Artist interview Artist Showcase 2: Manuel Delacruz Garcia by Anthony Andujar Jr 1/12/2016

Artist interview Artist Showcase 2: Manuel Delacruz Garcia  by Anthony Andujar Jr 1/12/2016

Illustrated Artists interview series by Anthony Andujar Jr.

Interviewee: Manuel Delacruz Garcia  

Q1: Was Art always apart of your family tradition?  

MDC: How did you stumble upon it? I started off as a cook because of my mother who was a chef. I would go watch food network and see how food was artistically personified on a dish. I saw cooking as an art form because it showed different possibilities of how to create different dishes. I was a big fan of Iron Chef and I was always interested in how the chefs found ways to present different dishes that reflected them.  

Q2: when did you start taking art seriously?  

MDC: pfft, seriously? What kind of question is that?!.. Yeah , I watched a lot of animated films. I mostly watched Hayao Miyazaki films growing up. I was largely interested in the idea that you can create cells and modify it as frames. It was cool to see how it could be used or rendered to interpret storytelling and emotion. I mostly liked it for entertainment. Through that, I guess you can say it inspired me to pursue the arts.  

Q3. What was it like transitioning from high school to your college career?  

MDC: So I took a semester off because I didn't feel as confident as everyone else did. I came from a professional development high school that taught me what I needed to know. When I entered college , I managed to fit right in to the environment. So the transition was alright.  

Q4: When getting started on your daily schedule , what would you do to produce the tunnel vision necessary to complete your work?  

MDC: I don't do anything other than just doing it. Whatever the work may be, whether it's writing an essay, drawing or work I just focus on the end result. I like the feeling of accomplishment, knowing that I completed something in its entirety. That's what gets me through the day.  

Q5. What was the first set of drawings that you remember creating when you was a child?  

MDC: I created a series of drawings based on a stories based on Cartoon Network's Ed, Edd n Eddy. I wrote a short story and made a drawings to them. It was basically my first graphic novel. Unfortunately I didn't value my work as much as I do now. But it was a middle school assignment , so I'll cut myself some slack for the lack of preservation haha.  

Q6. Who are your illustrative influences?  

MDC: Danny Antonucci (creator of Ed, Edd n Eddy), Monty Oum, and Hayao Miyazaki among a few others.  

Q7. If you were to make a comic to an album, which album would you make a comic or movie based on?  

MDC: I don't listen to a lot of English language music. I tend to listen to a lot of Spanish and Asian music, but the album I'd make a comic or film based on would have to be the album Seeded by Liquor by Four Ground Eclipse.  

Q8. If you were to make a comic based on a fruit, which fruit would you choose, why, and what would be the premise?

MDC: I would choose a pineapple because I like tropical settings which pineapples tend to remind me of. My premise (and you heard it here first), would be a series focusing on a character named Pina Colada and his friend would be named Coco. It would have stories that would resemble Tom and Jerry.  

Q9. If there was a comicbook character that you would like to work on, who would it be? What would you keep and change in your interpretation of the character?  

MDC: Alright, I'd pick Spider-man. My interpretation would feature an Asian dude. He'd be like Jackie Chan or something like that. I'd get rid of the unnecessary awkward situations, Unless it serves a purpose that helps build upon the context and content.  

Q10. If you could compare yourself to a comic / cartoon character of any medium? Who would it be? How do you relate to said character?

MDC: Hmm. I'd say that I relate to Eddy from Ed, Edd n Eddy. I like being the guy who speaks up the most in a group. I don't mean that statement in a cocky sort of way, I just speak up as an ice breaker when it comes to initiating conversation. I relate to everything but planing scams.

Q11. If you could do your own continuation of a film series, what film would it be? why? And how would you handle the concept?  

MDC: The film I would choose would be Hayden Christiansen's film Jumper (2008). The reason I chose that film is due to the special effects. Aside from its generic plot the special effects were good for its time. The film as a series would have a ton of potential. What I would do in my take/ continuation is that I would develop more character dynamics that would do the plot/film service. I would develop the interaction with the protagonists girlfriend and delve deeper into the search for the protagonists father and why he abandoned him. Remember folks, you heard this concept from me!

Q12. 30 years from now how would you like your work to be remembered?  

MDC: I want to make a animated film, or a film. It would be a one time thing. I would love to make a film (even if it's just one) that would be good. Hopefully it would be as good as Spirited Away Miyazaki level. Point is, as long as people remembered that I made something special, that's all I want.  

Q13. What sources of material are you currently watching or reading that influences your work?  

MDC: I read a lot of articles, watch a variety of things. I tend to watch stuff that centers on video game development, business, Animation (Anime / Cartoons), Film, and search Deviantart profiles and follow new work (art). I haven't watched T.V in a long time, so I tend to mostly read business articles.  

Q14. Who in comics or film would you work with and why?  

MDC: I guess Shinkami Makoto because he made this film series that 5 chapters of 5 different settings.. I think the film was called 5 Centimeters Per Second I believe. He managed to make a film a with a clean and smooth animation style. He's able to convey something new to the audience each time while using the something that is familiar.  

Q15. What is your artistic flaw?  

MDC: umm, my flaw is that I'm too picky. I always want the things that I draw to mirror the way I see it in my head. But I've come to terms with my perfectionist nature.  

Q16. If you had the chance to speak to a deceased artist/ writer (of various mediums) Who would it be? And what would you discuss?  

MDC: I would speak to Monty Oum. Unfortunately he died from an allergic reaction. He was a top notch, self taught animator who created stuff like Ultimate Showdown : Haloid , and RBBY. He just had a knack for animating. He did a lot of tutorials and such that would showcase his artistic process. I would ask him about how he is able to make efficient animation to with the utmost quality.  

18. Any artistic regrets?  

MDC: not really, I just joined the art department a year ago. Since then it helped me get focused on the things I take interest in. The one thing I regret is not taking any classes that focus on storytelling. Knowing how to tell a story is essential for anyone in the fields of animation, comics and film.  

Q19. What would you advise to the young generation or to your younger self?  

MDC: I'd tell the other people to SUCK THESE NUTS! Hahahahaha. But in all seriousness, I would tell people to make sure that they know what they want to do. Learn to know what you love or desire to do. Doing what you love will be a lot of work and will leave you broke for a period of time. Just be passionate about what you really want to do. Now, for the sake of being foolish, I advise my younger self to fuck bitches 24/7 , yolo swag and don't be a hipster. Fuck hipsters. I'm joking about my comment. except for the hipster part.