Interview : Mike Corriero     Part 2 

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I.A. : When I look at your artwork, the first thing I see is your unique way to use vibrant colours. Do you agree with the fact that it's one of the areas you pay a lot of attention to? How do you manage colour in your illustrations?

M.C. : I'd agree that the majority of my work consists of a very strong use of colour and an intentionally controlled amount of vibrant and powerful tones. I feel that an image should capture the attention of the viewer and what better way to do that than by first striking a chord with colours. When it comes to illustration, I like my work to make an impact thanks to the concept, the colour scheme and vibrant lighting. My work is usually geared to the Analogous colour scheme which usually consists of one primary colour to define the overall mood and adjacent colours to help enrich the primary colour. I'll usually start an illustration off with a mid toned colour that sets the basis for the final outcome. I continually boost up the levels and contrast in order to get the most effective impact.

I.A : Do you know which colours you will use when you start a sketch?

M.C. : Sometimes yes. I usually don’t truly know where it's going to end up until I'm well on my way to wrapping up the underpainting. There have been times when I've changed the colour of a piece when it was in fact completely finished. This is usually due to colour correcting, boosting the levels and adjusting the contrast in order to bring out the forms and details. When I do have an image in mind and I can visualize the final colour scheme it makes things much easier, but it's always worthwhile playing around with the colour adjustments in Photoshop. Experimenting can sometimes bring out some of the most interesting colour schemes; some you otherwise wouldn't have thought trying out.

I.A . What are your thoughts on Photoshop versus Painter X. Do you rather think they complement each other in your works?

M.C. : Having been invited by Corel to submit work to be included in their latest version of Painter was definitely a shock. I was more than overwhelmed and grateful for the opportunity seeing how the program is used by thousands of artist and companies around the world. What this meant to me was worldwide exposure for years to come and I couldn't ask for a better chance to exhibit my work, it was priceless. To think then that they even sent me a free copy of the program (which doesn't come cheap) was more than anyone could ask for.

Photoshop and Painter both have equal advantages and I often go back and forth from one to the other. I'm much more familiar with Photoshop CS2 but I'd have to say that Painters has a wonderful ability to mimic practically any traditional medium within approximately 35 categories of brushes, each containing various settings and sub groups. Its RealBristle Painting System is unmatched in comparison to Photoshop. I can produce a painterly feel using Photoshop CS2 but it takes some work and experience using the custom brush application, whereas Painter doesn't make you work for the effect, it provides it and works it for you just as a real brush and real paint would. I find that the two programs complement one another on any aspect an artist might want.

I.A. : Who is the artist who has most influenced you? Why?

M.C. : There are many artists these days that are of great inspiration and influence to me. Many of them digital ones since practically all of my work is created using digital programs now, but one artist had a major influence on how I used to draw and design when I was younger. I would say that he has had the largest influence on my work. I’m talking of Tony Diterlizzi and the reason is that when I came across his work in a couple AD&D role playing game books I loved the style and way in which he portrayed so many characters in his concepts. If you were to look at a lot of my older sketchbooks, you would see his work had a huge impact on the development of my creatures especially.
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