SHADOWBOXING WITH JOHN PICACIO
UATW gets into the head of one of America’s top book cover artists to see how his creative process ticks, as well as get the scoop on such upcoming projects as fully illustrated new Elric editions
By Anya Martin
NOTE: This interview is the first in an ongoing series of interviews with a new generation of artists who are bringing back the fine art of book illustration.
Just a skim though COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO, recently released by MonkeyBrain Books, makes it clear why so many publishers are turning to this 37-year-old Texas artist. Although he’s only been working as a cover illustrator for a decade, John Picacio’s body of work is impressive, having provided original and fresh takes on cover art for some of the hottest new titles in science fiction, fantasy and horror, as well as definitive reissues of classics. The roster of writers for which he has done cover work includes such luminaries as Michael Moorcock, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, Jeffrey Ford, Graham Joyce, Joe R. Lansdale, Lucius Shepherd, Charles de Lint, David Gemmell, Hal Clement, Frederik Pohl and more. A finalist for science fiction’s most prestigious award, the Hugo, in 2005, Picacio’s work has won a Chesley Award, an International Horror Guild Award and the much-coveted World Fantasy Award.
While COVER STORY would be worth having just as a portfolio of Picacio’s career thus far, what separates it from the average art book is that the artist also describes his thought process behind each piece, including his signature shadowboxes, which he creates 3-D versions of as models for the cover illustrations which incorporate them. This aspect makes the book fascinating reading for both art lovers and readers and especially for any artist seeking to break into the field of illustrative and cover art.
Behold the Man
While Picacio grew up reading comic books and fantasizing about being a comics artist, he actually got his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in architecture. Architecture taught him about composition, he says, but while designing upscale ranch homes for rich Texans, he also explored an art career. Of course, the comic book fan who lives in San Antonio started with a graphic novel series, Words and Pictures. Ironically, it didn’t launch a career in comics but caught the eye of Austin, Texas-based Mojo Press, who hired him to do something he hadn’t thought of before—a book cover illustration for the 30th anniversary edition of Michael Moorcock’s BEHOLD THE MAN. That haunting image of a figure on a misty mountaintop launched a prolific career, as well as a friendship with Moorcock, who wrote the introduction to COVER STORY and considers Picacio “characteristically Texan” and possessing “an intellect running, a mind at work” that “puts him above many of his talented peers.” But most of all, he raves about Picacio’s ability to be true to an author’s work and yet add his own dimension, elevating the cover above a sales tool into a true complement to the text.
By 2001, Picacio had quit his job at an architecture firm and was a full-time artist. It’s hard to pigeonhole Picacio’s work into any category but perhaps fellow Texan, author Joe R. Lansdale comes close when he says, “Hard-boiled and velvet soft, off to the side and straight down the middle, Picacio can do it all.”
Up Against the Wall caught up with Picacio at the World Fantasy Convention in Austin, Texas, in November, where he was happy to talk about COVER STORY, his creative process and his next big project, creating both covers and fully painted monochrome interior illustrations for new editions of Moorcock’s popular ELRIC OF MELIBONE novels for Ballantine/Del Rey, the first of which is scheduled to be published in Spring 2008.
UATW: You’ve constructed COVER STORY in a different way than most other art books. You could have just included your art and people would have bought it and been amazed. But you’ve really gone behind the creative process of each piece and sometimes included preliminary sketches and even what you describe as failed or less successful attempts. Why do that?
PICACIO: I own a lot of art books that talk about technique and image-making but don’t really talk about problem-solving. The image should speak for itself—or if it doesn’t, then it’s not successful. But I do think when I’m paying money for an art book, I want to have more than just a big book of pictures. I want to get inside the artist’s head and see where he’s coming from. So from my standpoint, what I was interested in talking about was problem-solving. I used that as a springboard for the discussions I have in my book although I tried to keep them short. That also was how I approached the actual making of the book. I wanted to be able to design the book myself. That challenge of solving the problem of putting together a book of my own stuff was pretty important to me.
