FRED WHEATON : LAYRON DEJARNETTE : MARK PINGITORE
SPRING 2008 - SUMMER 2008
-----------------------------------
FRED
WHEATON
THE GPK INTERVIEW
1. Right off the bat, I have to start out by saying - not only are the ANS7 Garbage Pail Kids cards #14 ("CORA Reef" painted by Brent Engstrom) and #37 ("Extra CHRISTIE" painted by Fred Harper) two of the strongest pieces of the set, they are also two of my favorites. Though you were only able to submit three concepts for ANS7, how do you feel about these pieces and the way that they were embraced by the collecting public?
For ANS7, I submitted nine ideas total, mostly very quick small sketches. I would have liked to get more in, but I started pretty late in the series' development. Topps accepted three of the nine... and that's a pretty good ratio for this stuff.
I love how all three of my gags turned out, and it's great that "CORA Reef" has received fan acclaim. Brent really made that one soar with his digital painting. Harper's "Extra CHRISTIE" final took some heat from vocal GPK fans for apparently not looking enough like fried chicken, but I think Fred nailed the concept and I really like his painterly style.
2. Historically, I remember you contacting me some years back regarding some of Bunk's unpublished '92 Wacky Packages final artwork images. How you intended to create some webpages for the "Lost Wackys" set. I was floored by the WP pages you eventually developed -- they were very detailed and comprehensive (and your ANS WP pages are amazing as well). What motivated you and how much feedback have you received from collectors and artists?
I had been intrigued for some time by the evidence on John Pound's web site about the "lost" Wacky Packages series that had been nearly completed in 1992, then abandoned by Topps. I thought that was a ripe subject for internet detective work. I had also been checking out your site for a while for all of the great GPK info, and was always impressed how you presented each GPK series in great detail, mostly on one web page. When I started my "Lost 1992" site it was in emulation of your treatment.
Fans enjoyed seeing the previously-unpublished titles on my 1992 site, including the Tom Bunk pieces that you sent to me. Some fans later appropriated some of those titles, like "Tushie Roll," for printing in a bootleg "Lost Wackys" sticker set.
("Click" Picture To Visit Wheaton's VERY
Impressive Topps Resume)
I started my All-New Series WP pages to try to document the creative process behind the modern-era titles, while the information was all fresh in the writers' and artists' minds. So much about the old stuff has been lost to time. Those web pages helped me to get in touch with artists like Dave Gross, Luis Diaz, Neil Camera, and George Wright, all of whom were very generous in providing anecdotes about their process and in sending me scans of artwork.
3. To backtrack, can you tell us a bit about your artistic background? Images of your comic panels come to mind … ones that you had sent to me years ago -- I knew then I was dealing with someone with a certain amount of talent indeed. When did you first submit work to the Topps company, and how did you find yourself working for them?
I grew up drawing, and my main ambitions as a kid were to be a writer or an artist. I've always loved comics and cartooning - some of my earliest influences were Charles Schulz's Peanuts, MAD magazine, and Wacky Packages. In high school I was mainly interested in drawing comics, and then in college I majored in Fine Arts and learned to paint in oil. After I graduated I spent a couple of years as a "starving artist", doing some small-time freelance graphics work as well as commissioned oil paintings, often portraits of people, but I would paint any subject I was asked to: cars, boats, pets -- even cows for one client.
At the same time, my friend Wayne Wise and I formed a studio called Fragile Elite and self-published some black-and-white mini-comics in the midst of the early '90s 'zine-scene. Our peak came when we published Grey Legacy #1, a professionally-printed magazine-size issue that got some nice attention. Our favorite response was from rocker Iggy Pop, who wrote us back after we sent him a copy: his letter started out "You guys, I loved the fucking comic." But I simultaneously got burned out on art and fell into some financial difficulties, so I put drawing and painting to the side for a while.
I had been collecting Topps' all-new series of Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages since they were revived starting in 2003, but I never gave any thought to submitting to Topps until my wife Renée suggested it in early 2006. She was helping me to open some packs and said, "You could do better than this" (I can't remember what card prompted that reaction!).
(Wheaton's ANS6 Final Artwork For "Miracle Weep")
I had honestly never thought about it before then. I was content to enjoy the revivals as a fan and hadn't done much (if any) art for a long time. But she and I hashed out some ideas, and I worked up a handful of quick gag sketches as samples.
