Interview with Artist Damian Couceiro
Damian Couceiro
Damian Couceiro and Ed Brisson knew one another before Damian became artist on The Orchard for Acts of Violence. In this interview, Damian talks about The Orchard, his other collaboration with Ed, and how he does what he does.
Rumor has it you and Ed knew one another before you worked on The Orchard. Is that correct?
Yes, I had known Ed for a few years before working together on The Orchard. I contacted him when he was looking for an artist to work on a project of his called The Division. We worked on it for a couple years and it is still waiting to be finished. It took longer time than expected, mainly it was due to me because I like taking time with each page when I can so I can make a more detailed and rich work. I really enjoyed working on The Division and I really grew as an artist during the process. So when Ed came up with The Orchard I accepted immediately.
When you received the script for The Orchard what was your initial reaction?
I was completely thrilled. The story hooked me from the very beginning and I was excited with what I could do on the art. I love dramatic stories where I can work on the character expressions, looking to show their feelings through facial expression and body gestures as well as the composition and lighting of each frame. And this script was right for it. As well as a great crime story.
How did you go about planning and / or establishing the visual style for The Orchard?
Well, my art style is realistic and I use lots of black shadows and I thought that suited the story pretty well. For me, the focus of the story was on the interaction between the two characters and how they manage the situation, so I focus on their faces, trying to catch the right expression of their feelings. I also used more shadows on their faces than I usually do. I thought that gave it the dramatic mood I was looking for.
To what extent was Ed involved in that process?
He didn’t get involved much on deciding the visual style. I think since he knew me he already knew how it would look and this was what he was looking for. Anyway, he did get involved during the work on the pages. I showed him rough layouts of the pages first and then the pencil page and finally the inks. He made a few changes or suggestions on some pages and sometimes he sent me reference photos of what he had in mind for the settings, which was really helpful. I think interaction between artist and writer is very important. But he was never too invasive. He let me do my job freely. I really enjoyed working with him and hope we can work together again in the future.
Tell us about your creative process– what you use to draw, where you do it, when, etc, specific to The Orchard.
I always use 2B pencils to draw, and ink mostly with a nº2 brush and dip pen. I work almost through the whole day, but I hardly work early in the morning– I´m more a night worker. On The Orchard I used more reference photos than usual, especially for expressions and casting shadows.
What other creative endeavours have you been involved in?
One of my first professional gigs was the graphic novel Full Moon Feverpublished by AIT Planetlar. For a time, I worked with different writers on projects they had, like The Division with Ed. Lately, I worked on the mini-series NOLA for Boom! Studios.
And what’s up next?
Currently, I’m working on a comic adaptation of a Robert E. Howard story called Hawks of Outremer. I’m very happy with it because it is a change from what I’ve been doing lately. It’s an epic story with a lot of action, set during The Crusades.
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Acts of Violence: A Crime Comics Anthology is listed in the April edition of Previews on page 299 under New Reliable Press. The order code is APR101035. Head to your local comic shop and ask them to order you a copy.
CLICK HERE for a PDF that you can print and bring to your local comic shop to let them know you’d like to order the book. The PDF contains all the info that your retailer will need for Acts Of Violence.
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Tags: Damian Couceiro, The Orchard