~TheEosVirus

Interview with Idania Eos
By: Stephen Lee
November 30, 2007
San Francisco, California


Tell me about yourself?

Okay! My name is Idania Eos though pretty much the whole universe knows me as Eos. I'm 28 years old *soon to be 29* I speak 3 fluent languages [English *doh!* Spanish, and Italian] and I am learning a fourth one [Japanese]. I'm a mutt in all of the extent of the word since I am half Spanish *as in Spain* quarter Filipino and quarter Mexican. I've been drawing since I was 4 years old so that gives me 24 years of experience in the craft. I've been a graphic designer since the age of 18 and I am currently working on a graphic novel titled APPLE: The Curse of Adam and preparing to launch a shirt line as well as playing around with toy design *tehehehehe!* I'm a speed demon and as you might already guess I love with mad passion fast cars and sport bikes. I read comic books almost every day, I have a collection of action figures and statues that exceed the number of 752 *which 100 of them are on display in my house* and I am mad about children and I think George Bush is a heartless bastard!



Do you work more with the computer or your hands?

Well, I started out as a traditional artist; meaning I did everything with my bare, right hand. However I have not touched paper and pencil since 1999 when I forced myself to learn how to draw with the mouse. I try to be as practical as possible and I don't really like to work hard if I have the option to work smart. The computer makes everything much easier, quicker and presentable. Now days and for the last 8 years I've done everything digitally. I am very good with Illustrator and pretty descent using Photoshop and I have some knowledge with Painter; those are the programs I use to create what you see.



Digital vs. Traditional; Is traditional art a thing of the past?

Not at all! I might offend and perhaps make a couple of people mad, but I am one of those people that I don't give a damn and I speak my mind. Some traditional artists argue that digital artists are fakers and cold and don't convey true art into their works. This is what I believe; Art is art and no matter what medium you choose you will still create art because you are an artist and that's what an artist does . . . unless of course you are not. By going digital doesn't mean you will loose your ability to create with pencil and paper it simply states that you've chosen a different form to express yourself. To be a true artist requires to challenge yourself constantly and to try different things in order to grow. This also implies style; you can only go so far if you do not reinvent yourself and your art

I do have to argue with those who feel that digital art has no soul or heart. As both a traditional and digital artist I know very well both realms and no matter which form I choose to express myself heart and soul are (((ALWAYS!))) thrown in as the critical ingredients. Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art, my peeps and that is very true.

I don't believe traditional art is a thing of the past because no matter how good a digital artist may become, he/she still needs the discipline that comes from being a traditional artist. Which ever form you use don't be intimidated or shy to try new things. Don't hinder yourself from growing as an artist. The mediums an artist chooses does not make the artist nor the art is what the artist holds inside . . . the passion and the emotion within, that is the art.



Describe a typical Eos day

I've pretty much been self employed since I was 18 *though I've had a day job here and there* So my day is not what most people would consider normal, since I don't have to be at an office at a certain time nor commute crazy hours in mad traffic to get to work. My day usually starts at 7am every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday since those are the days I have to drive Dereck to school. I will check email, messages and things of that sort and get all of the business stuff out of the way. Then I'll go down to the kitchen have a bowl of cereal and work on the computer doing a logo or a flyer or a commission or whatever a client has requested of me. Then I'll work some more on my own personal projects. I have set a goal of 2 pages minimum for APPLE everyday. So, I am illustrating about 14 to 16 pages a week and about 120 panels of action sequences *with explosions and all* then its time to pick Dereck from school and have lunch with him, do homework, play at the park Star Wars games *I have a pretty sweet Darth Vader mask which I am really proud of and a killer light saber and Dereck has this really neat Jango Fett custom* people look at us all weird *O_o* when we get all dressed up and play in full customs in the park, but who cares? Obviously we don't! Lately, I been bringing my skateboard outside and teaching Dereck how to skateboard and at least once a week we hit Nickel City which is the local arcade hangout over here. When Dereck is in bed and sound asleep is back to work for me. Again, I will check emails and reply to the clients and do revisions of the work they didn't like and such things. Its very normal for me to pull all nighters. There are times *pretty much every week* where I'll go 48 hours sometimes 72 hours without any sleep *Yeah! A total zombie I am* This usually happens when Dereck is with dad. That's when I really work my ass off to get things done and go to the local post office or Ups store and make sure art prints get shipped and stuff *not very fun stuff* then continue working on some more art and designs. Everyday is different for me and I love it! If I had to spend the rest of my days sitting behind a desk in a tiny, little cubicle I would have killed myself a long time ago. Indeed, I am very blessed and extremely fortunate!



