Fanartist Focus #1 - Glockgal
Presenting Glockgal
The fanartist we're starting with is the wonderful glockgal. She was the most obvious candidate to begin with, not only because she is amazingly talented and has produced an incredibly vast array of Harry Potter art depicting nearly all canon characters, but she also has created the largest quantity of twincesty art of any fanartist on the net. Her distinctly stylized rendering of how she envisions Fred and George's appearance is immediately identifiable. Her abilities to create emotions and actions within a piece is remarkable, and the minute detail she employs to maximum effect is a hallmark of her talent. Her work is artistic storytelling at its finest, whether the story is canon, fanfic, or portraiture, and she is revered by her peers as one of the best fanartists around.
Twinspiration's mrsrittenrotten asked glockgal a few questions about herself, her art, twincest, and other necessities of life.
Glockgal, welcome to Twinspiration! How did you first get interested in doing fanart in general and slash/twincest art specifically?
I started drawing fanart about ten years ago in the comicverse X-Men fandom. It was so much fun and as I continued to search for requests from fellow fandomers, I got into DC comics through reading a slash fiction that I wanted to do fanart for. I was hooked for life.
My love for twincest definitely started with Fred and George Weasley, thanks to my old fandom partner in crime lisew. She had the fanfic and suppositions and the conversations to turn anyone into a twincest fan, no matter how crazy it sounded at first.
What is your favorite media in which to work?
I'm pretty sure it's still watercolour. I have a fondness for just-pencil or just-ink and I'm trying out Photoshop colouring, but watercolours are where I'm most comfy.
What most inspires you to draw your fanart? Do you prefer creating art suggested by a scene in a specific story, or inventing your own original scenario?
I have next-to-zero creativity, which is why I depend on fandom and canon to give me inspiration. I love taking the ideas of others and visualizing them, whether it's in a fiction, in the HP books or just a spark of idea in a passing conversation. Reading canon or a fic pulls flashes of images in my mind, which can be so compelling that I have to put them on paper.
How do you approach your composition? Where do you prefer to get image reference material? (photos, live models, etc)? What is the average amount of time you spend on a piece?
Awesome question! I start with a vague image in my mind and then I do a quick thumbnail. I started this method a few years ago and it's proved invaluable. I hardly ever draw anymore without having a little thumbnail sketch of the entire composition first.
I like reference material, and if it's for something that I'm not familiar with (eg, a motorcycle, a uniform, etc), then Google Images is my best friend. Right now, I'm trying to employ my 3D modeling skills to help me with perspective. Yay, no math or rulers!
For a commission that's a fully inked and coloured piece with a detailed background and, say, a couple characters, it will usually take me one or two working days, or maximum 10 hours total. If I'm just drawing for fun, I can take anywhere between two to ten hours.
Do you paint other twins or just Fred and George?
Just Fred and George! And sometimes Padma and Parvati as well, but now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever drawn Patil twincest. Hmm! Must remedy that.
What are some of your main goals when painting twincest pieces? Do you have any problems or preferences you notice while you are creating your art?
When I draw Fred and George, I really want to try and encapsulate the bond they share, with a touch of that Weasley twin naughtiness. Ages ago, I co-wrote some Weasley twincest fic, which I think helped get into their heads little. Therefore when I try to translate that into fanart, I try to depict a story of the twins' relationship in the pic.
Do you ever have trouble keeping the twins looking identical?
The obvious problem is trying to get them to look enough alike, heh! Generally one twin ends up a bit uglier than the other. I usually dub that one Fred, because for whatever reason, George is the super-hot one to me. My default 'look' for the twins must have the following:
- squinty eyes
- crooked eyebrows
- sideburns (and optional chinscruff)
- short and stocky
- freckles!
I don't really think it's too big of a deal if I don't get them looking exactly alike, though. I like having George be the hotter one.
Who are your favorite fanartists, and favorite websites for posting/viewing fanart?
Wow. I don't think I can name my favourites, because it is a very, very extensive list. I've been in fandom for so long now, my love for fanart is expansive and includes a small country's worth of fanartists. The best place to keep track of HP fanart are the LJ communities hp_art_daily and hp_fringeart. I love those places when I want to discover new artists or catch up on the artists I know and adore. This question has definitely given me the need to create a new list of all the fanartists I love! I had a list from years ago, but it's very out-dated now.
What aspects of the twins and their relationship with each other or another character do you most like to emphasize in your work?
I really like to focus on their playfulness. I think in all of my twincest pics, I draw them smiling and/or looking slightly mischievous. They like to have fun! Why not in bed as well? I don't know if I could ever effectively draw an angsty twincest piece. The other Weasleys can get very emo, but not the twins.
However, I have also created a facade in my head about their relationship with each other - Fred is the straight twin, George is the gay one. But Fred and George's relationship goes way beyond their personal sexual preferences. They are just that much more intimate and close to each other, like. Special? And by this logic, Fred is always slightly more neurotic than the laid-back George.
With other characters, they are usually the ones in charge. They don't necessarily have to seduce or coerce, but they would definitely play the two-against-one game. I guess in a way, they're a bit of a set of control freaks? ;D
Who are your favorite characters to paint, if not the twins?
Eee, the Trio! Any variation of them. I also like drawing the Marauders and Lily, as well as Luna, Cedric and Pansy.
Might you do more twincest fanart in the future?
Definitely! I did some just recently, but I can't reveal it until that particular holiday challenge is over, eheh.
[Editors' Note: glockgal is, of course, referring to her beautiful giftart for irisgirl12000 in the most recent round of merry_smutmas. Now that the big reveal has taken place, we can link you to the beauty that is One Particular Morning. (NWS - nudity, slash threesome, light bondage, voyeurism)]
What, in your opinion, can be improved upon in the fanart community overall?
Wowsers, this is a hard question. I find the fanart community to be such a close, tight-knit group, that it's hard for me to see much fault in it. If anything, I think some fanartists need to show their work off a bit more, because there are some mad-talented people out there! Forget modesty! Glory in your skills!
Where can your art be seen online?
I have two places for the twincest stuff:
http://www.twinners.org/everyflavour
- my personal fanart website, which links to my LJ fanart comm glockart.
http://twinners.org/twins/
- twincest fics co-written by lisew and me.
And, finally, can we have permission to link to your twincest art or post any of it in this interview? If so, which piece?
Definitely! I'll give you the links:
twins/harry:
For Emmagrant01's fic 'Checking It Twice'. (NWS - nudity, slash threesome, het)
Twins/Harry in the rain.
Left out...or is he?
twins/oliver:
In the shower. (NWS - nudity, slash threesome)
twincest:
George/Fred twincest pile. (NWS - nudity)
one of my faves - twins/Ginny:
Ginny Weasley loves Fred and George. (NWS - nudity, implied het incest threesome)
gen twins:
Farewell twins.
Quidditch twins.
aha, twincest comedy?
George.
Wow! What an impressive selection! Thank you so much, glockgal, for sharing both your wonderful twincesty art, as well as a bit of insight into the artist behind the art! It's been a pleasure learning more about you, you really are a legend among fanartists, and indeed among twincesters!
Be sure to join Glockgal's art comm glockart and stay up to date on all her artwork.
-MrsRittenrotten.