WELCOME TO ANOTHER AMAZING INTERVIEW HERE AT COMIC UNKNOWN! WE HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE TO HAVE A ONE ON ONE WITH FRANKIE B. WASHINGTON!
Comic Unknown: What made you want to work in the comic
book industry?
Frankie B. Washington: I actually don’t consider myself a comic book artist, I’m a
Commercial Illustrator whose worked in the art industry (Film, Animation, Advertising,
Toys, Cards and Print). I’ve always wanted to learn as much as possible about
other aspects of the art industry. Never getting locked down into one specific
area but instead dabbling in as many as I came across. The comic book industry
to me is no different to me than working on storyboards in tv ad campaigns… Or
storyboards. I’m a huge fan of Sequential artwork and what it can offer as an
experience to the person viewing it.
CU: Who is your favorite all time super hero/villain? Why?
FBW: I’m a huge fan of Marvel Comics “The Thing” - especially the
Jack Kirby/ John Byrne run of the character which in my opinion truly
represented the ideal of the superhero. A man changed into a monstrous form who
continues to fight for a society that judges him. Ben Grimm doesn’t give up and
that’s a way of thought which has served me in my own personal life journey. Dr Doom is the epitome of the ultimate super villain . He
already has power as the leader of Latvia yet he wants more power. He feels as
a dictator that his goals are in the best interest of the masses as long as
they accept his rule.
CU: What are your published credits?
FBW: I’ve done illustration for
RPG Books:
- Spartacus Publishing - BattleDragons 2002
- XID Creative - Providence “The Book Of Wird” 1999
- XID Creative - Providence “Cliff-Spider : The War Citadel ”
1999
- Iron Crown Enterprises - Spacemasters “Privateers 2000
- Mad Hermit Games - Cold Steel Reign 2003
- Moonstone Books - Zombies vs Cheerleaders Issue #1 2010
Magazine:
- Cemetery Dance Magazine - Issue #53 / Issue #57 / Issue #67 /
Issue #74/75
- Double Issue
Moonstone Books - Voltron : United & Drawn 2011
Comic Book:
- Asylum Press - Satan’s 3-Ring Circus Of Hell 2005
- Haunted Computer Productions - Grave Conditions 2010
- SPA Comics Group - Mysterious Visions After Hours Issue 3 2008
- Cambrian Comics - “Welcome To Metroville” 2016
- Zetabella Publishing - Robot God Akamatsu Vol 1 2013
- Dark Horse - Once Upon A Time Machine (Double Page Pin-Up)
- 2012
Vector Comics - The Nightmare Patrol 2017
CU: What was the craziest, funnest, or most difficult project you
have worked on?
FBW: The one that comes to mind was actual a production job that I
did for a client whereas I had to physically paint TeePee for a show. I’ve
never done artwork like this and I stepped up to the challenge… And got it
done. I personally don’t ever want to do a gig like that again LOL
CU: Have you ever felt emotionally invested in your projects?
FBW: Every project, I work on. I feel I have to give 200% to it's success. I want to see it evolve into something more than where it began. I tend to market the projects I'm associated with for myself as well as the client. If they are successful then my relationship with the project will be worth it. It's never a fun moment when a project stales or is simply declared "DEAD" even before it could live.
CU: When working with deadlines, do you have a specific strategy
to best manage your time efficiently?
FBW: I have a WAR CALENDAR which lays out my deadline dates. Before
i even start a gig, I usually ask the client on a rough estimate of time, so
that i can adjust my schedule to fit the project and other projects that might
be going on all well. The key thing is to effectively keep all the clients
happy and get the job done with minimal stress to my psyche.
CU: Do you work on multiple projects at once? Which project(s) are
you currently working on?
FBW: Yes, I do work on multiple projects. As I freelance
illustrator, I can find myself working on comic book pages and then switching
on to artwork for patches… And then onto toy design. It’s very important to
have a very strong system in place to manage the workload. I’m currently
working on the webcomic “The Secret Lives Of Villains”, “The Nightmare Patrol”…
And any new gig that happens to pop up in my email.
CU: Ever been offered a project and had to decline because of the
content?
FBW: Yes, I’ve declined many projects this year alone, just because
of the time constraint. As I get older the “Long night into early morning gigs”
just aren’t appealing to me as they were when I was younger. I like pacing
myself and just insuring that my mental and physical health is taken care of as
well as my passion for the art.
CU: Any specific process when you approach a new page you'll be
working on?
FBW: When i get a script, I usually thumbnail as I read it. I find
that at this stage, my thoughts are raw and allows me to just go for it. Once
I’ve finished thumb-nailing, I scan the pages in and can make edits in Photoshop. I always assume that the client will have edits as well… And prepare
myself to make them in Photoshop if need be.
CU: Who has been the biggest influence on you in the comic
industry?
FBW: Go Nagai (Mazinger Z, Getter Robo G, Gaiking) / Jack Kirby -
(Fantastic Four, Machine Man, Black Panther etc) / Herb Trimpe (Shogun
Warriors, Godzilla) / John Byrne & Chris Claremont (X-Men)
CU: What is the best way comic readers can find your work?
FBW: Here’s my Freelanced Page : https://www.freelanced.com/frankiebwashington
DeviantArt Page : http://fbwash.deviantart.com/gallery/
THANK YOU FRANKIE FOR THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOR
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