Instead of submitting the samples "blind" in the mail, I decided to try to meet art director Jeff Zapata in person at the 2006 New York Comic-Con where Topps was to have a booth. So I hopped a train to Manhattan that February for a day trip… without an advance ticket. To my dismay, the show was sold out when I got there and NY Fire Marshalls were threatening to shut it down because of overcrowding. I was disheartened, to say the least - there was no way I was getting in to the show. So I trusted photocopies of my gags to a convention staff member who turned out to be sympathetic to my plight; he delivered my stuff to the Topps booth.
A few days later I followed up with Jeff by e-mail. He said that he got my ideas, and liked them… and encouraged me to submit more.
4. After getting to know each other as website-runners, it was very exciting for me to see you submitting GPK and WP concepts to Topps… and their overall acceptance of your work. Was it a 'dream come true', not only as a collector and website author, but as an artist, to be working with a Wacky Package panel of colleagues? Can you even describe the feeling of holding a printed card of your own work in your hands?
It has been a huge treat to become part of something I had enjoyed as a kid, and to tell my family, "Remember those stickers that I stuck all over my bedroom? I help make them now". To think that I'm helping a kid somewhere to annoy his parents like I once did… it's a beautiful thing.
It's also a true honor to have my
ideas considered to be worthy of standing alongside those of creative people
I admire. And to contribute to pop culture franchises that have included work
by people like Art Spiegelman, Jay Lynch, Mark Newgarden, and John Pound...
that still blows my mind a little.
(One of Fred's Accepted ANS6 GPK Titles)
5. I previously interviewed Dave Gross back in 2005-2006 who had worked on a few GPK finals at the time and was considered a 'crossover' artist… dappling in GPK but mainly working on WP. And though I've been wanting to interview you for quite some time as a 'concept artist', you have now done everything -- from GPK and WP concepts to final artwork pieces. How instrumental has Jeff Zapata been in molding your Topps career and what other projects have you worked on?
I can't give enough credit to Jeff. When I first started submitting ideas, he spent a big chunk of time with me on the phone, going over my gags and helping me to refine them, and making me understand why some ideas just wouldn't fly. He also gave me pointers on painting for Topps and directed me to Dave Gross for more guidance.
After I had worked on Wackys for a bit I sent Jeff some unsolicited GPK ideas as ANS6 was being developed. A couple of them were similar to already-painted pieces that I had not seen: I had one very close to "Orange JULIUS" and another along the same lines as "Lemon NED" (author: can be seen within the ANS6 "GPK History" section). Jeff and I were both surprised by the parallels. I sent in several more and ended up with four approved gags in the series.
Later, I was very flattered when Jeff approached me about contributing gags to the Hollywood Zombies series (which was code-named "Project X" at the time). That set was a very different experience because Topps was discovering the "rules" as we went along. Thus the Zombies required a lot more revisions than the other card sets.
6. How 'cool' and 'exciting' is it to find out which artist is working on your concept idea and then waiting to see the final artwork? Though you don't have a hand in picking out which artist works on which concept piece, now that you've taken both a GPK and WP concept from start to finish, how is the concept picked out that you'll be working on - does the art director of the set have the deciding factor, knowing your comfort level, etc?
I love seeing how different artists approach my ideas. It floored me when I first heard that John Pound was going to be working on some of my concepts, because I admire his work very much. I came to learn that Pound will translate the best elements of a rough very faithfully in his final, and he'll improve on the weaker parts. He works fast, too!
On GPKs, I haven't collaborated much with the final painters; in most cases I don't see the painted version until the card is printed. But on Wacky Packages I've been fortunate enough to work closely with Dave Gross, who always brings good ideas to the table and is deeply invested in making the best final piece possible. The most unique example of our collaboration was the time that I shipped a frozen sausage to him so that he could paint a Bob Evans product from life, for the "Blob Evans" Wacky Package that I designed.
With any of the finals I've done, Jeff Zapata has made the assignments, it was his judgment call. I received the first job with an e-mail that said something like, "Do you want to paint your GPK iPod gag? Let's see some color roughs". I think he wanted to give me an easy one to start with… I sort of figured it would end up as a bonus card if it got in at all, but I was grateful to see it make the base set… easier to get a copy to my grandma that way.
7. Pt 1. So far, you have worked on two ANS GPK sets, starting with ANS6 and three ANS WP sets, starting with ANS4. I find it interesting that some collectors find it disturbing to see an artist's name identified with their artwork - such as the two 'signed' Fred Harper pieces for the ANS7 GPK set. Most of the time, the artist's name is somewhat 'snuck' into the artwork… there are several original GPK series cards with this phenomenon and even more ANS cards. Even with your own painted GPK, ANS6 # 38a "I-Clod TODD", one can find your name on the card. How important is credit and recognition to you as an artist?
