To the Point: An Interview With Dan LuVisi

Well known digital concept artist Dan LuVisi sits down and shares his experience and artwork with us as we discuss past, current, and future projects. Get the lowdown on his Popped Culture series, Last Man Standing project, and his inspiration and process as an artist.

Hey Dan, thanks so much for the interview. Let's start from the top: What got you into art?

My father was the
first to introduce me to art. I remember the moment as clear as day. We were
lying down in the living room, and reading a children's book of Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles. We were looking at the character Leatherback, a crocodile in
jean shorts (80s). I wanted him to draw it for me, which he did. In return, I
promised him by the time he got back from work that I would have drawn it as
well. He laughed it off, but upon returning came back to what I promised. Now,
it sucked and looked awful, but I put my damn all into it. From there, he had
created a monster.

Who or what are your main sources of inspiration?

My inspirations are
Todd McFarland, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, George Lucas, Richard
Taylor and John Lasseter. Each one of them has inspired me in a direct
way: McFarland's Spawn and Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan inspiring me to
tell stories, Richard Taylor's attention to detail at WETA, Tarantino's bloody
revenge quest in Kill Bill, and the obvious love for Star Wars. Each of their
work has propelled me to do what I'm doing today.

Are you formally trained or are you self-taught?

I'm not trained, I'm self
taught. I couldn't really ever afford college, so I put it off. I was
introduced to digital art by seeing an inspiring Justin Sweetpiece some 15
years ago. From there, the rest was history. I stuck to it, especially during a
time when there wasn't all the knowledge there is today, and just continued to
practice. Eventually when I became comfortable with my art, I began to post
them on , which built my portfolio and a fanbase for my book
LMS.

What's your creative process like?

I begin usually with a
couple of thumbnails, loose sketches, and then sketch them out until I'm
prepared to bring in the line art. From there, I'll draw out the scene, and
begin to lay down colors underneath. Once happy with it, I'll merge both together
and begin to render on top and bring it all together. No tricks, masks, fancy
layer modes other than Screen, Overlay or Multiply. Try to keep it
simple.

What programs do you prefer using?

I just use Photoshop. I've dabbled in Zbrush, which could help a lot. But I prefer to just
paint. Keep it simple.

For
how long have you worked professionally?

Since I was 18, so
about 12 years now.

What is your typical workday like?

Like clockwork, my
cats wake me up. I feed them, then lie in bed for a half an hour, searching
reddit for funnies. Once I get up, I bike to the grocery store to grab breakfast,
then head straight to the office by10:30, usually. From there, I work until about 12 or1 am, where I Bike home with my office mate Alex
Konstad (another great artist who lives right near me) and then rinse, and
repeat.

What's your work space like?

I hate to sound so
boring, but I keep a pretty standard desk and office. I have a statue of
Gabriel, from my book LMS, made by the amazing people over at Legacy FX, and
photos of my cat, and art from my girlfriend. LMS, my cats, and my lady are the
three pushes I need to keep working.

Your series “Popped Culture” is incredibly
bizarre. What inspired you to start painting such delightfully grotesque
versions of beloved characters?

At the time, Popped
Culture came from an unstable relationship that was proving tedious. So out of
frustration, I would work on these dark and bizarre pieces. Similar to
LMS, it began to just build itself into what it is today. It's a fun series,
which I've taken a break from for now, but I'll eventually return to it.

You’ve mentioned “L.M.S.: Last Man Standing:
Killbook of a Bounty Hunter” has been optioned by a studio (previously it was Paramount). For readers newer
to your work, what is LMS and what are your plans for the series?

LMS is really my bread
and butter. I came up with LMS, once again, out of a frustrating time working
for someone I wasn't fond of. The characters began to grow, and I started
posting them on DeviantArt. After I painted Gabriel, everything came together,
and I knew there was something there. I spent two years working on a book that
would becomeThe Killbook.

"LMS is a satirical/action-adventure poking fun at the colorful world of
tomorrow. Gabriel is a Paladin, the world's first genetically created
super-soldier meant to be indestructible and unmatchable. Designed and destined
to win an interstellar war for Earth, Gabriel is rushed to Mars to fight the
undefeated alien race, The Nomens--As No Manwas able to defeat them. But
with a single punch and an ounce of gut, Gabriel is able to wipe out the Nomen
race in less than half a year.

"After returning back to Earth, Gabriel is
awarded with fame and many accolades. From TV shows, movies, toys, and more,
Gabriel himself becomes pop-culture. But over the years, soon the line between
Hero and Celebrity begins to blur, and at Gabriel's weakest moment, he's framed
by a Nomen-extremist group, PANDEMONIUM, for a crime he had nothing to do
with.Sentenced to execution in the inescapable Level-9 Facility, Gabriel
is forced to endure tremendous pain and torture. But upon his execution,
Gabriel is granted one final visit who offers the fading super-soldier a
chance at redemption.

"After breaking out, Gabriel makes his way back to
America, to find it taken over by gangs, terrorists, hybrid animal-people, and
worst of all, corporations. Dropping his superficial lifestyle of before,
Gabriel must not only prove to himself, but to the world what it means to truly
be a hero."

The first book, The
Killbook, is Gabriel's blueprint, designed by himself, building a pre-cursor to
Gabriel's road to revenge. Every following book (the next coming out this year)
will tell the story of how he did such, leading to his eventual death.

LMS is my everything. I've put the last seven years into it, trying to bring
the project truly to life. Thing is, it's not really about the revenge side, or
anything else. There's something a lot deeper in the property that I can't wait
to show. It's a very personal story to me. As for where it's headed, it's
no longer with Paramount. At the moment, it's being sought after by a studio
and a producer I'm very excited about. But, in duetime...

Let’s
talk about your work for DC Comics. How’d you get the gig creating covers for
“Secret Six” and what is the process
like from sketch to press?

It was a pretty chill
job that I still wish I was doing (DC or Marvel, you listening?). I always love
doing illustrations, and DC was very open and easy to work with. They would
give me a basic idea of the story, and I'd throw them some thumbnails. The
editor would pick one, and let me do my stuff. That's all. One of the best jobs
I everhad.

What
words of advice do you have for aspiring artists?

I'm still young, but
I've learned a lot. These are my few lines of advice.

• Compete with yourself, and no one else.
• Every day you're not practicing or
  honing your craft, someone who wants it more is catching up.
• Be kind. Give. Inspire. And lead by
  example.

Many thanks to Dan for taking the time for a chat and sharing his work with us. You can check out more of his work and follow him around the web at the links below:

• Dan's Website
• Instagram
• Last Man Standing