You
have an animated series going on at the moment, Emme, about a fluffy blue rock thrush. Episode 4 has just been
released a few days ago. Why did you go for a blue rock thrush?
We knew we wanted to do the series with animals to have it set in
Maltese nature. We also settled on birds as a good subgroup as we wouldn’t have
to reinvent the wheel with how each character moves. Once that was decided the blue rock thrush was a quick choice for several reasons. It’s the national bird, it’s
a brilliant blue so it really stands out and it’s a perfect representation of
Maltese nature, in that it’s hard to find and most certainly endangered.
When
creating a character from scratch, how difficult is it to ‘get it right’? Does
it help to have a specific point of reference, like in this case with the blue
rock thrush?
I don’t tend to have a specific reference; more often I would create a
collage of references that felt right. Just so that when I’m sketching they can
give me the right vibe and I get inspired to try new things based on other
artists' choices. In the particular case of Emme I knew I wanted to super simplify
the characters so he was based on really simple shapes and maths. Every part of
the body has a simple mathematical relationship to the rest of him. I also like
to make sure that a character design means something or says something about
the character.
Besides
Emme, you have animated Dritt għall-punt, based on a Joe
Friggieri short story. What challenges did you encounter in adapting a story
from page to screen?
With Dritt għall-Punt the two main challenges were the art style and working within the constraints of a small dark room as a setting. The art style
was hard to nail down at first because of the subject matter but in the end I
found inspiration in post revolution Russian propaganda art before they
shifted to realism. The setting was a welcome challenge as it forced me to be
more imaginative about what we see and how much of it is happening in the
protagonist’s head. Those kind of constraints are always welcome … in the end.
Animated
features versus illustrated books. Are they two completely different beasts or
cordial cousins?
There’s definitely a connection between the two. For one thing a lot of
concept artists and designers that work in animation have also illustrated
books. I think at the core they both fall under the umbrella of visual storytelling
where everything in the world needs to be created from scratch. That is
probably the reason I’m attracted to both.
How
much of book illustrating is actually storytelling as well?
All of it hopefully. A large part of book illustration is visually
committing to paper one person’s interpretation of the story. With the
condition that other people will see it and it’s not just in your head. Every
choice an illustrator makes can, and ideally should be, story-driven. In the
end the text and the images should be able to tell the story individually but
when they’re brought together they are more than the sum of their parts,
weaving the story rather than just telling it. The text and the images can
stray from each other for comedic or dramatic effect. It’s like hearing two
sides of a story to get the full picture.
Writers
are said to have an ideal reader in mind when they’re writing. Do you have an
‘ideal viewer’?
Yes, me. I like to think that in some ways I have never really grown up, whatever growing up means. I think the best we can strive for is responsible children. In other words I'm in touch with my inner child and a lot of my interests today would have definitely interested a 7 year old me. So I draw what I would have liked to see in picture books when I was that age.
Do
you have any hobbies you’d like to share with us?
Some people find it strange but I would say illustrating and animating.
I love my work so when I’m not doing it for other people I do it for myself.
I’m also quite a movie buff and like nature walks.
What
book, film or song would you recommend to us? (Yours don’t count!) Why did you
choose this?
I’m not good at choosing so you’re getting one of each. The reason being that they deserve more exposure and love. Actually I’m realising you’re not
getting anything you asked for. You’re getting a TV series, a webcomic and a
song/band, sorry.
The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, it’s on Netflix based on the 80s
Jim Henson film. One of the best examples of adaptation/update/sequel I’ve seen
in a while. Great story, stunning visuals. ‘Holocaust of Giants’ by Rasputina, a criminally underrated band when
they were still active. They represent a lot of what I loved in the 90s. Necropolis, a recent web comic that went on hiatus but just started
up again. The art is mind blowing and the dark high fantasy is right up my
alley.
To
finish off: What's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?
Tough one, I’m not good with compliments. Different people at different times have said I have a nice smile, so
I’m almost inclined to believe them.
‘I do.’ My wife, 2014. Soppy I know.
‘There is in fact a forthcoming project that
your style might be a match for.’ Chris Gruppetta, 2015.
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Matt Stroud is a freelance illustrator/animator. You can visit his website HERE.
If you want to read books illustrated by Matt you can buy them from the links below:
The following you can watch for free:
Emme Series (National Literacy Agency)
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