An interview with Alisdair Wood
Illustrator and game artist - Principal Illustrator at Rockstar North.
Originally published 8 November 2019.
This week I’ve interviewed one of the greatest living artists in the UK, Alisdair Wood. Credited as a 2D Designer on RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 (the best game I’ve ever played!), he’s been working with Rockstar since at least the end of the 90s on almost every GRAND THEFT AUTO and all of their major releases and is currently Principal Illustrator at Rockstar North.
He’s a crushingly good artist and illustrator who excels at horror but is equally at ease creating pitch-perfect adaptations of films that defined the 1970s and 1930s! Alisdair recently created illustrations for Swan River Press’ new edition of GREEN TEA by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and previously worked on GHOST STORIES OF AN ANTIQUARY Volume 1 by SelfMadeHero. If you haven’t seen his work before, you won’t be disappointed.
1/ Looking at your personal work, from the outside it appears to be cyclical - a set of haunted houses, a set of retro lil’ faces, classic horror films interpreted as posters with recurrent motifs - is this a conscious choice, and if so how do you know when a cycle is coming to an end and you’re ready to begin something new?
It's very true. I think I approach projects as a limited run, due to limited time. It’s only really evenings and weekends (family events permitting) that I have to work on my own projects.
So even though there’s a set of eight images, for example, that most Illustrators could turn over in a fortnight, this takes me a couple of months! After that amount of time on one subject I normally like to change, and try something else. It can become easy reproducing the same styled material, so it’s nice to challenge myself with other approaches and projects.
I’m constantly inspired by looking at the work of other creators, and like to set myself the challenge of working in their styles, or formats. This is what probably pushed me into attempting comics, as well as poster work, printmaking and even recently clay sculpting. Also it’s great to have a basic understanding of a lot of different styles and approaches, which helps producing artwork for the full-time job!
2/ What inspired you to become an artist and has it changed over the years? If so, what inspires you now?
Ken Reid. That’s the simplest answer. And probably Dudley D Watkins. Growing up reading comics, especially British comics, was my first love. I’d copy everything I got my hands on. I always thought it would be the best job, drawing cartoons all day.
Luckily I was quite good, and was encouraged by teachers at school. This was a huge confidence boost and I always aimed to go to Art College, even though I had no idea what they did there at that time! I faced the usual setbacks coming from a low income background in the 1970s. Most adults telling you there are no jobs in ‘art’, and to get a proper job. Even the schools career adviser said that “people from this school don’t go to Art College”. Clearly she was wrong. The Cocteau Twins had just left the same high school I was at a couple of years earlier, so I realized if they can do what they were doing, I could do what I wanted to do.
What inspires me now is pretty much the same. Other people’s work. I’m surrounded by hugely talented designers and artists at work, and a limitless supply of amazing work through social media.
3/ If you could collaborate with anybody at all, living or dead, in any medium, who would it be?
So many to choose from! Film wise (knowing nothing about film) I would have loved to have been around during the Universal Horror days. I woulda done anything on those films. They’re still a benchmark, after all these years. Especially James Whale.
Working in 1970s comics would have been great as well. Not just the Beano and Dandy, but all those other great titles. Whizzer & Chips, Whoopee, Monster Fun etc. So much originality and creativity. I think if my parents had seen what was inside they woulda stopped buying them! Luckily we have The Phoenix these days, keeping up that tradition.
These days, it’s almost impossible to list the writers and designers I would like to work with. I’d happily work with hundreds of great writers and designers that I’ve even met in the last five years.
It’s a wonderful feeling to have very talented people asking me to be part of their comics, or wanting me to illustrate what they’ve written. I wish I had the time to say yes to everything. The hardest part is never having enough time to do a tenth of the projects I’d love to do. I’ve had to turn down work from some of my favourite writers, which is heartbreaking.
Also, Elvis.
4/ If time, budget and even acquiring new skills were no longer limiting factors, what would you make tomorrow?
Sand sculptures in Hawaii. Then, I’d probably go back to portrait painting, which was what I really focused on at Art College. I really miss painting and having the time to paint.
Also, I’d like a nice big cast-iron printing press. It’s okay using a spoon, but nothing like the satisfaction of pulling that big old wooden handle. I only recently got back into lino printing, after it being a big part of my college course about 25 years ago. It can be very relaxing and liberating after doing mostly digital work all day. The sometimes random factor of it as well is very satisfying. Although an undo button would be handy sometimes.
I haven’t really mentioned gaming yet, but given a few years I’d churn out a classic pixel game. Something in the Bitmap Brothers vein. I wouldn’t do the coding though, as that’s hard as nails. And someday I’d love to work on a low budget horror film as well. I’ve never really worked on anything substantial in film, so that would be a huge learning curve. I’d also try to finish off the handful of books I’ve got on the go.
Jaws by Alisdair Wood - From (70)