En vivo [Live] - Iron Maiden - 2-DVD & Poster

Exclusive Interview with Melvyn Grant, the creator of Maiden's new album artwork.

1. First off, I must tell you how much I love your artwork for "The Final Frontier"... What was the concept for it?

Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoy my artwork.

I was originally given the quote 'The dark outer reaches of space and science' and asked to come up with a few concept sketches around this idea. I did several quite detailed drawings, but none of these became 'The Final Frontier'. However, Rod Smallwood, Maiden's manager, liked the head design of a creature in one of my sketches and asked me to draw it up as Eddie, and this later became the Eddie head in the teaser poster and Eddie in 'The Final Frontier'.

2. Did the idea come from the band, or were you given complete artistic freedom? The guys are known to be a bit picky with the artwork on their records...

While I was working on my sketches, Maiden decided a derelict spacecraft with a skeletal crew and Eddie coming in through a hole in the side with a deep space scene in the back view was a cool idea. So they gave me a rough composite layout and asked me to work the idea up. The crew needed to be aliens but very humanoid and, of course Eddie had to be rotting and diseased and downright vicious looking. So I did this and it passed back and forth by email between us, adjusting and changing until we had 'The Final Frontier' artwork as you see it now.

Yes they can be a little picky, but that's okay. They have a vision and while I'm working on the art, I become a member of the Maiden team and my part is to give that vision the best image I can. So I'm picky too.

3. You've redesigned Eddie in each new cover, while keeping him identifiable. What are the bits you always keep to make him recognizable, and what are the areas where you feel you have room to experiment with him?

I always create the same Eddie, just another side of him. Being the creature he is means he can be anything and do anything he wants. I see his psychology as not just one character, but as a collection of characters and each one equally nasty. It could be said he's a pyramid nightmare of schizophrenia, which has at its peak one violent, awful Eddie, continually backed up by the cravings of the others, who are forever egging him on and making the synergistic whole so self-contained, that it just does not give a damn.
On the physical side the face and head shape must always look like Eddie, the cut-off nose, cheekbones, the shape of the brow and eye sockets. His frame is lean and sinewy and was once probably quite an attractive and fit body, but through demonic abuse and maybe playing too much with death, it's always partly decomposing. Bits are dropping off and intestines and stuff are always hanging out. Eddie would never wear a stud in his eyebrow; he'd wear it in his eye.
Explaining how I create Eddie is not an easy thing to put into words, as I tend to work instinctively. I just know when it looks like him. More likely, I think, he creates himself and tells me how to get on with it.

4. Were you a fan of Maiden before them asking you to work on "Fear of the dark"? What was your first contact with the guys like?

No. I was not a fan before 'Fear of the Dark' and I've never had the pleasure of meeting the guys, only Rod Smallwood, their manager, in the early days. Rod's a nice guy. Now, sadly all the communication is via email. If they have a big party on the plane one day, maybe I'll get an invite.

5. What are your criteria when deciding to accept or drop a commission?

Firstly whether I take on a commission depends on how already committed I am to existing work. Sometimes I don't have space for more work. I had to turn down 'The Wicker Man' because I was already committed to another project.
Other reasons might be, it's not the sort of work I like to do, or they're not offering enough money to make it worthwhile. Or maybe I get the feeling there will be a lot of problems dealing with this client. Creating good artwork depends a lot on how I'm feeling. If I'm excited about the project and like the client, naturally I'll do a much better job than if I'm not. So that's the kind of commission I take on. The interest and excitement of the commission appeals to me over the fee, otherwise I'd be working on advertising stuff rather then book covers.

6. How important/necessary is it to have an agent nowadays?

Some artists do well without an agent and some do need one. I've done both and I prefer to use an agent now. I don't know if it is necessary, although in my case I think it is, but if you do use an agent it is important to use a good one, and one that is right for your style of artwork. The agent I've used for many years now is Artist Partners in London and they're excellent. www.artistspartners.com

7. I've read you used to play in a band some time ago... What kind of music did you play? Does your taste in music influence the kind of work you accept or turn down?