What school did you attend to become an artist?

I have never really attended school for art; I did get a degree in computer arts, but the courses I took generally taught me to create websites and video productions and how to layout a magazine or some kind of ad properly and such. I am a self-taught artist and I have been drawing since the age of 4.



What do you do for a living?

Oh! Boy! What don't I do? *lol* I've always being known for being all over the place. Guess is an ADD thing, I dunno. Sometimes is a blessing and at times a curse, but I guess is part of the whole balance. In the present, I guess I am trying to figure out who I am and what my role in life is. I have been a freelance graphic artist for the last 10 years, When ever I get a chance, I sit and write stories and come up with characters and next thing I know, I have enough material to create a synopsis to a video game or a comic book, a song, a script or whatever the world I'm in the mood for. So, to answer your question in simple terms. I am a full time artist, and web/graphic designer. I am one of those individuals that I dislike with much passion having a boss and I definitely lack *major* the whole 9-5 mind set. I've pretty much been my own boss since I was 18. Though when things do get a bit tight as far as the Benjamin's is concern I do go out there like the normal people and get a day job though it doesn't last very long because truly . . . honest to God I NEED creativity and a way to express it and in corporate America that is pretty impossible.



What is your favorite work you have done?

Gee! That's a tough one to answer because I am an art whore *lol* meaning I love the arts; whether that takes form in dancing, singing, acting, producing, directing, writing, illustrating you name it and I've done it. But for the sake of it I'm just going to stick to the illustration portion of it. As far as that is concerned I would have to choose two of my works and that is Skully because I had such a blast creating this character *it's somewhat model after my son Dereck* and I do have to say *without being cocky* that the character came out so awesome and suppa cute and another of my "favorite" work would have to be The Funeral of Time because it represents my own anthology and the struggles that I went through that year and it just speaks to me in so many ways.



Who are your favorite artists? Who influences you?

Oh! My Word! there are so many. Yukito Kishiro, Jeff Scott Campbell, JML, Brandt Peters, Luis Royo, MAD, SKET ONE, Huck Gee, Stanley Lau, Hyung-Tae Kim, Hayao Miyazaki, Jo Chen, Todd MacFarlane, Anne Patzke [Trenchmaker] and Tim Burton . . . to name a few.



What does your art mean to you?

It just simply means freedom . . . its life! I know every artist can agree with me; Art is a form of psychological, emotional, spiritual and sometimes even physical therapy. *I'm a living testament of that* It allows you to escape in such way that though you might be here with the rest of the world you really aren't. Art has gotten me through some hard times. It's helped me in keeping my cool and given me a better understanding of life itself. It's also given me the ability to see the finer details in life and see that there isn't a whole lot out there that's ugly. Plus! C'mon, who doesn't want to play God and have the ability to create and destroy as you please? It doesn't get any better than that my peeps!


What sources do you draw on for inspiration in your work?

Monkeys? I don't know! Sometimes I just go with whatever pops into my head and other times I'm like a research junkie surrounded in comics and art books. Inspiration is all around me, but I don't always recognize it. All of my stuff comes from being in a special state of mind (artistic hibernation) but Luis Royo, Joseph Michael Linsner, Hyung-Tae Kim, Huck Gee and Trenchmaker are sometimes the fellas responsible for me bursting into creative juices. Rammstein, Boom Boom Satellites, Radiohead, Basement Jaxx and Robert Miles are also to be blame for.


So, where did the inspiration of APPLE: The Curse of Adam come from?

