Interview with Francis Tsai

How did you get involved in sketch cards?
The new Clone Wars widescreen cards are my first sketch card job.

How do you feel about working on such a small surface?
It's definitely a bit of a challenge. I tend to pick close-ups and simpler subjects. Makes the work go a little quicker though!

How do you feel about the entire process?
Actually I like that there is little to no art direction (that I know of). The hard part is the volume, coming up with 100 images over the course of a couple of months. I also liked getting back into analog/traditional media - pencils, ink, markers. Been a long time since I did a lot of that.

Are there any cards that you are particularly proud of?
I feel like they are all more or less the same level of quality, for better or worse. Some are line art only and some are more rendered, but there aren't any that I remember standing head and shoulders over the others.



Some companies provide return cards for working on sketch card sets. Do you/will you keep any of the cards returned to you?
Yeah, I did an additional 6 cards that I requested to have sent back to me.

Do you see yourself continuing with sketch card sets?
If I have time and if it's subject matter I can geek out over. Marvel or DC sketch cards would probably be something I'd like to try next.

Is there any advice you would like to give to people wanting to break into the sketch card ‘biz’?
Yeah - work out your drawing hand! :)



Where can people see more of your work?
Most of my stuff can be seen on my site at teamgt.com, and there are links there to other places online where I have some art uploaded.

Thank you, Francis!

Canada at War sketch card set

Image from Diamond Previews.

Thank you for the scan, Sonia Lai.

Dexter sketch card set

Image from Diamond Previews.

Thank you for the scan, Sonia Lai!

Interview with Josh Howard

How did you get involved in sketch cards?
My first sketch card job was Lord of the Rings Masterpieces. I was introduced to the guys at Topps by Otis Frampton and Grant Gould.

How do you feel about working on such a small surface?
I think art thrives with constraints. So it's definitely a challenge, but a lot of fun, too.

How do you feel about the entire process?
It can be tough. I've got my regular comic and commission work which keeps me busy, so it's hard to find the time to really devote to it.

Do you have a lot of contact with collectors regarding your cards?
Some, but not much. I'm not really involved with the sketch card community like I would like to be. It just comes down to time.

How do you feel about some collectors wanting more detailed cards versus what sketch card artists are paid to work on the cards?
I completely understand what the collectors want, because that's what I would want, too! But the reality of what's being paid on top of the time constraints, it's just not always realistic. The problem is that you have to take on a lot of cards to get a paycheck worth anything. And by the time you get to card #100 it becomes a rather soulless exercise of cranking out mindless sketches, which isn't fair to anybody.

Have you had any bad experiences with collectors?
Nope, not so far!



Bad experiences with companies?
Not really. Nothing that I haven't experienced with half a dozen other non-card companies. Nature of the art business I suppose.

Has your career as an artist benefitted from doing sketch card work?It's hard to say. Like I said, I don't have a lot of time to really interact with fellow sketch artists and collectors as much as I would like. I know a lot of people have made the leap from doing Star Wars cards to actually working on official Star Wars comics and things, and none of those opportunities have really been presented to me for whatever reasons. But I don't do it for the exposure, I mainly do it so I can have my name on something that was a huge influence growing up.

What was the most difficult sketch card set you have worked on to date?
Probably the Indiana Jones set, because of the lack of iconic and easy to draw characters. And since they're all human (without masks, no robots) it takes extra time to nail the likenesses.

Are there any cards that you are particularly proud of?
I think some of my best cards are from the Star Wars Galaxies set. I did a group of Phantom Menace characters that I think turned out really well.

Some companies provide return cards for working on sketch card sets. Do you keep any of the cards returned to you? What are you planning to do with them?
I've sold all of my cards except for my Star Wars 30th Anniversary (1 of each of the major characters) and Star Wars Galaxies (the aforementioned Phantom Menace set). I'm keeping them to frame so that one day when I'm 80 I can look back say I did something with the official Star Wars logo on it.



