Sledge Hammer 10 (English)

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Text File | 1992-01-01 | 14.8 KB | 458 lines

INTERVIEW WITH ALEX OF THE SILENTS ---------------------------------- THe interview was made by Fester of Absolute! but without Archibald of Absolute! it couldn't have been done. He is the guy related to the 'target'. SH - Sledge Hammer A - Alex of TSL SH - OK, let's get down to business with a standard, but important question: who the hell are you?! A - Who am I? Maybe some kind of life form belonging to the human race. (Well, ... I think!) and living on a small part of the earth ground so called as France. I was given a name: Stephen King, but it didn't sound like a French name and I changed for Alexander Garnier, Alex is better! According to the tempus continuum of our dimension I am 18 and beside my amiga activities I spend my (lost) time on the seats of a math/physics university. SH - Tell us your scene career! A - I could tell you the usual story that once upon a time I fell on the famous Dpaint and started to make something else than playing with my AMIGA. In fact, I never relly liked to play games with a computer. If you want to play, you buy a console (Nintendo, you know?) and the Amiga was a way to change my pencil for a mouse. In other words, before having this need of drawing with a mouse, I drew on paper and I still do (less than before). So after a while on learning how to work on a computer, (I already knew it because I worked on the poor MacPaint on Macintosh before) I drew fast. My scene career started really when I left CYCLONE (a french crew which had a very good coder but so lazy...) and joined ALCATRAZ thanks to the German section. (dec. 1991) after this time I actively took part in some productions - ATZ ones and beside WilloW ones - SH - It's beyond doubts that you are a master of this japanese style graphics. It looks very nice, but in some dudes' opinion it is very easy to draw. What are your comments about it? A - STOOP! No, sorry, my first desire has never been to use the japanese style of drawing. My way of drawing took this direction, but I never really tried to copy this 'big eyes' style and light colors... In fact, I understand that those persons who watched MUSEUM could think that I used japanese models I DIDN'T. The most japanese of my pictures could be ILLIAN, but try to find an original in a jap. movie and you won't. Because the original was firstly handmade on paper and just inspired from a japanese girl. Nothing from CITY HUNTER or else I heard in ETERNAL. About pictures like LITTLE SLEEPY, SHANOWER ... Well, there's a big mistake about these ones too, if you compare them to the so known Japanese style. SHANOWER is inspired from a bodyposition (seat knees apart) rough drawn by the so fabulous MOEBIUS (see Mc DISK 4- I wrote an article about his art) I invented the face of the boy and colored it. LITTLE SLEEPY is a try: I wanted to draw in LOISEL's style (Regis LOISEL, another fantastic french drawer) when others just copy the so famous BORIS VALLEJO I just preferred using a style like drawings on paper. BUT, for those who thought it is easy to make, I agree, what else to say... Just try to do the same, without taking a model. I invented, THERE was the difficulty. Anyway, I wasn't a Dpaint 'technician' at this time, my way of drawing got an evolution (I guess so ) and for those who could have a look at my last pictures, they would tell you that I left a bit this cartoonlike style. I made some new experiences lately, on photolike pictures. I also improved my antialiase and traming (Hope so!). By the way, an info for your readers: the last picture in MUSEUM, STARR PIEDRA is an error, it should have never been released. Unfinished, it was a missed try on global forms. But I told it too late to the slide makers. Don't blame me under this one! (You're right : a release picture is a released picture, Ok,Ok!) SH - From where do you get inspiration? A - Sure, I would say that I have unusual sources of inspirations (Most of the time, I don't copy them, I just take a posture, the main lines or textures: I use them as experiences.) I gave some names before, but I changed. Last year, my inspiration for fast rough on paper was taken from my master: MOEBIUS and a bit from Regis LOISEL, try to find their art, it could be interesting. And lately I used photos, and worked on light effects. I also like a lot SIUDMACK pictures (his art looks like a dream, strange colors, transformed bodies, stone effects) MACK used one of SIUDMACK's picture in his slide PRISM. And he was right, because this picture is really