UATW: How did you select the pieces that are included in COVER STORY?
PICACIO: I wanted to put in pieces that I thought were the best of what I’ve done over the last 10 years. A lot of pieces I’ve done were not included. I wasn’t so much interested in strict chronology or a book of complete works. I looked at the scope of my work and tried to track an evolution over the years. I also put some things in there that I thought were, for lack of a better word, failures—some things that I wasn’t quite as proud of—just to show that it’s not a perfect road. I wanted it to be a well-rounded picture, as opposed to throwing in the entire kitchen sink.
UATW: Can you talk a little bit about the thought process that goes behind each piece? For example, you read the entire book for which you’re creating a cover which is not something every cover artist does. That takes time.
PICACIO: Yeah, I definitely start with reading the book. I generally tend to scribble little thoughts and thumbnails of what I’m thinking at a particular moment in the margins of the manuscript or on scraps of paper and attach them to the manuscript as I’m going along. I’m generally looking for things that are evocative more than things that are representative. If an author has described something in very, very vivid detail, I tend to shy away from images like that. I’m going to look for the moment that is either before or after something has happened. I’m going to try to find something that is complementing the manuscript rather than trying to mimic it. It’s not much fun for myself as a reader to read something and then see a picture that says exactly what I’ve just read, or tries to. I would use the phrase “you steal the reader’s right to imagine” by doing things like that. There’s a very fragile line there. A lot of people respond to the definitive picture of something, but I, at least as a reader, tend to prefer something that leaves holes for readers to fill in. I think that’s a more interesting road. In the end, I think images have a better chance of being timeless that way. That’s just my opinion, but I try to approach my own illustration work in that way because that’s the stuff that I respond to as a reader.
UATW: To what extent have editors or marketing departments dictated that they want to have one particular image?
John Picacio
PICACIO: Marketing directors, editors, art directors, the whole publishing machine, that’s the reality I work with everyday. The important thing to remember is that they’re the ally, not the enemy. When I go into a cover, I realize that they’re hiring me to take them to a place they couldn’t necessarily go by themselves. That’s part of what you have to realize as an illustrator. You have a role in this process, and it’s not just to be the hired hand to execute something that others want or think they want. Some may feel going in that that’s what your job is, but you have to be aware that there are other avenues available, and part of your job as an illustrator can be to shed light on those roads. You can be aggressive about pursuing it without disrespecting your employer. One way is by being very conscientious about presenting ideas of how something might work. However, you can’t do this unless you’ve read the manuscript. If you don’t read the manuscript, you’re not able to use your own powers of insight to their maximum, and realize, wait a minute—here’s a better way to go about this and achieve what my client wants and maybe gain them even more territory than they imagined.
Reading the manuscript to me is really important to my process, when I’m doing book covers. When you bring something from yourself to the project, it becomes much more enjoyable, you have more at stake and you put more into it. I think I’m more valuable to a client when I’m presenting ideas to them. But again it’s not all about me and my ideas. It’s me handing these things to them and saying “what do you think of these?” They are able to say, “well, I love this one. Or can we combine these two?” Or something to that effect, and so forth. It’s more of a back and forth than a one-way road which makes the work more rewarding. You also then develop a reputation for being someone who thinks in unusual ways, and that is perceived as being valuable to clients as opposed to being an obstacle. You’re there to help them succeed, not make their lives more difficult.
UATW: It seems like a lot of the authors for whom you have done covers have become friends. Is that one reason—because you take so much care that it’s like you’re involving the author through their work in the creative process and really trying to push yourself to the next level?
PICACIO: It may be. I’ve never really stopped to analyze it, but I do suspect I’m trying to treat people the way I’d hope to be treated if I were in their shoes. I basically treat each book as the center of that universe I’m trying to work on. I’ve used the phrase before, “the book is God” when I’m working on something. I try to look at the manuscript in a nonjudgmental, objective way. It’s not about whether I like the book or not, although I’m very fortunate in that the vast majority of the books I do covers for are really strong. It’s my job to find what the story’s core strengths and intentions that the author was going for and try to display them on a cover in the most graphic and powerful way I can. Again, I generally tend to go towards a more evocative response, rather than a representative response. I suspect authors tend to appreciate and respect that approach because it generally complements their writing, rather than competes with it.
