International Speculative Fiction #5
Page 12
Hopefully, there is a lot of work to come from Desert Pirates.
Many films, books, and visual art have explored post-apocalyptic or wasteland settings. How are you approaching yours differently, and why?
In the visual side, I think I have many things to offer. I will try to show these in the work I am developing right now. But I prefer to keep that for me, and show it in images when they are finished and I have the freedom to show them.
I also love to create characters and personalities, so I hope my characters will appeal to people.
I agree that many things have already been done, so it will not be easy to beat the classics like Mad Max, or the new ones like Rage. But I will do my best.
Desert Pirates: Pizza Delivery
This project uses a muted palette, while other pieces of yours, like Soviet Business, are vibrantly coloured. How do you decide how to colour an image? And what role does colour play in depicting a scene?
The culture we receive from cinema and photography, adding all these photographic filters to the images, is what I am trying to study and apply to my own concept art.
Some of my techniques are taken from existing photographic filters, and other things are just emotional and non-rational choices.
Doing tests is also awesome, so I usually do some different coloring tests, playing with layer effects and other changes to create new color palettes. Playing with vibrant and muted colors, and just playing with effects.
Post-apocalyptic settings are often full of lawlessness, pain, and suffering—so why do people love them so much?
Hahaha, I don’t know why people love it.
Being alone and suffering is nothing unique to post-apocalyptic scenarios. It’s something we can all relate to, we all suffer and feel alone more often than we would like. So, having a character who is tortured psychologically, is feeling alone and is suffering, is someone with who we can identify. You can write a story in any genre about someone like this, and people will relate to it.
But also, for me, post-apocalyptic environments are awesome, because I feel the earth is really going to end like this. Human behavior is running in that direction. So, trying to imagine what is gonna happen when everything we knew is destroyed, and we have forgotten the laws, our culture, our own past, is just something amazing. I don’t think it would be pleasant to live there at all, but... there is something that is really attracting me.
Desert Pirates: Badass Girl
You spoke about the films and other influences which inspired you when you were young. Today, there are young people who are looking at your art and becoming inspired. What advice would you give to them about starting their career and finding their personal style?
Being a less experienced artist who is still trying to find his style, I would recommend that people not take inspiration from my novice art. Find as many references as you can, not only from current artists. Take a look at everything, the classic artists from our history, the most recent but “modern classic” artists too, who have spent a whole life perfecting their work and looking at the classic artists, and take a look at everything surrounding us. You will find more interesting things that you thought existed.
It’s not easy to have a personal style—I am still working on it. But also, a style comes when you have done a lot of different things. Knowledge is the base, so trying to expand your knowledge about everything (not just color or anatomy, also lifestyle and philosophy) will bring you a personal style.
Be patient.
Try to be happy and enjoy what you are doing.
And try not to care about negative opinions. It’s not easy, but it’s the way to do what you want to do.
Thank you for your time.
Thanks to you, Saul. I am really happy to have met you, and I am very pleased to have got this amazing space in ISF.
This interview with Sergi Brosa was conducted via e-mail over the course of two weeks in November, 2013.
Mr. Brosa can be reached at:
E-Mail: brosart@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sergi.brosa
DeviantART: http://brosa.deviantart.com
Behance: http://www.behance.net/Brosa
About ISF
International Speculative Fiction (“ISF”) is a free online magazine published every three months. It features speculative fiction by international authors, with special attention given to non-anglophone writers.
ISF publishes three to four short stories per issue, along with one article and one interview. Our articles cover the speculative fiction scene in a variety of countries. We also regularly publish short stories and articles on our website.
The current issue and all back issues of ISF are available for free on InternationalSF.wordpress.com.
If you’re an author and would like to submit fiction or non-fiction for future issues of ISF, please see our submission guidelines (in this e-book or on our website) and start submitting!
—Roberto Mendes, Editor In Chief
How to Submit
Fiction
Length: Up to 7,500 words.
Language: English, although we will also consider fiction previously published solely in another language.
Nationality of the author: We will consider fiction from authors of any nationality, although we give preference to non-Anglophone writers.
Type of document: Please send Word files (*.doc) using Arial 11-point font, single spaced.
