Meet Renderosity Artist
Mike Fyles [Mikeall]
Renderosity artist, Mike Fyles (known here as Mikeall), showcases a wonderful collection of his
amazing illustrative projects in his Renderosity gallery. On having work commisioned by Marvel
for the Iron Man Noir comics series, I
got to talk a little with Mike about this, as well as finding out
more about him and his work.
From Mike's Renderosity Homepage:
"I have always liked illustration and tend to produce it
either as Cover Art or Sequential imagery. The former is probably
the more challenging because of the balance that needs to be struck
between form and content, decoration and narrative. Cover Art, like
the short story, gets a limited shot at indicating what lies
beneath the cover."
"Stylistically, I'm keen on the commercial illustration of
the mid 20th Century that was made to promote 'fringe' books (which
includes childrens's annuals), magazines and comics. There is so
much creativity and artistic competence to found on the covers and
within the pages of even the most mundane examples."
I also asked Mike to pick out some of his favorite works from
his gallery, which are pictured throughout this article, including
a bit of info about each.
Who is "Mikeall"?
My name is Mike Fyles. I'm 55 years old and live in North
Staffordshire, right in the middle of the UK. I work in
Education.
What might we find you doing outside of creating
art?
My working week (four days) consists of providing academic
support to students studying A-level subjects in a local college.
Generally, the students seek tuition (one to one/sometimes groups)
for clarification and further practice in the tasks and activities
representative of their level of study. Specifically, it often
means, cultivating the judgement, and confidence, that makes it
possible for them to start teaching themselves. It also means that
I get to explore, with the students, the 'craft' of writing, which
I like a great deal – particularly how to build exposition and
argument.
Outside of work I can be found reading, watching old films,
browsing second hand books, swimming, and this time of year,
watching and playing cricket. My reading is pretty eclectic,
largely because of how everything always seems to connect/reconnect
in some way. So, recently reading a book on the siege of the
Mediterranean Island of Malta in the Second World War connects with
a story in a 1950's Boy's Adventure Annual collected from a local
Market, along with a book I bought at the same time about Lord
Byron's love of swimming open water in the Mediterranean, which in
turn, rekindled my interest in Johnny Weissmuller, Tarzan Films,
and Adventure Serials, which started me thinking of a picture,
which begins a bit of research, which leads to a visit to…etc.
Why I like cricket will take too long to explain, but let's just
say a five day game in which players and spectators stop for lunch
and tea every day is quite unique!
The Most Dangerous Game - What comes
of watching the 1932 film version of the short story by Richard
Connell a few weeks ago. Liked it so much have considered
illustrating the whole story. Poser scene render worked up in PS
with text. Daz Mike 2 and 3, Victoria 3, and Millenium DogLE used
as models.
How and when did you get your start in digital
art?
I started using a digital toolset about six years ago. It
consisted then of Poser 3, which I bought largely to see how it
might help in the composition of pictures. It had always been
difficult asking friends to wear sheets as capes, and hold
broomsticks for spears.
Any traditional art experience/training?
I liked to draw as a child and got better at it copying the
pictures I saw in the new wave of Marvel and DC comics that arrived
in our local sweetshop back in the 70s. When I finally wanted to
refine my technique at art school the prevailing trend was
conceptual. I therefore had no choice but to continue to teach
myself. The high point with oil paints and canvass was trying to
paint prize winning cattle, horses, and pigs, at local agricultural
shows. My fondness for traditional methods is obviously evident in
how I use digital tools, not just in terms of surface emulation but
also because of how they continue to inform the digital process of
composition, design, and workflow.
In many ways the improvements to workflow (and their effects on
costs) have made it possible for a return to illustration as the
default choice for popular magazines and books.
Space feature for Magazine - An 'as if' weekly
feature for the kind of magazine children could buy in the
1960/70's. Another Project X - but then there were so many! Poser
for posing, Vue for scene render, and Photoshop for 'painting'
emulatuion.
What do you have in your digital toolset?
At present I use Poser 6, Vue 5, Adobe Photoshop, and Corel Painter. Poser and Vue provide the means to
experiment with figure and scene composition. Photoshop and Corel
provide the canvas for digital manipulation and painting.