For a long time I have wonder off to this dimension in my creative universe that is all about flesh, metal, sophisticated weapons and all the good stuff. APPLE is not something that I came up with the last couple of months, its actually something that I have been playing with since I was like 15. I'm 28 now, you do the math. The idea of this world came as a result of my obsession with the book of Revelations (Bible) at the time. One night I was reading chapter 21 and *bam* it hit me. I started imagining what the end of the world would be like and the aftermath of it all and so APPLE came to be part of my surreal reality.



Wow! 13 years in the making. That's sounds like a record?

Mmmh? Nah! *lol* Not when you compare it to the great works out there. I mean, it took George Lucas about 30 years of his life to finish Star Wars. I don't create just to create. Everything that I create is out of sheer passion. APPLE has taken me so long to pro-create, not because I am lazy, but because I don't always find myself inspired the right way, even though I live in creative mode 24/7. I won't work on something *that is my own* unless I'm in total artistic hibernation, as I like to call it. I love with passion what I do and I respect with a great deal who I am. My work is my mistress and I can't always make passionate love to her. So, I like to take my time. Up until a few months ago I was still discovering who and what APPLE was to me. If I had forced a story out of myself, even a year ago, it would have been a total disaster. *eeeeek!* Just as you can't rush anything and expect it to come out just right, you can't rush art and that is one rule I don't dare to break. Creativity is one jealous mistress, you know? *lol*


What was the most difficult thing you encounter while creating the world of APPLE?

Exactly that! Creating this new world. *lol* This world and story required a lot of work and detail. Not only that is portrayed through the artwork, but with each character's personality and story as well. It became such a challenge to create the world of APPLE because I really did not have a point of reference. The story takes place in the year 5028 and God knows what that looks like. With that in mind, it gave me all kinds of freedom, yet nowhere really to start from. I Spent about 13 years after I decided to give this project a go, basically in the wilderness of my own mind. I wanted to create a fascinating world, a world filled with technology with a very futuristic look, something that would pop fresh into the readers' minds, yet also contained within their own reality. I didn't want to create something that was not believable or a bunch of bull poo poo. Again, this was very challenging because some of these characters needed to capture an emotional moment that you could believe, more then the rest of the characters who are obviously not human. I want people to believe in this story, the characters and to make it their own. I don't want my audience to be lost in the sophistication of the neat gadgets and the technological, advanced weapons and stuff *that's just the eye candy* The only way that can be accomplish is by creating something that the reader can easily digest and can certainly find connections to their reality. I know is fiction, *organic fiction as I like to call it* but I wanted to have somewhat of a true sense to this storyline and that made it a very difficult goal to achieve. How can I create from something that I have no bloody idea of what that something looks like and still manage to create that something into something that was believable? Complicated stuff, even the question itself was like a labyrinth of words. If I could put the feelings and the emotions into a sentence that will be paramount to what I was going through inside my head it would simply say, "It was murder" its was very, very challenging. *phew* but it's almost done!



What can we expect from Apple: The Curse of Adam?

Anything and everything that will appeal to people from different age groups, not just adults. I'm really striving for this. I feel that the comics now days lack storylines that people can relate to and enjoy reading them. A comic book or an illustrated novel in this case is not just amazing art put together, is a combination of everything. A great story, believable characters that are easy to follow, color, inks, you name it? Everything now is so serious and follows a certain trend. If you ask me? that is plain boring. Is really hard to come across a comic book that has all of the elements working for it. In most cases you find a comic book with amazing art, but a completely useless story or visa-versa. I am trying to brake away from the current trends and create a storyline and characters that are more organic and believable. Like any other great story, it will have a bit of everything, adventure, thrills, chills, drama, mystery, romance, and humor. Plus tons of action and all kinds of cool gizmos and there is definitely a Sci-Fi edge to it. I am very excited about this project and I expect to deliver no less than my very best. I am having the time of my life drawing every panel of it and creating more to the plot as I go along. Is such a thrill for me and I am sure readers will enjoy it as much as I am enjoying bringing it to them.



Reveal to us the date of Apple's grand debut? I am dying to know!