I like having my work recognized. I'm not sure why the artists are "anonymous" on GPKs and WPs... Maybe the assumption is that the primary audience of kids won't care about credits? At the same time, Hollywood Zombies (which was aimed at an older crowd) did give credit to the painters on the cards, and to all of the creators on the official web site. Which was cool.
At the same time, Topps art cards are a very collaborative medium, and that's a big part of the fun of it. Some cards end up being "auteur" cards, where the artist's original idea goes all the way through from concept to final without editorial changes, but in most cases there's a lot of give-and-take with writer-editor-painter, and it can be hard to remember exactly who originated which of the elements. So it becomes a "we did it" rather than an "I did it." It's best to not have a huge ego about it.
7. Pt 2. As Jeff Zapata suggested, GPK artist Layron Dejarnette did a great job of plugging quite a few GPK websites on the third card concept you supplied for the ANS7 set, card # 36 (Car JACK)… if a website can be recognized on a card for the author's hard work, why not the artist? Topps has had a long history of not publicly portraying artists names on their work (the final printed card), so I find it quite interesting and 'fun' to find a name on a card… do you think it takes away from the flow of the artwork? Though it didn't show up on the printed card, I thought it was very cool to see Brent Engstrom's and your initials on the "CORA Reef" piece, paying tribute to both the artist and concept artist.
I don't have a problem with artists' signatures on the cards, but unobtrusive ones are probably best. I suppose that the fact that the initials were covered up on "CORA" points out why signatures can be problematic - the production staff may have to cover or cut signatures for the best composition. I appreciated both Layron and Brent working the names/initials into those finals, they are both classy guys.
8. I couldn't help but notice you snuck your wife's name on your concept piece for card # 36 (Car JACK), you can often find Tom Bunk's kids names on his pieces, names of his friends, or names of his bosses at Topps. Knowing you a bit before and after your GPK and WP fame… how influential and helpful has Renée been in your work? I know I've seen her name as a concept artist for at least one of your ANS WP pieces.
My wife Renée Davis has a big impact on my Topps work. Most importantly, she encouraged me to try to work for them in the first place. She feeds me funny ideas and she is usually my first sounding board for concepts that I come up with. Wacky Packages titles like "Hoggin-Dogz," Frogresso," and "Enlisterine" wouldn't exist if not for her. I promise that I'll get her name into a card one of these days!
9. I do collect Wacky Packages, from the reissue sets to the ANS sets (and thankfully own "The Wacky Packages Gallery" book showcasing the original series and more)… your ANS6 WP, like your ANS7 GPK concepts, have been some of my favorites -- especially "Jelly Bully" from ANS6 WP… do you feel your work is getting stronger over time? How surreal is it to think of yourself working on WP now and then thinking back to the original series and legends like Norm Saunders?
With each series, I think I have a
better understanding of what works in Wacky Packages, so I believe
my concepts have gotten stronger. I think that I have a better sense of GPKs
now too - I hope that the generally more favorable reaction to my ANS7 ideas
is an indication of that.
Norm Saunders casts a massive shadow over WPs and you can't work on them as a painter without thinking, "What Would Norm Do?". He came from an era when illustrators were classically trained, and he could convey in a few quick brushstrokes the same information that would take me hours, and I'd still not come close. John Pound is the GPK equivalent, of course - the gold standard by which all following artists are measured by.
("Jelly Bully" Original Concept Piece
Titled "Smelly Belly")
10. Although the Wacky Packages keep you very busy, will you be submitting more concepts for any upcoming ANS GPK sets? Are there any unpublished concepts still pending approval from the two ANS GPK sets you've submitted for thus far… and will the general GPK public ever lay eyes on these? Perhaps an ANS GPK page on your website in the future?
I'd be jazzed to work on ANS8 GPKs if/when they come to pass. I've held back a handful of rejected ideas in case they can be reworked or otherwise cannibalized for future use. One didn't get into ANS7 because it had a thematic similarity to a piece that Pound had already turned in. Several were rejected for being "too tame," while another was "too violent" (Sometimes the bull's eye is a moving target). I'll give them all a home on my web site at some point.