Essential Elements: A brief biography and picture of the author, and an abstract of the short story.
Themes: We are looking for submissions of international speculative fiction in genres including, but not limited to, science fiction, fantasy and horror. Please consider this definition from Wikipedia to get an idea of what we’re after: “Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts.”
Submit to: correiodofantastico@gmail.com with the subject “Submission of Fiction to ISF”.
Articles
Length: Up to 7,500 words.
Language: English, although we will also consider articles previously published solely in another language.
Nationality of the author: All nationalities.
Type of document: Please send Word files (*.doc) using Arial 11-point font, single spaced.
Essential Elements: A brief biography and picture of the author, and an abstract of the article.
Themes: We are looking exclusively for articles about international speculative fiction.
Submit to: correiodofantastico@gmail.com with the subject “Submission of Article to ISF”.
Meet the ISF Team
Editor-In-Chief: Roberto Mendes (Portugal)
Roberto Mendes is a trainee lawyer in Portugal who has a tremendous passion for speculative fiction. He created a Portuguese e-zine called Correio do Fantástico in 2008 and has edited two Portuguese magazines, Dagon and Conto Fantástico. He also edited Vollüspa, an anthology of Portuguese speculative fiction featuring fifteen authors.
Fiction Editor: Ricardo Loureiro (Portugal)
After a recent phone call I was left with the dreaded mission of writing a bio and, worse, picking a photo of myself.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this is the most boring stuff anyone could ask of me—up there with watching paint dry and grass grow—but it surely it’s not far off.
Usually I put on my satirical hat and make something up along the lines of being someone who’s up to no good. Strangely, for this project, I felt that wasn’t the right approach and after a lot of brainstorming with myself I came up with a solution. Incredibly, I decided to play it safe and, for once, tell the truth—or at least as near to the truth as anyone will ever get from me. So, without further ado here it is.
Born in the
year of the Monkey, anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that of all the animals the monkey is the most like me: always swinging from tree to tree, always looking for another prank, making fun of everything and making a habit of taking everything in superficially as possible.
Well, that describes me—as much as the iceberg we see above the waters describes the real iceberg beneath those same waters.
Because, you see, being a cynical, satirical, incredibly nauseating son of a bitch is only a third of what I am. The other two thirds you’ll have to discover through my work and what better place to start than right here at ISF?
Non-Fiction Editor: Nas Hedron (Canada/Brazil)
Nas Hedron is a writer, editor, and artist. He is originally from Canada, but now divides his time between his Canada and Brazil.
He is the author of Luck and Death at the Edge of the World, The Virgin Birth of Sharks, and Felon and the Judas Kiss, among other works. His story Siren Songs in Deep Time appeared in issue 2 of ISF.
Nas is also the editorial half of the team at IndieBookLauncher.com, which provides services to independent authors including editing, cover design, and e-book formatting. IndieBookLauncher.com provides copyediting for each issue of International Speculative Fiction (starting with #2), as well as its annual anthology.
Nas’s blog, with links to his books and other projects, can be found at NassauHedron.com.
Podcast Director: Joana Fernandes (Portugal)
Joana Fernandes has always been passionate about literature and now uses her professional skills to help spread the work of as-yet-unknown authors. She studied journalism, worked for national radio, and is now Project Coordinator at a communication and events agency. She is at work on a very personal guide to Rio de Janeiro which will be released shortly.
Interviewer: Cristian Tamaş (Romania)
Cristian Tamaş is a Romanian essayist, translator, and SF fan who has been active in speculative fiction since the 1980’s.
He is a founding member of the Romanian Science Fiction & Fantasy Society (SRSFF = Societatea Română de Science Fiction & Fantasy), and coordinates ProspectArt, the SRSFF’s SF club relaunched in April 2009 in Bucharest (Romania) and the annual Ion Hobana Colloquium. He is a member of the Ion Hobana and a SRSFF’s Jury Awards.
He is also editor of Bella Proxima, a trilingual Croatian SF anthology (English-Croatian-Romanian), together with Antuza Genescu and Aleksandar Žiljak (Eagle Publishing House, Bucharest, 2012).