Yes I did play in a band and we were much bigger than Maiden - I wish, ha-ha, I joke. That was a long time ago and it was only semi-pro, I was the singer and guitarist. My last band was called 'Hot Jelly' and I gave it up at beginning of 2001. I just didn't have the time anymore. When I do get time I plan to record my own songs.
The music I played was a mixture of several types all mixed together. I guess you could say the base was quite close to a traditional style Rhythm and Blues, turbo charged with all sorts mixed in, including some Metal.
My taste in music is pretty versatile and so far it has had no influence on my work. Having said that I suppose I could hate some music so much that I couldn't be associated with it. Work, for me, is about the painting and not usually about music. But on the other hand, doing the cover work for Maiden is inspiring and a great bonus.

8. Do you think a formal education in art is a must, or is it better to just get one's hands dirty and learn by him/herself?

A formal art education is a good start. The more input and encouragement and the earlier it is, the better. A good art institution will give knowledge and experience that could take a long time to achieve solo - if at all. And the information gained could be invaluable. The danger is that students can emerge all producing a similar art style. But you gotta start somewhere.
My early art training began part-time at the age of twelve and then full time from sixteen to eighteen. It was good and encouraging being in that environment, but not inspiring enough for me to want to continue after eighteen. This particular collage taught me nothing about oil paints, or even how to stretch paper for watercolour painting. All my techniques I taught myself later. In the end one has to get their hands dirty and jump right in with both feet.

9. Until recently, you worked on traditional materials, but you seem to have gone fully digital on your latest work. What's the main advantage of working that way, apart from the obvious lack of foul-smelling chemicals and everlasting stains on your clothes?

I love painting with oils, but it's not really practical in this day and age for the work I do. It's too slow, although there are ways round that, but it still has to be scanned in the end, so I might as well paint it straight into the computer to begin with.
The big advantage with digital painting is that it can be worked right up to the last moment and then sent across the Internet to any country to arrive in the client's lap within minutes. It can be changed easily and layered to make it simple for a client to drop parts of the text behind elements in the illustration. Since supplying my artwork in digital form I've rarely had the printers spoil the image in the printed product.

10. Do you approach composition differently now that you can edit everything you do? Have you ever felt that there's too many options in digital media?

Yes it's quicker now with digital. With traditional if I needed to change something, I'd have to over paint or even start again, and that took time. Often I feel creating a painting is like taking a very difficult exam, where I've just realized that I know little about the subject. Sometimes I'm not at all sure where it's finally going to end up. Like I'm holding some sort of giant lens and I have to pull and adjust millions of little ties all around the edge just to hold it in focus long enough to get the right image. There are always too many options, whichever medium I use. The skill is picking the right one. I've often said, 'at the finish of a painting I know how I should have done it.' And that's with oil, digital, or whatever.

11. Do you start from scratch on your tablet, or do you sketch on traditional media until getting to something that's worth putting the hours on in front of the screen?

I do it both ways. Sometimes I'll do a pencil drawing and scan it in and then work it up in the computer. I like doing pencil drawings. Other times I'll just draw straight into the computer in colour. It really depends on the mood I'm in.

12. Has your workflow improved since switching to digital art? Many people I know say they could end things faster, but they recognize they get lost on minute details they wouldn't pay attention to on traditional media...

Yes, the workflow has improved, but I always did get lost on minute details whichever medium I used. It's something I try to fight against. Once I'd just finished an oil painting and a girlfriend said 'You finished that two days ago. You've just been fiddling.' She was right.

13. I've seen some of your child- oriented stuff, and it's amazing how you get that naïve, cartoony look with no apparent effort. How do you decide how much to simplify the design?

I think the best way to simplify a design is to slap my hand if it's getting too complicated. I enjoy it all, from cute kids to the nasty 'I'll bite your sodding head off' and all the stuff in between. It's a matter of opposites, too much of one and I need a little of the other to adjust the balance. It takes the same insight into a character whether it's cute or nasty to make it believable; in fact, it's easier to do the nasty stuff - even though I'm really a nice guy.

14. What are your influences when it comes to painting?

Everything I've ever experienced influences my work in some way. If I like something it'll find its way in and if I don't, it could still find its way in. When I was young I especially loved the work of Leonardo da Vinci - except for his children, he painted ugly children. I love many artists work, but I never try to imitate them. I press forward doing my thing and sometimes I'm pleased and sometimes I'm not. Sometimes I wish I painted like some one else. But I'm stuck with me. So, I guess I'm the biggest influence on my work.