11. It was wonderful meeting you in person at the Philly show last October. Even though you weren't part of the 'official' GPK panel, and were questioned by the Toser's, it was great to see Zapata make a spot for you at his table. How do you rate your first convention experience … and would you consider a trip out to the San Diego Comic Con? And how cool was it to meet so many fellow artists such as Lynch, Gross, Zapata, Harper and Pingitore? I only wish you and Ping could have stuck around for drinks later that night…
Great to meet you too! The con was a lot of fun; I look forward to the next Philly/Allentown show this spring. I felt very welcomed into the fraternity of Topps contributors and it was cool to meet so many people whom I had only known via e-mail or internet message boards. I keep telling myself I'm going to make it to San Diego, one o' these days…
(Wheaton & Booton
At Philly Show)
12. As brought up at the GPK and WP Q&A at the Philly show… Zapata would like to see you tackle even more GPK and WP work. Would you consider another GPK final artwork piece? Jeff also mentioned a planned (but not yet, green-lit) ANS8 GPK set… and the potential idea of bringing back the ever famous sketch cards -- which continue to nab high prices on eBay. Would you consider doing some sketch cards yourself if the opportunity arose?
I'd like to show that I can paint a 3-D GPK, since my one painting featured a "just a barfing shadow" as one detractor put it. I'd definitely be interested in doing sketches if Topps pursues that idea… I enjoy making little card-sized drawings, and making hundreds of them sound like a good challenge, an exercise that would help loosen me up - it's common for me to obsess over my stuff and let it become too precious.
13. I must admit, it's been the hardest interviewing artists I have become friends with over the years (I ran into the same problem with Bunk back in 2005-2006)… I feel my questions have come across as rambling banter rather than hardcore questions, so forgive me for that. But I feel this interview was long overdue and I'm excited to share it with the GPK community. I remember submitting a small handful of very amateur concepts during ANS5, and with your support and Bunk's help, had one co-published during the ANS6 set. The piece you drew for me sits in my final artwork album next to the final artwork for that card, so I thank you again for that. On an ending note, will you be on the GPK and WP bandwagon as long as it lasts? I hope so.
(Fred's Rendition of My ANS6 #36 Bunk Piece)
No worries AJ… I rambled back in the answers. Thanks for considering me worthy of inclusion.
It can be hard at times to fit the
Topps work around my day job, but after two years I'm still having a lot of
fun! I hope they keep making art card sets for their existing franchises as
well as trying out new series ideas… I'll keep at it as long as they'll
have me.
THANKS FRED!
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LAYRON
DEJARNETTE
THE GPK INTERVIEW
HOLLYWOOD ZOMBIES : SELF-PORTRAIT
1. Have you worked on any other Topps assignments
other than Garbage Pail Kids? And, how did you find yourself freelancing
for the Topps Company?
Yes, I've worked on a couple of projects for the Topps Company. I did some
illustrations for the Hollywood Zombies series and I provided some
animation and character designs for a new animated project, soon to be released.
HOLLYWOOD ZOMBIES : #39 "ELIJAH
DEADWOOD"
I started freelancing for Topps by
being at the right place at the right time. I attended a comic convention
and The Wayans Bros. were promoting their new card series, "The Dozens"
at the Topps booth. Since I had previously met Marlon Wayans a couple of years
back on another job and found out that he was at the convention, I wanted
to stop by his booth and say "Hi". By the time I got to the Topps
booth he and his brother were gone.
I met Jeff Zapata and showed him my portfolio. He liked my samples and a couple
of months later I received a GPK illustration test. I had to illustrate
Pingitore's sketch of "Armless AARON". I took the test, Topps liked
it and ended up printing the illustration in ANS5.
ANS5 #15 "Armless AARON" &
"Unarmed ADRIAN"
2. What is your preferred technique
of creating art? Or rather, what is your method, process or art style that
you usually paint in and what materials did you use for your GPK artwork?
I generally like to work in traditional mediums like Inks, Watercolors, Gouache,
Acrylics, and Oils, although I do illustrate in digital mediums as well. The
illustrations for GPK ANS 5 & 6 were
painted in Acrylics and the illustrations for ANS 7 were all done digitally.
3. What type of art background do you have and what other projects did
you work on before starting at Topps (schooling, jobs, projects, et cetera)?
I come from a realistic commercial illustration background. I went to College
for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, where I received a BFA in Illustration.
At the time my artwork was more on the realistic side. I also did caricatures
that were rendered very realistically for a few magazine companies, and had
an interest in traditional 2D animation, which led to me working on television
commercials as a 2D animator. From that, I was given the opportunity to work
as an intern at The Walt Disney Feature Animation department in California
and Florida.
