Interview With Pascal Blanché

I.A – What are your other sources of inspiration?

P.B. – Whoa! If I start quoting them all, you’ll get worn out! As a general rule, and I don’t mean too sound like a grumpy old man, I think that cinema and games, that is Entertainment with a capital E, lost their taste for the unconventional fantasy imagery of the 7O’s and 80’s. I like the covers of the Métal Hurlant magazines from this time: Corben, Bisley, Moebius, Druillet... I like everything that is now stamped as kitsch, such as Chris Foss’ big vessels and Wayne Barlowe’ s improbable creatures… Take The Lord of the Rings for example, well, the trolls and other monsters are all amazing, but in a way they are sanitized, they are caught in some kind of conventional aestheticism. Just rent Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings for example, and you’ll see what I mean. Well, some scenes can really be a bore, kitsch and outmoded as they are, but at this time, they were mastering the art of suggestion; productions were filled with poetry and rich in ideas. I know I do sound old-fashioned! ;)

Concerning what I get inspired by, I’d say that I track down anything new and refreshing…not conventional. I’ve learnt a lot from artists such as Katsuya terada, Nehei tustomu, Katsuhiro Otomo, Yukito kishiro and the following illustrators: Brom, Ashley wood, Arthur Suydam, Jon foster, Mike Mignola. They have developed their very own universe and you can’t restrict them to any category. It’s this energy I am after and try to master.

I.A. In which way do you think digital tools made you a different artist from that you would have been following a traditional path?

P.B. – What is really different is that the tool is definitely user-friendly and you can create and recreate without any constraint, an unlimited number of time. My style remains the same no matter which medium I work with. However, technically, I don’t think my illustrations would have reached this level of quality.

P.B. – The influence of video games and animated or special effects cinema has tremendously democratized the profession and has also turned it into a giant industry. CG schools, CG communities and the business of ever more enticing and promising software are on the increase. Pursuing a career in this field is now completely serious option, whereas ten years ago, we were a bunch of amateurs. Considering constant technological development, I think that in the future, the artists who will succeed will be those with the best art training. The more advanced software will be, the more artists will be ridden of constraints and in the end only talent will matter.