http://www.halfproject.com/dialogue/arre/index.htm
HP: Name and Occupation?
AA: Arnold Arre. Freelance
graphic designer. Comic book writer/artist
HP: Where were you 7 years ago and what
were you doing?
AA: Doing my very first comic book flop
'Age of the Valkyrie'.
HP: When you were a 7 year old kid,
what did you dream of becoming and why?
AA: An Astronaut. I was fascinated with
space travel.
HP: Name seven things you like most in
the world besides Cynthia. =)
AA: Atough
one, but I'll try :)
1.Drawing
2.2001: A
Space Odyssey
3.Moebius
4.cool rainy
days
5.ice
chocolate
6.seafood
7.Family
HP: What is the state of Philippine art
to you?
AA: In my opinion, there's been little
progress in Philippine Art in terms of style. Most are rehashes of old ideas
and techniques. I blame corporate thinking and the big name companies who are
employing large numbers of artists, throwing them to the pits of commercialism
before they get a crack at artistic freedom. That leaves very little room for
growth. This happens because job opportunities for artists here are so
unbelievably limited that there is very little choice. The only true
breakthrough I know of now is digital art and web design. It's a fresh new
medium--practically
virgin
territory for the true artist to explore.
HP: Was it always a joy for you to draw
comics? When did it all start?
AA: It all began when I borrowed my
brother's 'Incredible Hulk with Doc Samson' comic way back when I was 6 or 7.
I've been fascinated with sequential art ever since.
HP: Would you say your style is heavily
influenced by anime? Why or why not?
AA: It's fair enough to say that we
Filipinos are greatly influenced by anime--our generation at least. Like Pearl
Harbor, the Japanese bombarded us with those super robot shows back in the late
70's. Today, I see anime as a new form of artistic movement mainly because the
style is incredibly noticeable (and I won't even begin discussing about those
big eyes). I used to have a style that greatly resembles anime...then of course
I discovered Moebius' work and several other artistic styles. I would say that
my art has evolved through the years the result of which is what you see today.
Speaking of
style, I believe that it's a free world and no one has the right to stop the
artist from doing his/her own thing-whether anime,or otherwise. For aspiring
artists, I can say that there is nothing wrong in copying a certain style...as
long as it does not hinder one's artistic growth. We should take into
consideration the obvious fact that anime is purely Japanese in origin and
copying it means copying their culture and sensibilities, which will result to
certain doom for the true Pinoy talent. (Gerry Alanguilan, creator of "Wasted",
points this out so well in his dicussions. To me, he's one of the few Pinoy
artists we can truly be proud of.)
HP: "Mythology Class" catapulted you into cult
status in the local comic scene and gained you respect among local art
circles...what is it and how did you hatch up something like that?
AA: There were no comicbooks or graphic
novels dealing with the subject of Phil. Mythology at the time, so I decided to
do my own. On a more personal note, 'Mythclass' was also my only way of
reliving those days of hanging out with my friends back in college. I never
thought it would actually gain a following, so knowing that it has is one big
bonus for me.
HP: What's up with "The Lost"
and who's involved in it? And tell me, what are those quasi-lesbo characters?!
Hehehe
AA: I had a great time working on Dean
Alfar's 'The Lost'.
His characters are endearing and his style of writing is visually rich. The
third issue should be out by Jan 2002. As for the lesbo characters, 'The
Harem Women',
they're Dean's creations and everyone had a kick out of seeing the clothing I
designed (or the lack of it).
HP: How come it's not colored like the
work done by the Culture Crash kids? I'm sure you can do as good if not
better...
AA: (Thanks. I can say that the CC guys
are a very talented group of artists :)). Given the price of printing nowadays,
a regular colored comic book of 28 pages with a print run of, say a thousand,
would cost roughly half the price of a brand new Civic. That's a big pain for
the bank account especially if you're a struggling artist-unless you own a
printing press or if you have the salary of a game show host. So the decision
was more of technicality than principle. But B&W comic books do have this
certain appeal not found in colored ones. The lines are more distinct and the
art has more depth and
dimension.
(Given the chance though, of course I'd do a colored one.)
HP: Any plans of launching an online
comic of sorts? Halfproject would be happy to support such a venture and help
promote Filipino online comics with you.
AA: Absolutely. I have several stories
that I'm working on right now and I'd be happy to share some of them with you
guys.
HP: I understand you were a Painting
Major from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts... Did this
help or hamper your growth as an artist in any way and why?
AA: I was a Viscom Major, actually.
Doing storyboards for several Ad Agencies helped me a lot in visualizing and
story telling.
HP: So, tell us about your future plans
for Tala studios
and also a little more about the nature of this outfit you started with honey
Cynthia Bauzon...
AA: For now, Cynthia and I are saving
up so we're focusing on getting projects that deal more on graphic design.
We're still developing the publishing side of the studio and we'll only be
releasing one-shot specials.
HP: Any word of advice for young
aspiring Filipino artists out there?
AA: Develop your own style. Be
original. Write stories that no one has ever heard of. In comic books it's not
how well you draw or write. It's how well you tell the story.
HP: What do you think of Halfproject
and where do you think we can improve on this site?
AA: I love it as it is. The art is
fresh, dynamic and full of energy. It suits me just fine. Keep up the good work
and congratulations on your win at the recent web awards. I can't think of any
other site that would deserve it.
HP: Well, it's been an honor chatting
with you. Send us a tikbalang once in a while. See you!
AA: Thank you too. Sure, it's just that
there are no Tikbalangs this time of year. (They migrate towards the warmer
regions of the Visayas :))
HP: Be sure
to check out Arnold's website at http://www.arnold-arre.com
Halfproject
DIALOGUE - All Rights Reserved 2002
Interview
conducted by : Redberger.com Layout by: Zoorex.com