ANS5 #B11 "Opera URSULA"
The knowledge and experience I acquired
from the Disney internships opened more doors of artistic opportunity. I moved
to California and "got my foot in the door" within the animation
industry, working at various studios like Disney, Warner Brothers Animation,
and Klasky Csupo.
4. Several of your final pieces stem from concept artwork from artists
such as Pingitore and Wheaton … do you feel obligated to keep close to
the original concept idea, or do you have freedom to throw in your own interpretation?
How is it working with, and being art directed by Zapata? I've noticed your
characters distinctively have, if dismembered, plastic doll arm, leg or head
attachments… how did this creative idea come about?
Unless otherwise directed by Topps, I try to stay true to what the conceptual
artist is trying to convey in the gag. Pingitore and Wheaton are great conceptual
artists, so if the concepts are on point, I am free to interpret the details,
color scheme, background layout of the final illustration and I might throw
in extra props (or poop) here and there to emphasize the gag more. That's
the main focus for me.
ANS5 #33 "Tether BILL" &
"Sporty SPENCER"
Jeff Zapata is a great guy and easy
to work with. The whole plastic doll look stemmed from "Armless AARON",
my first GPK painting. At the time I had Pingitore's sketch to work
from and I asked Zapata should there be bones sticking out of Aaron's armless
body. He told me to think of the body like that of a toy doll, so I made the
dismembered body and parts like a toy doll.
5. You started working on GPK during ANS5 completing four pieces
(cards 15, 26, 33 & B11) for the set. Your pieces
for "Armless AARON" and "Tether BILL" for ANS5 were some
of my favorites. You then finished one piece for the ANS6 set (card 11), why
only one piece for this set and does other work prevent you from working on
GPK more, or does it depend on what Topps needs for a particular set?
Well it depends on what Topps needs for a set. At the time of ANS6 I was exclusively
working on the Hollywood Zombies series and wasn't scheduled to do
any painting for Garbage Pail Kids. Card 11 for GPK ANS6 was
originally going to be painted by another artist that couldn't do it, so I
was asked to paint it as a last minute rush job. I know some die hard fans
had problems with that particular card..."My bad!"
ANS6 #11 "Snakes In DWAYNE" &
"Tapeworm TANNER"
6. As briefly mentioned on the
GPK Underground, your ANS7 artwork has been done digitally (cards 23,
28, 36 and 45), which is interesting when it comes to the idea of collectors
wanting to purchase the final artwork. I know Zapata had you plug several
GPK website names for your "Car JACK" piece, I wanted to
say "THANK YOU" for paying tribute to my website, I know I'd be
very interested in any prints you may sell of that artwork. Would you consider
selling quality (maybe numbered) prints of your artwork?
Illustrating the ANS7 cards digitally was a result of timing. I was working
on another job as a storyboard artist and animator, so in order to reach the
deadline I had to digitally illustrate the finals.
I was a little bummed out that some of the GPK websites were left out
of "Car JACK". If there is a list somewhere that has all of the
current GPK websites, please let me know just in case I have another
painting that requires "shout outs" to the websites.
As mentioned on the "GPK Underground" website, I would be happy
to sell prints. Due to my freelance work schedule, I haven't been able to
make this happen as of yet but when I get a breather, I will make prints for
those who want them.
ANS7 #36 "Car JACK" &
"Scrap HEATH"
7. If a future ANS8 set materializes,
would you consider participating in sketch cards if that chase card was resurrected
for that release? Have you ever done any sketch card work?
I would love to do some sketch cards for GPK or for any other Topps
card sets. I've collected quite a few sketch cards from other artists and
tend to like them. I love the looseness of the line that sometimes gets lost
in the rendered paintings of the final. Hopefully I'll get a chance to work
on them. I have plenty of sketch card samples of my own.
8. Do you ever feel any pressure to live up to hardcore GPK fans'
expectations of what GPK should look like? Have you received any constructive
criticism or pay any attention to the online message boards regarding your
work?
As a commercial artist, I'm commissioned to provide artwork to sell a product,
so I have to know my target audience and the fan base of the product. I try
to see what the fans like and what they are looking for in GPK cards.
I listen to constructive criticism and try to adjust if needed. The measuring
rod in illustrating GPK cards is John Pound and the filter is Topps,
whom in the end has the final say and approval. So, I try to do the best I
can as an Illustrator to capture that GPK look. Sometimes you hit a
home run, sometimes you don't.