Pulp Cover (CX) - Another interpretation of
Jay Piscopo's online character Commander X (www.captneli.com.) He
seems well suited to 'pulping'! M3 and V3 postworked as if
'original artwork' reproduced for pulp digest cover.
Is the Poser/Vue to Photoshop/Painter a constant
workflow in your works? How do you use Photoshop and Painter, or
moreover, what is it that you like in each of these programs in
your work?
It tends to be the preferred option, although I do add
sketching/drawing/scanning into the process when necessary. I use
Poser/Vue mainly to set up scenes/scenarios, just like a stage
director/architect might have used actual scale models for
visualisation. I like to experiment with viewpoints and lighting,
and both applications provide this function as basic given. In all
honesty I don't really need many of the higher functions they have
grown to incorporate over the years – most of which are devoted
to the ever elusive search for 'realistic' verisimilitude.
I rarely have a clear 'picture' in my head, just ideas, and I
enjoy having alternatives to consider and compare. The result of
this process is always a 'rendered' image that is either used as a
reference for traditional painting or has been optimised for
Photoshop in someway. If it is the latter, I have usually 'tweaked'
Poser/Vue's lighting to flatten spatial effects; materials to
represent basic colour and textures; and chosen a sensible pixel
resolution to work with. The aim is to generate an image that will
function something like an 'under painting' in traditional work,
where the basic elements of the picture are available and can be
refined.
Cover Art (Rain Sacrifice) - Reworked idea for
pretend cover commission. Poser to Photoshop. Postwork to
contextualise the render within the booklet format.
Among the available options for digital editing I choose
Photoshop because of familiarity and the obvious value it has as an
industry standard. The 'painting' I embark on in Photoshop is the
result of a fairly intuitive use of it's basic tools and usually
involves adjustments of colour, tone, brightness and contrast, some
use of masking, some blending using layer options, some use of
filters (but I find them a little crude) smudging and painting with
preferred brush types, and the usual standing back and
squinting!
It is stating the obvious but Photoshop provides a speed and
various levels of correction that cannot be achieved traditionally,
and I enjoy how that can contribute to my 'creativity' and anything
I choose to do commercially. It is only recently that I have begun
to experiment with Painter, especially the blending tools, but I
intend to persevere with the other elements it offers too.
Space Cadets - Aimed at a younger audience
this time - who by now are certainly eligible for their free bus
pass! The original Victoria x3 (with Geodesic Ray Guns) and the Daz
Creeper x3 rendered to Photoshop.
Using the workflow you do, are there any tips you would
be willing to share share, whether software specific, or
otherwise?
If anyone has any particular questions they would like to ask
I'll do my best to answer them. There are two things I keep coming
back to with Poser: first, it is ok to break the rules of the 3D
space offered to you by 3D programmes. I'm constantly moving
figures and objects in a scene beyond where they would be in 'real'
world space to get something extra into the composition. Secondly,
if you want a particular pose/gesture for a figure, I always find
it useful to try doing it myself (with a mirror if necessary). I
know animators are always doing this, and a lot of old school
commercial illustrators favoured the Polaroid for reference.
Double page Illustration (Sub) - Poser render
reworked as fictious 'L&L' magazine illustration. Have been meaning
to celebrate Anthony Appleyard's models (and passion) for a
long time - a big thankyou!
We are all so happy to hear the great news that you now
have commissioned works with Marvel. Your perseverance certainly
paid off. Can you tell us how Marvel took notice of your
work?
Post in online galleries and begin collaborating on projects
with people who share some of your interests. In my case there is a
basic causal connection between the following: Renderosity,
Runtimedna, and Animotions and all the people I have met there; a
very talented and kindly artist called Jay Piscopo who lives in
Maine, USA; Ron Fortier and Rob Davies of Airship 27; The Green
Lama; FaceBook; Jim Kruger; Editor Joe Quesada, sub editor Jeanine
Schaefer, and sub editor Stephen Whacker, at Marvel. As far as I
can gather Joe Q, as he is called by his editors, thought I could
bring something to the 'Noir Series'. So there was a coincidence of
interests there as well.
