Mate Jako: Sketching from the Imagination artist interview

I’m a Hungarian-born, London-based illustrator and designer. I work in the entertainment industry creating concept art, poster art, creature design, book covers, and anything that my clients might hire me for.

There was no real transition in the sense that I have always been drawing, since I was a small child. Films, monsters, and super heroes always “took the better of me” from a very young age. I always wanted to be an artist, be that in any field. The sense of magic, which telling a story creates, attracted me the most.

I’m essentially still in theater as I approach creating an illustration the exact same way by trying to place myself in the shoes of my characters. I’m still acting, just through this wonderful visual medium. It’s cathartic, and honest, to create something, to bring it to life.

I really don’t know how to answer that. To be fair I only see problems with the work I do. I have so much still to learn still. In fact today I think I know less than let’s say five years ago. It is a complex process and every time I sit down next to the drawing board I do it with the goal of creating something better than my previous work. I have more personal pieces, that are close to my chest, but that doesn’t mean an elevation in pride. One can only hope that what one creates will resonate with someone out there.

I do prefer the evenings, and those hours, but I tend to ignore so-called “creative places” and/or creative hours. You have a job to do, so you do it. If it doesn’t come, you keep on hammering at it until it does.

I’m not sure. It’s weird. I’m a very happy, positive person, I love talking to people, and I’m very interested. But the darkness and me, we have this old, long relationship. It’s interesting because I tend to feel that people, and their characters, are not only a collection of their memories. Of course what happened to us defines us a certain way, and we can’t argue with that. Yet, how come babies in such early stages of development pick up stuff and they seem to like certain things more than others. They made a choice. I was so very young when I was already engaged with monsters, and horror, or the tragic nature of certain super heroes, mythology and fairy tales. The tone of my work is not purposeful, it’s who I am.

For client work I tend to use digital tools, as the nature of those jobs usually requires for you to be faster, and in some cases more affordable. From time to time, if the client requests, I also work traditionally. I use Photoshop, Artrage, Painter, and now my newfound love: Procreate with my Ipad and Apple pencil. It’s super fantastic. I began the year working on a film that was an 11^th hour call, I was home with my family in Hungary, and I did all the designs on the Ipad. It was fantastic. We are just so lucky today with all the art stuff at our disposal. However, I always preferred traditional tools. I just love the good old pencil to paper approach, and besides I still feel more confident with it than with any kind of digital tools.

Great question. I’d love to do a book. I want to do a book for so very long it breaks my heart. Also the people who are following my work keep asking about a book, and it’s just such an ongoing failed effort. Failed I say because I always wanted to tell stories and what is a better way to tell stories than a book. But anyone who has or tried to make a book knows what an incredible undertaking it really is. Especially when you have bills to pay. Also, I’d love to make a film. I have scripts written, ideas to tackle. I mean the treasure chest of my entire childhood. Hopefully one day.

I don’t really have any. This might sound boring to some, but I always only ever wanted to make art, and make a comfortable enough life with it so I can create more art. I’m on the way. Aren’t we all?

Oh Lord. Where to start? Schiele, Bill Brandt, Rodin, Fernand Khnopff, Klimt, Artur Grotter, Edward Okun, Wladyslaw Benda, many of the pre-Raphaelites, Mark “Crash” Mcreery, Beksinski, Norm Breyfogle, Joey Orosco, Norman Cabrera, Carlos Huante, Steve Wang, Jose Fernandes, Allen Williams, Chet Zar… and the list goes on and on, finding new incredible artists every day. All of these aforementioned artists (and the not-mentioned ones that I love) have one thing in common: raw, relentless skill in the craft. ART, with capital letters. When you see the work of these people you are equally awed and jealous at the same time. Brilliant stuff.

Super interesting things, although I can’t talk about them just yet. What I can say though is I released a print in conjunction with Sideshow Collectibles  in April, called “Admissionem”, that sold out super fast it seems, so there is definitely something else coming. I also have other stuff in the works with them so fingers crossed.

Two of my works also got in to this year’s Spectrum that will be released in November. I’m also working on a tutorial with the 3dtotal team, hopefully finishing that soon. And there might be something really big happening in October but I cannot say more, as the other 3 projects I’m involved in. It doesn’t even matter, what matters is that the work goes on and I love every bit of it.