Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/906955
maltatoday SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2017 32 This Week When did you realise you wanted to pursue some form of visual art, and how did you first follow up on that desire? And at what point did that morph into a desire to draw comics, in particular? I was very young. According to what my parents remember, I was about two years old when I started doodling on the walls, and they gave me some album sheets to draw on at the time. As far as I can remember, I've always wanted to visualise something and I literally lived in my imagination. I was always interested in drawing stuff like cars, people, nature... I first took a stab at drawing comics when I was 10 years old. These were un- pretentious comic strips and caricatures published in a local small-circulation newspaper, in a small Siberian town. Then, when I was 19-20 years old, I got it into my head to publish my own comic book series, in line with what DC and Marvel were doing abroad. Of course, I ended up with a fiasco on my hands – comics can be serious business if done right, but around that time in Russia (this was 1992 to 1994), it was very difficult to get people interested in the medium. I managed to break through profession- ally after I hit 30, and gathered up some experience in animation, game design, concept art, film work and work for ad- vertising agencies. What was it like to cultivate a talent for comic book art while living in Siberia? What kind of opportunities did you have to expand upon your talent? To cultivate comic book art around the time I was growing up – '70s and '80s – was almost impossible. The Iron Cur- tain did its job. Official state propaganda presented comics as "an instrument of NATO countries to enslave the true and correct art of the Soviet people". In addi- tion to this, everything that happened in Siberia was at a significant remove from the capital, and we were left to rum- mage for information, often with a sense of futile bitterness. It's only with the collapse of the USSR that opportunities to make something happen started cropping up. But un- fortunately, the inertia of the general public remained – particularly the pervasive idea that "comics are just rubbish", which of course has an im- pact when people are walking into bookstores to choose what they're going to buy. On the matter of expanding one's talent... one needs to always leave their "comfort zone" and to ex- periment in other fields and areas. In my case, this included concept art, game design, industrial design, sculpture, ani- mation. And also drawing animals and nature. How did you first manage to break into the American comics industry? What lessons have you learnt along the way – both in terms of adapting your style to global markets, and how to keep your head above water when it comes to the business side of things? The first big break I got was being given some work at Disney. Then came Marvel, and right now I'm working with DC Com- ics. Adaptation was minimal, since I al- ready had a strong American influence in my drawing technique (which was noted by the European publishers in the past). Unsurprisingly, the success of the US and Canadian market then greatly sim- plified my path to the global market. I've learned that the way to keep my head above water was to continue draw- ing what I want to draw and make the stories that I want to make, and doing my utmost to give people the best I can be. As for the business side of things, you need to remem- ber above all, that maintaining a friendly and responsible approach with your publishers, editors and script writers is what will help you stay afloat. Ahead of his visit to Malta Comic Con 2017, comic book artist and illustrator Otto Schmidt tells TEODOR RELJIC about how he emerged from a small Siberian town to eventually illustrate Green Arrow – one of the landmark characters from the DC Comics stable Breaking through the Iron Curtain and how did you first follow up on that desire? And at what point did that morph into a desire to draw I was very young. According to what my parents remember, I was about two years old when I started doodling on the walls, and they gave me some album sheets to draw on at As far as I can remember, I've always wanted to visualise something and I literally lived in my imagination. I was always interested in drawing stuff like I first took a stab at drawing comics when I was 10 years old. These were un- pretentious comic strips and caricatures published in a local small-circulation newspaper, in a small Siberian town. Then, when I was 19-20 years old, I got it into my head to publish my own comic book series, in line with what DC and Marvel were doing abroad. Of course, I ended up with a fiasco on my hands – comics can be serious business if done right, but around that time in Russia (this was 1992 to 1994), it was very difficult to get people interested in the medium. I managed to break through profession- ally after I hit 30, and gathered up some experience in animation, game design, concept art, film work and work for ad- What was it like to cultivate a talent for comic book art while living in Siberia? What kind of opportunities did you To cultivate comic book art around the time I was growing up – '70s and '80s – was almost impossible. The Iron Cur- tain did its job. Official state propaganda presented comics as "an instrument of NATO countries to enslave the true and Siberian town to eventually illustrate Green Arrow – one of the landmark above water was to continue draw- ing what I want to draw and make the stories that I want to make, and doing my utmost to give people the characters from the DC Comics stable above water was to continue draw- above water was to continue draw- NATO countries to enslave the true and correct art of the Soviet people". In addi- tion to this, everything that happened in Siberia was at a significant remove from the capital, and we were left to rum- mage for information, often with a It's only with the collapse of the USSR that opportunities to make something happen pact when people are walking into bookstores to choose what On the matter of expanding one's talent... one needs to always leave their "comfort zone" and to ex- periment in other fields and areas. In my case, this included concept art, game design, industrial design, sculpture, ani- mation. And also drawing animals and NATO countries to enslave the true and correct art of the Soviet people". In addi- tion to this, everything that happened in Siberia was at a significant remove from the capital, and we were left to rum- Otto Schmidt has come into prominence illustrating the landmark DC Comics series Green Arrow Otto Schmidt DC Comics' Green Arrow has enjoyed a surge of popularity ever since the Arrow TV show hit the small screens