ANS7 #23 "Gator ABE" &
"We WINNIE"
9. Were you previously aware of,
or a fan of GPK from the 80's or the Wacky Packages parody cards
throughout the decades? How do you feel about working on the all-new reincarnation
of these Topps products now?
I was a fan of Garbage Pail Kids, and a huge fan of Wacky Packages
growing up. Too bad I took all of my stickers and stuck them onto my grade
school notebook when I was a kid that I no longer have. This was before the
revelation of 'collectable assets' came into my existence. So many stickers
gone forever...D'OH!!!
I'm excited to be part of the Topps family of artists, where's so much talent
and history. It's like being a kid in the candy store. I love working on the
cards and being a part of the team.
10. Where else can we find DeJarnette artwork (including websites, etc.)?
And are there any personal projects you're currently working on or will be
working on?
My portfolio website is www.dejarnettedesigns.com and my blog with updated
artwork is www.dejarnettedesigns.blogspot.com. I just finished illustrating
a book for comedian Jeff Foxworthy titled, "How To Really
Stink At Golf" and a few animated commercials for the studios. I am currently
working on a few animation projects of my own to be posted on the web soon.
Thanks AJ!
ANS7 #45 "MANUEL Labor" &
"LANDON Scaping"
THANKS
LAYRON!
-----------------------------------
MARK
PINGITORE
THE GPK INTERVIEW
1. For starters, I believe you could be the youngest, if not one of the youngest, contributors of Garbage Pail Kids. Can you tell us a bit about your GPK background, like your experience collecting the cards as a kid and what they meant to you, and any shock you might have had at their reintroduction in the 2000’s?
I think I am the youngest contributor to GPK. I started working on concepts when I was 23, and literally graduated from college the week that I first talked to Jeff Zapata. I remember that I was about to get on the train for my commute home, when I got a call from Jeff. I was trying to find a spot to get good reception in the train station, and I was talking about the concepts that I had submitted. I was so excited, and was hoping that I didn’t lose my connection. I’m sure people thought I was crazy discussing snowmen with human body parts and monkeys eating brains.
I loved Garbage Pail Kids when I was younger. I would carry my large stack of cards with me everywhere I went. I even have a Christmas home video where I’m opening series 10 packs that were in my stocking, and you can see how excited and hyper I was looking through each card. It’s hilarious. I also remember sometimes getting packs of GPK for treats after meals. I’d say that the art really influenced my personal style, and it’s always stayed with me.
Somehow I lost all of my cards after they stopped making them, except for a couple that my mom saved in a big box of photos from when I was growing up. She says that I stuck them all somewhere and those were the only ones she managed to salvage. Many years later, I stumbled upon "ALI Gator" which was one of the cards that was in that box, and I found a trading card company that was selling unopened full GPK sets. Over the next few months, I saved up my money, and re-bought every single series. This was in like ’97. Back then, I thought that there was no way that GPK would ever come back. Little did I know what was to come. Jump to 2003, I find out that Topps is bringing them back, and was psyched.
2. As a fellow collector and GPK
enthusiast, some of the GPK community may have an occasional concept
slip through the system and get published, or dream up some crazy concept
idea or name, but you took it a step further and went full-steam ahead by
contributing some amazing concepts for the ANS sets… how did you go about
contacting Topps, and how exactly did work find you there?
Well, like I said, I was just finishing school when I started sending stuff to Topps. I was putting together my portfolio, and I was looking for full-time jobs in the animation business, which is what I went to school for. Getting your foot in the door can be a long process, so it seemed like a good time for me to try to contribute in some way to the new GPK, which is something I had always wanted to do. ANS4 had come out, so I had GPK on the brain. Basically, I just started sketching up ideas, looking through my cards for inspiration. After I had some that I liked, I didn’t really know a direct way of contacting anyone at Topps, or even who to contact, for that matter, so I started sending them to the different collectors who ran GPK fan sites to see if anyone knew who I should be sending my ideas to. I believe I actually sent them to you, and you were very encouraging, but it was Wayne of Wayne’s Garbage Pail Kids Reference who actually sent them along to Jeff. Eventually, I was talking directly to Jeff, and that’s how I got started.
3. Can you share your initial experiences with submitting your concepts to Topps and any feedback you may have received about your work?