Double Page IIlustration (Regency) - From a
sketch made in a library of a picture in a book on famous military
encounters - minus the creature of course! Basic Vue set up and
render painted-up in Photoshop. M3RRs (with a combination of
Poserworl and PoserStyle clothes), and a Poser Horse and a
Dreampaint 'smongler'. All mocked-up 'Look and Learn'
style.
Looking at your gallery here on Renderosity, I see the
original Iron Man Noir idea you had and the
sketch that Marvel liked. Can you tell us
anything about how that decision was made?
I tend to be very enthusiastic with projects and probably, as
they say, 'jump the gun ', a little. The idea of Iron Man Noir was
put to me in terms of characters, setting and basic narrative. I
was waiting on the pictorial references associated with the
interior artwork for more detail, but I wanted to start some ideas
off. I like to do a little characterisation as preparation for a
picture, and even sent Marvel what was posted in my gallery here. I
was a little off the mark in terms of their conception, but they
really liked the image of the character wedged between two
buildings as a starting point for the cover. What followed was a
better approximation of the character, once I knew how he should
look, and some discussion on colour and background (and stylised
moonlight!).
Iron Man Noir Cover Concept - The
cover composition Marvel went with. This one with a character used
in previous post (see Rocket Men). That was my take on an Iron Man
Noir before Marvel sent over their concept sketch.
Iron Man Noir - This time Cover Art
produced for a real physical object - which hit the news stand
fairly recently. This one will have to age in it's own
time!
Who inspires you in your work? Any particular artists
you admire, whether here on Renderosity, or elsewhere?
I'm really interested in the processes of picture making,
especially when the maker has to relate to the needs of
storytelling. This is a broad area, but I do have a soft spot for
the commercial illustration of the mid 20th Century that was made
to promote 'popular' fiction and non fiction (especially
childrens's annuals, pulp magazines, paperbacks and comics). There
is so much creativity and artistic competence to be found on the
covers and within the pages of even the most mundane examples.
There are too many specific examples to list here, but to give
you an idea, I am looking at the work of Joseph Clement Coll –
some 'moody' black and white illustrations produced for Colliers
Magazine to accompany a serialised 'Fu ManChu' by Sax Rohmer. I
love how the fine pen lines with spot blacks evoke the spatial
dimension of his compositions. And I'm looking at Frank Bellamy's
'Heros the Spartan' serialised in the Eagle here in Britain in the
mid 60's – very dramatic graphically, and spread across the
centre pages of a tabloid sized comic.
Comic Cover Art (Ant Man) - Another cover for
a pretend comic book - not available on ebay. Always had a soft
spot for the Antman. Credits to Daz's Victoria 1 and Mike 1. Stefan
Leng's Gnom the Stone Elemental - poses great! BillyBob's AntMan
props and mat.
You've been a member here on Renderosity since March of
2005. How did you find Renderosity, and what can you say of your
experience here?
Joining Renderosity was literally the start of my online
experience as a whole – and I'm sure it couldn't have been any
better elsewhere. I've made friends, received support and advice,
and been given a great deal of encouragement. The free-stuff
(contributors) and forums get you off to such a good start as a
beginner. The galleries have a good atmosphere about them, and the
marketplace offers very good quality. I always recommend it to
people who are considering posting their first creations
online.
Page Illustration (Indians) - An illustration
for a unfinshed idea (New World). Poser Horse, Sharky's Headwear,
and 'The Colonist's Complex' at Vanishing Point.
Update: Since my initial talk with Mike, he is
now enjoying publication with The Green Lama - Unbound. Written
by Adam Lance Garcia, with cover and illustrations by Mike Fyles,
the paperback has been recently published by Cornerstone Book
Publishers. Congrats, Mike!
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3 Promotional Bookmarks in circulation from
New York comic shops.
The full-length novel, Green Lama: Unbound,
written by Adam L. Garcia, with cover and interior art by Mike
Fyles recently released by Airship 27 Productions and Cornerstone
Book Publishers. The novel continues the story-lines established in
"Shiva Endangered" and "Horror in Clay" and
will pit the Green Lama against Cthulhu, as well as feature -- for
the first time ever -- details of Dumont's ten years in
Tibet
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