An Interview with Mike Giblin
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| Author | Nolan Harris |
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| Subject | Mike Giblin |
| Genre | Interview |
| Published | EF Issue 2015.3 |
Publication date | Summer 2015 |
| Media type | Digital |
| Pages | 26-27 |
| Website |
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An interview by Nolan Harris with Mike Giblin, released digitally in EF Issue 2015.3 on pages 26-27.
Article Transcript
Q: How did you get your start drawing caricatures?
A: Although I’d always had a passing interest in caricature as an art form, this grew significantly during late 1999 when I was studying media at university. When I wasn’t making baffling abstract films or pretending to understand how a camera’s aperture worked, I could be found in the campus library, where I began to regularly surf the web for the first time; and in doing so, I discovered the work of a certain Tom Richmond. It blew my mind that someone could actually make a living doing this kind of thing, and as a direct result I began to sketch celebrities in my free time. (I must dig these fledgling efforts out one day). This led to a regular slot cartooning for the student newspaper, and after managing to assemble a rudimentary portfolio, my art career got underway when I was asked to create caricature illustrations for UK film magazine "Flicks." However, like many caricaturists, my true education came about by working at a theme park: I began working at Alton Towers Resort in spring 2002, undertaking four summer seasons before moving on in late 2005. I’ll always look to this period as invaluable, allowing me to both develop the elusive eye for caricature and get comfortable drawing in front of an audience. It’s also no exaggeration (haha…) to say that I was lousy at first, and I was frustrated with my efforts for a long time; especially since every botched schnoz or mangled mandible was being scrutinized by a leering mob hanging on my every pen stroke. In fact you’d be surprised just how close I came to jacking it in and getting a job in a call center or something. However, a couple of thousand faces in, something clicked and an unexpected thing happened: I started having fun. I began to focus on each person’s uniqueness, and allow their features and individuality to dictate how the likeness unfolded. I began to enjoy myself, the crowd began to enjoy themselves, and for the first time I thought there might be a future for me in this caricature lark.
Q: What artists do you look to for inspiration?
A: I look to a great many artists for inspiration, top of my list being the aforementioned Mr. Richmond. However I am also a huge fan of Al Hirschfeld, Robert Risko, Stephen Silver, Mort Drucker, David O’Keefe, Chris Rommel, Paul Gaunt, Bruce Timm, Pete Emslie, Justin “Squigs” Robertson, Pablo Lobato, Vladymyr Lukash … to name but a few of many. I know if I’m ever feeling in need of a boost, I can always rely on these heavyweights to give me the kick I need. Currently, I am head over heels for the phenomenal caricature work of French artist Anthony Geoffroy, which has really spurred me on to improve my exaggeration and digital painting skills.
Q: When you were hired to design the puppets for Newzoids, where you able to stick to your distinctive style? Did you have to make any compromises?
A: Here’s the weird thing: I really don’t see myself as having a “distinctive” style at all, much less feel any pressure to stick to it. I guess my caricature style is seen as one of economy, and being able to nail a recognizable likeness in a funny yet unfussy, clean manner. So I didn’t have to make any enormous adjustment to my process at all; which is presumably why I landed the Newzoids gig in the first place, as my drawings married up nicely with the relative simplicity of the puppets. Nevertheless I did find it challenging to think in three dimensions at first, having never done any puppet design in the past. And as a big proponent of line, one of my problems initially was creating recognizable forms that would register in the real world. (We went back and forth on Miley Cyrus’ beak for quite a while.) Once I had a few characters under my belt though, I began to get a handle on just what the producers were after, and the designs came a lot faster. But I can’t deny there was still a lot of guesswork involved in how a character might look from angle to angle, and I was often pleasantly surprised just how faithfully the animators and puppet builders were able to roll my sketches into a single, cohesive whole.
Q: Was it stressful following-up a massive series like “Spitting Image” or was it motivational?
A: Definitely more motivational than stressful. Sure, I was aware that many of the people working on Newzoids had history with Spitting Image, but throughout my dealings with the creative team there was always a feeling they were trying to explore something new, not just repeat the past. The simplified shapes of the marionette-style puppets are also stylistically quite different from the much loved latex characters of old; and though I knew that comparisons with the old Spitting Image would be inevitable (rightly so), I pretty much approached the project like I would any other caricature assignment. Nail a recognizable likeness first and foremost, but also try and explore some silly exaggerations that make me laugh and that, hopefully, others would find amusing. That’s how Benedict Cumberbatch’s totem pole head came about, and Peter Capaldi’s craggy bloodhound face, and Prince William’s Homer-style strands of hair. (And I still chuckle every time I see Ed Miliband’s comically elongated HR Giger-esque skull…)
Q: How did it feel to see your drawing brought to life in the Newzoids series?
A: Well, you have to remember that I was drip-fed designs and sneak previews of the puppets throughout the process, so I was already aware of how many of the characters looked. However, what I wasn’t prepared for was just how funny the show was, and how much life would be injected into the characters once they were brought to life on set. The series was really cleverly written with rich and funny, witty dialogue, so it was always exciting seeing what sketches and scenarios the characters would be placed in from week to week. And to be able to recognize my original 2D designs (invariably sketched out whilst sitting at the drawing board in my underpants) in the puppets bobbing about on prime-time TV was VERY cool.
Q: Are there any famous personalities that you would like to capture for future episodes?
A: I think that Bruce ‘Caitlyn’ Jenner would be a fun one to explore: a strapping six-footer in a frock, replete with quarterback physique, bulging adam’s apple and a frozen botox face like a startled bird. Decidedly non-PC, but potentially fun. Aside from that, I’m not fussy. With every personality comes a fresh set of design challenges, so whether it’s an individual from the world of movies, TV, sports, politics… an interesting face is an interesting face, and I just want to keep coming up with funny stuff. Roll on the second series — if there is one!
Q: If you could see a puppet designed by a fellow caricature artist’s work, who is the artist and who would the subject be?
A: David O’Keefe’s Bill Murray sculpture remains one of my all-time favorites, and it’s not a giant leap to imagine that character realized in Newzoids form, performing scenes in Murray’s laconic
Q: Thanks for being a part of this interview, Mike. Where can we see more of your art?
A: You can see more at my website www.mikegiblinillustration.com, or on my Facebook Business Page www.facebook.com/mikegiblinillustration. I am also on Twitter at @mike_giblin, and Instagram at www.instagram.com/mikegiblin77.
See Also
External Links
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