15. I think the 70's were the golden age of fantasy art, with Frazetta on top of his game, the brothers Hildebrant... Do you agree? What would you say made them special?

The fantasy of the 70's definitely had a different slant to it than today's fantasy, less wizards and elves, more a mixture of Sword and Sorcery and barbaric warriors, even a touch of Sci-Fi, which was perfect for Frazetta's style. He was the right artist at the right time and place. And he was a brilliant painter. The 70's for fantasy book covers were a very free and exciting time. There were far more independent publishers around. And the whole business seemed more of a fun time.
But I know very little about the brothers Hildebrant.

16. What's your take on the state of fantasy art nowadays? Would you say it's fallen prey of concept art for video games?

Today's fantasy, I think is a tamer and prettier thing than it was in the seventies. Back then there were books by Edgar Rice Borroughs and the likes and now it's J.K. Rowling. I don't get time for video games much so I can't truly comment on them, but I suspect you're right.

17. Speaking of which... Have you ever considered or done any work for the video game industry?
Some of my early book covers were also used by Psygnosis as game covers. But other than that, I don't think so.

18. Most of your work has been for books, but I guess some of it has made its way to merchandise... How do you feel about that? Is it good or bad for art to be reproduced on tees and mugs?

It's bad for art not to be seen, or to be reproduced badly. If it's produced well, on quality products, I have no objections to merchandising. In fact I might even sell tees and mugs and other merchandise from my website in the near future. I am already selling signed Giclee Prints and Desktop Downloads.
I set the Downloads facility up after many email requests for hi-res files of my paintings. Anyone liking a particular piece can now download it as a high quality file, for non- commercial, personal use.

19. And what upcoming artists would you recommend? What does it take to be a good artist in your book?

There are too many good new artists to be able to name any, so I won't even try. Every time I turn around there is a blaze of new talent.

What it takes to be a good artist, I couldn't really say, probably an underlying joy in insanity for wanting to be an artist in the first place. First off, which path is the right direction? Art is so vast and definitions of it are so varied, that an artist can spend a lifetime going round in circles looking for a good place to be. Some of the so-called 'masters' whose work people cry over, others think is mostly rubbish. Some people wouldn't care either way and only judge a painting on its monetary value.

A beginner planning to become a good artist needs to really want to do this, be prepared to put in long-term dedication, learn to draw competently, have the necessary talent and when the work is good enough, have the gall to continuously show it around - for which they'll need a thick skin.

What makes a good artist to me is someone whose work, whatever style, inspires me to a new doorway.

20. Do you normally use reference for your art, or do you work from your own imagination? How important is reference once you've got the basics of figure?

All my paintings come from my imagination, but I do use models and reference if I need to. Reference is very important. I have seen artwork all too often where the artist does not properly understand an element and should have got the reference. And it notices, especially with the human figure or animals. When I start a painting, I like all my tools and information there beside me ready to go, which includes any reference and photos from model shoots - or even the model if I'm painting straight from life. To be professional, the painting has to be treated as a serious production. Often when people say they work from imagination, what they really mean is 'I can't be bothered to do the research, so I try and work from memory - with a little imaginative slant.' And most untrained people do not have that good a memory and it winds up being a harder effort and taking a lot longer, than if they'd taken the trouble to get, just a little, reference before starting. Even if a figure is stylized or changed into something else, the artist still needs to understand the basic structure if it's going to look right.

The painting for 'The Final Frontier' was done without reference (Eddie was unavailable for modeling due to prior commitments). But I will continue to use reference until everything is committed to memory and I don't need it to ref it anymore - which should be about the same time that Eddie becomes a normal human being.

21. What would be your advice to anyone wishing to make it in the fantasy illustration business?

Learn to draw properly. Learn how the business works. Do your paintings. Get out there and have fun. And the secret ingredient is, as in most things - it takes time.

22. Any last thoughts before we part?

Hang on, I'll just have a look in the bag ...

Yes. - To the magazine and fans - Stay Cool.

Check out: www.melgrant.com

CARLOS CUESTA & VICENTE RAMIREZ
THIS IS ROCK MAGAZINE -SPAIN-