It was very cool when I got to the point where I was consistently sending stuff to Jeff, and getting feedback. For ANS5 there was a pretty consistent flow of ideas going back and forth between him and me. In the beginning, I was emailing Jeff really rough ideas as I came up with them. He would let me know which ones he liked, which ones he hated, and what to change or add. Then I would do a pretty tight pencil drawing of them. Eventually I started just sending the tight pencils. I like getting them as close to how I think the final card should look as I can. I think altogether I ended up submitting around 30 ideas for my first series. Jeff was very patient and helpful in taking the time to explain the business to me, since this was really my first professional job, and I was pretty green. I have to be honest though, I was a little intimidated by Jeff in the beginning. He let me sweat it out a little as far as letting me know if my ideas were going to be used, but he was always encouraging. By the end of ANS5, I had gotten better at drawing GPK, and had a better idea about which ideas would be accepted. The last few ideas were approved pretty quickly.
4. Do you have any art schooling in your past? Or have you always been artistic?
I started drawing when I was very young. I spent a lot of time trying to reproduce all of my favorite cartoon characters and superheroes, as well as my favorite GPK. I clearly remember drawing stuff as far back as 1st grade, trying to impress my classmates, and I always loved art class whenever I had it. No one ever sat down and taught me how to draw when I was younger, but over the years I have taken some painting classes and general art classes to try to expand what I could do. I think I really started to approach art in a different way when I went to The Art Institute of Philadelphia for animation. I learned a lot about composition and planning out my drawings. I also got a lot of practice with various figure drawing classes I had to take, which I found really helpful when applying that to drawing more stylized characters.
5. What other projects or work preoccupies your time besides your work at Topps? Have you considered working on other Topps projects or have been approached to?
Besides working on GPK, I am currently the Lead Animator for an animation studio in Hamilton, NJ called Two Animators! (www.twoanimators.com). I’ve been working there with a very talented group of artists for almost two years now. We do a lot of web animation for various animated series and games, as well as other original concepts. Whenever I have some time to spare, I also tinker around with some of my own animation ideas.
(Pingitore's Misc. Artwork)
I did some concept work for Topps’
Hollywood Zombies series. That was a lot of fun, but I wasn’t
able to contribute as much as I wanted to, due to a busy schedule. I haven’t
been approached to work on any other series, but I’d definitely jump
on the opportunity to work on Wacky Packages. I was a big fan of the
series that came out in the early 90’s, and I know I could come up with
some nasty product parodies.
6. I know for Wacky Packages concept artists, walking through the
grocery store can inspire ideas for their work… when do concept ideas
for the “Kids” ‘pop’ into your brain?
It’s kind of a similar process for me. For the most part, I don’t sit down and try to think of new ideas. I’ll be going about my business, and something I see or think about will spark an idea. Another thing I do is try to think of things that I enjoyed as a kid, such as games I played (Tether BILL), making snowmen (Armless AARON) and winter (Ice COLE), opening presents (PETER Package), milk (Milkin’ MILT) and cookies (Licked VIC), my birthday, which is Valentine’s Day (Courtin’ CODY), as so on. Other times I’ll get ideas from a movie I’m watching. For example, I thought of "TODD Da!" while watching The Prestige, and "Inmate NATE" while watching Saw.
7. Is there a certain concept process you follow… as far as checking that GPK concepts remain fresh and unused (to adhere to strict GPK fans rules and regulations)?
As I think of ideas, I’ll usually jot down a short description in my sketchbook, or do a quick thumbnail so I remember it. When I’m ready to start submitting concepts, I’ll flip through all of the previous cards, and make sure none of my concepts are too close to something that has already been done. If I find a similar idea, but I think I could take it farther, or add something to it, I’ll submit it, but if not, I don’t. "MIKE Strike" was an example of this. There was a card in the original series of a bowling ball with a GPK face on it, and I thought it would be cool to show the kid throwing his head as the ball and have his eyeballs stuck to his fingers watching his own head go down the lane. After I choose which ones I want to use, I’ll do a rough sketch to lay out how I see the composition of the card. That’s usually what I send to Jeff, and then I do a final tight sketch and incorporate any changes or additions.
8. So you’re basically handing over your art to Topps to distribute to other artists to complete for the final artwork. Do you have a say in where the concepts go, or does Zapata (the art director for GPK) choose who he feels best fits the mold for the concept?
No, I don’t have any say in who does what concept. It’s always fun discovering who got which concept though, and what their interpretation of it is. I suspect who gets what concept is decided by both who has time, and whose style would work best for it.