UATW: Do you see particular covers as being turning points in your career? What are a few that were most important to you?
PICACIO: Back when I was doing my self-published comics, I wasn’t looking to become a book cover illustrator so when that first one [the 30th anniversary edition of BEHOLD THE MAN by Michael Moorcock; Mojo Press, 1996] came along, I took a chance on it and it took a chance on me. As it turned out, it was one of the most important moments of my life. I don’t know exactly how things would have been different, but they would have been. I don’t even like thinking about what it would have been like if that hadn’t come when it did.
The cover of MILLENIUM RISING by Jane Jensen [Del Rey, 1999] made SPECTRUM 7: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASTIC ART in 2000. That was an important confidence builder—the notion that on my best days I was able to get in with the best of the best. That was also my first big New York [publishing] cover. The fact that my first big New York cover made SPECTRUM told me I performed well under pressure and could do things at a very high level if those opportunities came my way.
Detail from "Fantasy Writer's Assistant"
THE FANTASY WRITER’S ASSISTANT AND OTHER STORIES by Jeffrey Ford was a collection that came out from Golden Gryphon Press in 2002, and that cover caught a lot of people’s attention. It was a wraparound. It was a set of stories that I felt very strongly about and there was one particular story that I really thought was the springboard for the cover. The client had asked for something different, for another story to be the springboard. I proposed my solution to them, and to their credit, they said “go for it.” I did and for a lot of people that piece was the first time they every heard of me.
GATEWAY by Frederik Pohl [Ballantine/Del Rey, 2004] caught a lot of people’s attention. A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ [by Walter M. Miller, Jr.; Harper Collins/Eos, 2005] came out this year in trade paperback. I wish I would’ve read that book sooner—in my teenage years actually. I’m ashamed it took me this long to read it, but that book and that cover meant a lot to me. When I did that one I knew I’d turned a corner.
Empire of Ice Cream
THE EMPIRE OF ICE CREAM [Golden Gryphon, 2006] is a wraparound for another Jeffrey Ford collection. With that one, I was starting to turn corners in terms of color choices in drawing and painting. I started surprising myself. I created something better than I originally envisioned, which happens very rarely. When I’m able to surprise myself, I hold those pieces in high regard because I feel like I’m turning corners.
UATW: You’ve become known for your shadowboxes. How did that start?
PICACIO: They were a way of solving problems—trying to arrive at more evocative cover solutions. They were certainly influenced by Dave McKean’s SANDMAN covers, Robert Rauschenberg’s mixed media experiments from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s and Joseph Cornell’s assemblages. I liked the tactile nature of them. The first one I did was for an ex-girlfriend. I did it as a love letter, but the technique and the enjoyment of the actual medium certainly outlasted the relationship. I started to apply it to certain covers where I thought it was appropriate. Probably the one that’s most memorable is for an anthology called SHELF LIFE that was put out by Dreamhaven Books [2002].
Shelf Life
The other assemblage that a lot of people remember was for a poster for a play called E.A. POE: THE FEVER CALLED LIVING. That was actually the artwork that won Best 3-D at the 2000 World Fantasy Convention Art Show. That predates the SHELF LIFE one, but I think both of those made an impact and helped me to build a career.
UATW: What are you working on right now, either just completed or just starting?
PICACIO: I’m in the process of working on the first volume of Michael Moorcock’s ELRIC series. It’ll be coming out from Ballantine/Del Rey in the spring of 2008. I’ll be doing the cover and all the interior illustrations so it’s going to be a loaded package. ELRIC has a history of great illustrators working on it, and it’s a big honor to be a part of that legacy, to be quite honest. So that’s the big order on the plate right now.