He has interviewed David Brin, Juliet Marillier, Prof. Rachel Haywood Ferreira (Division Head of the International Fantastic division of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, Iowa State University, USA; research focus: Latin American science fiction), Prof. Arielle Saiber (Bowdoin College, USA; research focus: italian science fiction), Mariano Martín Rodríguez (SF scholar, Spain), Alexandre Babeanu (Prix Solaris awarded Canadian SF author), Ugo Bellagamba (French SF author awarded with Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire & Prix Rosny ), and Judit Lörinczy, a Hungarian SF author and artist.
Editor of the Official Facebook Page: Alexandra Rolo (Portugal)
Alexandra Rolo is a history student, bookworm, and blogger (as Pantapuff), who also writes poetry and short fiction. She was a founder of the Portuguese webzine Nanozine and is the author of several books of poetry. She manages a number of Facebook accounts and collaborates on several blogs in addition to her own.
Head Designer: Rafael Mendes (Portugal)
Rafael Mendes is a digital arts student and freelance digital artist in Portugal. He is passionate about design, 3D modeling, and cinematography. He has contributed to Dagon magazine, Vollüspa (an anthology of Portuguese speculative fiction), and Conto Fantástico Magazine, among others.
Head Designer: João Paulo Sinal (Portugal)
João Paulo Sinal is a communication design student and a corporal in the Portuguese Air Force. He is fascinated by new technologies, is involved in photography and digital painting, and is self-taught with respect to the relevant software and hardware.
Magazine Designer: Ana Ferreira (Portugal)
Ana Ferreira (also known on the internet as Adeselna Davies), is a teacher of Portuguese, English, and German. She started in the magazine business as a slush reader for the Portuguese webzine Nanozine, but eventually took over the design department and is now preparing an edition dedicated to Steampunk.
Besides designing, Ana writes (mostly short) fiction as a hobby and maintains a tradition of starting stories but refusing to finish them. Her blog Illusionary Pleasure is dedicated to reviews of Portuguese books of every genre. She takes inspiration from Swiss lesbian writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach, as well from Pre-Raphaelite artists and German expressionists.
Ana Raquel (Portugal)
Ana Raquel (also known as Tomoyo on the internet) has a degree in education and now studies communication science. Her first contact with the magazine world was through Waribashi, a Portuguese e-zine about Japanese culture for which she wrote and which she helped administer. She is a dedicated reader, especially of the fantastic and of historical romance.
The ISF Consultant Panel
Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for over thirty years. She was fiction editor at OMNI Magazine and SCIFICTION and has edited more than fifty anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year, Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror, Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy, Blood and Other Cravings, Supernatural Noir, Teeth: Vampire Tales, and After: Dystopian and Post-apocalyptic Tales (the latter two young adult anthologies with Terri Windling).
She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, and multiple Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention, for “outstanding contribution to the genre” and was honored with the Life Achievement Award given by the Horror Writers Association in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career.
She lives in New York. She maintains a web site at Datlow.com and a LiveJournal blog. You can also find her on twitter.
Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo began reading science fiction at the age of five, when he encountered his first Mighty Mouse comic. He published his first story in 1977, and has since been responsible for thirty books under his byline. He hopes to keep at this game for some time yet. His tastes in fantastika are omnivorous.
About IndieBookLauncher.com
IndieBookLauncher.com provides top quality e-publishing services to independent authors.
Founded in 2012 as a partnership between editor and writer Nas Hedron and graphic designer Saul Bottcher, IndieBookLauncher.com offers professional editing, cover design, and e-book production services.
We’re excited to work with International Speculative Fiction to help them promote the work of non-anglophone authors to a wider audience. This Anthology e-book was copyedited and produced by IndieBookLauncher.com, and we can do the same for you!
Visit us at www.IndieBookLauncher.com.
Colophon
This e-book file was produced by IndieBookLauncher.com.
The following people contributed to the production of this e-book:
Copy Editing by Nas Hedron
Cover Illustration by Sergi Brosa
Cover Design by Saul Bottcher
E-Book Production (EPUB and Kindle) by Saul Bottcher
The typeface used for the chapter headings is Verb Black by Yellow Design Studio.
The typeface used for body text is the default typeface in your e-reading environment.
book with friends