Michael Oppenheimer // Visual Artist

InterviewsIssue-02

Feb 13

Investigate further @mikeoppart

Interview by Joey Diabolic

Your expansive portfolio showcases incredible visual works. So far, what have been the enduring favorites? What were the published graphic novels and comic covers that inspired you? Thanks for the kind words! It's hard for any artist to pick favorites of their own work but I'm proud of the published work that I had the opportunity to work on. As far as inspiration goes, I've always loved the work of Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Ashley Wood and Ben Templesmith. Sin City, Hellboy, Hellspawn and 30 Days of Night are all so good to dive into and feed my imagination!

Favorite Marvel characters? What are your thoughts on the current state of the MCU? Any feelings on the upcoming ‘Doomsday’ and ’Secret Wars’ films? I've always been all about Spider-man. Love all of the X-Men too, but even though he's often a villain, Sabertooth is another big favorite of mine. I'm cautiously optimistic about the MCU. It's been pretty rocky since Endgame but fingers crossed!

Over two decades as a professional illustrator. How has navigating through creative output ultimately directed you to discover your style? OOF, I'm getting old! For me, I still feel like my style is always evolving, so I'm not even sure I've discovered it yet even at this stage in my career. Ultimately when you're a working artist it becomes about efficiency; How can I tell this story or convey this idea in the quickest and most efficient yet aesthetically pleasing way?

What is your current process and how has it evolved over the years? My process usually starts with panic, then some impostor syndrome thrown in for good measure! After that and some coffee I usually start out most projects digitally, sketching in Photoshop or Clip Studio. Working digitally has been really helpful through the years as it helps to easily make adjustments in composition and form before moving on to the next stages. That said, with the current rise of AI I have felt a pull to go back to more traditional art methods. After working digitally for so long you start to miss the feeling of scratching lead on paper, or the smell of the paint on your pallet, and now with a sea of AI images flooding the internet, it feels like its the perfect time to go back to basics.

While plugged-in, what type of music do you lean towards? Does music influence you during bursts of creativity? Music is a huge part of my inspiration! I love film scores, but hip-hop, electronic, metal, even classical make their way through my playlists regularly!

In addition to some very cool corporate output, you’re also available for commissions. When someone approaches you for work, what’s an indicator during those discussions that immediately get you excited for said collaborative project? The thing that usually gets me the most excited to collaborate on a project with someone is if I'm given free reign to create like me. Often as a working artist you run into scenarios where the client wants an image to look like another artists style. This can be discouraging and stressful, especially when the client has a specific image in their head that looks like it was done by someone else. You do what you can to make it look as close to that style as possible and please the client but there's nothing like being sought out and trusted to create the way you naturally do it!

Any upcoming output currently in-production? What’s next? After years of creating and helping to bring other peoples visions to life I'm finally ready to go all in on me! I currently have two creator owned comic projects I'm developing. The first is 'VIKINGS VS VAMPIRES' a bloody, fun, action filled alternate history horror story. The other is 'CYKOPOMP' a sci-fi, dystopian mecha story about the cost of life and death inspired by real grief. I'm hoping to get them out this year so please keep a look out!