Craig Shoji Talks About Creating the Breath-Taking World of 'Thor'

I have another exclusive interview with concept artist Craig Shoji, and he talks about "geeking out" with Marvel, working with producer Bo Welch designing the world of Asgard and bringing Jack Kirby's comic book designs to life.

You've seen a lot of Craig Shoji's work without knowing it. A freelance artist living in California, he blew us away on The Golden Compass (2007), Avatar (2009) , Alice in Wonderland (2010). Now he's done it again with breath-taking visuals of Asgard for Thor (2011).

Q: How did you decide to become a concept illustrator versus other types of art?
It took a long time to even figure out what a concept illustrator was! When I was at UCLA I thought it was either graphic design for web, print or video, or new media (a la John Maeda and the MIT Media Lab). It wasn't until I took some foundation classes at Pasadena City College that I learned about Product Design and Entertainment Design. I began my Art Center education studying Industrial Design but soon realized that I enjoyed drawing fantastical things and realizing worlds that could only exist on a screen, than worrying too much about manufacturing and tolerances.

Q: What's your background as an artist?
(Image: Craig circa 1983)
I've always enjoyed drawing as a kid, but I was more a tinkerer than a painter. I liked to take things apart to see how they worked then attempt to put them back together again.

I got a degree in design at the University of California - Los Angeles, but it was a very general education and not too trade-oriented. So I continued my education in Pasadena at the Community College there as well as the private Art Center. It was here that I learned about entertainment arts and was able to network and refine my craft to do what I'm doing today.

Q: What was it like working on "Thor?"
(Image: Thor exterior Odin's Asgard tower)
It was both daunting and fun at the same time. There was a large team when I first came on (maybe 4 or 5 illustrators) but the production got pushed about 5 months and everyone but myself was let go. So for a long time it was just me and Bo Welch (the production designer) working on Odin's tower and Asgard which was a lot of early responsibility.

As I settled into my role and began resolving a lot of the design details, the production started ramping up again and I was joined by some more amazing talent. This is always great as an illustrator cause you have people that you're bouncing ideas off of and constantly being inspired by.

So it was a breath of fresh air to have a handful of creative people to share an office with again.

The whole department was incredibly fun to work and hang out with, so I really enjoyed my time there. It was also nice geeking out with the Marvel execs as they came by because I feel like we've all grown up with the same love for comics. And it was effortless to get excited about how these worlds we've come to know and love would be realized in the film.



Q: Do you work with traditional mediums or do you favor digital art?
(Image: Alice in Wonderland Courtyard sketches)
I love pen sketching on paper. I'm a big fan of ball point pens, brush pens, hitec-c pens, etc! The list goes on and on! A lot of my early ideas are established in a sketchbook as a doodle or preliminary sketch. Then I'll either redraw it on the computer, or build it out in 3d and paint in photoshop on top of it.

The digital medium has allowed for so much more flexibility as well as photorealism in such a timely fashion that the analog can't compete. In a film production setting, it's crucial to get the best result in the least amount of time, so unfortunately it's no longer practical to work solely in analog.

In my free time I like to pry myself away from the computer and pick up some gouache paints and illustration board. It's much more rewarding when you have to look, think, then place down the brush stroke, than scribble scribble, ctrl-z, ctrl-z, scribble, cut, paste, scribble, unsharp mask. :)


Q: While everything you have done has its own rewards is there one project that you're particularly proud of?
(Image: Thor Asgard courtyard painting)
I'm actually very proud of my work on THOR over any of my other past films. I feel like it gave myself (and the other artists) an opportunity to translate the original intent of Jack Kirby's Asgard in an updated fashion that was still tasteful and respectful. It seemed everyone had a take on what that vision was, all the way through post production, and it was great to see it evolve until the end result on screen. I'm proud knowing that I was part of the creation of that world, and that it was well received by the fans.




Q: Who influences your artistic style the most?
(Image: Avatar Pandora fruit)
I'm creatively influenced by so many people and so many things, but as far as style... I'm probably more influenced by the world around me.

I love photography, and trying to best understand light and how it bounces, reflects, absorbs, and blankets everything around us. I also love looking at master matte painting works and seeing how those guys resolved 'photoreal' illusions with a few brush strokes. Al Whitlock, Michael Pangrazio, Syd Dutton as well as my contemporaries: Robert Stromberg, Dylan Cole, Steve Messing, Yannick Dusso, Brian Flora, Yusei Uesugi...

There are a lot of people out there that I admire whom truly inspire me. Being lucky enough to have worked with, learned from and befriended is the icing on the cake.

You can check out more of his incredible work on Alice and other designs at pensketch.com. Also, follow him on twitter (pensketch) for updates.

Thanks for the interview Craig!

To read some of my other interviews with artists check out the full list here.

What do you think of Craig Shoji's work?