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3DTotal: I see! You mentioned Japanese manga, which seems to be a massive industry in Japan and has beaten the U.S. and French comic industries, becoming the world leader in comics in fact! But what
is it about manga that is so attractive for you?
Leonid: Well, the European comic industry has some really impressive work (take a look at Massimiliano Frezzato, Enrico Marini or Paolo Serpieri), as well as the U.S. (Simon Bisley and Jim Murray come to mind!). But yeah, there’s a sort of “manga boom” outside of Japan nowadays. I think the most attractive part is a great variety of stories and styles. There’s manga for kids, adults, office ladies, housewives – everyone! When you grow up, you’ll find most of your typical comics are very dull in terms of story. It’s not that interesting anymore. It could be well drawn, but it’s still dull. And it’s not just a comic industry problem – you can see the same trend in artwork, movies, video games… Hollywood is digging ideas from
manga and anime: Steven Spielberg is going to remake Ghost in the Shell; James Cameron is planning to do Battle Angel Alita in 3D CG; someone is going to shoot Akira in live-action, etc. If you look at modern video games you’ll find their storylines are quite formal, too. Even Diablo III from Blizzard has that old cliché: “Evil is back again… It’s not safe here!” (OK, Diablo is not about storyline but more “hack’n’slash”, mainly.) So people just get tired of the same things and look for the fresh ideas and experiences. In Japan, manga is a part of daily life so there isn’t much hype about it. You can see those manga pictures everywhere from city streets to subways, from huge posters to tiny telephone cards. Besides the stories, I also always enjoy the design aspects of manga. Characters, vehicles, robots, whole cities and locations – you can see and learn many things! Of course manga has its limits, like clichéd storylines or stereotypical characters, but it’s still attractive. Artistically speaking, I like its aesthetics, lines and its vibrant colours! |
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3DTotal: Yeah, it seems that everything in Japan is kind of tied in with manga, and has been very inspiring for great directors and artists. Leaving the Japanese manga, you were among the final judges for the Dominance War III competition. Which presentations were amongst your favourites in the competition, and who did you find the most inspiring?
Leonid: When I looked at the final submissions for the first time it was like, “Wow, it will be really hard to choose the top 10.” The quality level was amazing! Every piece just had “something”. Since I was judging the concept art entries, I can’t say much about the 3D submissions, but I’ve seen many interesting works, like “Safister Yilin” by Ruidan Lv, “Catrine” by Pavel Fedorchuk, Bogdan Gabelko’s “Goddess”, JongDoo Kim’s “Strong Lady” or Zhang Ye’s “Goddess of the Night”. As for concept art, well, Gaeberman’s entry was a hit, as well as “Freyal Emperor” from JerryJ. Jung Hyun Yei’s “War chesser” impressed with unusual design. You can read my impressions on the official site, but I’d like to mention those Asian artists who are really striking, both in terms of imagination and skill! |
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3DTotal: Are you working on any projects right now, and what are your plans for the future?
Leonid: There are a couple of personal projects I‘m pursuing right now. One is called “Rainbow Dreams”, which is a light-hearted fantasy universe, filled with sorcery, flying castles and airships. I want to show very beautiful and aesthetically-pleasing worlds, and create remarkable visual design and appealing characters, as well as have a good storyline. At the moment I’m working on a series of illustrations depicting that universe. The other creative project is based on futuristic settings, characters and storylines. I would like to address it to young adults as well as “play” with the vision of the future. And there are also smaller projects, like “Steam Fantasy”, that are going on too.
3DTotal: Wow! You seem to be very busy with all of these creative works, so do you ever get time for yourself to do anything away from your computer?
Leonid: Well sure, you can even see me wearing a suit and tie and socialising a lot! Actually there are lots of other activities, too. In May 2008 we had the “Computer Graphics Conference” in Moscow, Russia, and it was great to work with speakers and see their presentations live in the 2D section. The CGC is more about the film industry, with guys from Pixar, Rhythm and Hues, Sony Pictures Imageworks and other VFX studios, but in 2008 I pitched the idea for a 2D art-user meeting – and it was accepted! We have had four conferences since then and the 2D section just keeps on growing. |
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3DTotal: That all sounds very exciting. Do you have any dream projects that you would like to get involved with in the future?
Leonid: It would be great to see some of the personal project stuff in animations or video games. On a professional note, I would like to work on Battle Angel Alita, or a similar movie, and I’d like to collaborate with Japanese or Korean game developers, too (like Square or NCSoft). I’m very interested in how they work and think while creating their video games.
3DTotal: We wish you all the best of luck with your dream projects, Leonid! It has been a great pleasure talking to you. To round off, could you give some advice to anyone who’s interested in pursuing a career
in digital art?
Leonid: In general: don’t give up! Even if you think it’s all over, there is still hope. It’s not an easy road though, especially if you’re freelance or working in the industry. Chase your passion and enjoy the
creative process! No matter how impossible or unreal your dream may look, you can always turn it into reality. It’s all about the passion and hard work that you put into it!
3DTotal: Thanks a lot and all the best! |
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