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Interview with Serge Birault

Hi Serge! Now, many of our readers will be familiar with your work as you are a regular in our galleries, and pretty much known as the digital pin-up king! But can you tell us a little about how you got interested in art, and how did you end up painting pin-ups?

The digital pin-up king! Oh God, where is my crown? I'm not sure I deserve that title. There are so many great pin-up artists like Aly Fell, Matt Dixon, Loopydave, Andy Hickinbottom or Rebeca Puebla... I loved Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and William Bouguereau when I was younger. Then I discovered Gil Elvgren and, of course, Hajime Sorayama and I knew what I wanted to do. I had never seen such realistic rendering before and I spent a lot of time trying to emulate his style. Sorayama's pin-ups are naughtier than mine. I would say he is my major technical influence, but Elvgren's girls are simply the best pin-ups of all time. Like him I try to do humorous pictures.

I also love caricatures. I'm not that good at them, but a lot of caricaturists like Sebastian Krüger or Dominic Philibert have had a great influence on me. I try to avoid proportions that are too realistic. Cartoon pin-ups by Loopydave, for example, have provided me with some new references.

Perhaps I should have said digital pin-up royalty - I love the rest of the royal family too! There are a lot of names I recognize in there from my days at art college. It sounds like you were heavily influenced by some great, traditional artists. Do you have a traditional art background? How did you end up painting digitally?

I didn't study art, but I practiced using acrylic, oils and (of course) airbrushes. I began to use a computer a very long time ago, nearly 20 years in fact. It was very hard to create big digital files, but it was far easier than working traditionally. I ended up painting digitally because I'm lazy.

Most of us will be familiar with your very clean and tidy pin-ups, but whilst looking through your galleries I came across some really nice speed paintings. Do you do these for fun, or do you find it is a nice way to experiment with ideas without committing your time to a complete project?

Yes, I like doing speed paintings too. When I finish a big picture I need to do some fast and little

sketches; it's a good way to find new ideas or new techniques. I can easily create more dynamic pictures than classical pin-up poses. Unfortunately my clients never ask for this kind of work; they always want clean and fully detailed pictures.

That is surprising. The variety in your portfolio is outstanding. Do you find it quite liberating to shake loose from your very clean rendering techniques from time to time?

Oh yes! Liberating is the word. I think I must look like a maniac when I do this kind of picture. I will have to try to mix these two styles, like Simon Bisley. He's a very good example of what I want to try to do.

You mentioned that you tend to be asked to create pin-ups more than other sorts of images. If you could work in any part of the industry or on any project that didn't involve pin-ups what would it be?

Actually, I'm currently working as character designer for a 3D animated series for very young children (between three and five years old). Strange, isn't it? But, hell yeah - I like that!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has looked at your work and thought, "Wow - that must have taken ages!" How long, on average, does it take you to complete a painting? Do you find you spend your whole day in front of the computer?

An average picture takes me about two days, or about 15 hours. But I have already spent more than 70 hours on a picture for Sashimi's Revenge because of the very complicated tones. If you want to have a very clean render you have to be patient, it's the only solution. It's not a problem for me, I'm a patient person... at least I am when I am painting. I've got two children so I can't spend my whole day in front of my computer. I will soon have to paint with acrylics and I think that will be a good thing. I am beginning to have binary dreams with only zeros and ones in them.

Sitting in front of the computer all day can be a real drag. Do you think it's important to get outside and see the sights, not only to keep you sane but to look for influences and inspiration?

I try to not work during weekends and spend time with my sons. Sometimes I realize they are probably the only reason why I see the light of the day. This job is like a vampire. Even when I go out to see my friends, I work... I look at faces, the lights, the reflection... It's not a job but a kind of curse!

I will travel a lot this year. I have a lot of master classes to do so I'm going to try and visit a lot of museums. In museums, I look like a child in a toy shop.

You mention that you will soon be doing some work in acrylics. Is this a project that you can tell us about? When you work traditionally what tools and type of paints do you use? And do you ever try to reproduce the same kind of finish on your traditional images as you do on your detailed pin-ups?

I can't speak about it right now, but it's for an exhibition. I try to have the same finish and the same level of detail. I will work with acrylic because I can't work on canvas. I no longer have an airbrush and it will be difficult with only brushes.

What is the CG industry like in France? Do you find that most of the projects you do are for foreign clients or is there a big demand for this kind of thing over there?

I have very few French clients. I had some very bad experiences with them. It's a kind of tradition to pay artists badly and late and give short deadlines in France. I try to avoid them. There are, of course, some exceptions. One of my best clients is French and I sometimes teach in a very good and pleasant art school. So I really don't know what the French CG industry looks like and I don't really want to know!

To see more by Serge Birault, check out Sketching from the Imagination: An Insight into Creative Drawing
Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 4
Digital Art Masters: Volume 7
Digital Art Masters: Volume 8
and Prime - The Definitive Digital Art Collection

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