nice, and MACK knew to give the best of it on computer. And I learnt to like American drawers (I didn't before) through BISLEY's fantastic art. The colors he uses make very nice effects on backgrounds. He's today the second comic drawer the most copied after VALLEJO. Among the US drawers, ther's a marvellous one: GIMENEZ, not so known, I guess! But he uses paint and his comic books look like photos (mainly colored with white, blue-grey tints )! SH - Do you use models? Do you use "helping-hardware"? A - 'Helping-hardware'? Do you mean scanners or something? No. If my released pictures were said to be easy to make I wonder why I would use a scanner, eh! The pictures I made were totally made with a little mouse of plastic and without help, whatever could be this help. About models, I do. As everybody. Nearly half of my production of the last months was taken from models. But I really feel annoyed when I redraw a picture which is not mine. I just do it by experience to learn new technics to make light effects for instance. It is useful to use a real representation of the light on a face and trying to make another invented representation. SH - Can you draw in other styles? A - Eyh! Tricky question. MOEBIUS draws in about ten different styles from ancient and heavy to more modern and light styles. I am in perpetual search of innovation. Most of you who have seen MUSEUM saw my first tries not too differents one from each other. Today I work in a more realistic style. I work more carefuly some important parts, the eyes... Well, you see that bodies and faces were my last point of research. But I also try to refind in some of the last pictures, a funny touch I gave one year ago, to BIG BITTEN for instance. SH - What do you think about these persons, teams and productions: A - Mack of Melon Dezign: Among the last slides I saw, Mack's one was the best and you have in it the perfect example of an evolution through years, for a graphician. Mack went from a comical style through a painting style to a realistic style. I love to see well drawn women bodies (it is so unusual to see some good graphicians on Amiga interested in other things than dragons... I thank MACK for his fantastic MEDUSA women and for the little Black and White beauty he offered to us with I SEE YOU. (BTW: the great green monster in the PRISM menu is inspired from MOEBIUS. That's a strange pic as I love them) Deja Vu by Anarchy Uk: Hope to know him soon!? Hof of TSL: Hello Steph! HOF is today the most perfect graphician (according to me) he improved his technic to give us awesome pictures (And you didn't see the last ones!) Hope someone in TSL could wake up and use his pictures! Hey XANN! Alors Koi! No, no, just forget what I said before, otherwise HOF is going to get the 'Big Head'HOF he's the worst graphician ever, hey! Mikael Balle of TSL: THE EUROCHARTS should open a new chart for him: the BEST DESIGNERS! Mikael Balle is a professional, and I hate him because he can touch to a paintbox, I am terribly jealous about that! Seriously I am impatient to see some new production from him & JESPER KYD - As everybody I guess! Kefrens: King of precalculating! LAXITY amazed me in music! RWO DOESN'T amaze me. Eurochart by Static Bytes: It is an important thing for a healthy scene. It is only representative as far as you consider who voted (if the voters are balanced between the 4 casts of the AMIGA: Graphicians, coders, musicians, swappers/watchers it can be representative of a common feeling. Phenomena: I miss the GREAT FIREFOX. ENIGMA gave me mice moments. Odyssey by Alcatraz: That was a production! Anybody can say whatever he wants, HORNET innovated totally with ODYSSEY. You like, you don't. It doesn't matter. We won't see several movies like this one as it takes too much time to make. GREG gave the perfect atmosphere with his instrumental musics. Just one think: Why PGCS always signs his pictures, when this pictures are used in a movie demo? (Imagine a real film signed in each plane with the name of the director.) ABSOLUTE!: I was ABSOLUTEly and pleasantly amazed by the clean design they used in their first production AABSOLUTE! (the first I received) Soft colors, geometric shapes used in nice effects (many shades effects) I wish them to keep this attention on the design and a big success with this new mag. SH - Why did you left Alcatraz and joined TSL? A - Everything was and is OK with ATZ. I just felt a bit alone in France, and the second thing, and the most important is that I meet daily a friend in my town: NAM (who founded WilloW). We wanted to launch a new design with this team (even if the