I had the pleasure of meeting Phil a few years ago. My mom and Phil knew each other because at the time they both were members of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators. She was hosting a meeting and Phil was the speaker. I was intrigued by his speech because at some points I felt his experiences were relatable to mine. For example, in this interview you will see that he briefly mentioned “Upon graduation, I got a studio job in Cleveland Ohio and stayed there a total of one month!! It was a terrible job where I was cleaning glue pots, running packages to and from agencies and clients and generally not getting the chance to do any art at all.” To be honest… My first job that I took was a complete disaster as well! Also, I found him to be honest and real.
I see Phil as a good mentor. I know I turned to him when I needed to. I am a non-traditional student. I did not attend college right out of high school. I went to a trade school to fulfill my life long dream of a pastry chef. After a few years in the field I realized I wanted more and I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be as a pastry chef. So, I went back to college to study nutrition. A few years into the program, I realized my true passion was for art! (SLAM ON THE BREAKS, SCREECHING OF TIRES, SAY WHAT!?!) There were a few people in my corner supporting my decision and Phil was one of them! I am excited to say that I am finishing my degree and Phil’s words have stuck with me during the process! With that being said, enjoy the interview below with Phil Wilson!
What inspired you to become an illustrator/animator?
Ever since I was in grade school…I’ve always been interested in art. When I was in the first grade, the teacher gave everyone some colored construction paper to do whatever they wanted with it. I proceeded to make a sort of ‘origami’ crocodile head with moving jaws that the teacher was so impressed with, that she made it a class project for the other students! I don’t know if the other kids appreciated that, but it was the first time I got acknowledgement for my artwork!
I drew all the time from that point on and became a big fan of Norman Rockwell and other magazine artists I saw, as well as Disney art. These are the influences that shaped my future in art.
What is the difference between an illustrator and an animator?
Well, an illustrator is an artist that does artwork to accompany magazine articles, book stories and covers, advertising and product art and anything of a commercial nature, whereas an animator has to know how to make their artwork “move” and “act”…to be an actor with a pencil, as they’ve been described by many in the field.
If you were able to advise someone entering the animation and illustration field what would you tell them and why?
I would tell them to draw and practice as much as they can. there’s no substitute for putting in the time! The famous animator Chuck Jones (of Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner fame), once said; “Every artist has about 200,000 bad drawings in them, and the sooner you get rid of them, the better off you’ll be!” Any aspiring artist needs to study anatomy, both human and animal, perspective and composition, and color theory, as well as be proficient in as many types of media as possible. The more versatile you become, the more opportunities will be available to you.
Can you tell our readers about your prior work history (your ups and downs)?
Well,…right out of high school, I attended art school for the two year course. Upon graduation, I got a studio job in Cleveland Ohio and stayed there a total of one month!! It was a terrible job where I was cleaning glue pots, running packages to and from agencies and clients and generally not getting the chance to do any art at all. I left the minute a job opportunity became available back here in Pittsburgh working for the Allegheny County Graphics Dept. It was there that I met Jim Allan, another fellow artist, and we became good friends with a shared interest in animation. We began experimenting with animation in our spare time and were soon offered through a co-worker whose mom was in charge of an organization called “GASP” (Group Against Smog & Pollution) the chance to do three animated TV spots for the group featuring a little cartoon bird named “Dirty Gertie”. At the same time, I was doing record album cover art for a Boston Recording Studio (which I got through a friend) , and the owner of the studio was also involved in producing a local TV cooking show in Boston. He was having some trouble selling it, so he asked us to do an animated opener segment for it. On the strength of this animated opener, he sold the show.
This led to him funding us to do a half-hour tv special “Allison and the Magic Bubble” which allowed us to quit our jobs with the county, and start our own animation business. “Allison” was shown on HBO several times and that led to a subsequent half-hour Special “A Star For Jeremy”, which was shown on Showtime and won the bronze achievement award at the 1983 International TV and Film Festival in New York. We later also worked on animation for the feature films “Creepshow” and “Creepshow 2” for Stephen King and George Romero in conjunction with Anivision Ltd. A hit music video for Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” came in 1989, and we also worked on around a dozen TV commercials.
What was it like to be an illustrator/animator for Disney?
Working for Disney was a dream come true for me! That came through one of our studio employees who met someone who needed a book idea that she had illustrated for a Disney project she sold to Disney. Disney said for her to find someone to illustrate it and my former employee recommended me. That led to my illustrating more than a dozen books for Disney, including such titles as “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”, “Mickey and the Beanstalk”, and “Prince and the Pauper”. The Disney connection led to my also working for several Disney magazine titles, Disney merchandise, and over 80 Disney character collectors plates for the Bradford Exchange. It was all a wonderful experience that lasted 18 years and opened so many other doors for me, including doing work for Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, and others.
How do you keep up with illustration and animation trends?
Trends come and go all the time, but if you concentrate on doing QUALITY work, there will always be work there for you. The biggest mistake many artists make is jumping on the latest “fad”, and when that fad is over, the work goes away. I never got bogged down with any current fad, and I’ve had a career that has spanned over 52 years!
What was the most educational project you worked on and why?
I have worked with several publishing companies that have done educational books for both commercial sales and school sales. These projects have involved illustrations of historical events, as well as cut-away illustrations of how things work, such as air conditioners and refrigerators, or cell phone towers, for instance.
I’ve also had another dream come true in publishing, and that has been the chance to do a lot of dinosaur illustration for many books. Dinosaurs have been a big fascination of mine since childhood, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with such world renowned paleontologists as Jack Horner, Bob Bakker, and Peter Dodson.
Here are some examples of Phil’s dinosaur art, and some miscellaneous pieces such as stamps he did for the country of Bhutan, a cel from the animated music video by Tom Petty, and a depiction of the ghost ship, “Flying Dutchman”:
For more information on Phil Wilson please check out the following Social Media Links:
www.facebook.com/phil.wilson.718
www.pittsburghillustrators.org
Legal Pages: