - at least not in the last few years. Although, he was a huge influence for sure. I've also been told I'm a "clone" of everyone from Kent Williams to Sam Keith too. If only I were that good! McKean's Arkham Asylum really put the multi-media hooks into you? Fact or fiction? It was the first multimedia comic I really go into yep. It really showed what could be done. Other influences? Ralph Steadman is a big one. Recently I discovered Victor Ambrus was one of my first. He's a childrens book illustrator I just rediscovered. Some words on IDW publishing? Fine chaps. There's a reason I keep doing things with 'em! Your art easily transcends the comic book medium, and I personally regard you as one of the best new media artists out there. Will you ever show your art collectively, outside the comic universe, maybe in a gallery in New York, Paris, Australia? Planning to at some point. Just got to find the time to do some work that justifies it. What's the future hold? Well, not much sleep, lots of coffee and a few interesting things - I hope. More Wormwood so long as I have ideas for stories, Fell, for as long as Warren want's it...a couple themed artbooks and a couple other projects thrown in there really. I keep trying to take some time off but I keep being offered more things. It's hard to say no. I have to more and more to keep a little sanity though. |