I’m also working on a triptych for Jeffrey Ford’s THE WELL-BUILT CITY trilogy which Golden Gryphon are re-releasing. What’s interesting about that is I’m going back and exploring the shadowbox medium again. A lot of people in recent years have asked me why I don’t do more of them. It’s just because I didn’t think it was appropriate for any of the assignments I’ve received. But this was one where it’s very appropriate. The challenge is to see if there’s new creative territory to explore here.
There are a number of other covers, but those are the two big projects right now.
UATW: Will the Moorcock project be similar to what Wandering Star did with its heavily illustrated editions of Robert E. Howard’s CONAN stories which have been reprinted by Ballantine/Del Rey?
PICACIO: They will be packaged the same way. Right now we’re in negotiations to see how many interior illustrations there will be. They’ll be trade paperbacks so the illustrations will be monochrome on the interior, but the plan is for them to be painted.
UATW: When you’re doing interior illustrations as opposed to covers, is there a different process?
PICACIO: It is a different process because with a cover you’re trying to isolate one slice or one moment or maybe distill a number of moments down to a single image. With an interior illustration, you’re trying to dissect the story on a smaller, tighter scale. You also have to keep the illustrations simpler. Because many of the interiors reproduce relatively small, they need to read very clearly right away. You can’t have a whole lot of fuss. The cover has room to be a little more visually complex though.
UATW: Is Ballantine/Del Rey dictating where the illustrations should be?
PICACIO: I’m getting lots of latitude to make the initial choices. Betsy Mitchell is the editor of this project, and she’s terrific. She’s letting me figure these things out and try to present the best solutions to them rather than saying “here’s what we think, now just go do what we say.”
UATW: How do you feel about following in the footsteps of all the artists who have done ELRIC? Is it OK, you accept that and just start from the beginning, put it away?
PICACIO: The first day after I got the gig, I spent the bulk of that day looking at the past illustrators who have done ELRIC and their visions of [the character] and his worlds. I appreciated how great they are, but I also spent time studying and critiquing them. I realized there’s a lot of unexplored territory with this character. There’s a lot of room for me to take this character to places he hasn’t been before. Once you start to realize that, that puts it in perspective and you stop deifying what’s come before you. There’s no sense of pressure or intimidation once you’ve done that. I call it “taking the punch.” After that, I realized I’ve got my own thing going on, and it just keeps building every day as I keep working through these sketches and drawings. It’s not something where I’m beholden to another artist’s vision.
UATW: Are you working at all with Michael Moorcock on this? Unlike the Howard books, you have a living author.
PICACIO: I don’t talk to the author on every project. Every once in a while that happens, but not all of the time. In fact, it’s very few that I actually speak with because I trust the book to guide me. But for this one because of the importance and the scope and the fact that Mike and I do have a relationship, I keep in touch about what I’m doing. I don’t ask him for his permission, but I do respectfully run my ideas and my vision by him. We’ve always had a great relationship, and I feel like I’m lucky that he is here and available. I think it’ll only make the project stronger. He’s very hands off in the sense that he says, “it’s your thing. I want it to be yours. I’m not here to tell you what to do.” That’s the way Mike is, and that’s why he’s one of the most respected creators anywhere in our field. He’s a very generous man.
UATW: Is there a question which nobody has ever asked you which you wish somebody would ask you in an interview?
PICACIO: Hmm. I guess, “if you weren’t an illustrator, what would you do?” I hope I wouldn’t have simply been an architect for the rest of my life, because while I think I was good at it and I liked it, I would have felt that I didn’t push myself as far as I could have otherwise. I would have regretted that at some point. I’m not sure what I would have done, but no matter what, I hope that it would be something where I wasn’t content to accept the status quo. I would hope it was a job where I was willing to make sacrifices and take risks—to make things better than how I found them. I’m just glad I’m where I’m at. I wouldn’t want to be anybody else but me right now. That’s really the truth. 
