3DTotal: Can you give us some examples of your favourite artists? Who do you first turn to for inspiration, when all else fails?
Jeremy: I look at all kinds of stuff for inspiration, movies, photos, and other artists.  I actually have a rather large number of people working with me through various projects, Baeg Tobar (http://www.baegtobar.com) and Empty Room Studios (http://www.emptyroomstudios.com) who inspire me regularly. As far as some of my own favourite artists, though, my all time favourite is Frank Frazetta.  I also love John Cassaday (in my opinion, the best sequential artist in the business today), Cary Nord, Charles Vess, Kaluta, Barry Windsor-Smith, Alex Sheikman, and lots of European artists like Moebius, Frezzatto, Manara, Marini, and Schuiten.

3DTotal: Your resume shows you have been successfully working for a variety of publishers since graduation, and you joined Empty Room Studios through a mutual sharing of plans and goals with Rick Hershey (Owner of ERS). I’m curious; what are your plans and goals exactly for your career and your future in general? What experiences from the past have influenced and informed these decisions/desires?
Jeremy: Honestly, I’ve fallen more and more in love with the idea of art directing and/or project management.  I’ve been hip deep in the development of my own world, Baeg Tobar
    
(http://www.baegtobar.com) for years now and it has been extremely rewarding creatively directing that intellectual property and working with writers and artists.  So I would really like to pursue a career where I can work with a variety of other creative individuals.

As far as my future, it is hard to tell at this point exactly what is going to happen.  I recently started a new company called Outland Entertainment (http://www.outlandentertainment.com) that will be the umbrella company for an IP development company (among a variety of other things).  We are going to be really push Baeg Tobar through Outland Entertainment – it is going to be our first major IP.  And I can say now that we have some amazing stuff in development, from webcomics, an MMOG, to a table-top RPG, print comics, and novels (several of which are fully written).  Most of this stuff will be available in early 2009 and should provide a solid model for the development of future IP projects.  So, I’m looking forward to see where that leads me and what kinds of opportunities it provides.

I am also starting work on several comic projects and I shall continue to take on illustration work as it comes.  Really, the goal is to be able to remain self-employed and comfortable – that’s really the main goal.

   
    3DTotal: So, do you think this is going to be the direction you’ll be heading in from this point? What do you think are the key characteristics and skills that an Art Director/Manager needs to succeed in this industry?
Jeremy: Well, I hope so.  I really love project management and development.  Almost more than creating art myself.  I love working with people. I think you need to know how to manage a project from concept to final – and that’s not easy.  I’ve learned a lot about that with Baeg Tobar and if I were to do this all over again, I would do a lot of things differently.  Not only that, but you have to be able to motivate the people working on the project with you and make sure that work is, indeed, being completed and on time.  It also helps to be an artist yourself, so that you have some insight into the process of creation.  I’ve worked with some Art Directors in the past that have absolutely no clue.  You also need to be easily approachable, so if there is a problem, the creator isn’t afraid to come to you and talk it over, rather than handing in sub-par work.

3DTotal: Your pencil drawings on your portfolio are very beautifully done, and although they are not living in colour, the effect that you create with your pencil alone certainly brings shape, form and life to them. Do you always start your 2D computer artwork with a traditional pencil line drawing, and if so, what benefits does the pencil have for you that a tablet simply can’t provide?
Jeremy: Thanks!  I’ve always felt that my drawings were the strongest part of my illustrations.  And yeah, I pretty much exclusively start with a pencil line drawing.  Personally, I like the tactile feel of the pencil/erasure to paper.  Plus, I love having a solid, finished piece of artwork that isn’t digital. As far as working on a tablet, I’ve always had trouble getting a smooth line with it, and perhaps that’s something I could figure out with enough practice, but again, I prefer the feel of working with pencil on paper.
 
3DTotal: Ah, so you haven’t abandoned your roots just yet! Do you think the time will ever come where you will work exclusively on the computer? It seems that more and more artists today, for time’s sake, are leaving the traditions of the pencil and paper behind. Is this the fate of the HB?
Jeremy: I doubt it.  I am pretty confident in saying I’ll never stop using paper.  I just like it too much.  And there will always be people who use traditional materials.  We can’t forget about all the fine artists out there.

3DTotal: Finally; any advice for those out there looking to get into comic/game art, and perhaps are, like you once were, feeling frustrated by their current situation and need a change of pace?
Jeremy: Well, I would recommend that if you want to do comics, figure out a way to get to the JKS.  Even if you can only go for one year, it’ll make a world of difference.  Or, if you can’t, then figure out a way to spend as much time as possible every day drawing, drawing and drawing.  Just doing it is what will make all the difference. And with the internet these days, it is a lot easier to get your portfolio in front of Art Directors.  Make sure you submit your portfolio and continue to submit your portfolio to as many different people as you can.  And just because you get a job, don’t stop submitting!  If you want to freelance, you have to be tenacious.  Nobody is going to do the work for you!

3DTotal: Thanks for talking to us. I wish you the best for your future projects and career – whichever directions you choose to follow.
Jeremy: Thanks.  I appreciate your time very much. 		 
 
 
 
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