name wasn't so good, and NAM worked hard on code, we had ideas and made some intros, ATZ wasn't too pleased about that! One of the very good coders of WilloW -XANN- was asked to join SILENTS and asked me and NAM to come with him. These changes allowed us to work easily together. Today I am in TSL with friends near me (each TSL France dude knows each other) and we have more talks and same ideas about the design we want than I had before with ATZ. German dudes (HEAD and CONTROL) of ATZ made a good work in the organization but when members are spread over the world how can you imagine that a poor graphician can give his vision and ideas for a demo which is made 2000 km far away. Expect astonishing art from ATZ they have 3 fantastic musicians! LIZARDKING, BRAINBUG And GREG. SH - Are there organizing problems in such a big group as TSL? A - I don't know anything about SILENTS internal organization. The only think I wonder is if we will have the pleasure to read a new issue of the internal letter in the near future! SH - How do you manage to keep friendship with other divisions? Or isn't that important in TSL? A - Well, I am sorry to say that I am not in contact with other divisions of SILENTS. You could tell me I didn't try to and you would be right. In fact I have less and less time to write to contacts and I feel ashamed about it. But if some TSL dudes have time to write me, they can do it. Hey, men... DO IT! I'd be fine to receive some news from other divisions. It could be important to have such contacts but I didn't test it till now. SH - Whose computer and real music do you like? A - In computer music I am addict of LIZARDKING's art. This musician didn't reveal the full height of his talent! Some unreleased tunes are masterpieces and I stand by JACKIE D. to code the awaited musicdisk. The second 3D DEMO music composed by MadFreak makes me fly each time I listen to it (around 1 789 450,32 times) and Audiomonster makes me dream with his FLORENCE! (Don't know her, I talk about the module!) The real musics I listen to are mostly movie soundtracks which make me live again the best moments of the movies I see. At the moment it is the one composed by VANGELIS: 1492, CHRISTOPHER COLOMBUS. Also DUNE, BACK TO THE FUTURE, RAINMAN PRINCESS BRIDE (composed by Mark Knopfler) EMPIRE OF THE SUN. But I also like FRONT 242 (I heard that this music helps many coders to code faster, it seems to work for graphicians) ERASURE, in modern style. And SUPERTRAMP, PINK FLOYD, among not so old ones. The last album from PRINCE wasn't too bad too! His music is very different one from the other, and he uses strange compositions I like. It brings a change among the formalised commercial music we can hear today. SH - Tell us about France in general and the French scene. A - France in general is a very nice country etc... Sorry I don't know what to tell you about France else than: Don't go to PARIS only to see the EIFFEL TOWER or EURODYSNEYLAND, there is so much more to see! The French scene can be judged by foreigners, I am inside France and can't say many things. I think we have skilled dudes like Audiomonster, HOF, REFLEX, RHAH/DRD, a legend: MOBY and innovative ones as WALT,... me and NAM (Oops Sorry!) SH - What education are you/will you be under? A - I can understand your question in several ways... and that's an interesting question... I have no idea about that! SH - What projects TSL France are working on? A - Can I talk to you about our projects...? (If there are some... Who knows!) NAM and me are quite busy on a possible trackmo we should bring you this year: The last name I heard was BLUE SUN, but it's my little pocket Golem (see his photo in CHIT CHAT - his name is Yaourt - vote for him! ) who told me it and we can't really trust him! From XANN, should come an awesome intro with a totally new routine. But he's not too satisfied of the result, WE are more than satisfied, we are full eyes on the screen! SH - If you want to write something else, here's your chance: A - Yeah? I really can write something? This place is only for me? Only me? Oh, well! I talked too much before and I am in lack of breath. Just a few hellos to my great friends, see in LIVE or other messy box for messages! ZLOGGY HELLOS to these mighty guys: MONTY and ZORGLUB, both in ANALOG JESTER/SANITY BROSS, FLETCH/TSB REVERSE and GENGIS/DIGITAL SPOCKY, NICO/HMD Mr KEEL, BLACKY, MENTAL, HIRO, CONTROL, HEAD, MOP, GREG, JACKIE D., QUEDEX, LIZARDKING/ATZ TITAN, SKYNET, SUNY/ANARCHY REFLEX/REBELS All fine dudes in SILENTS woldwide! Thanx for this interview. Bye!! I'm the one who should say thank to you - Archie.