*lol* Grand debut, you said? Well, I'm flattered. Thanks! Mmmh? As far as a specific date? I don't have it set on stone. I have been entertaining the idea of October 28, I just think that is a pretty neat date. But then again, don't quote me.


A little bird told me that you actually plan to launch a toy line? Care to indulge us?

Nothing escapes you, does it? Well, there is the possibility *the size of Texas* that Apple will make it to plastic. It has been one of my dreams to see my creations take real form. In this case, into action figures and statues and things of that sort. So, if all goes well, I don't see what's there to stop me from making this a reality. So, yeah!



Speaking of toys, what was your favorite toy as a kid and why?

Without a doubt action figures. I was never really into dolls or Barbie's and such. I remember having GI Joe's, Playmobils, Legos, Superman and Batman action figures and playing with them for hours. My favorite figures were the Smurfs, though. God, I used to love those little, blue guys! *still do!* Even now, you'll still find me at Toys r Us and local comic book stores looking for the newest action figures, not currently part of my endless collection, specially those made by MacFarlane. His action figures are awesome! They rock! I am also becoming like an insane fan of Urban Vinyl. God! they're so kwel! These little figures are like nothing out there and are so full of spunk and all so artistic. Me like! ^_^


Your work seems to exhibit a fascination for significance and symbolism, specially in the Apple storyline. Do all these hold a deeper meaning for you?

Most definitely. Is not coincidence, I do it all on purpose. I admired purpose with passion and I am a strong believer that everything has a reason for being and not by accident. You simply have to find what those reasons are. I can't help but to transmit that onto my work. I'm a very curious creature and I love trying to figure out stuff and I can say that my work is sort of like a riddle. You have to find the clues and the meanings in order to figure it all out. I don't know, I'm just evil like that. *Muahahahaha!*


Do you see yourself as a comic artist, an illustrator, a writer or a business woman?

I see myself as a creator. My mind lives pregnant with ideas and I often find myself daydreaming about the most random of things. While most people are thinking about paying their bills and ways of screwing each other, I, on the other hand i'm thinking and stressing of ways to bring forth to life the images that are hunting my head. My brain works in creative mode all the time ... is weird, but is totally radical. I'm in business because I'm no dummy. I know my stuff is marketable and I can make a living out of what I do best and still manage to bring a smile to someone's face. I mean, what can be greater than that?


What's next? Care to shed some light on any new upcoming projects?

Sure beans! At this point I have my hands full. APPLE is going full course and the book will be released next year. Right behind it is the Miu and Skele shirt line that I have been designing for the pass 2 months, Twinkle: Land of Fable which is a story line that I want to produce as an online comic book, and I have my sights set on a toy line of my own characters.



What would be your dream project?

Although I live my life as a creator in the form of an Illustrator and storyteller, my true passion lies in film. I would love to direct and produce my own films. That would be the highlight of my life.


Any advice for aspiring artists, creators out there?

Of course! Mad talent is nothing if your mad talent does not have dedication, passion and determination. There is a lot of competition in the art world and if you are not dedicated enough you will be cast into the shadows. Every year I meet artists who are so fired up about their craft and 3 months down the line they haven't done anything. They're still sitting there talking about it instead of making it happen. My idea and belief is that if you want to be someone or perceived as something you have to play the role and be that someone. One important lesson that I have learned is that there is no such thing as luck *honestly* If you want to be someone big do something big and make a lot of noise and take more action and talk less. Also, if you want to become a successful artist you have to reinvent yourself and your style constantly. Whatever style worked a year ago is not necessarily going to work a year from now. The style of art is no different than fashion trends. What was consider cool and hip 6 months ago now is like a big No!-No! *where's the fashion police?* Same thing with this. I see a lot of artists who remain stuck in one single style for years and never break away from it; always drawing the same thing over and over and over and over again. I mean, how boring is that? You need to stay up and invent new ways to introduce your craft to the next generation. For God's sake, you're an artist, act like it! Think outside the box!



Lastly, if you weren't Eos, the artist, the creator who would you be?

Miserable! Period!