It is the 30th Anniversary of Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, and for the recently released celebration set we got in touch with some artists that have been with the game for a looong time to once again grace some cards with their illustrations. One of the most productive VTES artists is the great Lawrence “Larry” Snelly, working with the game since the very first set back in 1994. Let´s have a chat with him!
Hello Larry, thanks for taking your time. How are things in your life today?
Things are good in southern California and I’m between jobs at the moment so that means a lot of collage work and cleaning is getting done.
You have a long and varied career by now, but how did it start. Are you an educated or self-taught?
I went to art school and have a Bachelor in Fine Art.
What kind of assignments do you prefer the most?
Collage and illustration assignments are my favs, but nothing beats working on your own ideas with no oversight.
You have used a bunch of different styles for VTES over the years. What artistic techniques do you prefer?
I like a combination of Photoshop and hand-made collage pieces using found paper.
Could you tell us about this, your favorite process?
The first step is finding printed source material, like vintage tabloids, muscle magazines, crime rags, comics books and old paper ephemera. I frequent Ebay and shop used book stores whenever I travel. I prefer material from the 1960-70s and the more damaged, the better.
I then take the pieces and scan them using a desktop scanner. I keep the resolution high (800-1200 dpi) and once scanned, I archive them into specific folders.
The next step is sketching out an idea and begin looking through my scans to see what images will work best. This is the most important stage of the process.
I bring those scans into Photoshop (as smart objects) and begin layering images one on top of another. This is where I re-size, duplicate, mask and utilize filters and effects to build the image.
Once I’m satisfied, I’ll print the image out on photo paper and wheat paste that to a canvas or plywood backing. I then paint or print on top of the photo, seal the piece with polyurethane and get it ready to hang. Sometimes, I have my work printed as a transparency and mounted on a back-lit frame for an illuminated piece.
Do you also work with models?
I only use models when I do illustration work that I photograph myself.
We guess many who read this have seen your work for VTES. What else have you worked with? What of your work are you most proud of?
Once I moved out to Los Angeles, I worked for Mattel, Disney, Hulu and other big corporations but prefer the work I do with smaller organizations like design studios and individual commissions.
You did some work for VTES 30th Anniversary. What can you tell us about those pieces?
It was fun to update the Donal O’Connor art since the photo reference is a great Irish guy I worked with at Ral Partha named Dave Summers. Vampire cards will always be a favorite and I’m grateful to have been asked to contribute.
What other work do you have upcoming?
I’ve been working in collage and decollage for the last few years and you can view my art at larrysnelly.com.
Thanks for those words Larry Snelly, and thanks for all the fantastic card art all these years!
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