9. How do you feel about seeing the different interpretations of your concepts once the final artwork is completed -- and has most artists stayed pretty true to your ideas? Do you see the final artwork before its released on card?
It’s always interesting to see what an artist will do with the concept that I submit. I have a picture in my head about how I envision the final card looking. Sometimes the final card will be different from what I expected, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve experienced both. Luis Diaz has done the final paintings for a lot of my concepts, and he always keeps the idea of my original concept, but also puts his own spin on it, or adds things that I wouldn’t have thought of. It’s very much a collaborative effort. On the other hand, Layron DeJarnette has also done a number of my concepts, and he tends to stay pretty close to what I draw, but just tightens everything up, adds details, and gives it a nice glossy finish. His painting of "Armless AARON" is dead on to how I wanted that card to look. I’ll never forget seeing it for the first time. So, it can work both ways. Occasionally I do get a sneak peak of the final paintings that were based of my concepts, which is always a nice bonus.
10. As ‘next generation’ GPK artists, you and Luis Diaz are considered somewhat of a GPK ‘dream team’… he seems to receive quite a few of your concepts. Is this coincidence? Your “Ice COLE” concept, and Diaz’s finished piece is simply mind-blowing.
Luis does amazing work. Like I said, he’s done a lot of my concepts, and if I find out that he’s working on my stuff, I know they’re in good hands. He painted all of my ANS6 concepts, except for one, and all of his paintings from ANS7 were based off my concepts.
11. How often are you asked to re-do concepts? Or are some of the ideas accepted loosely and then twisted or re-imagined by the art director or other artists?
It’s not unusual for Jeff to ask me to make some changes to the stuff that I submit. Ideas are constantly evolving. It’s always good to get some fresh eyes to look at something. It usually makes the final concepts stronger in the end. I’m personally always trying to improve my own concepts even after the original idea has been accepted. Like I’ll think of another way of doing something that I had just submitted the day before. For the glassblower GPK, I originally had the stick with the glass head coming from a hole in his neck, but the next day, I thought it was a cool image, but that didn’t make much sense to me, so I reworked it to how the final card is. Also, sometimes ideas will be accepted, and Jeff, or the artist who paints them will change it around a little. For example, my sketch for the water fountain GPK was pretty straight forward, and it was Jeff who twisted it a little and had Fred Harper make it really creepy and cool.
12. At the recent Philly Show, in Allentown, PA this past October – during the Q&A session with the Topps panel (including John Williams, Jeff Zapata, Jay Lynch and Dave Gross), you were in the audience with us collectors and it was a ‘bonus’ to meet you at the convention (along with Fred Wheaton and Fred Harper) – Zapata was pretty darn adamant about you churning out some final artwork for future GPK sets or projects. Would you consider this? Or at least partake in sketch cards if the opportunity arose and sketch cards were considered again?
I would definitely love to do final paintings of my concepts. That’s really my ultimate goal. I’ve been working behind the scenes to hone my skills. It just takes practice to get to the point where they look how I know they should and want them to. Sketch cards are another thing that I’d love to do. I’ve seen how much collectors like them, so that’d be really fun, and I’d love to put my own spin on some of the older cards.
13. You’re my first “all” GPK concept artist I have interviewed, but I found it important because a lot of the final work stems from these pieces of work and you have submitted a staggering amount of ideas for the ANS releases … but there is one painting that you initially started to paint but it was taken over by Brent Engstrom. Can you tell me about this piece in more detail and will the GPK community ever lay eyes on this original piece that you painted?
Well, I had always been mentioning to Jeff that I wanted to try painting one of my concepts some day, because I have dabbled in oil and acrylic before, so eventually when ANS7 was winding down production, he told me to give my Oreo GPK concept a try, which was a concept that had been floating around since ANS5. He said if it turned out good, he’d use it. So, that was my first try at painting a GPK ever, and it was a huge learning experience for me because time was limited, and I was painting digitally, and wasn’t experienced with blending paint in Photoshop, so it didn’t turn out as well as I wanted it to.
Looking at it now, it’s very flat, the shadows are weird, and there wasn’t enough rendering and depth. Jeff gave me some notes, and I was working on revising it, but there just wasn’t enough time left for me to finish it off, so Brent ran the last base on that one for me. That being said, I’ve been working on painting GPK, and I am much happier with how I’m progressing, so look out for paintings possibly coming to a future set near you.
Thanks Aaron!
THANKS MARK!
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