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In Barcelona with caught up the cover/key artist who became a fan favourite as of late thanks to his work with licensed decks on Magic: The Gathering.
"Hi Gamereactor friends, this is the Barcelona Game Fest, formerly known as the IndieDevDay, and you know this event has been not only about indie games, also in the past, it was also about the artists, and about the several booths that we have in the left side of the venue, and I'm here joined by Toni, who I just met, and it's been lovely to meet you man, and I love your art, and you're not a video game artist, what you do is related to games, is related to fantasy, is related to comic, and we were doing the San Diego Comic-Con in Málaga a couple of weeks ago, and it's really nice to talk with artists here as well, so first of all, let's talk Magic, so you're mostly known from the Magic work as of late, what can you tell me has been your experience like with Magic?
Well actually, I started working with Magic three years ago, so my art director contacted me because she loved my fan art of Final Fantasy, and she got the work for the new set for Final Fantasy, and then she thought about me, and she sent me an email about the project, and I was like, what? That's really happening?
And it's real, three years later, it's now released, and it's amazing."
"Now it's more real, because I have been working on this set for two years, and I couldn't speak about it, or show anything to anyone, so it has been really weird, but now it's really crazy, it's crazy.
And you're signing cards, fans are coming, you're signing their cards, which sort of collabs or IPs have you worked with?
I've seen the big Chocobo in the background, so it's Final Fantasy, what other?
Yeah, then it's been released really recently, Spiderman, Spiderman is over there, then will come Avatar, The Last Airbender, and then, who knows? There is a lot more to come."
"It's an ongoing collaboration.
Yeah, I've been working for three years, and it's ongoing.
How is the workflow with Magic and with Wizards?
How do you work with them?
Do you have an order for a full deck, or a number of cards?
How do you work with them in that regard?
It's really easy, actually."
"Well, what you can tell us, of course.
It's really easy.
They first ask if you are interested in the IP, if you like it, or if you want to take part on the set."
"Of course, you usually want.
Then they ask how many cards, or that.
For Final Fantasy, I remember I asked for seven cards.
I was crazy, I want everything."
"Also, they asked me which Final Fantasy is my favorite.
Like the entry?
Yeah.
Which is your favorite?
Right now?
VII, IX?
IX."
"IX.
And my favorite character is Vivi.
Vivi gave me my job right now, so IX is...
We were with Nobuo Uematsu the other day in Malaga, and we asked him about the remake for IX, and he was like, Ask Square Enix! So we will see if it happens."
"Would you like to work with games as well?
It's weird, because production is really different than making illustration or key art.
I usually work on key art."
"That means that you work for two weeks or one month on one project, and then you change.
So that's my way of working.
I think I can work in a long project or..."
"With the planning and the whole...
I don't think I'm that kind of animal.
Now that you mentioned key art and cover art, of course we saw some of your beautiful GTM magazine cover art and key art."
"So which would you say are your highlights, your favorite pieces for key art and cover art?
Well, this year I think one of the highlights are the poster for MSI, the League of Legends tournament, the mid-season tournament."
"I think that was really crazy to make and then see it on the show and everything.
So it was kind of crazy.
And then I think that mostly all the books or packaging I'm making for Magic."
"But I don't know.
There is a lot more coming, and there is covers I do that I'm really happy how it turned out.
Maybe it's a small project, but you really like how it turned out, even if you spend only three or four days."
"Like my cover for GTM, for Metal Gear Solid, the last one.
Yes.
So, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it is interesting because many artists we've been interviewing in recent times, the COMICON in Napoli, the San Diego Comic-Con in Malaga, they are all, first and foremost, comic artists."
"But you're different.
You worked with comics in the past, and now you're no longer, as you said, your pieces are more like hits, like beats, right?
So how would you say it shaped you or informed you to work with comics and now to do this different sort of work?
One thing I always say is that making comics is your best school because you have to draw really fast, and everything."
"Many characters, cities, forests, a lot of different backgrounds, a lot of different characters, and also keep the same style for a long time."
"Yep.
Perspective, everything.
So between all the jobs I had, I think that comics is the most...
Comic book artists, for me, are heroes because it's so difficult and time-spending."
"It's not really well paid depending on where you are working.
So I will say that.
I learned a lot making comics that now it shows on storytelling doing just one illustration, but the storytelling is still there."
"It's different because you don't have many, many panels, but you can still tell a story, and that makes people connect with the work."
"That makes the difference.
Very interesting.
Okay, and final one.
What can you tease we can be looking forward to seeing from you next?
Keep playing Magic."
"More Magic.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Thank you so much for your time, Toni.
Enjoy the show.
Thank you."