Do you see yourself continuing with sketch card sets?
Just depends on my schedule and what the particular set is, but I don't have a lot of desire to got back and do more of the same (LOTR, Star Wars, Indy). But when someone decides to do a Star Trek, Harry Potter , or G1 Transformers sketch card series, I'll be first in line.

Is there any advice you would like to give to people wanting to break into the sketch card ‘biz’?
It's all who you know!

Can you tell us what future sketch card sets you'll be working on?
None at the moment.

What are you currently working on?
Currently working on the next Dead@17 series coming out early next year.

Where can people see more of your work?
www.joshhoward.net

Thank you, Josh!

Star Wars Galaxy 5 sell sheet

Image from Diamond Previews.

Thanks to Sonia Lai for the scan!

Star Wars Clone Wars Widevision info

http://www.topps.com/ent/brands/SWCWWide/MainPage.html

Interview with Katie Cook

How did you get involved in sketch cards?
My first sketch card job was the first Lord of the Rings Masterpieces set for TOPPS.
...I had NO idea what I was doing. I think I owe collectors everywhere an apology form my many, many repeater sketches!

How do you feel about working on such a small surface?
I don't mind it so much. I have a tendency to draw small anyway, so the transition to cards wasn't too hard. A comic panel really isn't that much bigger!

How do you feel about the entire process?
Deadlines are a necessary evil in any industry. They keep you motivated and keep you from flitting your day away on facebook. Some companies are more loose than others, deadline wise, and you can have some wiggle room (which is nice when you need it).

Have you been asked or would you like to work on the larger incentive cards?
I would, but I doubt I'd ever be asked to do them!



Do you have a lot of contact with collectors regarding your cards?
I do. I love hearing from and talking to collectors. Tt's the best way to learn what they want! I accept their facebook requests, update them on twitter and really encourage them to follow and comment on my blog. I want to keep them up to date on what I'm doing and I want their feedback on it.

Do you feel that your cards are consistently collectible or does it depend on what set you do?
I'm a bad judge of what collectible as far as cards go. I like to draw things that I think are fun and that seems to make them collectible. Star Wars, for the most part, is what I'm known for so I'd say that that's much more collectible than something like Heroes Season 2.

Has your career as an artist benefitted from doing sketch card work?
I think so. You can get a lot more people to pay attention to you when you have a certain license in your credits list.



What was the most difficult sketch card set you have worked on to date?
I think that would be "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". No one had seen the movie yet and we all had NO IDEA what to draw except a few pictures we were given as reference. That's no fun. I like doing cards with scenes and quotes. I can't do that when all I have is a dozen pictures and a rough idea of the plot.

Are there any cards that you are particularly proud of?
Lately, I've been proud of a lot of my cards. I love the cards I did for TOPPS' Star Wars Galaxy 4 and the Clone Wars Widevision. When I'm allowed to take on less cards, I can concentrate on making the cards I DO do very fun and special.

Some companies provide return cards for working on sketch card sets. Do you keep any of the cards returned to you?
Nope. They are released into the wilds of the collecting world.

Do you see yourself continuing with sketch card sets?
This is a touchy question. I can see myself doing any Star Wars set that comes up, as well as the occasional comic themed set... but I want to focus on comics and children's books. I want to think that there's more for me out there in this world than sketch cards, no matter how much I like drawing them.



Is there any advice you would like to give to people wanting to break into the sketch card ‘biz’?
-Draw lots and lots of samples. Post them online. Art directors will find you.
-Don't copy other people's styles. Be unique.
-Don't copy a card or style and declare that you expect to be known as the second coming of that artist and start charging that artist's prices for cards saying "well, since she's busy with other things and isn't up for commissions, hire me instead!"... you'll just make people mad (can you tell I've had to deal with this?)

Where can people see more of your work?
my sketchblog and site is www.katiecandraw.com
There are also links there for my twitter, facebook, deviantart and livejournal!

Thank you, Katie!