In a very special blog, I managed to catch up with Alexis M Centeno, the artist of Trapped on Draconica with a quick Q&A session. For those who wondered how me and Alexis got involved, please read on!
If it’s not too much of a problem, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am an artist who has free-lanced for a few years. It’s a great way to build up your artistic skills; you never know what people are going to ask you to draw. After a year into freelancing, I decided I needed a new challenge and entered college. I am majoring in Computer Animation and it’s been fun exploring new ways to express myself artistically.
What inspired you to get into drawing?
Animation. I grew up on Disney and all I ever wanted to do was draw characters and tell a story with them. Capturing the right gesture and emotion of characters are kind of an obsession of mine.
Any particular reason you choose this style of artwork?
Not really. When I was a kid, I was heavily influenced by Disney and later Marvel comics in how I drew, but once I saw Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, I knew what style of art suited me best. I do not know why, but this is the style that characters appear in my head; I draw them like I imagine them.
What tools do you use?
For the first few illustrations of the novel, I used traditional methods of drawing in pencil and inking them with technical pens. By the sixth illustration however, I went entirely digital. From then on, my tools became the Intuos, Photoshop, and Corel Painter.
How did you first get involved with Trapped on Draconica?
I answered an ad posted on the Zuda message boards; you never know who you are going to be working with when you answer ads; some people are really cool and fun to work with; others are not. In Trapped on Draconica’s case, I got lucky and learned a lot; I know I have become a better artist because of it.
Was there anything particular that attracted you to the project?
I am a sucker for fantasy; especially if there is a medieval twist. When I responded to the ad for this project, no one else was posting projects like this at the time, and it stood out in a sea of “super-hero” projects.
Prior to this, had you been involved in any other projects before?
I did a few side projects with other writers, but they did not go very far. I did however have the pleasure of working with John Zakour. He hired me for a submission package for Zuda. It got rejected, but it was a fun project to illustrate.
The work I have done for Trapped on Draconica has opened new doors for me professionally and academically. Some of the images of the book are in my portfolio and it got me into college. For this I am very grateful.
What was it like working on something like this? Is it different doing artwork for novels than it is comics?
At first, doing artwork for novels was very different. I had only done comic art before this and it took me a little while to get my head wrapped around making one picture to get multiple ideas across. Now, I love it; in some ways a single illustration can make a bolder statement.
How did you go about choosing which scene to draw? Was it something that you discussed with the author?
Sometimes he would give me suggestions of scenes he would like to see illustrated and sometimes I would give suggestions of my own. All in all, I would say it was a joint effort.
What were your inspirations for the character designs? Where they all your own idea?
I have many sources of inspiration. Of course I love anime, manga, and RPGs, but I try not to lean on these too much; I do not want to make characters that look clichéd. Fashion and animals are my biggest influences; I grab styles from different cultures and time periods to mix and match the right character. Each character has their own personality and I try to let my initial thoughts about Dan’s character descriptions guide me to what their design should be.
He has his own ideas of how he wants characters to be and gives me visual references. He gives me the freedom to use these references or not, but some of the references really help in pointing me in the right direction. The names he gives the characters help alot too.
Do you find it easier drawing male or female characters?
Neither is easier than the other. When I was younger, females were much easier to draw, but after years of studying anatomy, I can enjoy drawing both.
Do you have any favourite characters that you like drawing?
Yes! I came into this project with the full intent of being impartial, but there are some characters that are especially fun to draw out. Taurok, Mordak, Rana, and Zarracka are my favourites.
Any reason for your choices?
I usually gravitate towards villains. I am not sure if this is intentional, but villains are often written stronger than their heroic counterparts. Rana and Taurok are not exactly villains, but they are still strong.
In your opinion, which would you say is your favourite picture in the book?
This is a tough one; I do not want to give any story details away, but there is a Taurok picture and an important scene between Daniar and Erowin that stick out for me. The first pictures of Mordak are also special.
Supposing you could be any of the characters from this story, which one would it be?
Mordak. Sure, he’s a bad guy, but he comes and goes; you never know when he’s going to strike. He wears a mask; you never know what he’s thinking and he does not speak; he’s a real enigma.
One of the important character of the book is the Dragonkin – each with their own dragon power. Who, in your opinion, would you say has the best powers out of all of them?
It’s a draw between Zarracka and Rana; if I absolutely had to choose one, I would have to go with Zarracka.
Hypothetically speaking, supposing you were given a chance to have a dragon power from the characters in the story – which one would you most like and why?
I guess it would have to be Erowin; healing can come in handy.
Will you be doing anymore novels of this sort in the future?
Why not? As long as the story is well written and the characters are interesting I would love to.
One final question... What’s Dan (the author of Trapped on Draconica) like to work with?
Working with Dan has been great. I wish every writer was as respectful and passionate about his projects as him. A lot of writers think they have something special, but they do not have the drive to see their project through. It also helped that I liked the story, not as an artist, but as a reader. I wanted to do the story justice. (Thanks Alexis, I'll pay you your bribe later! lol)
Alexis is an American based artist that is available for commission and other work. To see a list of her other works (as well as some sample artwork for future novels) then visit her deviant art page.
Thanks for Alexis for her time, I am honoured to have worked with such an amazing artist.
Have a great weekend people.
Kindest
Pandragon
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