For my followers this may be nothing more than a follow-up interview,but for my new readers this may be the introduction to that amazing artist that you are looking for. I have seen his work used in a lot of posts, unfortunately sometimes he doesn't get the credit he deserves, because someone just shared his work without his name attached. So, I am sure you may be familiar with his work and just not realize it yet. Anyway, let's get started. Ladies and Gentlemen, Nerds and Nerdettes, my interview with Uncanny Knack aka John Gallagher.
1. It has been a while since our last interview, what have you been up to?
Well it's been a busy stretch and truth be told, like driving in the desert, after a certain amount of time the shows blend into one another in a long continuous stream of cool things to create, problems to solve and solutions to provide. I've been steady on The Flash of course, now finishing its third season. I've also been doing double duty on Supergirl as well, so those two keep me honest. I managed to illustrate a few other interesting projects such as Riverdale, Mech X-4, Frequency, King Tut, In the Lost Lands, Figment and Power Rangers, over various terms and capacities. Also, the normal steady run of commissions and NDA material I can't discuss in a public forum.
2. As you already know, I am a huge fan of your artwork. In case some of our readers don’t know, what DC Comics shows do you work on?
Thank you I appreciate that a great deal. It's an honor to serve in the trenches doing the best we can to create meaningful work. I've worked on The Flash the last three seasons, Supergirl this season - the second, and have done concept design and illustration work on Legends of Tomorrow and a few select pieces for Arrow.
3. What other projects are you working on?
As I mentioned earlier, there's a number of interesting prospects circling that I can't discuss in detail, but I am rapidly nearing the end of the season on both Supergirl and The Flash. I rarely plan too far ahead and certainly take nothing for granted in the industry so as events unfold I'll be allowed to discuss further. Let's just say one in particular is bigger than anything I've ever worked on and if it comes together will be the kind of thing where you could knock me over with a feather.
4. Do you ever take time off of creating artwork or is it just an everyday thing?
Of course. I take physical time off away from media but I'm never really off duty. I'm constantly in a state of play with possibilities and the gears never stop turning. But the fluid interplay of ideas and inspirations is an active engaged mindset not an art lifestyle. I pull it from everywhere, from raging polemics online to watching crows argue. It's simply a matter of downloading, processing and using the filtered input in effective and interesting ways.
5. Speaking of artwork, where can my readers see more of your work?
I'm an active poster on Instagram (
uncannyknack) and Deviantart (
uncannyknack) and have both a work-oriented portfolio site (
http://uncannyknack.com) and a new e-com site
https://www.johngallagherart. com. I also have Tumblr, Twitter and Pinterest accounts where I post less frequently and am often shared on comic and film sites. Pretty easy to find me if you Google uncannyknack or john gallagher artist
6. Getting back to the Flash and Supergirl, which character was your favorite to work with? (One for each show)
This will sounds like I'm deferring, but the truth is each one is their own challenge and offers chances to bring flourishes to bear. Villains are always a kick as they tend to offer their own nefarious and particular plumage. But truth be told, being on a superhero show after being a comics fan my entire life is its own reward. Anything after that is pure delicious dessert.
7. Since you work so much in the realm of comic and movie art, do you have a favorite artist that you followed or are currently following in the same field?
Too many to count. Even on my own shows I shoulder up against creators and co-workers who are remarkable and in my film and comics community in Vancouver, I have a multitude of creatives I count as inspiring heroes as well as close friends They'll be the first of course to downplay it but I don't care. I persist in my enthusiasms. Casting my net further the Marvel Studios visual development team are terrifyingly good, Lucasfilm and ILM are world class studs wall to wall, Method, Encore. ZOIC, other vfx service providers, almost every AAA videogame developer is crushing it, comics are overflowing with mad scientists and wild genius....genuinely too many to name for fear of neglecting the others. They together provide the symphony players and background music to my inner life. Extraordinary, beautiful, heartbreakingly gorgeous work with almost monotonous regularity. My steady diet of eye protein of the highest purity never wants for lack of nutrition.
8. If you could work on any project past, present, or future, what would it be and why?
As a cultural archivist I would have loved to have been a participant in my personal watershed genre moments from the earliest days to up to the moment: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Alien, Blade Runner, Aliens, Evil Dead, Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Robocop, Tron, Starship Troopers, The Fifth Element, American Werewolf in London, The Thing, Arrival...to be a part of something astonishing and meaningful, with enduring love and passionate fans. Most humans, when pressed, will offer that it's most important for them to belong and part of that belonging is shared spectacles and events and films are that and much more. It provided a connective lasting shared experience for us and to have had a hand in crafting that for people is a remarkable privilege. I've felt that from fans of Bioware games when they share their experiences and it knocks me out every time because we toil in dark vacuums and unleash our brainchildren upon the world with only educated guesses to navigate potential directions it could go.
9. Are you currently reading comics? If so, what titles are you reading?
Of course. I'm deliberately omnivorous these days and am keeping up with a number of titles: Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, Vision, Bullseye, Moon Knight, Monsters Unleashed, Uber, Providence, Afterlife With Archie, Paper Girls, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Harrow County, Moonshine, Black Hammer, The Sheriff of Babylon, Kill Or Be Killed, Rat Queens, Angel Catbird, Future Quest, Superman: American Alien, Green Valley, Dept H, American Monster, The Goddamned, Seven to Eternity and a bunch of others I've likely overlooked. My vintage collector's jam is Bronze Age Marvel Monsters so I'm always on the look out for 8.5+ quality of occult and supernatural series and the collection is rounding out nicely!
10. Last question, what comic related film are you looking forward to seeing in 2017?
All of them! I'm especially fond of MCU projects so Spider Man Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok and GOTG 2 already have my money. I'm keen to check out Justice League, Logan, Wonder Woman, Valerian, Kingsmen: The Golden Circle who all have my attention as well. Great time to be alive as a comic culture fan!
